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      06-05-2017, 08:15 PM   #1
Optherion
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X5 has worst air conditioning system of any car I've ever owned

This is my 9th BMW. Probably 20th car I have owned.

Its a 2017 X5 50i V8 loaded. Hell; should have bought X5m but thats another story.

The air conditioning takes a HOUR to cool down the car. Located in Arizona and today is 108 degrees. Car has NEVER cooled down all day. After a hour in the car, I'm still sweating. I have the damn air conditioned ventilated whatever seats. They suck. Don't buy them; save your money guys. Car is Silver. Limo tint all around. I used a sun shade. I'm out of ideas and its been serviced 3 times for the AC not getting cold.

Does anyone else with the V8 have issues with their cooling system or suggestions that live in hot climates? Car going in for service again. By far the worst AC of any car I have ever owned. The sad part of everything is the AC just absolutely doesn't cool the car down when outside temp is 90+ The uber driver picked me up in a black corolla from the dealer since they had no rental cars and I about froze my ass off in the backseat. Trying to get suggestions here as Im ready to get rid of this thing after 5 months.

UPDATE: 6/21/2017

I posted later in the thread that I did some major research on the air temps.

Supposed to have car back today and they think they narrowed it down to a fix.

If this is the fix I would probably highly advise against the "Rear seat air controls option"

Curious which cars dont have it vs the ones that got the upgrade. You will know because It has the display screen and fan adjustment on the rear center console.

Long Term: 9/29/17 Update.

Just an Update. My car was in the shop a total of 3 weeks prior and now after a few months is working great still through the summer. The AC has been fixed. The short story is this:

The days of when you turned on the AC and it just worked because it was simple are no more. With the introduction of 4 zone temperature controls, add about 30 AC diverting doors to the system, and a 3rd row seat option that adds a lot of vents to the car. My dealer had to replace several components, but in the end fixed it.

The most surprising issue was the car was actually sending codes that certain AC / Heater doors were not shut or open when modes were active. Rear was on heat, front on AC. 3rd row was not even blowing air. ( Fault servo / actuator ? Air Box? The parts list on my RO is crazy). They replaced most of my AC system in the end, and now it works fine. Temps are between 42-48 degrees when its 85 out. I see 50-55 temp difference from outside ambient. 110 Degree day I see ac around 55 even. Works great and problem solved.

FYI: If you are the only person in the car, and you want absolutely BEST ac results, you have to disable the rear AC controls in iDrive. Once done it will Kick the front blower motor even higher. You will hear it actually ramp up. I see 5 degree colder air temps in the front seats immediately. I only turn the rear AC vents on when I have passengers in the back.

Super happy with the car and will definitely think twice when I order / build something with 2nd and 3rd row controls. Just make it simple BMW!
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Last edited by Optherion; 09-29-2017 at 04:56 PM..
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      06-05-2017, 08:21 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Optherion View Post
This is my 9th BMW. Probably 20th car I have owned.

Its a 2017 X5 50i V8 loaded. Hell; should have bought X5m but thats another story.

The air conditioning takes a HOUR to cool down the car. Located in Arizona and today is 108 degrees. Car has NEVER cooled down all day. After a hour in the car, I'm still sweating. I have the damn air conditioned ventilated whatever seats. They suck. Don't buy them; save your money guys. Car is Silver. Limo tint all around. I used a sun shade. I'm out of ideas and its been serviced 3 times for the AC not getting cold.

Does anyone else with the V8 have issues with their cooling system or suggestions that live in hot climates? Car going in for service again. By far the worst AC of any car I have ever owned. The sad part of everything is the AC just absolutely doesn't cool the car down when outside temp is 90+ The uber driver picked me up in a black corolla from the dealer since they had no rental cars and I about froze my ass off in the backseat. Trying to get suggestions here as Im ready to get rid of this thing after 5 months.
Mine freezes me out.
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      06-05-2017, 08:25 PM   #3
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I am also in AZ and feel the exact same way. In fact, my X5 is going in for service tomorrow to have them check the AC. It is the worst AC system I have ever had. Honestly, if they can't fix it I don't know how I will get through the next 3 summers.

Wondering if I should have gotten the Jeep GC SRT.
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      06-05-2017, 08:27 PM   #4
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Thank you guys. Seriously was so disappointed the first time I fired up the car and let it idle for 20 minutes only to come out and think WTF. My previous 550I and M5 I could idle in the drive way and the seats would be FREEZING.

I really am curious if this is an x5 issue or the 6 cylinder vs 8. This is what I get for buying an american made BMW LOL.
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      06-05-2017, 08:52 PM   #5
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Really? Mine is so cold I have to turn it to 60F or 70F. And I'm in Texas. That being said, we had this old '01 Explorer and that was by far the COLDEST A/C...
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      06-05-2017, 09:54 PM   #6
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X5 AC

Just got back from a 1200 mile trip in Louisiana and my AC about froze us out..... had the temp gauge set at 72º. This is the best AC I've ever had in a car. 2016 X5, 3.5.
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      06-05-2017, 10:34 PM   #7
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In the Valley as well and was just thinking the same thing today. Took the whole drive. My 335i did it and I thought it was just BMWs and their AC system until I had the evaporator switched. Got really cold then.

I wonder if there is just something weak about the evaporator or condensers on these. Especially in the climate we get here in PHX.

