[DjPiLL]

Originally Posted by thenew3

I find a lot of folks don't know that there's two temp adjustments in BMW's. The temp gauge/dial plus an area where you choose if the system blows out cold vs warm vs hot air. Everyone that I know that had complained about AC issue, when I met up with them, they all had that 2nd setting set at hot, while trying to get cold air out of the system. Once I showed them how to change that (used to be a simple dial between the vents, now it's hidden in idrive menu), they never complained about AC not blowing out cold air again.

It's definitely not user error, I have spoken to every BMW "Genius" in the local area. The issue is not the air coming out not cold enough, the issue is there isn't enough air itself. I know the setting you are referring to "temp adjust upper body". While sliding this all the way cold make the air really cold, leaving it at this setting (max cold - left) will mean the system will never blow hot air regardless of the temp you set it at. We could have a really hot day, I slide this all the way to cold and set the temp to max AC. The next day it might be very cold and I have to turn the heat on. If I change the temp inside to 80 degrees, it's still going to blow cold air until i slide the temp adjust upper body back to center or on the hot side. This really makes no sense to have to adjust in this manner. You should just set the cabin to a certain temp and the system should blow out air at the required temp to achieve this temp. And if you want extremely cold quickly, just hit the max AC button.

[EWL5]

Originally Posted by DjPiLL

It's definitely not user error, I have spoken to every BMW "Genius" in the local area. The issue is not the air coming out not cold enough, the issue is there isn't enough air itself. I know the setting you are referring to "temp adjust upper body". While sliding this all the way cold make the air really cold, leaving it at this setting (max cold - left) will mean the system will never blow hot air regardless of the temp you set it at. We could have a really hot day, I slide this all the way to cold and set the temp to max AC. The next day it might be very cold and I have to turn the heat on. If I change the temp inside to 80 degrees, it's still going to blow cold air until i slide the temp adjust upper body back to center or on the hot side. This really makes no sense to have to adjust in this manner. You should just set the cabin to a certain temp and the system should blow out air at the required temp to achieve this temp. And if you want extremely cold quickly, just hit the max AC button.

Agreed. BMW's method of "set it and forget it" for HVAC control is quite questionable!

[Crimsonboz]

Well I’ve had my XB7 for 3 months. AC sucks just like everyone else’s. It’s hot where I live and humid. I love the car but I’m getting something else. I’m done with it. Had people in the car today and it was downright embarrassing how bad it cooled. It was sweating hot and then shuts off at stops. I’m done with this until they get it fixed. Now I need to find something else for my DD. Yay.

[mattsrs]

Originally Posted by Crimsonboz

Well I’ve had my XB7 for 3 months. AC sucks just like everyone else’s. It’s hot where I live and humid. I love the car but I’m getting something else. I’m done with it. Had people on the car today and it was downright embarrassing how bad it cooled. It was sweating hot and then shuts off at stops. I’m done with this until they get it fixed. Now I need to find something else for my DD. Yay.

Tint the windows and the windshield at 70% and it will make a huge difference. Not an excuse for BMW not to fix it but if you like the car otherwise, this is a solution

[Crimsonboz]

Originally Posted by mattsrs

Tint the windows and the windshield at 70% and it will make a huge difference. Not an excuse for BMW not to fix it but if you like the car otherwise, this is a solution

I have 5% everywhere and 50% on the windshield. Doesn’t help that much or maybe it does and I’d be dead of heat stroke inside without it.

[DjPiLL]

Originally Posted by Crimsonboz

Well I’ve had my XB7 for 3 months. AC sucks just like everyone else’s. It’s hot where I live and humid. I love the car but I’m getting something else. I’m done with it. Had people in the car today and it was downright embarrassing how bad it cooled. It was sweating hot and then shuts off at stops. I’m done with this until they get it fixed. Now I need to find something else for my DD. Yay.

What year is your X7? My dealer is telling me the AC issue is fixed in the 2025 model. I did some initial testing and the airflow is better than my 2023. It’s not great. But it’s better. I need to run more tests.

[Crimsonboz]

Originally Posted by DjPiLL

What year is your X7? My dealer is telling me the AC issue is fixed in the 2025 model. I did some initial testing and the airflow is better than my 2023. It’s not great. But it’s better. I need to run more tests.

It’s a 2024.

[mitch65]

I don't get it. My wife drives a early build 2023 X7 LCI and the AC is fine. Must be the humidity or do you have Black/Black? Are all of your vents open? Last summer I was driving it on a 104 degree day with the kids and had the temp set at low and the fan speed at 4. We have 5 Zone so I always use the sync button so the rear unit is on. Air flow settings all the way cold. No problem at all. Does it blast your face like a Gm product ? no, but car was cool. No extra tint, just factory, though I would add sunroof and side window ceramic tint if we were keeping the car at lease end.

