2017 Bmw X5 suddenly become totally silent !!!

[alpha2015tr]

Hi Guys, my 2017 BMW x5 xdrive35i speakers stopped working a week ago.
Everything is working on the car, except there is no sound, only one message on the Idrive screen "no warning tones."

So did my homework and did a quick search on the net, and everyone is talking about H/K amplifier. So finally, I did find the prime suspect. Then I removed Amp completely from the trunk and disassembled it. I took many pictures of it.
I showed it to a couple of friends who are familiar with boards and electronics, and they said, "this is like a brand new part from the factory. Are you sure, is this broken?"

So, guys, I am totally stuck here. I don't know what to do. Is this AMP really dead? Or not? I don't mind buying used around 1K or a brand new one 2K to replace it. Just want to make sure this is really broken.

And the second biggest question is? Should I sell my car? I spent zero dollars for this car in the warranty period. as soon as the warranty ended, I got my first surprise. I am worrying, will it be more as time goes on? I had BMWs in the past new and old. New ones almost gave me zero problems, but older ones gave me lots of headaches.

So, what would you say about my case? What should I do? Thanks.

[alpha2015tr]

Some people say if the car hits water or heavy rain, water causes corrosion and harms electronic boards,

but my car always sits in the indoor garage and never faces any water issues or floods.

So, water can not be a reason for my case.

[alpha2015tr]

Another piece of info I got from my search is that if you see the red light at the end of the fibre cable, it means data successfully came to AMP. Please check the last pic in my post. thanks.

[RED_Y_]

So you have no audio, no music, noting right?

[alpha2015tr]

Originally Posted by RED_Y_

So you have no audio, no music, noting right?

Yes, exactly what you said

Totally silent BMW.

even parking sensors don't make any noise even though I can see on the screen.

do you have any recommendations?

[crystalworks]

Just for the sake of checking all boxes... is your battery original?

And the second biggest question is? Should I sell my car? I spent zero dollars for this car in the warranty period. as soon as the warranty ended, I got my first surprise. I am worrying, will it be more as time goes on? I had BMWs in the past new and old. New ones almost gave me zero problems, but older ones gave me lots of headaches.

If you intend to continue spending zero dollars on the car... then yes, you should sell it and get something else under warranty. Older BMWs need maintenance and repairs to get back to "under warranty" condition. Which is why older BMWs get so clapped out. Most 1st owners have warranties, even 2nd owners. But 3rd and 4th just neglect the car until they sell it... I don't mind though, it keeps cheap older BMWs readily available to me. They just need lots of repairs.

[alpha2015tr]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

Just for the sake of checking all boxes... is your battery original?

Yes, everything in the car is original from the factory, nothing changed

Except recently, tires and brakes were renewed. Yes, I paid for those

I also heard stories about weak batteries that cause AMP issues.
It looks like my battery seems ok. I checked its health of it. I will share the details.



If you intend to continue spending zero dollars on the car... then yes, you should sell it and get something else under warranty. Older BMWs need maintenance and repairs to get back to "under warranty" condition. Which is why older BMWs get so clapped out. Most 1st owners have warranties, even 2nd owners. But 3rd and 4th just neglect the car until they sell it... I don't mind though, it keeps cheap older BMWs readily available to me. They just need lots of repairs.

When I say zero dollars, I mean for unexpected cases and surprises.

Of course, for maintenance and mileage repairs, that's for sure. I am more than happy with that.

I am worrying mostly about popup errors suddenly for no reason, even though I do follow all maintenance requirements.

Luckily, the amp issue does not let me stop using and driving the car, but I will fix it anyway.

Thanks for the feedback crystalworks, appreciate it.

[alpha2015tr]

Yes, everything in the car is original from the factory; nothing changed

Except recently, tires and brakes were renewed. Yes, I paid for those

I also heard stories about weak batteries that cause AMP issues.
It looks like my battery seems ok. I checked its health of it. I will share the detail

[momoboy]

Before you go spending money on a new amp it might pay to have it diagnosed. The MOST system (fiber optic system) can be diagnosed. While it could be the amp it also could be a sensor (there is one under the drivers footwell) and that could be bad. Why throw money at a problem when the fix could be simple or cheaper. I would either take it to an independent that has the ability to diagnose the MOST system or the dealer. Better to spend a little money to identify the problem first.

