BMW XM Parking Heater Not Working, Auxiliary Heat Issue

Hey there! I've got some experience with BMW issues (medium level expertise). Had a similar problem with my 2020 BMW X7 last winter. The auxiliary heater completely gave up, and it turned out to be a faulty glow plug. Took it to my trusted workshop and they diagnosed it pretty quickly. The repair cost me around 440 Euro, including parts and labor. They had to replace the glow plug unit, and everything's been working perfectly since then. Before suggesting anything specific for your XM though, could you share: Have you noticed any warning lights? Does this happen every time, or intermittently? Did you get any specific error codes you could share? I've also owned an X5, and these heating issues can be tricky to diagnose without the full picture. Let me know these details, and I might be able to help further!

Hey, thanks for the detailed reply! Mine's got 166936 KM on the clock, and the issue started right after my latest service. I'm getting the exact same symptoms, complete failure to start, no warning lights except for the error code I mentioned. It's happening consistently, every single time I try to use it. This makes me think it could also be the glow plug like in your case. I'll try to get it checked out by the dealer since it should still be under warranty. Did your workshop mention how long the repair took? Just trying to plan ahead in case I need to leave it with them.

Hey again! Yes, I remember dealing with this exact issue. Since you mentioned it started after the service, that's actually really interesting because mine also acted up after a routine maintenance, talk about coincidence! The repair for my X7 took about 4-5 hours in total. The majority of that time was actually spent on diagnosis and accessing the heater unit, as it's tucked away pretty deep in there. Given your mileage and the symptoms being identical to what I experienced, I'm even more convinced it's the glow plug. The nice thing about taking it to the dealer under warranty is they'll do a thorough check of the entire auxiliary heating system. In my case, they also found and cleaned some carbon deposits while they were in there, which apparently is pretty common at higher mileages. Quick tip though, when you take it in, make sure to mention that it's a complete failure with no noise at all. That detail helped my workshop zero in on the issue faster. Since you're still under warranty, you're definitely in a better position than I was when I had to pay out of pocket! Let me know how it goes, I'm curious to see if it turns out to be the same issue. These BMWs can be quirky with their heating systems, but they're usually pretty straightforward to fix once you pinpoint the problem.

Thanks so much for all this information! That's really helpful to know about the repair time, I'll make sure to schedule it when I can work from home for a day. It's actually pretty reassuring to hear that your issue started after maintenance too. Makes me feel like I'm not going crazy thinking the service might have triggered something! I'll definitely mention the complete silence when starting and the similarity to your case with the glow plug. That should help them focus their diagnosis. I'll probably book it in next week, fingers crossed the warranty covers everything like you said. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience in such detail. I'll try to remember to update you on what they find. Hopefully it'll be a straightforward fix like yours was!