[DjPiLL]

Originally Posted by mitch65

I don't get it. My wife drives a early build 2023 X7 LCI and the AC is fine. Must be the humidity or do you have Black/Black? Are all of your vents open? Last summer I was driving it on a 104 degree day with the kids and had the temp set at low and the fan speed at 4. We have 5 Zone so I always use the sync button so the rear unit is on. Air flow settings all the way cold. No problem at all. Does it blast your face like a Gm product ? no, but car was cool. No extra tint, just factory, though I would add sunroof and side window ceramic tint if we were keeping the car at lease end.

Some people may not care as much and have different ways of feeling cool. There is no airflow coming out of the front vents. It’s horrendous. I took a few test videos of my comparison between 2023 and 2025 model. There is a definite difference.

I did sit in a late model 2024 (ID 8.5 standard) and the air seemed better in that as well vs my 2023.

[DjPiLL]

Originally Posted by Crimsonboz

It’s a 2024.

Did your 2024 come with ID 8.5 standard? What was the build month/year?

[skrontz]

Originally Posted by mitch65

Does it blast your face like a Gm product ? no, but car was cool.

That is exactly the problem in perception. BMW builds a car that keeps the interior at a certain temperature rather than blows the skin off your face from the vents.

[Crimsonboz]

Originally Posted by DjPiLL

Did your 2024 come with ID 8.5 standard? What was the build month/year?

I have the window sticker but don’t see the build month. I got it 3 months ago, right off the factory floor.

I just had an update, a few days ago.

[DjPiLL]

Originally Posted by skrontz

That is exactly the problem in perception. BMW builds a car that keeps the interior at a certain temperature rather than blows the skin off your face from the vents.

That would be great if it actually cooled the car. I stuck a temp sensor on the center armrest two weeks ago. Was a clear 72 degree day outside.

Temp when I got inside the car was 115 degrees. 32 minutes later of having the AC on full blast on all three zones, temp was still 79 defeees. So unless I take hour long drives BMW expects that I have to sweat it out? What if I only take 20 minute drives. At least if you had the option to blow some cold air at your body you would feel cooler than it actually is.

It wasn’t even that warm out. What would the temp sensor do on an 80 or 90+ degree day?

[skrontz]

Originally Posted by DjPiLL

That would be great if it actually cooled the car. I stuck a temp sensor on the center armrest two weeks ago. Was a clear 72 degree day outside.

Temp when I got inside the car was 115 degrees. 32 minutes later of having the AC on full blast on all three zones, temp was still 79 defeees. So unless I take hour long drives BMW expects that I have to sweat it out? What if I only take 20 minute drives. At least if you had the option to blow some cold air at your body you would feel cooler than it actually is.

It wasn’t even that warm out. What would the temp sensor do on an 80 or 90+ degree day?

I’ll preface this by saying that I wasn’t there for your situation, so obviously can’t confirm or deny any hypothesis either way.

Those thermometers can be incredibly unreliable when hit by direct sun even a little. I have several outside, and they could easily show 110F on a 60F day. Even in TX, I don’t ever recall getting into any car on a 72F day and feel like it’s 115F inside, sun out or not.

My wife and I had tested a MY2024 X7 on a 80F day, and there definitely was solid airflow and sense of coolness inside after running it even for under a minute. So if yours is as bad as you describe, I would talk to the dealer.

[DjPiLL]

Originally Posted by skrontz

I’ll preface this by saying that I wasn’t there for your situation, so obviously can’t confirm or deny any hypothesis either way.

Those thermometers can be incredibly unreliable when hit by direct sun even a little. I have several outside, and they could easily show 110F on a 60F day. Even in TX, I don’t ever recall getting into any car on a 72F day and feel like it’s 115F inside, sun out or not.

My wife and I had tested a MY2024 X7 on a 80F day, and there definitely was solid airflow and sense of coolness inside after running it even for under a minute. So if yours is as bad as you describe, I would talk to the dealer.

These are the same sensors I use inside my house that are pretty much locked in and accurate based on what my actual thermostats read. I specifically placed the sensor on the center armrest so it remained out of the sun. I don't doubt it was 115 degrees inside the car when I got in it. It is not an environment I would be able to sit in for any extended period of time with the windows closed and the engine not running. Do you think it would be acceptable to leave a kid in the car with the windows closed or say an animal? No because it's 115 degrees inside.

Funny you mention you have a 2024 model because I have reason to believe that the issue may have been fixed with some 2024 models. When I was at the dealer, I parked my 2023 next to a 2025 model in the dealer parking lot. The airflow on the 2025 was definitely better. The dealer also had a 2024 model and I did sit in that for a few minutes because I was curious. While I didn't spend a ton of time in the 2024, I did notice the airflow in the 2024 was better. This was a late model 2024 with ID8.5.