As for your question about keeping it there are plenty of threads here that outline the common problems and cost to repair. They are pretty reliable though.

[alpha2015tr]

Originally Posted by momoboy

Before you go spending money on a new amp it might pay to have it diagnosed. The MOST system (fiber optic system) can be diagnosed. While it could be the amp it also could be a sensor (there is one under the drivers footwell) and that could be bad. Why throw money at a problem when the fix could be simple or cheaper. I would either take it to an independent that has the ability to diagnose the MOST system or the dealer. Better to spend a little money to identify the problem first.

As for your question about keeping it there are plenty of threads here that outline the common problems and cost to repair. They are pretty reliable though.

Thank you so much @momoboy. I was also looking for that piece of information
to reach that fibre endpoint. Do you know any DIY doc link for it?

I can try and take a look myself first.

Btw, I asked the BMW dealership to identify it, they will charge $300 cads for it. I also asked a local BMW repair shop, they returned to me
with "you have to buy a new amp or used one"

I don't know how they test it. they did not give any details

Actually, they did not charge for anything. I guess, for the electronic issues,
BMW official service is the way to go.

[alpha2015tr]

I saw youtube videos regarding the Fibre sensor under the footwell.
But those are mostly for E60's.

could not get anything for F15s

[alpha2015tr]

here is the battery info.

[momoboy]

I don't know exactly where that MOST sensor is in the F15. I saw a few posts of newer cars that had it in the footwell but I can't confirm the F15.

Honestly, if it were me I would reach out to local forum members or join your local BMW chapter and see if someone is willing to let you try their amp and see if it fixes the problem. You might even find someone that has a spare since they might have upgraded. You can also buy one used on eBay and it works, great. If not then just resell and you know your problem is elsewhere.

Here is one on eBay I think would work:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/28447932398...Bk9SR7zJg8fZYA

[alpha2015tr]

Ok, guys, I fixed the problem by replacing the bad amp with a used one now, and it is working perfectly so far.

But, I still don't know why the amp goes dead without any reason.

Thanks anyway.

[alpha2015tr]

Here is the replacement. It looks old and dirty but it works.

[crystalworks]

Nice. Glad it didn't take forever figuring out the problem. Electrical problems can be a bear to track down.

The battery question is always a go to for me as I don't let them stay in a BMW after year 4. I find in the 5th winter... starts are hit or miss after sitting for any length of time. And that's in South Texas. Either that or I start getting ghost codes (voltage related). I couldn't imagine temps up in your neck of the woods. Our F15 battery was original when we purchased it in Jan 2021 (MY2015) and it was giving us "No warning chimes" message and the audio would cut in and out or reset the iDrive periodically. Replaced the batt/registered and haven't had a problem since.

[alpha2015tr]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

Nice. Glad it didn't take forever figuring out the problem. Electrical problems can be a bear to track down.

The battery question is always a go to for me as I don't let them stay in a BMW after year 4. I find in the 5th winter... starts are hit or miss after sitting for any length of time. And that's in South Texas. Either that or I start getting ghost codes (voltage related). I couldn't imagine temps up in your neck of the woods. Our F15 battery was original when we purchased it in Jan 2021 (MY2015) and it was giving us "No warning chimes" message and the audio would cut in and out or reset the iDrive periodically. Replaced the batt/registered and haven't had a problem since.

I asked the same question to a BMW expert, and this is what he told me.

"Based on my service experience, I have seen batteries at 7 series easily go off after 3 years due to tons of electronic devices in the car. On the other hand, for X5, I usually see that 5 to 7 years to finish up."

Btw crystalworks, I am very surprised that you are worried about winter.
If I am not mistaken, you are from Texas. I thought Texas weather is similar to California; the whole year is always 20+ degrees (C)

I am also planning to move to Texas from Ontario next year, and the first thing I am worried for high temperature, not cold weather.

