Workshop mode does not shut off trunk light?

I thought workshop mode was supposed to shut off all interior lights. So why, after 45 minutes, did I have to unplug the trunk light because it was still lit? Is there a way to shut it off when the trunk lid must be left open for an extended period?

(Let's set aside for now the question of why I need to leave the trunk open overnight....)

Last year we noticed that the trunk light in our '11 335is turned itself after some undetermined period of time.

My wife came home from work one day, opened the trunk to unload it, and then saw the next door neighbor out in front, so she went over to chat. I went out some time later because I heard that she was home but hadn't come into the house yet. When we walked back to the garage, the trunk light was off. Just to make sure that the trunk light hadn't burned out, I closed the trunk and when I opened it again it came on. I didn't know that it did this. We've since confirmed this on at least a couple other occasions. I definitely didn't know it was known as "workshop mode".

(Did you spill something in your trunk?)

Originally Posted by SD Z4MR

Last year we noticed that the trunk light in our '11 335is turned itself after some undetermined period of time.

My wife came home from work one day, opened the trunk to unload it, and then saw the next door neighbor out in front, so she went over to chat. I went out some time later because I heard that she was home but hadn't come into the house yet. When we walked back to the garage, the trunk light was off. Just to make sure that the trunk light hadn't burned out, I closed the trunk and when I opened it again it came on. I didn't know that it did this. We've since confirmed this on at least a couple other occasions. I definitely didn't know it was known as "workshop mode".

(Did you spill something in your trunk?)

This is how my trunk light works, too.

Maybe somehow "workshop mode" disables the normal light timing mechanism. Maybe if you just let the lights turns off "naturally" the trunk light would have gone off, too.

Originally Posted by tturedraider

Maybe somehow "workshop mode" disables the normal light timing mechanism. Maybe if you just let the lights turns off "naturally" the trunk light would have gone off, too.

Undoubtedly so. I guess the fact that it's not considered an "interior light" in the context of shop mode is just one of those quirks we have to accept.

At some point it did decide to cut power to the trunk light. When I reconnected the light the next morning it remained off.

Originally Posted by SD Z4MR

Last year we noticed that the trunk light in our '11 335is turned itself after some undetermined period of time. ... I definitely didn't know it was known as "workshop mode".

(Did you spill something in your trunk?)

That's normal operation, or so I believed. You have no doubt noticed the cabin lights also turn off after a short time (5-10 minutes I think). That is why I was so surprised to see the cargo lamp still lit after close to an hour. I thought it was on the same or a similar timer.

Workshop mode disables the cabin lights so they are unaffected by opening and closing doors. To activate it, turn on the interior lights, then press and hold the master light switch (in the roof console) until the lights turn off. The doors may now be opened and closed repeatedly without turning on the cabin lights, while you work in & around the car (hence the name). To resume normal operation the lights must be turned on manually at the master switch or by turning on the ignition.

It's a handy feature that's been around since at least the E36. It avoids unnecessary battery drain & lamp on/off cycles during extended work periods where you might be in & out of the car a lot.

As to the spill...I really should have allowed tonight's fourth passenger to sit with his feet astride the full gallon of premixed windshield washer fluid. I moved it to the trunk and at some point the very well-secured cap turned out to be not very well-secured at all. So now my trunk is, to all appearances, in my den, drying out after vacuuming. The car is sitting with rear doors and trunk open (in shop mode) to air out the few sodden bits I could not remove.

Words cannot express how relieved I am that I discovered this before the spill reached any of the underfloor electronics. On the plus side, it's BMW fluid so the car smells great....

I'll have to try that. However, it could have been worse:

A long, long time ago, a young female co-worker went on a camping trip with her new Volkswagen Rabbit (this is how she related it to me after she got back). She was going to make scrambled eggs for breakfast, so she mixed the egg and milk mixture in a bowl and set it on the back shelf with the hatch open. Somehow the shelf got bumped, dumping the entire mixture of milk and beaten eggs into the back seat.

I don't know if she ever got that smell out of the car.

Originally Posted by SD Z4MR

Somehow the shelf got bumped, dumping the entire mixture of milk and beaten eggs into the back seat.

I don't know if she ever got that smell out of the car.

That's horrible. I doubt she did; the odor of soured milk is all but impossible to remove completely.

I am nearly done with my spill adventure. I had wondered why I extracted so much less than a gallon of fluid from the trunk lining and yesterday I found the answer: The insulation blanket under the rear seat was thoroughly soaked, even more so than the trunk. I figure the cap must have snapped off the bottle when it rolled forward at a stop, dumping most of the contents over the body rail at the front of the trunk & under the seat. Removing that blanket without cutting it entailed removing the split-folding seat backs, which was no picnic. Everything else was quick and easy.

It's all dry now, awaiting reassembly later today. I don't mind the work because nothing screams "neglected car" like the smell of mildew--there's no way I will let that take hold!