New Owner - should B&O center speaker have wrinkles?

[11earl]

Hi,

Just received my new-to-me 2016 X5M.

The B&O center speaker has wrinkles around it - is this normal? Or is there a protective film on it that should be removed? Thank you.

[nishfish87]

That’s not normal, I’ve not seen wrinkles in any of them. Looked at a bunch when purchasing a few months ago.

[Blue By You]

Originally Posted by 11earl

Hi,

Just received my new-to-me 2016 X5M.

The B&O center speaker has wrinkles around it - is this normal? Or is there a protective film on it that should be removed? Thank you.

Definitely a protective film or defect in the material. I would have a BMW dealer evaluate that.

[11earl]

Originally Posted by Blue By You

Definitely a protective film or defect in the material. I would have a BMW dealer evaluate that.

Bah - of course it is out of warranty.

[ekological]

Looks like my Elise's steering wheel where I left the windows closed in the garage during the winter and we had bursts of warm weather can causes condensation to form on everything.

[11earl]

Originally Posted by 11earl

Bah - of course it is out of warranty.

Would someone with this system mind posting a pic or two to compare finishes? I think that would help determine if it's a film that should have been removed or a defective finish. Thank you.

[Xolinlevh]

Originally Posted by 11earl

Would someone with this system mind posting a pic or two to compare finishes? I think that would help determine if it's a film that should have been removed or a defective finish. Thank you.

Here is mine....I should dust the interior I also poked at it, doesnt seem that theres any film or anything on mine which could distort like that on mine

[11earl]

Originally Posted by Xolinlevh

Here is mine....I should dust the interior I also poked at it, doesnt seem that theres any film or anything on mine which could distort like that on mine

Thank you, I appreciate it!

Mine appears to look like yours - but with wrinkles, so most likely not a protective film. Wonder if I can gently heat it with a hair dryer and smooth it down with a card...

[Xolinlevh]

Originally Posted by 11earl

Thank you, I appreciate it!

Mine appears to look like yours - but with wrinkles, so most likely not a protective film. Wonder if I can gently heat it with a hair dryer and smooth it down with a card...

I'd ask the dealer to take a quick look, personally im not sure how applying heat to the speaker would work out....if that maybe could deform or damage anything else in there.

[m3fuz]

Mine has a little bit of that wrinkling, but not to the extent your does. It’s annoying, but doesn’t appear to be impacting sound quality.

[11earl]

Originally Posted by m3fuz

Mine has a little bit of that wrinkling, but not to the extent your does. It’s annoying, but doesn’t appear to be impacting sound quality.

Yes, I agree that it's a cosmetic, not functional defect.

But oh my OCD...

[m3fuz]

Originally Posted by 11earl

Yes, I agree that it's a cosmetic, not functional defect.

But oh my OCD...

Same here

[azndrgnkid]

This post cannot be more timely - thank you OP. Mine is not as bad as some of the examples shown but I was wondering what would cause the issue as well. I’m was planning on asking my SA during my next trip to the dealership.

[11earl]

Originally Posted by azndrgnkid

This post cannot be more timely - thank you OP. Mine is not as bad as some of the examples shown but I was wondering what would cause the issue as well. I’m was planning on asking my SA during my next trip to the dealership.

Keep us posted please :-).

[azndrgnkid]

I will 👍👍👍

[M_Bimmer]

This is an issue that occurs on the vehicles that use this speaker, such as the F10, F11, etc, where the cutout for the B&O speaker is "hand" cut....and in some cases, an over cut occurs too close to the defroster ventilation housing, letting excessive heat to escape directly onto the speaker assembly, essentially cooking the speaker itself.

Since the trimming/cut-back is done by hand, some dashboards are more prone to this issue than others. Dashboards are molded to support the standard H-K speaker configuration.

You can test if your speaker is being "cooked" by running your windshield defrost, and after about 15 minutes, corresponding to maximum coolant temperature has been achieved, and if it's blistering hot, expect speaker delamination as shown by the O.P.

Using the defroster will warm up the speaker on all dashboards, but the O.P.s speaker should be so hot that it will be uncomfortable after only a few seconds of touching the speaker because it is getting defrost air, at the same temperature as being applied directly to the windshield.

