New X5 Owner, New BMW Owner - QUESTIONS!

[droidguuuuy1]

Hi all after test driving many nice cars over the summer I fell in love with the X5. It was the most comfortable of all the cars I test drove due to the huge amount of leg and knee room (mainly due to the way the door is designed, with no door handle for my knee to smash up against like on other similar cars).

I knew the 19 was coming though and it looked sick so I decided to wait until I could test drive a 2019 before buying. Well I finally drove the 19 and while its frigan AWESOME, it was far less comfortable for me and my style of driving. they redesigned the door so the handle now smashes against my knee (i drive with my foot flat on the floor, not on the dead pedal) and I decided to go with an 18 instead. I figured I would save some money and be more comfortable.

One thing that was a deal breaker for me was remote start, well the lack of it. I have had remote start since the 90s and I wasnt about to get a luxury car and not have it. I hate the cold in the harsh winters and dont have a garage to keep the car in and being able to precondition the interior was a must. I use the word precondition on purpose because i found out the xdrive40e was the one single X5 model (pre 19) that had the ability to do remote start (well not remote start, but the intended function of heating the interior of the car!)

So I ended up having a leasing agent I know do a search and he said there werent many Xdrive40e's available in the area but he managed to find one in the exact color I wanted and it had the heated steering wheel and premium package which were musts. It also had the driver assistance package which I liked. MSRP on the sticker was $69k. I got it for $3200 down - $700 a month, 3 years/10k miles. IMO based on the price my local dealer gave me for the same car (about $100 more a month) I think I got a good deal. The same dealer told me the 19's were leasing for $1k a month though which I think is maybe high so idk. (are they?)

Regardless I just got the car and i love it. I would have prefered the m sport exterior but the exterior on this 40e is pretty nice too. The plugin feature is actually pretty cool too, I chaged it over night and it took about 8-9 hours on a regular outlet. With my typical commute I can drive without using gas at all really. (glad too since i didnt realize the 40e uses premium!!!)

I would love your opinion on my little story and also have some questions:

1) In reading all the books that came with the car, I found in the maintenance book something about a 3yr/36k mile program that allows free oil changes and maintenance for those 3 years to the original owner???? No one ever mentioned this to me so I was surprised and wasnt sure if it was something I was supposed to buy extra or not but the book makes it sound like it comes with the car for free. is this correct?

2) for $70k it wouldnt have been nice if they included some kind of all weather floor mats instead of just carpet ones that will quickly get trashed in snowy salty weather!!! I am looking for recommendations on what to do for floor mats. Should I go to a local dealer and buy the BMW ones or perhaps buy one of the sets available on ebay? If ebay, does anyone have any recommendations?

3) I was looking at cargo mats so I can keep the trunk clean, specifically this one from ebay: https://goo.gl/zpSymy - it says it supports the 40e but most of them dont. I read somewhere the 40e trunk is slightly smaller due to the battery pack. Does anyone know if i need to get a special cargo liner to fit in the 40e? Any recommendations on one to buy for this?

4) For 40e owners, regarding the preconditon system, the manual is terrible on this. is there a way to control the temp or is it based on what you left the temp set to when you last drove? What if the climate system was off last time you drove, will it turn it on? Will it turn on the heated seats and wheel in the cold?

5) I found the bimmercode app and it looked interesting. It looks like there might be a few things I might want to code/change. Is doing this coding ok to do on a leased vehicle? (BMW Finance NA). I assume I can always restore the original backup before I bring it for service or return it. Just being able to turn off disclaimers makes it worth it! Also when i drive around town on 25mph streets i dont typically wear my seat belt, if i can turn that warning off with coding that would be nice too (it looks like u can).

6) For 40e owners, it says premium 93 recommended but 89 is minimum. Will I have any issues running 89? Could i even get away with 87 in a pinch? (a lot of gas stations only sell 87 around here).

I had some other questions but cant think of them right now! Thanks for your help!

[whiteX5_F15]

1) I think that was an extra charge when you went into the financing office. If im wrong, someone correct me. I didn't opt in for it.

2) I have the WeatherTech floor mats for the front, rear, and cargo area...they work perfect.

3) See #2

4) The temp in the vehicle should be the same as you left it, each time. Heated seats will be off each time you get in, after the X5 is turned off.

5) Code all you want....I dont think this will void any warranty.

6) Put 93 in there....take care of your new car.

CONGRATS ON YOUR NEW X5!!!!!

