[Mike_WW]

Originally Posted by brettl

Bimmercode.

Amazon here I come to get my ODBII dongle.

[brettl]

Originally Posted by Speedbird1

Found this out by accident - if the radio is off, hitting the volume up button on the steering wheel turns it back on, albeit at a low level which you can then increase. Tried it on my wife's MINI and it works on that car too - can't believe in all my recent BMW car ownership I've never stumbled across this before....also couldn't find it in the handbook as a feature.

While trying this out, I learned that if you adjust the volume while the pdc or gong is sounding it adjusts the gong volume rather then music. Neat shortcut.

[Speedbird1]

Originally Posted by brettl

While trying this out, I learned that if you adjust the volume while the pdc or gong is sounding it adjusts the gong volume rather then music. Neat shortcut.

Did not realise that - another feature to play around with - thanks!

[clivem2]

Works with the Nav volume too.

[Yobyot]

Originally Posted by clivem2

Works with the Nav volume too.

Or, to adjust nav volume whether or not nav is running press the Map button. iDrive 6 will repeat any active instruction or say nav isn't active. While it's speaking, you can adjust the volume.

The general rule is: make the speech you wish to adjust happen and while it's being said use the volume knob to set the level.

[Yobyot]

Originally Posted by Speedbird1

Found this out by accident - if the radio is off, hitting the volume up button on the steering wheel turns it back on, albeit at a low level which you can then increase. Tried it on my wife's MINI and it works on that car too - can't believe in all my recent BMW car ownership I've never stumbled across this before....also couldn't find it in the handbook as a feature.

That's because the radio (indeed, the entire audio system) in a BMW is never off — it's simply muted. Note that the symbol in iDrive 6 is a speaker with a slash through it. That indicates muting, not power off.

On my E90, there was actually a SIB to "fix" the CD player so it would not continue to progress when you muted the system. It was working as designed (think about it: you can see why a muted CD would continue to progress) but people want mute _and_ resume.

A good example of a very subtle but useful BMW engineering feature.

[Mike_WW]

Originally Posted by BatMeoW

You can keep the key fob button (to open the tail gate) depressed and it will close the tailgate. It starts with a delay of a second or so, and stops if you let go off the button. Pressing again will resume

Yea, this does not work for me. I believe this has been disabled here in the US for safety reasons...

[BatMeoW]

Originally Posted by Mike_WW

Yea, this does not work for me. I believe this has been disabled here in the US for safety reasons...

that's a bummer

[BatMeoW]

While on the topic of tailgate, I have been reading about the posts regarding accidental opening of tailgate and thought of testing this in my car. I wanted to see what will happen if I press the tailgate button on driver's door while the car is in motion. I was happy to discover that it does not open - great!! A few days back, I tried doing the same while in reverse gear - and to my surprise, the tailgate opened on press of the button while the car is in motion.

Trying to think what could be the reason that you cannot do that while in drive, but can when in reverse

[clivem2]

Originally Posted by BatMeoW

While on the topic of tailgate, I have been reading about the posts regarding accidental opening of tailgate and thought of testing this in my car. I wanted to see what will happen if I press the tailgate button on driver's door while the car is in motion. I was happy to discover that it does not open - great!! A few days back, I tried doing the same while in reverse gear - and to my surprise, the tailgate opened on press of the button while the car is in motion.

Trying to think what could be the reason that you cannot do that while in drive, but can when in reverse

When you were driving forwards were you going fast enough such that the doors had locked? I assuming in reverse the doors will have been unlocked.

[BatMeoW]

Originally Posted by clivem2

When you were driving forwards were you going fast enough such that the doors had locked? I assuming in reverse the doors will have been unlocked.

I wasn't driving fast at either of those times (< 5 km/h), and doors were also locked both when going forward and in reverse.

[msg617]

Originally Posted by BatMeoW

You can keep the key fob button (to open the tail gate) depressed and it will close the tailgate. It starts with a delay of a second or so, and stops if you let go off the button. Pressing again will resume

I believe this doesn't work in US cars

[hinckley]

Originally Posted by msg617

I believe this doesn't work in US cars

It's codable.