This AC issue is definitely a 2023 issue and could only be 2023, maybe some early 2024 models. If you look at the long thread by BMW5and7 regarding the 2023/2024 differences, it seems like BMW started changing out a lot of the internals during the 2024 model. Most of these changes were relating to the assisted driving and other headunit stuff relating to ID8.5, however I am willing to wager BMW did realize a serious AC design flaw and secretly snuck in a tweak to the front vent airflow. Tons of 2023 owners are having the same issue, it's well documented here and on reddit.

[skrontz]

Originally Posted by DjPiLL

These are the same sensors I use inside my house that are pretty much locked in and accurate based on what my actual thermostats read. I specifically placed the sensor on the
Funny you mention you have a 2024 model because I have reason to believe that the issue may have been fixed with some 2024 models. When I was at the dealer, I parked my 2023 next to a 2025 model in the dealer parking lot. The airflow on the 2025 was definitely better. The dealer also had a 2024 model and I did sit in that for a few minutes because I was curious. While I didn't spend a ton of time in the 2024, I did notice the airflow in the 2024 was better. This was a late model 2024 with ID8.5.

I don’t actually have a MY2024, we have a MY2025 on order arriving in a few weeks. Even in the poll above, the opinions of MY2023 owners are all over (55% don’t see a problem against 33% who do), which leads me to believe that there’s some defect in some cars that should be rectifiable.

If this was my car, and it couldn’t cool down to below 79F with 72F outside temperature for over 30 minutes, I’d be all over the dealer and BMWNA to acknowledge the problem and fix it. I refuse to believe that it’s an accepted “design flaw,” since BMW tests those cars in all kinds of conditions for years before the public release. No one would just say, “heck, it’s 7F above ambient temp with AC on full blast, but ship it anyway.”

[DjPiLL]

Originally Posted by skrontz

I don’t actually have a MY2024, we have a MY2025 on order arriving in a few weeks. Even in the poll above, the opinions of MY2023 owners are all over (55% don’t see a problem against 33% who do), which leads me to believe that there’s some defect in some cars that should be rectifiable.

If this was my car, and it couldn’t cool down to below 79F with 72F outside temperature for over 30 minutes, I’d be all over the dealer and BMWNA to acknowledge the problem and fix it. I refuse to believe that it’s an accepted “design flaw,” since BMW tests those cars in all kinds of conditions for years before the public release. No one would just say, “heck, it’s 7F above ambient temp with AC on full blast, but ship it anyway.”

Oh believe me I am all over BMW on this. I have an open case and have been in touch with the dealer and BMW NA. The AC on my car in it's current state is unacceptable. The problem is I have brought my X7 to two different dealers and both are claiming it's "normal operation" which is total BS. In order to cool my car I have to run all three zones at full blast. The inside cabin gets so loud you actually have trouble hearing the others in the car. If it was loud and I had tons of airflow I wouldn't care. The last time I was at the dealer service their suggestions were #1 buy a window sunshade to keep car cool (LOL on a 100k suv), #2 keep windows closed (wat?), #3 turn off 2nd and 3rd row fans to have more airflow from front (so my passengers can then sweat), #4 keep the panoramic roof sunshade closed (ok so a nice feature on this car to let sun in - useless) and #5 use remote start (useless because it doesnt cool fast enough - see above temp sensor post - am I supposed to remote start an hour prior to driving?). I am glad they actually put this nonsense in writing on my service order.

I am hoping that BMW does the right thing with my situation. My dealer actually reached out to me saying the AC was "fixed" in the 2025 model which was interesting that I am now starting to hear BMW people admitting fault here.

[TechCTU]

Originally Posted by DjPiLL

It's definitely not user error, I have spoken to every BMW "Genius" in the local area. The issue is not the air coming out not cold enough, the issue is there isn't enough air itself. I know the setting you are referring to "temp adjust upper body". While sliding this all the way cold make the air really cold, leaving it at this setting (max cold - left) will mean the system will never blow hot air regardless of the temp you set it at. We could have a really hot day, I slide this all the way to cold and set the temp to max AC. The next day it might be very cold and I have to turn the heat on. If I change the temp inside to 80 degrees, it's still going to blow cold air until i slide the temp adjust upper body back to center or on the hot side. This really makes no sense to have to adjust in this manner. You should just set the cabin to a certain temp and the system should blow out air at the required temp to achieve this temp. And if you want extremely cold quickly, just hit the max AC button.

Have you tried to go into climate settings, and move the temp bar way over to cool. By default it's in the middle. Once a season I move it to warmer for winter and cooler for summer. Then when you travel normally it will always repeat this theme on auto so you don't have to set max cool every time.

Max cool brings my car down to a very cold temp fast. Are you saying max cool does not do that for you? If that is the case I agree your car needs service.

[tewai]

Does it mean that if I have MY2024 that had idrive 8 before update to.8.5 I have the early model with weak AC?
It's really horrendous compared to our GLS where you can whisper while being freezed...
Maybe I'll try the new service guy I've got, so far he's been quite capable, maybe we could figure out how to play it on warranty 😁