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      05-22-2019, 10:33 PM   #1
kschac
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Massaging seat stopped working

My massaging seats suddenly stopped working - Driver's side only. If I depress the massage button, it will not light up and if I try to set the massage function or level in iDrive, the level stays in the "Off" position. I cannot set it to 1, 2, or 3. I rebooted iDrive but that didn't help.

Has anyone else had this problem? Any ideas?
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      05-22-2019, 11:35 PM   #2
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Call the dealer, it is not worth your time trying to troubleshoot it. Hopefully it is something simple.
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      05-23-2019, 12:13 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kschac View Post
My massaging seats suddenly stopped working - Driver's side only. If I depress the massage button, it will not light up and if I try to set the massage function or level in iDrive, the level stays in the "Off" position. I cannot set it to 1, 2, or 3. I rebooted iDrive but that didn't help.

Has anyone else had this problem? Any ideas?
Sounds like a fuse. I'd call the dealer though it's a warranty job.
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      05-23-2019, 09:56 AM   #4
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Thanks, all. It seems the driver's seat just needed a rest after all that massaging. After leaving the car overnight, the massage function returned.

Quote:
Originally Posted by russelldav View Post
Sounds like a fuse. I'd call the dealer though it's a warranty job.
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      05-23-2019, 11:24 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by kschac View Post
Thanks, all. It seems the driver's seat just needed a rest after all that massaging. After leaving the car overnight, the massage function returned.
Huh? A rest? Ha ha, don't think so. The massage feature runs via an air pump that fills bladders in the seat. You may want to just reseat the electrical connectors as possibly the one that controls the pump is not fully seated and is therefore touch and go. If not, this will drive you nuts over time as it will be intermittent. There are a few connectors, just reseat all you can find by either pulling them apart and reseating them one by one or push them together tightly without pulling them apart first.
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      05-23-2019, 11:36 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Marty in Bgm View Post
Huh? A rest? Ha ha, don't think so. The massage feature runs via an air pump that fills bladders in the seat. You may want to just reseat the electrical connectors as possibly the one that controls the pump is not fully seated and is therefore touch and go. If not, this will drive you nuts over time as it will be intermittent. There are a few connectors, just reseat all you can find by either pulling them apart and reseating them one by one or push them together tightly without pulling them apart first.
Yes. This exactly. It sounds like a simple loose connection. I love these massage seats as they were a lifesaver on very long road trips. Last thing you will want to mess with when you really need them is a loose connection.
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      05-23-2019, 01:09 PM   #7
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The massage seats, I tried 1,2,3 and it is very weak.
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      05-23-2019, 01:20 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by qocerhuang View Post
The massage seats, I tried 1,2,3 and it is very weak.
Funny you mention that, I was at the dealer yesterday and sat in the multi contour seats with massage turned on. I had them on level 3 and using iDrive, I tried all the various positions, including all of them at once. My wife and I expected a more vigorous massage but what we experienced was a subtle feeling, we had to actually concentrate on the feature in order to know it was working.
I was expecting it to be more like what my friend has in his Mercedes S Class. I will try them again before deciding whether to forget them or not but we were initially disappointed.
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      05-23-2019, 01:30 PM   #9
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They are not meant to give a shiatsu massage, their purpose is to keep the blood flowing and provide relaxation. I only use them once in a while but the wife loves them. She said we should never get a vehicle again without them
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      05-23-2019, 01:38 PM   #10
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That's why we want to try them again in the future. We both went in with expectations that were not fulfilled thereby causing disappointment. Next time around, that won't be the case. We make long trips and I really wanted that feature.
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      06-21-2019, 01:32 PM   #11
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I only noticed this for the first time today with no music playing sitting in a quiet parking lot, but I had my massage seats going and at regular intervals, I heard the sound of air escaping/puffing out from behind me. The closest thing I can compare it to is the sound of air coming out of a balloon in short puffs. I understand that the massage seats function with those air pumps Marty referred to, but are these SUPPOSED to be audible? Has anyone else noticed this sound?
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      06-21-2019, 02:22 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by bimmer2019 View Post
I only noticed this for the first time today with no music playing sitting in a quiet parking lot, but I had my massage seats going and at regular intervals, I heard the sound of air escaping/puffing out from behind me. The closest thing I can compare it to is the sound of air coming out of a balloon in short puffs. I understand that the massage seats function with those air pumps Marty referred to, but are these SUPPOSED to be audible? Has anyone else noticed this sound?
Yup, mine make that sound also. I love the massage seats. I don’t want a distracting massage. The ventilated seat also makes a distinct sound on the highest setting, but turn it down one and you can’t hear it.