[Shaw]

4) I’ve had this issue since as long as I can remember...with every single BMW that I’ve owned. The original vehicle when purchased and arrives from the factory is perfect: the temp, the fan, etc will remain as they way you last left it. However as soon as these vehicles get into the dealership, the initial (or follow up software updates) makes them haywire. After dealer upgrade the climate system (just the fan, not the AC), turn on regardless of the last status.
After this happened to two of my vehicles, I went all the way to BMW Canada and I said guys, WTF?!
They admit that this stat is part of their program...they WANT the climate of the vehicle to turn on every time the vehicle is turned on...which to me makes no sense.
My previous 2013 3 series was ok originally when I purchased it. I took in for a regular check up, and they did a software upgrade, then it turned on automatically every time the vehicle was turned on.
Same thing happened to my 2011 X3, and 2014 X5. First they were functioning as expected, after one trip to dealership and software upgrade...BOOM!
My current X5 is also like that but it was like that from the beginning so I suspect they did the stupid upgrade during PDI before taking delivery.
My 2016 X1 that I recently sold, didn’t have this problem, even after a final upgrade. Not sure if things have changed since then?!

[DuSh]

Originally Posted by Shaw

4) I’ve had this issue since as long as I can remember...with every single BMW that I’ve owned. The original vehicle when purchased and arrives from the factory is perfect: the temp, the fan, etc will remain as they way you last left it. However as soon as these vehicles get into the dealership, the initial (or follow up software updates) makes them haywire. After dealer upgrade the climate system (just the fan, not the AC), turn on regardless of the last status.
After this happened to two of my vehicles, I went all the way to BMW Canada and I said guys, WTF?!
They admit that this stat is part of their program...they WANT the climate of the vehicle to turn on every time the vehicle is turned on...which to me makes no sense.
My previous 2013 3 series was ok originally when I purchased it. I took in for a regular check up, and they did a software upgrade, then it turned on automatically every time the vehicle was turned on.
Same thing happened to my 2011 X3, and 2014 X5. First they were functioning as expected, after one trip to dealership and software upgrade...BOOM!
My current X5 is also like that but it was like that from the beginning so I suspect they did the stupid upgrade during PDI before taking delivery.
My 2016 X1 that I recently sold, didn’t have this problem, even after a final upgrade. Not sure if things have changed since then?!

That can be coded too.

[alphaod]

If you didn't already sign the papers, you can perhaps ask them for the rubber mats too. My car came with carpets and rubber mats, I simply asked. If you already are in possession, then I recommend the WeatherTech mats.

Preconditioning sucks unfortunately since you can't set anything on the app.

Coding doesn't void your warranty except flashing the ECU for the engine, but that's not something you can do with the bimmercode app. Please wear your seatbelt at all times.

Finally you can put 87 in your car if you want. The better mileage you get when you run 91 octane averages out to be the money you save filling 87 octane and the worse mileage (so you don't save much in long run).

[Shaw]

Originally Posted by DuSh

That can be coded too.

Of course...but I’ve never done coding.

[droidguuuuy1]

Originally Posted by whiteX5_F15

1) I think that was an extra charge when you went into the financing office. If im wrong, someone correct me. I didn't opt in for it.

2) I have the WeatherTech floor mats for the front, rear, and cargo area...they work perfect.

3) See #2

4) The temp in the vehicle should be the same as you left it, each time. Heated seats will be off each time you get in, after the X5 is turned off.

5) Code all you want....I dont think this will void any warranty.

6) Put 93 in there....take care of your new car.

CONGRATS ON YOUR NEW X5!!!!!

Thanks!

Which Weather tech mats did you get, the liners or the mats? The liners are the hard plastic ones and the mats are the rubber ones. They are actually very similar in price to the BMW oem ones though.

Regarding pre-condition, so there is no way to turn on heated seat or steering wheel with precondition?

[droidguuuuy1]

Originally Posted by alphaod

If you didn't already sign the papers, you can perhaps ask them for the rubber mats too. My car came with carpets and rubber mats, I simply asked. If you already are in possession, then I recommend the WeatherTech mats.

Preconditioning sucks unfortunately since you can't set anything on the app.

Coding doesn't void your warranty except flashing the ECU for the engine, but that's not something you can do with the bimmercode app. Please wear your seatbelt at all times.

Finally you can put 87 in your car if you want. The better mileage you get when you run 91 octane averages out to be the money you save filling 87 octane and the worse mileage (so you don't save much in long run).

unfortunately the papers are signed and the deal is done. I was looking at the weather tech mats but as i mentioned in my previous reply they are actually similar in price to the BMW oems ones. The weather tech are like $130 and the BMW ones are like $150.

That sucks about preconditioning but i am used to having to set the temp where i want it the next morning when i leave my car so it shouldnt be much of an issue but its definetly lame that you cant change the settings via the app. i see no reason they couldnt have made that an option. i wonder how the 2019 remote start feature works, i wonder if you can do it via the app and if you can, if you can set temps, etc.

regarding the fuel..... i definetly wont put regular but what about 89 midgrade? some gas stations around here midgrade is reasonable and super is crazy expensive. if its also going to cause worse gas mileage then its not worth it then though.....