I have pictures of grossly mis-cut dashboards for the center B&O speaker on another BMW forum...so if someone wants to see those, I can provide a link upon request.

The dealership will not replace the dashboard.

If this a problem for some of you, you can put thermal insulation in between the left vent housing and the speaker, and repeat for the right vent housing and the speaker, or use sealant...but sealant may also outgas on your windshield glass..and it's a pain to remove.

[11earl]

Originally Posted by M_Bimmer

This an issue that occurs on the vehicles that use this speaker, such as the F10, F11, etc, where the cutout for the B&O speaker is "hand" cut....and in some cases, an over cut occurs too close to the defroster ventilation housing, letting excessive heat to escape directly onto the speaker assembly, essentially cooking the speaker itself.

Since the trimming/cut-back is done by hand, some dashboards are more prone to this issue than others. Dashboards are molded to support the standard H-K speaker configuration.

You can test if your speaker is being "cooked" by running your windshield defrost, and after about 15 minutes, corresponding to maximum coolant temperature has been achieved, and if it's blistering hot, expect speaker delamination as shown by the O.P.

Using the defroster will warm up the speaker on all dashboards, but the O.P.s speaker should be so hot that it will be uncomfortable after only a few seconds of touching the speaker because it is getting defrost air, at the same temperature as being applied directly to the windshield.

I have pictures of grossly mis-cut dashboards for the center B&O speaker on another BMW forum...so if someone wants to see those, I can provide a link upon request.

The dealership will not replace the dashboard.

If this a problem for some of you, you can put thermal insulation in between the left vent housing and the speaker, and repeat for the right vent housing and the speaker, or use sealant...but sealant may also outgas on your windshield glass..and it's a pain to remove.

Thank you for these details.

I assume I'd have to remove the speaker to install the insulation?

And I assume I'm SOL with regard to the finish delamination?

[M_Bimmer]

Removal of the speaker on the F85 is easier than on the F10, since the windhield on the F85 provides incrementally better access to the two torx screws closest to the windshield.

Be careful removing the center speaker metal cover and the plastic black surround trim. There are metal tangs that "clasp" a post, and if you lift up one corner more than other corners, you will bend the tangs....the cover and trim are not sold separately, and the center speaker itself will be north of $600 on eBay, 2x from the dealership.

If you get all 4 torx (T-20) screws out, your speaker may be stuck to the dashboard and may NOT lift out easily. Use a trim removal tool around the edge, and your speaker should lift out w/o issue.

[11earl]

Originally Posted by M_Bimmer

Removal of the speaker on the F85 is easier than on the F10, since the windhield on the F85 provides incrementally better access to the two torx screws closest to the windshield.

Be careful removing the center speaker metal cover and the plastic black surround trim. There are metal tangs that "clasp" a post, and if you lift up one corner more than other corners, you will bend the tangs....the cover and trim are not sold separately, and the center speaker itself will be north of $600 on eBay, 2x from the dealership.

If you get all 4 torx (T-20) screws out, your speaker may be stuck to the dashboard and may NOT lift out easily. Use a trim removal tool around the edge, and your speaker should lift out w/o issue.

You do NOT need to disconnect the small gray 2-pin connector on the front of the speaker that connects to the front tweeter horn LED, just the black 10-pin BMW connector near the middle of the assembly...the speaker assembly will now be completely untethered to the vehicle.

Thank you. Man, I'd love a video for this. I suppose if I can't find one I'll make one :-)

[M_Bimmer]

Hyperlink to the same issue over on the F10 ///M5 forum.....

https://f10.m5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1579907

You could buy the knock-off (hyper link in the thread above, post #7), and transfer your real speaker and electronic board over to the knockoff.....still pricey at $346.12.....

[11earl]

Originally Posted by M_Bimmer

Hyperlink to the same issue over on the F10 ///M5 forum.....

https://f10.m5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1579907

You could buy the knock-off (hyper link in the thread above, post #7), and transfer your real speaker and electronic board over to the knockoff.....still pricey at $346.12.....

Thank you, appreciate it.

I'm a little unclear on the steps to remove the speaker. Pics would be greatly appreciated when/if you have time; just pointing out what's what.

And, just wondering - has anyone had the defective speaker replaced by BMW?

[88bimmer]

how do i check if i have the B&O speaker