2014 BMW X5 50i Msport - With Photos

[busta1978]

Hi All,

This is my first time writing in the forum (or any forum actually now that I think of it).

My 2014 BMW X5 XDrive50i has just arrived in the showroom with the following headline specs:

• M Sport Package
• Mineral White
• Terra Dakota Leather
• Extended Nappa Leather Dashboard and Door Trim
• Adaptive M Suspension
• 21" 599M Alloys
• Active Steering
• Harmon Kardon Sound System
• Fineline Pure Trim
• Comfort Access
• Soft Close Doors
• Surround and Reverse Cameras
• Panorama Roof
• Comfort Seats
• Full LED Headlights
• Lane Change Warning

I will post pics once I actually receive the car which brings me to my point. Unfortunately upon inspection, I noticed that the rear manual sun shade is sagging when fully retracted and latched on. The left side is fine but the right side for some reason is loose.

I hate the idea of removing the door panels to fix it but the dealer has assured me that it will be factory perfect when fixed. It will take 2 weeks to get the part and I have refused to remove the car from their premises till it is fixed properly.

What are your thoughts on getting the part repaired?

Time is not really the issue, even though I am dying to drive it, but I am waiting for the lower grill fins to arrive (M50D look).

[Overtaxed]

Originally Posted by busta1978

I hate the idea of removing the door panels to fix it but the dealer has assured me that it will be factory perfect when fixed. It will take 2 weeks to get the part and I have refused to remove the car from their premises till it is fixed properly.

What are your thoughts on getting the part repaired?

Time is not really the issue, even though I am dying to drive it, but I am waiting for the lower grill fins to arrive (M50D look).

Go get your car. Do you really think the dealer is going to try to screw you on something as simple as your window shades? Also, he's going to get paid by BMW to make that repair (most likely).

I've picked up cars with scratches in the paint before that required a trip to the body shop to fix, just get the dealer to write something down and they'll fix it right up for you. It's not going to hit the Carfax or anything like that (if that's your concern).

Unless your dealer is Gordon Gekko, I really don't think you have anything to worry about. This is a BMW, not a Kia. The dealers are used to delivering a level of service that lux line buyers demand, they aren't going to try to wiggle out of fixing something that's, even if it happened after delivery, almost certainly a warranty issue.

Then post some pictures!

[mikikuki7]

Do not pick it up until it's complete. Most dealers will mess up things in the transition of fixing something... Trust me!

[stewy604]

^^ Agreed. I wouldn't take delivery until you are COMPLETELY satisfied. Once you're out the door and the sale is complete, you've lost any sort of a major power position. That said, most dealers won't let disappoint should you find something that's not quite right with your new vehicle.

[Overtaxed]

Originally Posted by stewy604

^^ Agreed. I wouldn't take delivery until you are COMPLETELY satisfied. Once you're out the door and the sale is complete, you've lost any sort of a major power position. That said, most dealers won't let disappoint should you find something that's not quite right with your new vehicle.

My god, I would hate to have your dealers. In my experience, most dealers aren't looking to screw you after the sale, if you complain to BMW and have a valid point, they are going to hear it pretty loudly.

But, that said, I'm sure the safest thing to do is not pick it up. I'm not that risk averse.

[HMN]

Originally Posted by Overtaxed

My god, I would hate to have your dealers. In my experience, most dealers aren't looking to screw you after the sale, if you complain to BMW and have a valid point, they are going to hear it pretty loudly.

But, that said, I'm sure the safest thing to do is not pick it up. I'm not that risk averse.

The sad thing is recently most dealers are interested in selling you the car and once they've got their commision the after sale service is terrible.

[Overtaxed]

Originally Posted by Hamad Nasser

The sad thing is recently most dealers are interested in selling you the car and once they've got their commision the after sale service is terrible.

Oh, I agree. But it's not like the thing has a huge dent in the side. It has an issue with the window shade. And it sounds the dealer already ordered the parts to fix it. What are we trying to prevent here? You think the dealer is going to take the part and NOT put it in after they ordered it? Or that they won't make a service appointment for you?

If it were me, I'd go pick it up and make them note under the "owed" line in the contract that there's a part on order for you where they owe you the part and the installation as part of the deal. That way you have it in writing. And, if they don't fix it to your satisfaction, go to another dealer. This is a warranty issue, not a delivery issue. If your window shade is broken and its under warranty, you can go to any BMW dealer and have them fix it for you.

