Auto Start/Stop Option

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

Agreed.

On my 328i the Sport mode is like night-and-day from the Comfort mode, just accelerates quicker, makes my car much faster. I'll never use Comfort, in fact, just want it to stick on Sport.

Good thing the car comes with Comfort Access because the ability to just get in the car and drive off is becoming impossible. In a typical run to get my son at a baseball practice I have to....

1. Push Start button.

2. Push Auto Stop Start Off button.

3. Push Sport Mode button.

4. Push "Accept" on iDrive screen.

5. When arrive at destination, hit Door Unlock button.

I'm going to need a blanket and a pillow, get a short nap in before leaving my driveway. I take 6-7 short trips a day round-trip, so that's 56 button presses or 49 more than I need to. I'll take a vacation and rent a car and will automatically start looking around for buttons to push. My trunk opens by moving my foot but my car won't go unless I unlock Fort Knox.

BJ

Well in any car, you are always starting the car by some action. Actually pressing the start button takes less effort than turning a key.

Auto Stop/start is taken care of by recode.

Got me on the sport mode button. Can't wait for someone to sell a custom recode for this.

Also agree on all accept notifications, idrive, personal GPS, etc. I don't understand the obsession with the messages, and quite honestly, they don't hold up in court so why have anyone agree to the message.

As for the door locks, I am pretty sure you can customize this in iDrive. Not sure if you can set it to automatically unlock when you put it in park, but you can definitely stop it from locking when you drive off.

Originally Posted by neilk

I agree.

If I know I need to make a quick getaway, I just slide the shifter into DS mode too. To me it's not that much of a pain, at least it wasn't during my 10 day ED. Perhaps when I get the car in the US, I might change my mind, but I doubt it. I'll take the fuel savings.

+1, I like this feature and never had any issues with it.

My car had an unrelated fault which meant ASS wasn't active for a few days; I missed it.

Even easier than switching to DS mode, if you know you need to make a quick start from lights, you can ease off the brake very slight for half a second car restarts.

Originally Posted by Michael Schott

Good for you but I think you are way off base regarding BJ's posts. I don't recall any that are less than civil. You may not agree with his point of view or his not so serious posting style at times but I've never thought of him as mean or uncivil.

I can see how some might find his posts distracting or abrasive. I believe in one post he referred to an X5 owner as a "truck driver" and suggested he go back to "hauling his kibble".

However most of the time, I find his point of few rather thoughtful. At least he has staked out a position, and doesn't flip flop between point of views in the same post. Some people's posting habits make my head spin. At least with BJ I know what I am getting.

Originally Posted by samualcc

However after some thought, I would appreciate the peace of mind which comes from being able to turn it off before letting my 65 year old father borrow the car. I don't need that phone call from the side of the road where he thinks something is wrong with the car.

This is a good point, not just with ASS but with several features on the F30. I often have friends and relatives from overseas staying at my house and normally I have no problem with them using my car. But with the F30 you have the Comfort Access/Odd Shifter/ASS/even the turn signal stalk operates differently to most cars...when my eldest brother comes for vacation I'm hiring a car for him...

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

...Forgot to hit the ASS 'off' button, drove to a local fast food drive-thru. While waiting my turn, the engine shut itself off. I muttered "damn" and hit the ASS off button which caused the engine to start and the transmission to move from D to P making the car lurch sharply...BJ

Geesh...all you had to do was lift your foot to creep forward.

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

Agreed.

On my 328i the Sport mode is like night-and-day from the Comfort mode, just accelerates quicker, makes my car much faster. I'll never use Comfort, in fact, just want it to stick on Sport.

Good thing the car comes with Comfort Access because the ability to just get in the car and drive off is becoming impossible. In a typical run to get my son at a baseball practice I have to....

1. Push Start button.

2. Push Auto Stop Start Off button.

3. Push Sport Mode button.

4. Push "Accept" on iDrive screen.

5. When arrive at destination, hit Door Unlock button.

I'm going to need a blanket and a pillow, get a short nap in before leaving my driveway. I take 6-7 short trips a day round-trip, so that's 56 button presses or 49 more than I need to. I'll take a vacation and rent a car and will automatically start looking around for buttons to push. My trunk opens by moving my foot but my car won't go unless I unlock Fort Knox.

BJ

All this stuff can be coded:

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showth...ghlight=coding

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

It is a free update that takes 4-5 hours.
BJ

The service people at the dealership are telling me it will be set to OFF. I said, 'But the bulletin says Last User Mode is the setting to use'. They said, NOPE it will be permanently off. When I tried to explain Last User Mode they said that they weren't engineers and to take it or leave it.

Right there in the service bulletin it says:

ON
OFF
Last User Mode

How could it be more clear?

Originally Posted by 328i2013

This is a tangent. Back in the day folks used to say, if you are going to be re-starting the car within a minute or so, best to leave it on cuz starting consumes more gas than idling. Was that just a misnomer?

It's the difference between having a carburetor and direct injection. Starting a carbureted engine required putting in a bunch of extra gas to get the engine going. Direct injection meters out exactly the amount needed, so there's basically no loss from starting.

