BMW X5 CCC System Dead, iDrive and Audio Not Working

Hey there! I have some experience working on BMWs (some experience level). I had a similar issue with my 2003 BMW 7-series, while my owns an X3. The symptoms you're describing sound exactly like what I experienced, complete entertainment system failure. Initially, my mechanic also suspected a CAN-BUS issue, but it turned out to be a faulty head unit. The repair cost me 235 Euro, including diagnostics and replacement. Before jumping to conclusions, could you share: Does the issue happen all the time or intermittently? Have you noticed any other electrical issues? Did you recently have any work done on the car? These details would help pinpoint the exact problem. In my case, a simple head unit replacement did the trick, and it was much cheaper than replacing the whole communication system.

Thanks for your reply! My issue is constant, happens every time I start the car. No other electrical problems that I've noticed, and the last service was just routine maintenance about 2 months ago at 88641 KM. It's been working perfectly fine until last week when it suddenly went completely dead. I'm really hoping it's just the head unit like in your case. I'll get it checked out. Good to know it might not be as expensive as I feared! Did you notice any warning signs before your system completely failed?

Hey again! Yeah, I totally get what you're going through, it's quite frustrating when these systems just die on you. In my case, I actually did notice some warning signs about a week before the total failure. The audio would occasionally cut out for a few seconds, and sometimes the screen would flicker when I first started the car. But I ignored these signs, thinking it was just a temporary glitch. Big mistake! Since your issue started suddenly without warning signs, it might be different from mine. But given that it's constant and there are no other electrical issues, I'm still leaning towards a head unit problem. That's actually good news, much better than a full CAN-BUS system failure! One thing I learned from my experience, make sure to get a proper diagnostic test before replacing any parts. My mechanic initially quoted me for a complete system replacement which would have cost a fortune! Getting the proper diagnosis saved me a lot of money. By the way, after my repair, I've had zero issues for the past year. Just make sure you get a quality replacement unit if that turns out to be the problem. Let us know what you find out!

Thanks so much for all the detailed info! It's really reassuring to hear about your experience. You're absolutely right about getting a proper diagnosis first, I've scheduled an appointment with my mechanic for tomorrow morning. I was honestly dreading this might turn into a massive repair bill, but your experience gives me hope that it might be something more manageable. I'll definitely make sure they do a thorough diagnostic before replacing anything. Really appreciate you mentioning about the quality replacement unit too, definitely don't want to deal with this issue again anytime soon! I'll update the thread once I find out what's actually causing the problem. Thanks again for taking the time to help me out!