The other thing.. As much as we all hate to think it, with the last few cars I've picked up, I was back at the dealer a few weeks after pickup with a list of problems. It's the nature of the beast, these things are complicated, and there's almost always some small issue that needs to be resolved in the first few weeks of ownership. So, pick up the car, find out what else isn't perfect, and then take it back in for the window shade fix and your other fixes.

I know what other people are telling you is the safest thing to do, but, man.. Live a little guys. The safest thing to do is not buy a car at all. Or, at least not one that costs as much as the X5. Your dealer will fix this for you after delivery; the only thing that would ever make me not take delivery of a car is a huge problem (paint not applied evenly, car fell off the truck on the way to the dealer, etc) that would impact it's resale value down the road or could cause me much heartache though the ownership period. Small stuff, shoot, even something more significant (like a big ding in a rim, for example, which I had happen once), just take delivery, take some pictures of the problem, get some signatures that you all agree it's their issue, drive the car home and wait for the parts to come in.

I like to live dangerously!

[busta1978]

Hi Guys,

The issue is not whether the dealer would be willing to change it or not (note we only have one dealer out here in Dubai. It's pretty huge but one dealer only and they are very nice.)

The dealer out here is very helpful. My question was related to whether or not it was worth fixing. I am worried about removing brand new installed door panels to fix this thing.

I went back to the dealer yesterday and was talking to the head of the service division, who is a German dude. I told him that I am thinking of skipping the repair for now and that we would do it later in life when something major came up. He insisted that the car should be 100% when picked up without any faults and that the repair is a simple job.

I did tell him that since he is German I expected a quality no less than that at a German factory and he promised me it would be even better.

My problem is that these small things really bug me and he pressed the right button. He mentioned that everytime I get in the car I will remember it and get pissed off and damn it he is right

So it looks like we will get it repaired and I will post pics as soon as my baby lands in my hands.

By the way, to all those who are yet to order the car, I chose the dashboard extended leather option and I can advise without fail that it is the most beautiful touch inside the car. Although I believe a car of this price level should get this sort of stuff as standard but my oh my what a difference it makes. Really livens up the interior and the contrast with the Terra Dakota (dash and door trims leather is black) is the cherry on top.

[Karthik]

Make sure that he will not use your vehicle as a demo and have every one ride it. Its been very hard for the dealers to have vehicles in stock.

[Overtaxed]

Originally Posted by busta1978

By the way, to all those who are yet to order the car, I chose the dashboard extended leather option and I can advise without fail that it is the most beautiful touch inside the car. Although I believe a car of this price level should get this sort of stuff as standard but my oh my what a difference it makes. Really livens up the interior and the contrast with the Terra Dakota (dash and door trims leather is black) is the cherry on top.

I totally agree, BMW is doing a bad job showing customers how much better either the design packages or the full leather dash look. They take it from "truck" to "luxury vehicle". It even reasonably priced, given the cost of the other options. I don't know why more dealers aren't ordering these things for stock with the design packs or leather dash, but, once you see one, you'll want it. It's that much nicer!

[busta1978]

@overtaxed: You are absolutely right and that is the perfect description. It literally gets transformed to a luxury vehicle. And you are right, in comparison to the remaining options it is well priced and especially when you see the effect it has. Before I saw the car in person, I saw how it looked on the website builder but in reality it is a totally different experience. I personally think this should be standard at least on the MSport or the dealer should automatically order it when spec-ing vehicles.

@karthik: Good call and that is why I made sure they moved the car to the basement especially since, apart from the dash, nobody out here has wised up to the 599M wheels yet. It was just by luck that the dealer had ordered one of these and 310M wheels to display them and I jumped at the occasion and paid a deposit before they got here.

[Overtaxed]

Originally Posted by busta1978

@overtaxed: You are absolutely right and that is the perfect description. It literally gets transformed to a luxury vehicle. And you are right, in comparison to the remaining options it is well priced and especially when you see the effect it has. Before I saw the car in person, I saw how it looked on the website builder but in reality it is a totally different experience. I personally think this should be standard at least on the MSport or the dealer should automatically order it when spec-ing vehicles.

@karthik: Good call and that is why I made sure they moved the car to the basement especially since, apart from the dash, nobody out here has wised up to the 599M wheels yet. It was just by luck that the dealer had ordered one of these and 310M wheels to display them and I jumped at the occasion and paid a deposit before they got here.

