This configuration makes the car look like a beauty! Good choice!

If i wasn't so dissapointed by the cars comfort while doing a test drive this weekend I've would have ordered directly this same config! Now it's still a difficult choice for me... going for the 4x4 or going for the luxury and comfort

Very nice car, great review and good pictures. I will keep an eye open for this thread.

sfax wrote

You can control whether stop start kicks by how hard you press the brake pedal. It needs a firm press to stop the engine so if you're somewhere where you expect a wait, you can press firmly and it will stop, whereas if you're somewhere where you really don't want it stopping the engine, you can lightly press it and the engine won't stop

Opposite way round to mine then ?? Strange.

Dobs wrote

Opposite way round to mine then ?? Strange.

come to a standstill and the stand on the brake pedal hard, release momentarily and put foot back on the brake. This disables SS.

I don't think I've tried pressing firmly and releasing momentarily but mine will always kick in (providing it has enough charge) if I firmly press and hold the brake without releasing (but if I flick the parking brake on and release it stays stopped). I think it restarts when I release the brake and before i touch the accelerator but I'll check. Auto hold and SS is as you described for me

300 miles in and still very happy - have turned of the mpg so I dont ruin my fun - intend to take a look at 500 miles

Oyster leather is holding up well - no sign of dirt or grime yet (early days though!) it really looks good with the oyster/black contrast versus my previous beige/beige interior

Ipod Artwork

Despite using BMW ipod cable I cant seem to get album artwork to show? Any ideas welcome!

Heated Seats

Heated front seats get very hot very quick them seem to cool down to comfortable temp (compared to my previous E60) - this seems to happen even with one light on (lowest setting)

On Down Side

One issue is my sons cybex child car seat doesnt seem to sit very well in the back (had same issue on test drive). In the X3 it moves when not secured with the seat belt and even when secured with the seat belt it tips slightly when cornering and slides about a bit (I think it is the bit between the seat and door that stops the child car seat sitting properly?)

The same child car seat fitted fine in my E60 and didnt move when not secured with seat belt (when empty) - very concerned as the boy and his saftey comes 1st, will need to try new ones at the weekend.

Anyone else fitted a car seat for 2+ years old and had issues? (too heavy/old for isofix type)

Very sharp looking and I am glad you finally got it! I have the same wheels and have been happy with them although I had no idea what I was getting til it arrived (of course the CA assured me I would be happy with any of them).

Bimmer UK 76, interested in your remarks about album artwork. I've found much the same using a memory stick but confusingly the odd album and some singles do display the artwork. I thought it might be the file extension but there's no consistency with .wav or.mp3 files.

All of the album artwork on my iPod and iPhone 3G works when connected using the standard white Apple USB cable. All of the artwork was "embedded" using iTunes. Artwork can be saved as a hidden system jpg (iTunes) or actually embedded into an mp3 or similar file using ID3 tags. Embedding into individual files uses a lot more space where multiple tracks share the same artwork (e.g. most normal albums) so the iTunes method is preferable

No album artwork is ever displayed on imported mp3s saved on the HDD, as far as I can tell. I assume that the import ignores image files and image ID3 tags

sfax wrote

All of the album artwork on my iPod and iPhone 3G works when connected using the standard white Apple USB cable. All of the artwork was "embedded" using iTunes. Artwork can be saved as a hidden system jpg (iTunes) or actually embedded into an mp3 or similar file using ID3 tags. Embedding into individual files uses a lot more space where multiple tracks share the same artwork (e.g. most normal albums) so the iTunes method is preferable

No album artwork is ever displayed on imported mp3s saved on the HDD, as far as I can tell. I assume that the import ignores image files and image ID3 tags

All artwork was obtained through itunes? Will have another play

BIMMER UK 76 wrote

All artwork was obtained through itunes? Will have another play

It was added through iTunes by selecting an album and right clicking and selecting Get Info and then dragging the artwork jpg into the window. Unfortunately there isn't anyway to do this en masse and iTunes is poor at finding artwork for you unless you bought all of your albums from iTunes originally. Any slight deviation from the official iTunes album name and it won't find any artwork. I got most of my artwork using windows media player - File - Options - Library - Retrieve additional information from the internet - and then added it using iTunes as described above.

You end up with 3 JPG files per album folder called AlbumArt_{C694E383-58B1-4B0A-8B5A-4AAE8AF37F33}_Large.jpg, AlbumArt_{C694E383-58B1-4B0A-8B5A-4AAE8AF37F33}_Small.jpg and AlbumArtSmall.jpg. Once you see the artwork in iTunes, it will also appear on the iDrive when the iPod / iPhone is connected using the standard white USB cable

I should point out that the jpg files are hidden by the O/S but you can see them if you switch on show hidden and O/S files in Windows Explorer

Very nice color combo. Oyster will by my choice as well - I currently have Lemon in my 3 Series a very rare interior, similar to Oyster. I like the light wood as it contrasts nicely between the Oyster and black components... might have to go that route myself if I order one.

Congrats on the new car, looks great:thumbsup: Bimmer.

Re the nav, does it really have 7 digit post code? If so that's interesting news, it's about time BMW offered it.

Ant Man wrote

Congrats on the new car, looks great:thumbsup: Bimmer.

Re the nav, does it really have 7 digit post code? If so that's interesting news, it's about time BMW offered it.

Yes, full post codes and the iDrive wheel removes letters and numbers that don't make a valid post code. E.g. after EC4M_ only the digits that make a valid post code appear

But it's often much better to use Google Send to Car or iPhone app to send a location to the car rather than fiddling around with the iDrive entering post codes

Gave the X3 a first hand wash today and despite being 6' tall I had to stand on the door sills to be able to reach the middle of the roof!

Mudflaps also arrived and will do a DIY fit tomorrow with some updated pictures hopefully

Nice writeup, and nice photos. Congrats. Great combo of colors too.

Fitted rear mud flaps this morning (without taking wheels off)

Really easy once you have done one, approx 30 mis in total (most of the time on your back)

Tools used T25 Torx bit, small ratchet screwdriver, 8mm spanner







They seem give the rear a slightly wider stance

BIMMER UK 76 wrote

Fitted rear mud flaps this morning (without taking wheels off)

Really easy once you have done one, approx 30 mis in total (most of the time on your back)

Tools used T25 Torx bit, small ratchet screwdriver, 8mm spanner







They seem give the rear a slightly wider stance

nice any chance to see the whole vehicle with the flaps?

Here you go