X5 has worst air conditioning system of any car I've ever owned

[mrfochon]

I feel it could be a bit better though it gets me cold. at the same time space if big so might have to deal with that as well.

[mnx5er]

Warm and humid here in normally frozen Minnesota. Test drove a 2018 Audi Q5, thing blew out a ton of cold air. My 2018 X5? Delayed start and a very laid back cooling that eventually started to cool the cabin.

No idea why BMW can’t get it right.

[positiveions]

Originally Posted by mnx5er

Warm and humid here in normally frozen Minnesota. Test drove a 2018 Audi Q5, thing blew out a ton of cold air. My 2018 X5? Delayed start and a very laid back cooling that eventually started to cool the cabin.

No idea why BMW can’t get it right.

I would test drive Q7 and compare it to the X5z

[ted99]

I've been agreeing with all of these poor A/C posts. But, on a recent trip, I chanced to look at the dials in the center of the dash under the vents and rotated the two center ones from "red" to "blue". A/C immediately got better. This is a case of RTFM, I'm sure; and severe brain fade. A/C is still not up to what other vehicles provide, but at least it's now actually cooling. The dials on "blue" greatly increased the air to the center vents.

[M302_imola]

Originally Posted by Mentat

The recharge is easy/standard, but I doubt that will serve you any good.
The quantity is marked on the interior of the hood.

I Have black textile headliner.
I don't have Rear Climate controls, so no options in the menu.

I also have the increased towing option => I've read that this will give you a bigger radiator.

Deselected the rear climate option and it blows much harder now from the front but still not ice cold like my Acura that I just recharged. Why don't you think the recharge will be of benefit? Should produce colder air correct?

[Mentat]

I've recharged/tested last year my installation twice and no improvement.
I have a brand new AC compressor and new "gas" in the installation, but it do not change the problem.

I will also try to tint my sun roof.
I've tinted my front lateral windows with ceramic (It's illegal in EU) and Will not tint my windscreen (also illegal).
I have HUD windscreen.

[Mentat]

Does anyone knows hot to pen only the glass part on the sun roof?
I want access to the solid shade, in order to put some tinfoil

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by Mentat

Does anyone knows hot to pen only the glass part on the sun roof?
I want access to the solid shade, in order to put some tinfoil

Pretty sure you can't open the glass while leaving the headliner in. You have to remove the headliner just to access the motors etc of the sunroof.

[Stockbroker5]

I’m new to this forum and a very positive person. But I have to say that after living in Phoenix, Arizona, where the summer highs can get to 124 and 110 is the average high in June, July and August,for 33 years and driving and owning between my wife and I almost every brand car the AC in my 2015 X5 x35i M-Sport is one of the best. My last car was a 2016 Escalade which I traded in a month ago for the X5, and the BMW A/C is far superior. Gets cold in less than 5minutes and stays very cold. I bough my X5 cause a lot of friends have them and love them and the AC has satisfied them.
Thought I’d throw in my 2cents since I live in AZ and know what good or bad AC is.

[Ex_Stig]

Originally Posted by Stockbroker5

I'm new to this forum and a very positive person. But I have to say that after living in Phoenix, Arizona, where the summer highs can get to 124 and 110 is the average high in June, July and August,for 33 years and driving and owning between my wife and I almost every brand car the AC in my 2015 X5 x35i M-Sport is one of the best. My last car was a 2016 Escalade which I traded in a month ago for the X5, and the BMW A/C is far superior. Gets cold in less than 5minutes and stays very cold. I bough my X5 cause a lot of friends have them and love them and the AC has satisfied them.
Thought I'd throw in my 2cents since I live in AZ and know what good or bad AC is.

Ill trade you for my X5 50, but ya gotta leave it outside during the day.

18 month til this sweatbox lease is up. I can't wait!

[Mentat]

I spoke with a friend from BMW (tech guy) about this problem.

They know two possible problems and I made an appointment on 7th of September to check this:
- interior temperature sensor
- in some cars the interior evaporator is making ice, this blocks the flow of air. It is a possible explanation for the big fan noise vs the low volume of air.