BMW is doing themselves a disservice by not putting that interior in more of their cars. I'm serious, I almost didn't even look at an X5 because I thought for sure it was going to have BMW "standard issue" interior and that there would be no real options that would make it look anything like a ML Designo or RR Sport. Wow, was I wrong. Now, don't get me wrong, the Mercedes Desingo is off the wall good looking, it's incredible, and, frankly, probably better than what's in the BMW. But, it's close; the X5 doesn't look like a "stripper Kia" next to a Designo Mercedes anymore, they appear to be the same class of vehicle. And, of course (as expected), the BMW is FAR more engaging to drive and exciting than the ML. And, I think the X5 is much better looking from the outside than any of the ML's, even the AMG version.

I hope this is a trend that we see continue. I wonder if most people are willing to pay a few thousand dollars more in the lux car/truck space to have high end interiors? It would appear today that the answer is "No" because it took me 3 dealers to find a one X5 with a design package on it. So, they must not be ordering them because people don't want to pay for it. I wonder how much of that, however, is chicken/egg? People won't pay for it because they've never seen it, and therefore, don't know what they are going to get..

I know, for me, when I sit in a 60K+ vehicle, I want to feel, before the engine starts, like I'm in something special. And now, thankfully, we have that option!

[xDrive35i]

Originally Posted by Overtaxed

Go get your car. Do you really think the dealer is going to try to screw you on something as simple as your window shades? Also, he's going to get paid by BMW to make that repair (most likely).

I've picked up cars with scratches in the paint before that required a trip to the body shop to fix, just get the dealer to write something down and they'll fix it right up for you. It's not going to hit the Carfax or anything like that (if that's your concern).

Unless your dealer is Gordon Gekko, I really don't think you have anything to worry about. This is a BMW, not a Kia. The dealers are used to delivering a level of service that lux line buyers demand, they aren't going to try to wiggle out of fixing something that's, even if it happened after delivery, almost certainly a warranty issue.

Then post some pictures!

Ok so you've never been to a dealership before.

[Overtaxed]

Originally Posted by xDrive35i

Ok so you've never been to a dealership before.

LOL, that's certainly not true, the stupid dealers won't stop calling me because I run through cars so fast.

I've owned a CLS550 that had all kinds of problems and was purchased used. Dealer fixed everything, including a new set of tires all the way around (at a cost of ~1.5K). Had to prod them a bit, but they always made good on it.

Had an Acura, a ML, a Jag, a Honda, and a few domestics over the years. I've NEVER had a dealer flat out say "no, we're not going to fix that" when I've purchased a car from them and it's obvious that it's not user error/neglect/accident that caused the problem.

In this case, the dealer doesn't have a leg to stand on; not only is this documented, ITS A WARRANTY ISSUE. This is brand new car, it's not like this is a used clunker your trying to get them to fix a scratch on before you pick it up (in that case, I agree with you, don't even touch the car until it's right). Even if the dealer stonewalls, BMW will step in and make it right, I have absolutely no doubt at all in my mind about that.

I understand not trusting the dealer, I'm right there with you. If they told me they'd fix a dented body panel after delivery, I'd make sure that I had good documentation and would really be wary about making sure they made good. But, for a warranty issue? I mean, I suppose the dealer could stonewall, BMW could tell you to go pound sand (on a brand new car), and you'd just have to eat the cost of the repair. But I'd put that at 1 in 1000, and only if you took the first "No" from BMW as the final word. If you were willing to push it, I think there's a 0% chance this doesn't get fixed.

But, as I said earlier, the safest thing to do is let the car sit and wait. I'm just not that risk averse; that's bordering on becoming a shut in to prevent the possibility of skin cancer from the sun. Put on some sunscreen (get them to document it) and go enjoy the beach (drive your car home and love it).

[Mathme]

This is a small issue. As others have said, pick up the car, drive it and when the part comes in take it back int o be fixed. These cars are complicated pieces of equipment and there's bound to be a few issues over the next few years --- that's why these things come with warranties.

BMW also requires all technicians to go to classes before they can fix these cars and in many cases the procedures for things like taking off a door liner are similar across many cars, so the chances of this not being done right when you pick it up are pretty small. You also have the right to inspect the work before picking it up.

During shipment it's common for scratches in bumpers, doors and so forth to occur. When I picked up my Cayenne several years ago, it was damaged in transport. The only reason I knew about it was because it scratched a piece of metal so bad that it needed to be repaired and they had to disclose it be California law. As the sales manager said, if it would only have damaged the plastic bumper, they wouldn't have had to even notify me. After seriously taking time to think about should I take the car, i did, and 6+ years later when I sold it I still couldn't even tell where the spot was.

[xDrive35i]

Originally Posted by Overtaxed

LOL, that's certainly not true, the stupid dealers won't stop calling me because I run through cars so fast.

