BMW X5 Parking Heater Dead: Help Needed

I dealt with a similar issue on my 2008 BMW X3 last winter. The auxiliary heater symptoms were identical, no response, complete silence when trying to activate it. Turned out the glow plug was defective and needed replacement. I had the work done at a specialized European car workshop. They diagnosed it within an hour, the glow plug had failed and caused the system to shut down as a safety measure. The fix required removing parts of the front bumper to access the heater assembly. While not a complex repair, it needs proper diagnostic equipment and expertise. Not a super serious issue, but definitely needs fixing before winter if you rely on the parking heater. The repair took about half a day. Just make sure you go to someone who regularly works with BMW auxiliary heating systems. Ask them about their diagnostic equipment before letting them work on it. Make sure they check the fuel lines while they're at it. In my case, they found some minor blockage that could have caused problems later.

Hey, thanks for sharing your experience! That sounds exactly like what I'm dealing with. Good to know it was just the glow plug in your case. Makes me feel a bit better about the whole situation. Do you remember roughly how much you ended up paying for the repair? Also, has everything been working smoothly since then, or have you run into any other issues with the auxiliary heater?

Hey there! Glad I could help put your mind at ease. I just got my X3 back from the mechanic last week actually, they fixed that exact same auxiliary heater problem I mentioned before. The repair bill came to 440 € for the glow plug replacement, which included labor and parts. I know it's not cheap, but honestly, it was worth every penny. The heating system's working perfectly now, like it's brand new! No more frustrating silence when I try to start it up. The mechanic did a thorough job, checked all the connections and fuel lines while they were in there, so I'm feeling pretty confident it'll keep running smoothly. I've used it several times since the repair and it kicks in right away, no problems at all. Such a relief after dealing with that annoying malfunction! If your issue turns out to be the same as mine was, you should be back up and running pretty quickly once they replace that glow plug. Still really happy with my choice of mechanic, they definitely knew their stuff when it came to BMW heating systems. Let me know if you get yours fixed and how it turns out!

Thanks for all that info! Just wanted to update you on what happened with my BMW. Finally got it fixed yesterday and you were spot on, it was the glow plug! Found a really good mechanic who specializes in European cars. The whole experience was actually way better than I expected. The mechanic walked me through everything they were doing and even showed me the old glow plug, it was completely shot. Total cost was a bit higher than yours, but they threw in a full system check too. Took it for a drive this morning and the parking heater fired up instantly. Such a relief to have it working again! Really appreciate you sharing your experience, helped me feel more confident about getting it fixed. Definitely keeping this mechanic's number for future repairs. Thanks again for helping me sort this out. It's great to have this problem behind me!