[droidguuuuy1]

I ended up buying the BMW OEM mats because they were only $85 shipped and looked as nice as the weather tech, the weather tech ones were $130 shipped.

[droidguuuuy1]

Originally Posted by DuSh

That can be coded too.

Is there a description of all the coding options available? The names themselves are fairly descriptive for some of them but some are a little vague and I dont want to mess something up.....

[droidguuuuy1]

Originally Posted by alphaod

If you didn't already sign the papers, you can perhaps ask them for the rubber mats too. My car came with carpets and rubber mats, I simply asked. If you already are in possession, then I recommend the WeatherTech mats.

Preconditioning sucks unfortunately since you can't set anything on the app.

Coding doesn't void your warranty except flashing the ECU for the engine, but that's not something you can do with the bimmercode app. Please wear your seatbelt at all times.

Finally you can put 87 in your car if you want. The better mileage you get when you run 91 octane averages out to be the money you save filling 87 octane and the worse mileage (so you don't save much in long run).

I assume you have a xdrive40e based on your response. Is there a way to tell the car to not immediately drain the battery other than save battery mode (which i assume just doesnt use it at all)???

I want to be able to always leave a little for boost and pre-conditioning but when i put it in auto mode it seems to automatically put it in max edrive mode when the battery is full and prompty drains it.

[droidguuuuy1]

when i hit the button under the bmw logo on the trunk it pops the trunk but doesnt open it. i have to pull it open. is this normal? i checked the setting and its set to fully open..... it does close properly when i hit the button though.

[Road Carnage]

Not normal, should open automatically.

[agentorange]

There is no way I would run 87 octane in a forced induction luxury car. Just. No. I ran 89 in a turbocharged Volvo in the winter once, but it was a false economy. The car got better mileage on 91.

I see the OP lists a Tahoe as his vehicle. Maybe that's part of his motivation for 87?

We have to put up with 91 octane as "premium" in Vegas because Californistan doesn't believe in proper gasoline. I consider 91 marginal in a forced induction vehicle when the temps exceed 90°F. Yes, the motor will run and if all else fails it will start to pull timing, but that's a horrible feeling.

[Kzang]

Lots of mis-information on this thread. OP I would read the car manual and not rely on some of the answers here.

[droidguuuuy1]

Originally Posted by Road Carnage

Not normal, should open automatically.

great, i guess i already need a service then! being that it closes properly i would think the motor is fine and everything so idk.

[droidguuuuy1]

Originally Posted by agentorange

There is no way I would run 87 octane in a forced induction luxury car. Just. No. I ran 89 in a turbocharged Volvo in the winter once, but it was a false economy. The car got better mileage on 91.

I see the OP lists a Tahoe as his vehicle. Maybe that's part of his motivation for 87?

We have to put up with 91 octane as "premium" in Vegas because Californistan doesn't believe in proper gasoline. I consider 91 marginal in a forced induction vehicle when the temps exceed 90°F. Yes, the motor will run and if all else fails it will start to pull timing, but that's a horrible feeling.

Yes, I have decided I will run only 91+. I was mainly wondering if running 89 was ok since the book says its the minimum but if the gas mileage is decreased and performance is lost then really it makes no sense.

[droidguuuuy1]

Originally Posted by Kzang

Lots of mis-information on this thread. OP I would read the car manual and not rely on some of the answers here.

I have read the entire manual actually at this point, I actually just finished but if you want to point out what is misinformation I would be grateful. If you dont want to specifically call someone out you can always PM me. Thanks.

[Road Carnage]

Originally Posted by droidguuuuy1

great, i guess i already need a service then! being that it closes properly i would think the motor is fine and everything so idk.

That is odd....I had the opposite problem with my E70 due to a finicky sensor on the lower drop down tailgate. If it wasn’t slammed shut the sensor would read like it was open and would not allow the upper tailgate to close. It would open however.

[droidguuuuy1]

Originally Posted by Road Carnage

That is odd....I had the opposite problem with my E70 due to a finicky sensor on the lower drop down tailgate. If it wasn’t slammed shut the sensor would read like it was open and would not allow the upper tailgate to close. It would open however.

Mine Pops open, but it doesnt lift all the way open. I checked the setting in the car idrive and its set to open all the way, so its not that its set to not lift up.

[alphaod]

Originally Posted by droidguuuuy1

I assume you have a xdrive40e based on your response. Is there a way to tell the car to not immediately drain the battery other than save battery mode (which i assume just doesnt use it at all)???

I do not have 40e, but I have seen the ConnectedDrive app for a friend who has 40e and it does not give him option to set temperatures.