Armrest USB issues

[HZX540e]

Thank you, luckily it hasn't happened to me. I would freak out if one of the door opened while the kids are in the car. Now I have to keep and eye out for that.

[MissVito]

Originally Posted by HZX540e

I have been having this issue on my 2016 X5 40e from day 1. Seems to be working a bit better lately but every once and a while it freaks out again. I am interested in seeing if there was a permanent fix. Please do not tell me to try a different cable, I tried over 5 of them and still had the same issue. It seems to be that the phone is drawing too much power for that little USB port, also seems to be happening more for those of us with phone cradles. I think between the cradle, fan and lighter plug in the center armrest storage compartment, there is a power struggle between these outlets.

So, I was visiting my daughter this past weekend and she has a 2015 335i M Sport. The navigation/Connected Drive is the same as mine and includes all the apps, etc. I wanted to try my iphone and several different cables to see if it would act up like my X5 does. I paired my phone to the Bluetooth and connected the cable to the USB, and miracle of miracles it worked perfectly - no problems at all. No bizarre disconnecting/reconnecting/staying unrecognized. We drove around for an hour or so and it worked fine. I'm bummed...I hope BMW can fix mine.

[Almaretto]

Originally Posted by HZX540e

The how do you used BMW connected apps in the car (amazon music, or send address directly to Nav) if your phone is not connected directly via the USB port?

Simple, I never stream music from my phone. I have a total of 5-6 apps on my smartphone (2 email clients, 1 browsers, BMW app, 2 cloud services and Titanium Backup). I opt for higher quality flac files and even let my satellite subscription just laps.

Send to Car can be done three ways (BMWConnectedDrive portal, Google Maps, or Bmw Connected App); none of these require tethering to vehicle. I can pull email and text message wirelessly without issue.

2014-2016 F15's with HU_NBT get 0.5 Amp via USB. '17+ with HU_NBT2 output 2 ampere and coding can even adjust to lower value if desired. I charge my phone ever 3-4 days.

[MissVito]

Took my '14 X5 into the dealer for service and to check the USB because of the disconnect/reconnect issue. I showed them a video of it. They duplicated the issue with their phones/cables and then tried a brand new Apple cable which they stated worked fine, no issues. They loaned me a '17 X5 for the weekend and everything works perfectly in it, but it also has iDrive 5.0 (which is very nice ). Seems like they solved the previous media connection issues with this iteration. Their solution is I need to buy *another* cable...a new Apple cable stating that others who did this did not end up bringing their vehicle back. (Maybe they just gave up?) How come everything works fine in other cars but this one has issues? I asked the rep, "so, this is BMW technology, I need to buy a new cable every couple of months?" According to him, my car's USB must be more "sensitive". This is BS, it's happening to a lot of vehicles, but they changed something with newer ones, obviously. I'm thinking they know something we don't and they're hiding it. But, I'm not done with them..

Here's a video of it...hopefully it'll play on here. https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_i...referrer=watch

[Almaretto]

Originally Posted by SparkleBriteX5

How come everything works fine in other cars but this one has issues? I asked the rep, "so, this is BMW technology, I need to buy a new cable every couple of months?" According to him, my car's USB must be more "sensitive". This is BS, it's happening to a lot of vehicles, but they changed something with newer ones, obviously. I'm thinking they know something we don't and they're hiding it. But, I'm not done with them..

Different hardware and software. Things will always get better, but you should not have to change cables every few months. How do you store your cables? Are they kept in hot areas or bent?

[MissVito]

Originally Posted by Almaretto

Different hardware and software. Things will always get better, but you should not have to change cables every few months. How do you store your cables? Are they kept in hot areas or bent?

You're right, it's ridiculous to have to get a new cable at all, especially when it all works perfectly everywhere else. I now use a Belkin Lightning cable that is thicker and stronger than Apple's and it has a reinforced 90 degree angle connection so the wires won't break (like Apple cables do) when it sits in the cupholder. When the cable isn't in use it is stored loosely in my armrest. My car is kept in the garage and I baby everything I own.

Wonder if this will fall under the lemon law?

[Enrico 35d]

I agree this is BS. Mine did the same the first time I tried to connect via usb. I tried another apple cable I had and it worked fine ! Definitely a hardware/software issue. We'll see how long it lasts with this cable.
BTW the "faulty cable " was used for a long time in my Honda Pilot without ever any issues, until I tried it in the x5 !

[jch1511]

Greetings,

I had the same USB cable beeping issue. Per dealer shop foreman, it has nothing to do with the cable itself. Rather, the head unit did not put out enough ampere to the armrest USB.

When dealer recently replaced my head unit under warranty due to repeated system crash and reboot, the USB issue got resolved as well. Shop foreman mentioned that the replacement unit has a newer design that solved the USB issue.

My dealer stated BMW will not fix the USB issue on it's own. However, if you are lucky enough to have your defective head unit replaced with a newer version, the USB problem fix is part of the update.

Hope my experience can help some of you folks.

[ju17k1e]

Thanks for insight on head unit. For those not lucky enough to get a new head unit, my local dealer was able to recommend a cable that does work. He also explained the situation with the low amp and with the use of a 1 ft cable, the problem went away. I've tried many cables as well and the standard 3 ft cable just does not work.