[Mike_WW]

Originally Posted by msg617

I believe this doesn't work in US cars

So, an update for you all. I have started my adventures with BimmerCode. I bought the OBDlink MX+ Bluetooth adapter, bought a license for the app and got connected.

I was able to open the 'Power Tailgate Module' and update the 'Tailgate function remote control', which was set to OPEN only, and update this to OPEN and CLOSE. Press the code button to update and I am all set. Works like a charm. Tailgate can now be opened and closed with the key fob. Perfect.

I did not want to get to carried away on my first delve into BimmerCode but I did also updated the auto close function when pressing and holding the lock button on the key fob, which was disabled and turned on the activation of the hazard lights when performing an emergency stop. Really is easy for these simple things.

[Em2]

I'm not sure if this was noted in the previous 51 pages lol.

But I think it's swell that the heated steering wheel and seat heater turns back on if you've only been out of the car for a few minutes. I think keeping seat heaters on is more common but this is my first car with the heated wheel and I'm pretty sure in my last car the seats would come back as off when you started up again.

Now that mornings are 3c this is perfect.

[Yobyot]

Originally Posted by Em2

I'm not sure if this was noted in the previous 51 pages lol.

But I think it's swell that the heated steering wheel and seat heater turns back on if you've only been out of the car for a few minutes. I think keeping seat heaters on is more common but this is my first car with the heated wheel and I'm pretty sure in my last car the seats would come back as off when you started up again.

Now that mornings are 3c this is perfect.

It really IS swell. Now that the weather in Boston is attempting to duplicate London in February minus 15 degrees F, you gotta love this. Worked today for me as a matter of fact.

But this has been standard in BMW's software for properly equipped cars since at least F30.

[clivem2]

Originally Posted by Yobyot

It really IS swell. Now that the weather in Boston is attempting to duplicate London in February minus 15 degrees F, you gotta love this. Worked today for me as a matter of fact.

But this has been standard in BMW's software for properly equipped cars since at least F30.

London, Ontario?

[Alias1431]

Throttle House reference?

[Almaretto]

Originally Posted by Yobyot

It really IS swell. Now that the weather in Boston is attempting to duplicate London in February minus 15 degrees F, you gotta love this. Worked today for me as a matter of fact.

But this has been standard in BMW's software for properly equipped cars since at least F30.

Further forward the timer is longer to resume, but can also be adjusted. Idea is always going to have driver but do not want to neccisarily want to run rear seats when no one sitting there.

[rob175]

So far, the only disappointing feature of my car is the HEATED STEERING WHEEL.....to put it mildly it "sucks'!

It takes 10 minutes to barely reach 90 degrees (as measured with my IR heat gun) and then after driving for another 10 minutes it begins to cool down to the mid 80's and if I continue driving it develops areas of ZERO warmth completely.

Dealer's service department has gone over it 4 different times and has replaced the "pulse module" once and the leather wrapped portion once with no success.
The loaner cars the dealer gave me all had heated wheels and all worked perfectly. I even test drove another X3 at a different dealership and it worked perfectly.

Mine sucks!

[Yobyot]

Originally Posted by rob175

So far, the only disappointing feature of my car is the HEATED STEERING WHEEL.....to put it mildly it "sucks'!

It takes 10 minutes to barely reach 90 degrees (as measured with my IR heat gun) and then after driving for another 10 minutes it begins to cool down to the mid 80's and if I continue driving it develops areas of ZERO warmth completely.

Dealer's service department has gone over it 4 different times and has replaced the "pulse module" once and the leather wrapped portion once with no success.
The loaner cars the dealer gave me all had heated wheels and all worked perfectly. I even test drove another X3 at a different dealership and it worked perfectly.

Mine sucks!

So, you've "discovered" that you don't like your heated steering wheel.

Wrong thread. Suggest you search for the "things you hate" thread. This isn't the complaint thread -- I started it for people who notice things about their cars that are undocumented, hard-to-find in the manual or which people might not know about.

[rob175]

LOL....your title says "Things you've discovered....." NOT "things you like or love......" So, no matter what you "intended" the thread to be about I "discovered" my heated wheel doesn't work as other heated wheels I've owned.