Please Help Solve the Mystery of Seat Memory

I have the convenience entry option. I set my seat, mirrors, steering wheel, etc, pressed the M and then 1 buttons on the seat (with the key in the ignition slot) and my settings are in - and supposedly associated with my remote. My wife now gets in, changes everything to her liking, I press M and then the 2 button. It takes her settings. Then I notice that basically every setting I put into the iDrive menu's have been reset! I go back and set those. Don't know why that happened. But here's the other mystery... supposedly, when I unlock the car with my remote, the seat, mirrors, steering wheel, etc. should move to my position and same for my wife when she unlocks with her remote. The mirrors seem to move immediately, the steering wheel goes into the correct position for the person but the seat? It just stays there unless and until you press the corresponding memory button. Isn't it supposed to move into position on its own? The manual says on P. 46 something about checking Last Seat Position Auto for automatic activation, but I'm not sure this is what I want or not. Should the car be adjusting the seat by itself or no? I did find this one thread in search:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...ht=seat+memory but it doesn't seem to answer the question.
Many thanks guys...

I have a 2010 X5 4.8 without convenience entry option. The settings for mirrors, seat, HVAC, and audio work as you suggest they should. Two things. First, you don't have to lock and unlock the car for this to work simply pushing the unlock key as you approach the car works for us. Second, the seat doesn't move until you open the door. The check box for Last Seat Position Auto is on the Idrive menu under settings. Hope this helps.

Hmmm, well, then mine is not working I guess. I have that checked in my iDrive settings, but when either of us approach the vehicle, unlock and open the door, the seat absolutely does not move.

So to be clear you are using your key, she is using her key right?

It sounds like that's the case because of your settings (radio presets, climate, etc..) being gone when she gets done with setting her stuff.

yes. and then when i use my key to get in, her radio settings etc were in the preset buttons not mine.

Originally Posted by Gator Neil

yes. and then when i use my key to get in, her radio settings etc were in the preset buttons not mine.

FWIW one of the issues with comfort access is determining which key is being sensed by the X5 as being the one in command. You have probably already done this but... When testing make sure that only one key is near the vehicle. It is best to actually insert that key in the ignition so there is no doubt.

Having owned an E53 w/ comfort seats since 2001, I was surprised when our CA told us to 'forget how the memory in the E53 seats worked'. But he was right, our 2009 35d seat memory does work quite differently. For example, our comfort seats remember 2 settings for each key. So my wife and I BOTH store our seat setting in memory location 1. But the E70 correctly switches between them, based on which key we use to unlock the X5 (or which one is in the ignition). For example, if my wife gets home from shopping and turns off the X5 to unload it and then I fire it back up to put it in the garage. The seats adjust to my specs as soon as I put my key in the ignition.

Funf Dreisig

p.s. We do NOT have comfort access

I have a 2010 x5d w/ comfort access. The memory buttons work independant of the key fob. The key fob remembers your idrive & seat settings and the button can be set to another setting (make sure you put your key in the ignition to remember the settings). You don't need to push the memory button to program the key fob.

The reason the Idrive settings were different for your wife is probably because they were never set for her key. Just unlocking the car will move the seat, set the idrive, radio favorites etc for that specific key. So two keys and one seat button let's you have 3 saved seat combinations.
Here's an example of how it works for us. I have a key fob that sets the seats for me when i touch the door to unlock the car. My wifes key fob does the same thing for her. If my son borrows one of our key fobs he hits button 1 to adjust the seat for his setting.

hope this makes sense

I'm trying to wrap my head around what you're explaining. Sorry if I'm a little dense. But it just isn't making sense to me. Why would the remote and the seat memory not be linked?

Originally Posted by Gator Neil

.... But it just isn't making sense to me. Why would the remote and the seat memory not be linked?

Maybe that's because they are linked

Read page 46-47 in the 2010 manual (or page 52-53 in the 2009 manual) and discover that when you use the memory buttons on the driver's seat "The positions of the driver's seat, the exterior rear view mirrors, and steering wheel are stored for the remote controll currently in use".

But there is another seat setting that can be optionally remembered via settings in the iDrive - the "last seat position". So there are potentially three different driver's seat settings that are remembered for each key fob.

Funf Dreisig

They funiction differently when you have comfort access. The memory functions and key fob are separate with comfort access.

Think of it this way Memory 1 is chair position #1, Memory 2 is chair position #2, Keyfob 1 is chair position #3 and Keyfob 2 is chair position #4

make sense?

ok, yes, i think i'm getting it. but how do you program the remote then? and will it stay programmed? do you have to check that "last seat position auto" setting for this to work or no?

Originally Posted by j11398

They funiction differently when you have comfort access. The memory functions and key fob are separate with comfort access.

Think of it this way Memory 1 is chair position #1, Memory 2 is chair position #2, Keyfob 1 is chair position #3 and Keyfob 2 is chair position #4

make sense?

No. You are saying that with the extra cost Comfort Access you LOST the ability to store 2 different driver's seat positions for each key fob. IOW our X5 can store 6 driver seat positions and yours can only store 4 -- bummer. OBTW what you describe is how an E53 X5's seat memory works.

But since I don't have Comfort Access, I won't argue the point further.

Funf Dreisig

I think (not positive) it get's programmed if you plug the key fob into the ignition slot". It also seems to remember the driver's seat position if I move the seat not using the memory button when it is not plugged into the "ignition slot". On my car I have the "last seat postion auto" checked. Maybe that's why it remebers the seat postion even when the key is not in ignition.

I remember my CA telling me when I picked up the car it is best to make sure you plug the key in the slot when you set your adjustments. It also makes sure you are programming the right key fob if for example both key fobs are inside the car and you did not need to unlock the car to enter.

which leads me to another question... my wife and I often are in the car together going someplace. we both have our fobs on our keychains. how does the car know which settings to use?

sounds like we need to do an experiment.

I believe what happens is when you unlock the car (touch the door or push the fob unlock button) that fob is associated with the ignition (call that Fob #1). Fob #2 that is also in the car can lock the doors with the button but is not assiated with starting the car. I think this means the when Fob #1 leaves the car you will get the warning message saying the Fob is not in the car (even if Fob #2 is still in the car).

I know (in the above situation) you can lock fob #2 inside the car but you can't lock the car from the outside if fob #1 is inside the car (ie leave Fob #1 in the car, take Fob #2 outside and try to lock the car) ... can you tell I have locked my keys inside previous cars?

I have no idea what happens if your car is unlocked and both fobs are inside the car when it is started. I think only one fob can be associated with the ignition at any one time and don't know how it would pick?

I will give that experiment a try! Best if we find out now that this car has a mind of its own or not

Originally Posted by Gator Neil

I will give that experiment a try! Best if we find out now that this car has a mind of its own or not

I have addressed some of the questions/comments raised in this thread in another Bimmerfest Forum thread. Shown below is the link to my response. Hope you find it useful.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...2&postcount=11