So you don't think anything is necessarily wrong, simply I'm not driving it hard enough to generate heat in an efficient manner, and that is why it's taking so long to get heat. I wasn't sure if I was going to be looking at replacing the thermostat, or the water valve. I was going to take it to my indy to get the oil cooler leak taken care of, and ask them to see if there are any hidden codes since I don't have a bmw specific code reader.

I realize this thread is a few weeks old, but I'll chime in:

1. go into iDrive and check your vent temperature settings. If you want full blast heat, you'll need to access your vent settings and turn them all the way into the red on both sides of the car. The E60 climate control system has a LOT of flexibility, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it.

2. I'll echo E30Owner's suggestion. If your engine is up to temperature and you want heat NOW, turn your defroster on. I live in FL so I only use the heat every now and then, but when I do need heat I just turn my defroster on and that's enough to warm up the cabin fairly quickly.

good luck.

Dead thread revival, so with winter beckoning with snowflakes falling here in Ohio, I've returned to my seasonal obsession of wondering why my heat sucks.

Vent settings set to 80F blend settings set to full hot, back vents set to hot. The results are: I have the best heat in the back, some heat for my passenger and my side is just cold.

Engine was at full operating temperature after about a 30 minute drive. I'm unsure of any hvac faults, but thus far there have been no indication of any such issues.

Its highly likely your heater control valve is broken.

Specifically there are two valves in the heater controller and the rubber seals on those valves gets torn and breaks. Generally, it malfunctions over time.

If your car has been running for (say 20 minutes) and you touch one of the 3 short heater hoses that connects the firewall and the heater control valve, I'm betting those hoses are cold (and your heater control valve is faulty).

Its a easy replacement.

+1

Heater control valve for sure. Either get an OEM used replacement on eBay or they are also cheap as an aftermarket part.

I had similar symptoms with cold air on driver side and moderately warm air on the driver side. Heater control valve was stuck shut on driver side and partially stuck with gasket material on the passenger side.

Replacement took 30min. A hose clamp pliers is your friend.


sadly, I paid the BMW dealer $180 for a diagnosis that you’re getting for free from the forum