2013 X3 Cold Day Issue

I've got my 2013 X3 for a couple of weeks now - all kinds of packages added. Love it!

We had a few cold days on and off. When the temperature was really low (like 20s), after I started the vehicle, my GPS, camera view, music in the hard drive and everything on that screen would freeze completely. Sometimes just black screen. Nothing works. After about 30 minutes to an hour of driving, the thing returned to normal.

I took it to the dealer for a check up, but they could not seem to find the problem. Any of you guys in the northern states ran into such issue at all?

Thanks.

RF

Originally Posted by Roger Federer

I've got my 2013 X3 for a couple of weeks now - all kinds of packages added. Love it!

We had a few cold days on and off. When the temperature was really low (like 20s), after I started the vehicle, my GPS, camera view, music in the hard drive and everything on that screen would freeze completely. Sometimes just black screen. Nothing works. After about 30 minutes to an hour of driving, the thing returned to normal.

I took it to the dealer for a check up, but they could not seem to find the problem. Any of you guys in the northern states ran into such issue at all?

Thanks.

RF

Not yet.

I've never heard of your particular problem before. My '11 35i is a daily driver and lives outside all year long. We had a recent period of single-digit outside air temperatures, and I've still never seen or heard of your particular problem.

My first guess, always a first guess with new F25 X3s with electrical issues, is that your battery has a weak charge. Do you happen to own a trickle charger that you could put the X3 on overnight? If not, ask your dealer to specifically check the battery charge.

Yeah, I got a charger. Will give it a try. Knowing the car is just 2 weeks old, was not suspecting battery to be the issue.
Problem is that dealer service department cannot always duplicate the problem, so they just gave up.

The X3 charging system and battery are non-traditional. We're all used to a standard Sealed Lead Acid Battery that our cars charge to 100%. The X3 has an AGM battery that it typically charges to only about 80%. My suspicion is that your X3's battery may not have been initially charged to even 80%.

I'm curious - what is your X3's daily drive like? A few miles cross-town, or 20 miles of highway? BMW's Efficient Dynamics are sometimes our friends, and sometimes not.

Topping up the battery with your charger is hopefully a great start to resolving your problem.

Please do remember that while the battery may be in the back, the jumpstart/charging terminals are in the front.

That would be my guess too, the dealer did not check or charge the battery before delievery. Sounds like your X3 is going into battery saver mode.

I drive 15 miles or so to and from work everyday. Half local, half highway. I typically use the normal setting, never in the eco mode.

Hmm. I would expect that your driving pattern would be sufficient top up your battery. Perhaps a good initial charge and then just your normal driving will resolve the issue. Have you had any issues since putting it on the charger?

I wonder if the AGM batteries found in our cars are more susceptible to a "memory" than the traditional lead-acid batteries?

I have a 2011 X3 35i w/ Nav too. Live in upstate NY. Frequently very cold. Have not experienced problem you describe. Perhaps more precise description of the symptoms could help. Was the temp 20 above or below zero? Did the display appear frozen but the music, alert tones for back up camera etc. worked normally? Could you use the steering wheel functions such as volume, station change etc. while display wasn't responding?

On surface it does sound like a temp related problem. One area to consider is the display glass itself...
LCD displays have a transition temp range where the image will appear to be 'sluggish' and a lower limit temperature, below which they will not operate. At that lower limit, the screen can appear dark because the pixels are 'frozen' in an orientation that won't let the back-light shine through. I believe, but not sure that automotive displays use either a separate heater element or use the back light as source of heat to get the LCD up to operating temp. That said, the temps of concern are well below 0 F and your experience at appx. 20F (above zero) seems to point away from a frozen LCD.


I hope this helps get you on your way to a solution.