AC Does not Cool immediately sometimes?

Hi
I toox the X5 to the dealer. They said the refrigerant was low. They worked on that. Put some dye in to see if it was eaking and told me it is fine

The problem is still there. Hot air but after 10 minutes it works fine. So cold!

What would cause a delay of 8 - 10 minutes?

The Problem Restated and Clarified

Over the past few months the air conditioning sometimes take 5-10 minutes of the car either idling or running before any cool air is generated. It's not a question of cooling the car down or even blowing the hot air out of the ducts, it is positively NOT allowing the compressor or some part of the system that must kick in for cooling to happen at all, until some sensor or switch flips, then it cuts on and immediately puts out very cold air. In other words, its not something to do with a gradual change in the temperature of the air coming out of the vents; it operates for a few minutes as if it is on fan-only and then, in a fraction of a second it seems, the air suddenly turns extremely cool and stays that way. Once it has kicked in and operated normally for at least, oh, 15 minutes or more, it will usually start putting out cool air within 30 seconds or so after re-starting. However, once the car is off for a few hours it reverts back to delaying the a/c from cooling for that 5-10 min. Delay.

The service team insisted that it was caused by low coolant even though it cools perfectly after the initial delay.

On 07/09/10 it was checked, the a/c was discharged, and refilled. Of note, It was re-gassed with leak dye and I was advised to return in a few days to check for leaks.

I still have the problem!

Thanks for this post I had this problem and got it fixed cost me 132.00 for the part all set thanks guys!

The a/c works fine except when the vehiclle is stopped. When the vehicle comes to a stop, the cold air gradually becomes warm but not hot. Reving the engine to 1,600 RPM does not help. As soon as the vehicle starts moving, cold air gradually returns. Happens every time.
At about the same time that this problem started, I noticed a musty smell when initially turning the a/c on.

Yup, it was the auxiliary fan all right.
But, I can't find a shop manual for the car, & I can't figure out how to get it out.
Does it come off the front without removing the radiator? It is held in place with (2) 10 mm bolts down low, but I can't figure out what's holding it in place at the top.

Thanks

The a/c works fine excpet when the vehicle is stopped. Upon comeing to a stop, the cool air gradually becomes warm but not hot. Reving the engine to 1,600 rpm does not help. When the vehicle starts moving, cool air gradually returns. Happens every time.
At about the same time that this problem started, I noticed that the a/c had a musty smell upon initial start up.

The Problem Restated and Clarified

Over the past few months the air conditioning sometimes take 5-10 minutes of the car either idling or running before any cool air is generated. It's not a question of cooling the car down or even blowing the hot air out of the ducts, it is positively NOT allowing the compressor or some part of the system that must kick in for cooling to happen at all, until some sensor or switch flips, then it cuts on and immediately puts out very cold air. In other words, its not something to do with a gradual change in the temperature of the air coming out of the vents; it operates for a few minutes as if it is on fan-only and then, in a fraction of a second it seems, the air suddenly turns extremely cool and stays that way. Once it has kicked in and operated normally for at least, oh, 15 minutes or more, it will usually start putting out cool air within 30 seconds or so after re-starting. However, once the car is off for a few hours it reverts back to delaying the a/c from cooling for that 5-10 min. Delay.

The service team insisted that it was caused by low coolant even though it cools perfectly after the initial delay.

On 07/09/10 it was checked, the a/c was discharged, and refilled. Of note, It was re-gassed with leak dye and I was advised to return in a few days to check for leaks.

I am still having the problem. Any suggestions

Air Conditioning problem
2004 BMW X5 6 cyl All Wheel Drive Automatic

I have a 2004 X5 3.0. When I start the car, the thermostat automatically turns on to what ever temp was last set. If I turn the thermostat control off it goes off. If I shut the car off and the turn the car on again the thermostat is off, but if I shut the car off and wait awhile the thermostat will come on again even if I shut the thermostat off before I shut down the car. Any suggestions? Thanks
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Hi. Dr Hagerty.. How are you. Thanks for responding to my post listed below. I dont know if I stated my question correctly. Basically, is my air conditioner/heater supposed to go ON when I start my car? I turn it OFF before I shut down my car. Thanks

Noticed aux fan was bad for few months back. Did not repair/replace. Air condition stopped working three weeks ago. No cool air at all. Few days I noticed light burning smell in the car.

1. How to identify the aux fan problem? Switch, bad fan, etc?
Should I replace the aux fan since it is related to air condition.
2. Where is the burning smell possibly come from? This really concerns me.

Thanks.

It is a 3.0 model.
Any DIY can be performed on aux fan to determine if the fan itself or the control circuit? Can aux fan be replaced DIY? Local dealer charge $300 for inspect this kind of thing.

The dealer service technician reported aux having issue about 5 months ago that the aux fan had intermitent on/off problem while this car was there having services. I dd not let them fix the issue at that time. Air condition was working fine in last 5 months. It was suddently stopped working while I was driving few days back. No cool air at all. Do you think the condenser turned bad? Shall I focus on aux fan per these syptom? Thanks.