[DMWBMW]

THANKS for the help, folks. Brilliant!
I disabled the rear AC control since I only have a rear seat passenger about 5% of all miles driven. I have been STRUGGLING through the hot Arizona summer with very, very marginal front cooling and moderate fan speeds. The air out of the dash vents was completely inadequate.
The local dealer told me (and I quote), “the X5’s are known for very poor AC systems. They do not do well in Arizona. The compressor also slows down during severe heat to protect the system. It is getting hot from both the climate and the high underhood temps with the 8 cylinder engine. This makes the system perform poorly. Sorry.”
Then, I read this forum and I saw the hint to disable the rear AC control from the iDrive. It worked! Much MORE air and COOLER air from the front vents.

THANKS!

[The Libertine]

Admittedly, I owned cars with worse AC than the X5. That said, based on the size of the X5, may take a bit longer to cool down (especially if parked in the sun for a length of time) but so far am satisfied with its cooling.

[Mentat]

My car is in service now.

Quick question:
Do tou have a black car +/- dark interior?

[Mentat]

After the first day, the first step is to order a small sponge, that it will better isolate the temperature sensor from the evaporator.

Now I wait for this little part.

[TheUltimateDrivingManiac]

My F36 A/C system was worse, and my E36 didn't have one at all.

When I complained about AC in my F36 to the SA, he said that it was deliberately engineered that way for a better fuel economy.

[mgbabe]

HVAC on our 2017 xDrive40e was never right when we picked it up earlier this year with 15K km on the clock. (now don't berate me for living in the North and I know we don't get the same heat as you Southerners so my issues are not the same as yours)

Initially we just chalked it up to being new to BMWs and new to all the tech in the X5 and figured we had to play around with it to get the right settings.
The issue was that with AC on, driver would freeze and the passenger would cook with hot air blowing through the vents on that side. Tried various things, with system in Auto and selecting RHS vent to just centre level, not defrost or floor worked best. But still the LHS was trying to compensate for the RHS. Fan speed would increase blowing more hot air out RHS fighting with the freezing air on the left. And the fight would escalate.

But once we figured out that there are 2 different HVAC systems left to right, and because we have the plug-in hybrid we could really troubleshoot the cause.

With driving in pure electric mode, everything was fine, but when battery depleted or when switched to hybrid or gas only mode, as engine would start and warm up, so would the air on the RHS, front and rear. Took it to dealer with this diagnosis and they found that valve on the RHS system had shorted to open and was letting engine heat blow directly through the system, no matter the temp setting. As engine got hotter, air got unbearably hotter.

So part was replaced under warranty and system has been adequate ever since. Lucky since we had a very prolonged hot summer this year.

[deutsch100]

The HVAC in my 2006 E90 330i might have been worse than both my two 2017 F15s, although the smaller interior space was "easier" to cool in the E90!

Originally Posted by TheUltimateDrivingManiac

My F36 A/C system was worse, and my E36 didn't have one at all.

When I complained about AC in my F36 to the SA, he said that it was deliberately engineered that way for a better fuel economy.

[DuSh]

So to sum up, until we'll find the cause or why some owners have this issue while others are seemingly unaffected - for newbies - here's some things that work (most is obvious, but still):

1. Ceramic tint (I'm even going to tint windshield here in AZ)
2. Turn off rear a/c in idrive (if your car has 4-way climate control)
3. Turn on Max a/c (at least first 5-10 min) and make sure central vent dials/knobs are on blue/cold position.
4. Park in shade lol, leave sunroof tilted for venting and use windshield sun cover if needed.
5. Adjust vents so you get some flow to face (really tricks mind and feels more comfy) and wear appropriate clothing lol.
6. When on Auto settings - don't trust computer and set it on 72F or something. No, no, no. Set it on 65F or even 60F - it will increase flow and make more noise, but it will cool down better. Just set temp settings 5-10F lower than you normally would - to compensate for weak algorithm that a/c unit seems to follow.
7. Keep it on recirculate (even when A/C itself is in auto mode). It will help A/C reduce humidity and you'll feel it.
8. Hydrate.

[akhter]

I have 4zone and 3rd row. And I live in Hong Kong with 100deg temp regularly. With like 4 vents pointed at me the car freezes me. I always have to point the vents away. This is my 5th bmw and all bmws AC are awesome. Quiet and fast.

[TheUltimateDrivingManiac]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

The HVAC in my 2006 E90 330i might have been worse than both my two 2017 F15s, although the smaller interior space was "easier" to cool in the E90!

AC in my e92 was alright!

[DuSh]

I also wonder if HVAC can be coded to increase a/c performance? I remember someone said in EcoPro mode it's working in "eco" mode - apparently compressor is not fully engaging to save fuel or something. So maybe we can regulate it's load, compressor speed etc?