Even I am planning to switch to Honda and sell this X5. All I know is BMW does not like hot weather.

Am I right? How are German cars handling hot weather in Texas?

Can you give me some idea? Thanks.

[crystalworks]

Originally Posted by alpha2015tr

I asked the same question to a BMW expert, and this is what he told me.

"Based on my service experience, I have seen batteries at 7 series easily go off after 3 years due to tons of electronic devices in the car. On the other hand, for X5, I usually see that 5 to 7 years to finish up."

Btw crystalworks, I am very surprised that you are worried about winter.
If I am not mistaken, you are from Texas. I thought Texas weather is similar to California; the whole year is always 20+ degrees (C)

I am also planning to move to Texas from Ontario next year, and the first thing I am worried for high temperature, not cold weather.

Even I am planning to switch to Honda and sell this X5. All I know is BMW does not like hot weather.

Am I right? How are German cars handling hot weather in Texas?

Can you give me some idea? Thanks.

Heyyyy, future neighbor.

Well, I've owned around 20 BMWs (have 6 currently) and they've all lived here in Texas. They handle hot weather fine, but the plastics in the engine bay need a bit more attention. The coolant reservoirs and hose ends in particular need changing every 100k miles or so. Radiator end tanks crack after 120k or so. Other than that, use a sunvisor on the windshield to keep the interior temperatures down and vent the windows. This keeps the interior from degrading causing sagging headliners or sticky soft touch plastics. The interior tip applies to all cars, not just Bimmers.

As you say, our winters are usually very mild, with the exception of the winter freeze we had last year. But batteries, in my experience, don't like 32F after about 5 years in service if the vehicle is not driven everyday. I hate for my cars to be unreliable (regularly drive them 200+ miles) so I replace most parts on a schedule rather than after failures. It's a little pricey to maintain them that way... but I have only been left on the side of the road twice. Once for a flat tire and once for a water pump. The latter being my fault because I did not replace the pump (yet) on a 5 series I had just bought. I was road testing it after another repair.

[Kkgy79]

Order new one and check it out. Replace to new one, it still doesn't work that means not amp.

[alpha2015tr]

Originally Posted by Kkgy79

Order new one and check it out. Replace to new one, it still doesn't work that means not amp.

Hey, Kkgy79 please read my solution above. it is already done. Thanks anyway.

[alpha2015tr]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

Heyyyy, future neighbor.

Well, I've owned around 20 BMWs (have 6 currently) and they've all lived here in Texas. They handle hot weather fine, but the plastics in the engine bay need a bit more attention. The coolant reservoirs and hose ends in particular need changing every 100k miles or so. Radiator end tanks crack after 120k or so. Other than that, use a sunvisor on the windshield to keep the interior temperatures down and vent the windows. This keeps the interior from degrading causing sagging headliners or sticky soft touch plastics. The interior tip applies to all cars, not just Bimmers.

As you say, our winters are usually very mild, with the exception of the winter freeze we had last year. But batteries, in my experience, don't like 32F after about 5 years in service if the vehicle is not driven everyday. I hate for my cars to be unreliable (regularly drive them 200+ miles) so I replace most parts on a schedule rather than after failures. It's a little pricey to maintain them that way... but I have only been left on the side of the road twice. Once for a flat tire and once for a water pump. The latter being my fault because I did not replace the pump (yet) on a 5 series I had just bought. I was road testing it after another repair.

Wooww !!! crystalworks thanks for these wonderful tips. Carefully noted.

Did you say 20 BMWs? Oh man... are you an unofficial dealership in your neighbourhood? cool !!!

Just kidding, since you mention the history, here is my car list from the past.

2001 BMW 530i - used ( the most troubled and the most loved one)

2014 Bmw116i - new European ( compact - hatchback )

2015 - BMW 320i - new European ( 1.6 engine )

2017 - BMW X5 xdrive35 - new (only amp issue so far - zero dollars cost for unexpected repairs)

In the future, I am planning for the most famous engine, B58, probable M340i or similar car.

[alpha2015tr]

Can you see the difference? Thanks.