Oh and I am 14 50i M Sport.
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      06-05-2017, 11:21 PM   #8
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Have you tried the max AC button? It cools the car pretty quick.
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      06-05-2017, 11:42 PM   #9
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Wondering if I should have gotten the Jeep GC SRT.
It's never too late... IMHO there is no comparison between the two.
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      06-05-2017, 11:42 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by madmax2k1 View Post
Have you tried the max AC button? It cools the car pretty quick.
Yup. Tried that. I've closed the rear vents. Still crap. Just makes a ton of noise, not much air volume and definitely not very cold.
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      06-06-2017, 12:13 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by madmax2k1 View Post
Have you tried the max AC button? It cools the car pretty quick.
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      06-06-2017, 01:56 AM   #12
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AC in my newer X5 and Merc are not very good compared to a circa 2000 any model car. I think this may have to do with the restrictions auto manufacturers have with AC systems to limit carbon emissions/safety.
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      06-06-2017, 11:44 AM   #13
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My AC is a little lackluster too. It may have something to do with the larger glass sunroof or the hotter engine temps but either way, it just doesn't seem to cool the car quite enough.
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      06-06-2017, 11:44 AM   #14
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I use "Max AC" initially for a few minutes. Then I select 70 degree temp and fan speed and the vents I want the air to come out of (usually the front and floor) and the system works good and cools you down quickly. In my experience, "Auto" mode just doesn't blow hard enough to keep you cool in a hot car since the system is dividing up the air flow through all the vents in the car. Once the car completely cools down to where I like it, then I may switch to Auto mode to maintain cabin temp.
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      06-06-2017, 01:31 PM   #15
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Older refrigerants that are no longer allowed worked better unfortunately.

Have you measured the temperature of the air coming out of the center vent when the car is on max ac as compared to the ambient temperature of the cabin? How much of a temperature drop is there as compared to the ambient air in the cabin?

There should be at least 15 degrees of difference with an ideal of 18 to 22 degrees Fahrenheit. Less than 15 is a clear indication that something is not working right. Anything much colder will likely start to form ice on the condenser and close off airflow, so also not good.

If the temperature differential is correct, then how fast the car cools down comes down to how much heat gain there is before that same air gets recirculated through the condenser again. It is possible that your fan is not moving as much air as it should, but without a wind meter and something to compare it to (another X5), hard to convince the dealer that the fan needs to be replaced.

I would also recommend measuring temperature direct in the sun and through your glass to see how effective the tint actually is. Just because it is dark, does not mean it is rejecting heat. In fact, a really dark tint can cause heat gain through the glass since black is hotter than white (clear). Depending on the tint manufacturer, the amount of heat reduction varies greatly.

Is your sunroof or windshield tinted? If not, consider something like LLumar Air 80 or Suntek CXP80 on the windshield. It really helps alot.

Hope this helps some.
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      06-06-2017, 02:01 PM   #16
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Try this as it has worked just fine with me :

I was facing the same exact problem, especially due to where I live the average temperature during the summer season is around 120 F.

So what I did is as follow :
-Make sure the SYNC button is off.
-in the idrive setting menu untick the rear ac option.

And this should do it as it has work just fine with my vehicle.

Hope it will help.
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      06-06-2017, 02:23 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Optherion View Post
Its a 2017 X5 50i V8 loaded. Hell; should have bought X5m but thats another story.
Whether you lease, financed or purchased the base model or the x5m they all have the same hvac system.
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      06-06-2017, 07:56 PM   #18
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Just dropped off my X5 to have it looked at. Was given an X3 and the AC is ice cold and I actually had to turn the fan speed down.

First time I haven't had to drive with max fan speed in quite a while. I sure hope they fix my AC.
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      06-06-2017, 08:57 PM   #19
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In Los Angeles and my '15 F5 5.0i would get too cold even in hot weather....now my '17 F85 does the same blizzard like AC blasts but the ventilated seats are my favorite because I get no back sweat! May just be your particular vehicle?
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      06-06-2017, 09:19 PM   #20
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Originally Posted by beammeupscottie View Post
In Los Angeles and my '15 F5 5.0i would get too cold even in hot weather....now my '17 F85 does the same blizzard like AC blasts but the ventilated seats are my favorite because I get no back sweat! May just be your particular vehicle?
I hope so, but... my father and I both got X5s in December and the AC is the same in both.

All I know is my E90 M3 had an AC issue, my F10 M5 had an AC issue and now my X5 does. I just hope they can fix it.
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      06-06-2017, 11:01 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GNALUZU View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by beammeupscottie View Post
In Los Angeles and my '15 F5 5.0i would get too cold even in hot weather....now my '17 F85 does the same blizzard like AC blasts but the ventilated seats are my favorite because I get no back sweat! May just be your particular vehicle?
I hope so, but... my father and I both got X5s in December and the AC is the same in both.

All I know is my E90 M3 had an AC issue, my F10 M5 had an AC issue and now my X5 does. I just hope they can fix it.
They'll fix it for sure...stay on them...it's all under warranty (a hassle but guaranteed). Good luck
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      06-06-2017, 11:05 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Optherion View Post
Thank you guys. Seriously was so disappointed the first time I fired up the car and let it idle for 20 minutes only to come out and think WTF. My previous 550I and M5 I could idle in the drive way and the seats would be FREEZING.

I really am curious if this is an x5 issue or the 6 cylinder vs 8. This is what I get for buying an american made BMW LOL.
thats part of your problem. the ac is least effective at idle, and with the vehicle not moving, you're not getting air flow through grill to take the heat away from the heat exchanger. and this applies to all cars.
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