I've owned a CLS550 that had all kinds of problems and was purchased used. Dealer fixed everything, including a new set of tires all the way around (at a cost of ~1.5K). Had to prod them a bit, but they always made good on it.

Had an Acura, a ML, a Jag, a Honda, and a few domestics over the years. I've NEVER had a dealer flat out say "no, we're not going to fix that" when I've purchased a car from them and it's obvious that it's not user error/neglect/accident that caused the problem.

In this case, the dealer doesn't have a leg to stand on; not only is this documented, ITS A WARRANTY ISSUE. This is brand new car, it's not like this is a used clunker your trying to get them to fix a scratch on before you pick it up (in that case, I agree with you, don't even touch the car until it's right). Even if the dealer stonewalls, BMW will step in and make it right, I have absolutely no doubt at all in my mind about that.

I understand not trusting the dealer, I'm right there with you. If they told me they'd fix a dented body panel after delivery, I'd make sure that I had good documentation and would really be wary about making sure they made good. But, for a warranty issue? I mean, I suppose the dealer could stonewall, BMW could tell you to go pound sand (on a brand new car), and you'd just have to eat the cost of the repair. But I'd put that at 1 in 1000, and only if you took the first "No" from BMW as the final word. If you were willing to push it, I think there's a 0% chance this doesn't get fixed.

But, as I said earlier, the safest thing to do is let the car sit and wait. I'm just not that risk averse; that's bordering on becoming a shut in to prevent the possibility of skin cancer from the sun. Put on some sunscreen (get them to document it) and go enjoy the beach (drive your car home and love it).

Fair enough. I've had to play quite a bit of hardball with in-warranty repairs. For example, rattles on a new car--the response: "Well, it's a car, it's going to make noises." That kind of thing isn't acceptable to me. If the answer is "No we won't fix that," then give me a legitimate reason why.

[Overtaxed]

Originally Posted by xDrive35i

Fair enough. I've had to play quite a bit of hardball with in-warranty repairs. For example, rattles on a new car--the response: "Well, it's a car, it's going to make noises." That kind of thing isn't acceptable to me. If the answer is "No we won't fix that," then give me a legitimate reason why.

Oh, rattles you say?? That's a whole different ballgame. If I drove my new car and it was rattling badly, I don't think I'd take delivery. That's not really a warranty issue, the dealer doesn't usually get paid for chasing down rattles, and, they are hard to find and very time consuming to fix. For that kind of thing, I totally agree with you, don't pick it up because they'll never fix it, and BMW, very likely, won't help you very much for a little rattle/squeak (even if it drives you crazy).

I have a Jag, I know all about rattles. I just eventually got over it; part of the problem is that the car is so quiet inside that any noise at all is noticable. I felt a lot better when I drove the new 100K S class and heard all kinds of things rattling. I just don't think they know how to fix that in cars yet without a ton of human time in each individual vehicle chasing each one down. I'd expect someone like RR would do this, but, for most "luxury" cars, what you get day 1 is the BEST it will ever be for rattles. If you're not happy with it, don't take delivery until they fix it (for rattles)!

[xDrive35i]

Originally Posted by Overtaxed

Oh, rattles you say?? That's a whole different ballgame. If I drove my new car and it was rattling badly, I don't think I'd take delivery. That's not really a warranty issue, the dealer doesn't usually get paid for chasing down rattles, and, they are hard to find and very time consuming to fix. For that kind of thing, I totally agree with you, don't pick it up because they'll never fix it, and BMW, very likely, won't help you very much for a little rattle/squeak (even if it drives you crazy).

I have a Jag, I know all about rattles. I just eventually got over it; part of the problem is that the car is so quiet inside that any noise at all is noticable. I felt a lot better when I drove the new 100K S class and heard all kinds of things rattling. I just don't think they know how to fix that in cars yet without a ton of human time in each individual vehicle chasing each one down. I'd expect someone like RR would do this, but, for most "luxury" cars, what you get day 1 is the BEST it will ever be for rattles. If you're not happy with it, don't take delivery until they fix it (for rattles)!

Audi is pretty good with rattles. Haven't had many.

[busta1978]

Ok so....the curtain has been fixed perfectly and the fins in the bumper have been installed. The workshop however had missed that I wanted open grille on both sides (eventhough the damn part was there) but to be honest I am happy with it as is. The workshop actually installed them without removing the bumper (not sure how and do not want to ask - more than likely used an adhesive but only time will tell).

Apologies for the low quality pics. The car is still waiting to undergo window tinting so will surely add more pics when the final product is in my hands...