Recent x5 buyers tpms survey

Wanted to see the consensus on the tpms issue. From late 2010 BMW offered a dumbed down version of its tpms where the system detected a low pressure, but didn't offer which tire had the low pressure. After a thread about a 2013 x5d owner stating his system indicated which tire was low, I wanted to find out whether BMW went back to it's old system which could indicate individual tire pressure loss.

Hence survey.


So if your a recent buyer of a 2013 petrol or 2012-13 diesel, please answer this simple question. Also post your assembly date, found on the door jamb.


Noi4

I'm curious about this too. I have the old crappy system.

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REPLIED!

To all those respondents who said

1) No
2) Have a 2013 vehicle

Could you kindly also add the production date!

Thanks

I thought that in the screen it showed which tire is low by changing the tire color from green???
Is that not right?

oops I voted.

I didn't see you wanted only newer X5 owners.

Originally Posted by DCC

I thought that in the screen it showed which tire is low by changing the tire color from green???
Is that not right?

The tire colors change, however it doesnt show which tire is low, as all the tires change to yellow. This is true of all late 2010-current MY. However its beginning to seem as though BMW changed the TPMS design again, where (before late 2010 Vehicles) the individual tire pressure loss is indicated though a color change for only that specific wheel.

Originally Posted by RockChips

oops I voted.

I didn't see you wanted only newer X5 owners.

thats perfectly fine

1) No mine does not show individual tire pressure warnings
2) 2012 model year December 2011 build date

Jay

1) No mine does not show individual tire pressure warnings
2) 2013 35i model April 2012 build date

(1) No individual tire pressure warnings.

(2) 2013 50i Dec 2012 build.

The attached photos should answer your question. With the ignition all four tires are green if they are ok. I would assume if one or more is low it would be yellow, and if one or more was flat it would be red. BTW, I apologize for the small & horrible pics.

Agree that's the way it used to and should work, but its not how mine works, as verified when my wife called me when she had a screw in her tire.

Jay

I wish I could've provided a pic, however the the TPMS is now malfunctioned. Maybe that's why it showed the individual low pressure. Irregardless, it showed a single yellow tire vs. the others green along with the highlighted tire that was low

Originally Posted by civicrtype1

I wish I could've provided a pic, however the the TPMS is now malfunctioned. Maybe that's why it showed the individual low pressure. Irregardless, it showed a single yellow tire vs. the others green along with the highlighted tire that was low

I'm hoping that's the case, where BMW decided to revert to showing which individual tire is low. It just makes a tad bit easier. Whereas the current system, just shows tire pressure low, And you have to go outside to measure each tire. I don't understand the reasoning behind BMW engineering decisions sometimes..

Voted and have an '11 made in dec 2010.
Only announces low press somewhere like on the old 2008 etc

Originally Posted by 4Bimmers

Voted and have an '11 made in dec 2010.
Only announces low press somewhere like on the old 2008 etc

On my 2008, it tells which specific tire is low.

I had a low tire a couple weeks ago and in the center info display between the gauges, it said which tire was low. I did not notice what the iDrive display showed though. I immediately went and checked the RR tire and it was not low. I never checked the other tires though. I may have to test this again though.

2013 50i build December 2012.

UPDATE:


So it seems as though the 2013 owners, two confirmed thus far for DEC production have unique experiences.

KTONO:

Idrive status: didnt notice
MID: Indicated a specific tire was low on tire pressure.
Actual tire pressure: normal psi
MFG DATE: DEC 12


civicrtype1:

Idrive status: Indicated a specific tire was low on tire pressure.
MID: didnt notice
Actual tire pressure: N/A
MFG DATE: N/A

Sean
Idrive status: No Individual warnings, TBA
MID: didnt notice
Actual tire pressure: N/A
MFG DATE: DEC 12

Since we are expecting snow, I thought this would be a good time to check all of the tires. With the varying feedback it will hopefully provide better insight.

My iDrive screen prior to the test showed green all the way around and each tire was between 35-36psi. I let air out of the front passenger side and once it got to 27psi it displayed as low on the iDrive screen. The center gauge cluster showed the tire light but had no indication of which tire as I previously mentioned. I filled it back up and it returned to green once it got back above the 35psi setting. Pics attached.

Question...the recommended cold pressures are 33psi fronts and 39psi rears. Should I follow this exactly or is 35psi fronts and 36psi rears sufficient. Will it noticeably affect anything? Thanks.

So we have VISUAL confirmation BMW has reintroduced the old TPMS system onto Dec-2012 production X5 vehicles.

Thanks KTONO for the pictures!

Originally Posted by ktono

Since we are expecting snow, I thought this would be a good time to check all of the tires. With the varying feedback it will hopefully provide better insight.

My iDrive screen prior to the test showed green all the way around and each tire was between 35-36psi. I let air out of the front passenger side and once it got to 27psi it displayed as low on the iDrive screen. The center gauge cluster showed the tire light but had no indication of which tire as I previously mentioned. I filled it back up and it returned to green once it got back above the 35psi setting. Pics attached.

Question...the recommended cold pressures are 33psi fronts and 39psi rears. Should I follow this exactly or is 35psi fronts and 36psi rears sufficient. Will it noticeably affect anything? Thanks.

I would run the the tires almost 2-3 psi below recommended (if its snowing you get a bit more traction area).

Originally Posted by NoI4plz

So we have VISUAL confirmation BMW has reintroduced the old TPMS system onto Dec-2012 production X5 vehicles.

Thanks KTONO for the pictures!

Hate to say this but it's almost like BMW sort of either forgot or ran out of certain components to indicate individual tire pressure on some 2011, 2012 models..and realized they screwed up and corrected the problem...

Honestly, its has to be a receiver/software issue.

Each tire definitely has a TPS in it (verified visually when a tire was off getting a hole patched). Its possible that some bean counter (like me) could have decided that they could produce 100 more X5s per year by not synchronizing the individual sensors with the receiver. I have to do this manually when I rotate my tires on my V and it takes an additional 2-3 minutes probably.

Also if the person rotating the tires doesn't do this synchronization the driver could get a warning that the driver rear is low, manually check it and determine its fine and then continue driving to the detriment of his passenger front which is actually the one setting off the alarm. Ktono - your first post is what led to my theory, but it appears you then refuted that in your subsequent testing.

I haven't checked operation of the TPMS since the latest software update, perhaps it was one of the changes, maybe I'll check tonight.

Jay

If it is in fact a software issue, I wonder if we could code this feature??

Originally Posted by 4Bimmers

Voted and have an '11 made in dec 2010.
Only announces low press somewhere like on the old 2008 etc

My '07 shows specific tire causing TPMS alert.

I have asked this question quite a few times here and BMW coding forums. The response that i got has been that the later 2010 engineering change was with the receiver and it's capabilities. The receiver has access to TPM sensors but unable to determine which wheel was low and hence the vague idrive status. However logic dictates that for the tpms system to just flash that a tire is low on pressure, it has to get some form of pressure reading from each wheel indicating that it's low (may it be tpm sensor or wheel rotation sensor). Hence it should just be a simple software change that makes the reciever system information available to the driver's idrive. Soo it's eithwr a move that saved BMW some programming costs or idk they wanted all x5 owners to learn how to check tire pressure the good old way lol.