Marty - you have to wait a minute or two to feel them, but keep them running and you will feel it for sure. I really like them!
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      06-21-2019, 05:17 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by natahoa View Post
Yup, mine make that sound also. I love the massage seats. I don’t want a distracting massage. The ventilated seat also makes a distinct sound on the highest setting, but turn it down one and you can’t hear it.

Marty - you have to wait a minute or two to feel them, but keep them running and you will feel it for sure. I really like them!
Ha ha, I did, my wife and I both turned them on while sitting in the car with the SA in the back as we tried different features. After maybe a minute, I asked the SA if I did something wrong when turning them on cause I wasn't feeling anything, my wife agreed. So he directed me in iDrive to the settings, we cranked them up to their highest setting and I could feel the difference but we both thought they were weak. We actually kept them on while we played with other things and after a short bit forget they were even on :-(
Ok, well, I'm not a bone crusher so maybe this is best for our bodies on a long trip...which is why we want to give it another go at some point. I don't care if they make a little air noise, I just want to be able to drive 10-12 hours without a backache.
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      06-21-2019, 05:56 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty in Bgm View Post
Ha ha, I did, my wife and I both turned them on while sitting in the car with the SA in the back as we tried different features. After maybe a minute, I asked the SA if I did something wrong when turning them on cause I wasn't feeling anything, my wife agreed. So he directed me in iDrive to the settings, we cranked them up to their highest setting and I could feel the difference but we both thought they were weak. We actually kept them on while we played with other things and after a short bit forget they were even on :-(
Ok, well, I'm not a bone crusher so maybe this is best for our bodies on a long trip...which is why we want to give it another go at some point. I don't care if they make a little air noise, I just want to be able to drive 10-12 hours without a backache.
If you want an X5, it’s something you will have to live with. Or buy one that plugs into the cig lighter that is stronger.

I have mine set to back massage and I can feel it better than whole body. I think if you set it to just one region, it might feel more constant.

Trust me, the X5 is worth it.
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      06-24-2019, 02:22 PM   #15
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I was disappointed when I first felt them too but I have some nerve issues in my leg and usually can't drive for more than 90 minutes. The massage feature allowed me to do a 6 hour drive without even thinking of stopping.
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      06-24-2019, 02:32 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by ivieisme View Post
I was disappointed when I first felt them too but I have some nerve issues in my leg and usually can't drive for more than 90 minutes. The massage feature allowed me to do a 6 hour drive without even thinking of stopping.
My husband has sciatica and gets cramps when driving. He is totally turned off by all of the goodies in the car (very stubborn old man) but I think he will appreciate the massage on our upcoming long trip.

If I can trick him into using it. Unfortunately my arms aren’t quite long enough to reach across the car.
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      06-24-2019, 02:40 PM   #17
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It depends on your seat settings. They can be very painful or you don't feel them at all.
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      06-24-2019, 03:14 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by natahoa View Post
My husband has sciatica and gets cramps when driving. He is totally turned off by all of the goodies in the car (very stubborn old man) but I think he will appreciate the massage on our upcoming long trip.

If I can trick him into using it. Unfortunately my arms aren’t quite long enough to reach across the car.
I drove from Florida to PA in one day. 1100 miles at one time in rain, ice, and snow. The massaging seats made this long trip absolutely painless for both my wife and myself. By far the most comfortable vehicle I have taken on this long trip. This is including some other fine luxury cars like a Audi A8, etc..

Last edited by MystroX5; 06-24-2019 at 03:20 PM..
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      06-24-2019, 03:17 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by natahoa View Post
My husband has sciatica and gets cramps when driving. He is totally turned off by all of the goodies in the car (very stubborn old man) but I think he will appreciate the massage on our upcoming long trip.

If I can trick him into using it. Unfortunately my arms aren’t quite long enough to reach across the car.
"Hey BMW, massage the passenger (driver)" will turn on the massage.
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      06-24-2019, 04:07 PM   #20
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Just following up my initial post. It took two visits to the dealer but they finally determined there was a loose connection, which caused the massage function in the driver's seat to conk out intermittently. It's now fixed. Not having the massage function made me miss it quite a bit.
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      06-24-2019, 04:12 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by kschac View Post
Just following up my initial post. It took two visits to the dealer but they finally determined there was a loose connection, which caused the massage function in the driver's seat to conk out intermittently. It's now fixed. Not having the massage function made me miss it quite a bit.
Thanks for the update. This helps the forum for future search reference.
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      06-24-2019, 04:21 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kschac View Post
Just following up my initial post. It took two visits to the dealer but they finally determined there was a loose connection, which caused the massage function in the driver's seat to conk out intermittently. It's now fixed. Not having the massage function made me miss it quite a bit.
Glad that this has a good ending.
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