[dinan5m3]

Just trying to get head start on the HOWTO's of operating the vehicle prior to delivery, doing the usual RTFM, and so far, not too bad. Except, when it comes to this bmw connecteddrive offered features. These cars have cell connections? Perhaps i should have expected that since otherwise how would the car offer the internet hotspot capability (through at&t mobility i'm learning).

Whatever happened to the ultimate "driving" machine? Seems like have turned into the ultimate "futzing" machine. Perhaps this is the way of the mainstream these days with newer cars. Clearly i'm way outdated.

Clearly, i don't know what i don't know about connectecddrive, and seems the gap is big, but let's see just how much of stuffs i end up actually futz with.

And seems like i can't get head start in signing this up online until i actually sit in front of the idrive screen.

[AndroidRobot]

have you driven any modern car? Your dealer should help with the set up at delivery.

[Hendoo]

Nowadays you have a choice — buy a base model, and you have minimum futzing.

Or buy one that is highly optioned and futz away to your heart's content.

I'm a gadget lover so go for the latter choice... but YMMV...

[dinan5m3]

Originally Posted by AndroidRobot

have you driven any modern car? Your dealer should help with the set up at delivery.

No, i haven't owned a SIM installed car before, although i think my 2003/2004 e39/e46 respectively, have BMW Assist. I don't know how that works, never used it. I don't recall ever activating those SIM cards, but it's been so long.

I think i will keep that $20'ish for RTTI, and remote access, but that's about it, i think.

Hopefully visiting local dealer's BMW Genius isn't just limited to owners that bought cars from those dealers.

[dinan5m3]

Originally Posted by Hendoo

I'm a gadget lover so go for the latter choice... but YMMV...

Same here, but i feel like i've been living on Mars in terms of what's mainstream these days with car techs...

[AndroidRobot]

Originally Posted by dinan5m3

No, i haven't owned a SIM installed car before, although i think my 2003/2004 e39/e46 respectively, have BMW Assist. I don't know how that works, never used it. I don't recall ever activating those SIM cards, but it's been so long.

I think i will keep that $20'ish for RTTI, and remote access, but that's about it, i think.

Hopefully visiting local dealer's BMW Genius isn't just limited to owners that bought cars from those dealers.

iDrive and BMW connected have cone a long way since then, afterall that was 16 years ago. I always keep up with tech so I'm not able to truly see it the way you do.

I couldn't say, I've never gone through any setup at the dealer, you could ask

[bmtespar]

Originally Posted by dinan5m3

Same here, but i feel like i've been living on Mars in terms of what's mainstream these days with car techs...

Lol. It’s ok. Breath. You have a couple of choices with your new vehicle. One, you can ignore the technology and continue to drive. You can even turn most of the technology off. Two, you can take your time and learn the new tech. Yes, you are correct, the amount of tech in these modern cars is staggering. I’m a tech person and have spent a good amount of time learning the new tech and the changes made and that’s with getting new cars every 2-3 years. So I feel your pain and frustration but it’s a good problem to have. For years, bmw were so sparse they were getting to the point of being boring.

A good dealership will have a bmw genius contact you for a follow up meeting to go over functions you may still have questions about in s few more weeks. You should know they will not have all the answers. BMW has never been granular in their literature or presentation of features and new tech. Once again, breath learn at your own pace and enjoy what you want to enjoy about your new vehicle.

[B_M_VV]

Originally Posted by dinan5m3

Same here, but i feel like i've been living on Mars in terms of what's mainstream these days with car techs...

Living on Mars needs much higher technology than living on the earth.

[dinan5m3]

Originally Posted by B_M_VV

Living on Mars needs much higher technology than living on the earth.

Sorry, typo, i meant, .... in a cave ...

Clearly my priority has been on elsewhere, not on car tech upgrades,

[dinan5m3]

Originally Posted by bmtespar

A good dealership will have a bmw genius contact you for a follow up meeting to go over functions you may still have questions about in s few more weeks. You should know they will not have all the answers. BMW has never been granular in their literature or presentation of features and new tech. Once again, breath learn at your own pace and enjoy what you want to enjoy about your new vehicle.

Breathe..... yes master...

I wonder if there is some sort of simulator out there that folks can tinker with to get the hang of it... then again, where is my car..........

[skier219]

Unless you’ve been under a rock and ignored all technology over the last 15 years, this should be a no brainer and I doubt it will be an issue. It’s easy enough to figure out on the fly for most people. Everyone else comes on the forum and asks dumb questions (which could be avoided by a search in most cases).

[Spoonhead]

What about these?

https://www.bmw.co.uk/bmw-ownership/how-to-videos

The first one should be OK

‘How do I lock and unlock my BMW’

[johnnj]

At least BMWs still have knobs and buttons and not just a touchscreen for everything.

[MechX3M40i]

I agree that BMW has a whole channel worth of how-to videos on YouTube at our disposal. Extremely helpful IMO.

I would also recommend downloading the e-manual App that's specific to your VIN, which also includes many of those videos if you choose to keep hard copies on your smart phone or tablet. I could not tell you how many times I refer back to the manual and found my answers in no time. The nice thing about this App is that it's searchable.

In the meantime, you don't need to know everything about the car prior to enjoying it. You could simply take your time and learn on the fly. Enjoy the ride!

[Bob in IL]

You'll be fine and will adjust to the new tech and features. It just takes a little time. I'm probably much older than most here and things like this always work out with the new stuff.

[Replicant]

Just drive the car, you don’t have to even care about all the fancy stuff. When I took delivery I basically just said show me how to adjust the radio, shift the car, and turn on the parking sensors. I don’t give a crap about all the other stuff, I’ll learn how to use it as I need it. A couple weeks of driving the car around and I have a pretty good handle on how most things work. Still haven’t tried to use the self park. Don’t feel like wasting the time when I can just park it in 2 seconds myself.

My new house has all kinds of automation, I barely use any of it. I just don’t care. Heck I don’t even program my thermostat. I just set it to the temp I like and leave it there day or night, home or not home.

Maybe I’m just a stick in the mud, but it’s my stuff, my money, if I don’t want to use it, I don’t have to, but it’s nice to have it if I need it.

[Hendoo]

Originally Posted by dinan5m3

Same here, but i feel like i've been living on Mars in terms of what's mainstream these days with car techs...

Concur!

My newest car is a 2002...

[Sherweeeny]

i just ignore all that. the genius dude tried to go through it all with me at pick up and i said no thanks

[dinan5m3]

Thanks guys.

And yes, "just drive, just drive"....

What a day, just catching up to all the cool posts in the forum.


I'm sort of old school, or would this be "pre-school" of preferring printed or PDF for owners manual, over online variant. But i'm getting hang of the online navigation. And i've download the BMW DRIVER'S GUIDE app, pretty cool.


And after going through the "Opening and closing" section of the manual, i don't think i had to learn how to get in and out of the car before this. Total NOOB!



WHAT IS THIS DEMONRY! Really... ?

[titomi]

Comfort access style opening/closing. You just have to have the key with you, no need to push any buttons.

[dinan5m3]

Originally Posted by PureModelsOnly

Lol I hope you didn't get Drivers Assistant Plus package.

[MechX3M40i]

Originally Posted by dinan5m3

At least now you have the car on hand for you to experiment with...