Originally Posted by brkf

Yes ignore feature.

While we're fixing Auto Stop/Start...can they also fix the car's throttle mapping to keep that on last mode? I had a 2007 Cooper S and always had to start the car and then go to sport mode. It's be nice if didn't have to fiddle with sport/sport+ every time I fired up the car. My seat and mirrors go to the right place, radio presets work, so why can't I get sport to default?

What a coincidence, I too had a 2007 Cooper S which I just sold last week (carless for now waiting for the 328 to be delivered next week hopefully).

After a while, I just got used to hitting the sport button when I started the car. What's one more button to hit when you have to hit a few more buttons (light switch, front fogs & rear fogs). Kinda felt like I was getting ready in a cockpit. Ha.

But yes, that would have been very nice if the Cooper had remember the last state of the Sport button. It was nice that it remembered the last state of heated seats, at least for a few minutes.

I hope in the 328i, they can come up with an update to remember the last state of the sport/comfort/mode button too. I'd probably keep it in Sport most of the time.

Originally Posted by sr5959

This is a good point, not just with ASS but with several features on the F30. I often have friends and relatives from overseas staying at my house and normally I have no problem with them using my car. But with the F30 you have the Comfort Access/Odd Shifter/ASS/even the turn signal stalk operates differently to most cars...when my eldest brother comes for vacation I'm hiring a car for him...

Hey these are perfect excuses to stop others from driving your F30

Originally Posted by rdle_F30

The service people at the dealership are telling me it will be set to OFF. I said, 'But the bulletin says Last User Mode is the setting to use'. They said, NOPE it will be permanently off. When I tried to explain Last User Mode they said that they weren't engineers and to take it or leave it.

Right there in the service bulletin it says:

ON
OFF
Last User Mode

How could it be more clear?

So, you are actually considering letting someone in that service department re-code your car? Have you seen what coding an F30 is like? If not, check out the discussions on this topic. You could do it yourself, of course.

But why let a service department that cannot read the SIB mess with not just the coding -- but actually adding this feature to the digital vehicle order of your car, which the SIB also mentions. IOW, if they can't make out the English in the SIB, there's no telling what they will do when it comes time to do the relatively delicate work of recoding your car for ASS LUM.

Originally Posted by Yobyot

ASS LUM.

L O L

And I didn't think the abbreviations could sound any funnier

Originally Posted by samualcc

I can see how some might find his posts distracting or abrasive. I believe in one post he referred to an X5 owner as a "truck driver" and suggested he go back to "hauling his kibble".

However most of the time, I find his point of few rather thoughtful. At least he has staked out a position, and doesn't flip flop between point of views in the same post. Some people's posting habits make my head spin. At least with BJ I know what I am getting.

We are OT here but when he says those things he's kidding and making fun of BMW owners who take their vehicles too seriously.

Originally Posted by samualcc

L O L

And I didn't think the abbreviations could sound any funnier

It could get funnier. Once you get the SIB, you have ASS-I-LUM.

Originally Posted by rdle_F30

The service people at the dealership are telling me it will be set to OFF. I said, 'But the bulletin says Last User Mode is the setting to use'. They said, NOPE it will be permanently off. When I tried to explain Last User Mode they said that they weren't engineers and to take it or leave it.

Right there in the service bulletin it says:

ON
OFF
Last User Mode

How could it be more clear?

Please God, let this be true.

Permanently off is like Christmas in August.

BJ

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

It is, no question. The point is an operator shoudn't be put in a position like that for a feature that means nothing to the environment and appeals to a very small percentage of the population.
Hey, BMW wants to put something 'green' in my car, that's great, no problem. But don't make it a feature that actually causes performance and safety to drop. That's a tradeoff I'm not willing to make.
BJ

My god, are you able to walk and chew gum at the same time?

Every second your engine is idling, it has a environment impact.

The ASS is widely use and accepted in Europe and most people here in the US who can walk and chew glue at the same time do not find it to be a safety hazzard.

It's hilarious that I blocked boltjaM3s but I still have to read his posts cuz they get quoted.

Originally Posted by The X Men

Quote:
Originally Posted by boltjaM3s
It is, no question. The point is an operator shoudn't be put in a position like that for a feature that means nothing to the environment and appeals to a very small percentage of the population.
Hey, BMW wants to put something 'green' in my car, that's great, no problem. But don't make it a feature that actually causes performance and safety to drop. That's a tradeoff I'm not willing to make.
BJ


My god, are you able to walk and chew gum at the same time?

Every second your engine is idling, it has a environment impact.

The ASS is widely use and accepted in Europe and most people here in the US who can walk and chew glue at the same time do not find it to be a safety hazzard.

Originally Posted by rdle_F30

The service people at the dealership are telling me it will be set to OFF. I said, 'But the bulletin says Last User Mode is the setting to use'. They said, NOPE it will be permanently off. When I tried to explain Last User Mode they said that they weren't engineers and to take it or leave it.

Right there in the service bulletin it says:

ON
OFF
Last User Mode

How could it be more clear?

How close are you to Yorba Linda? If you need to get it programmed properly go to Integrity Motors. I have learned that most dealership service people are at most 2-5 years in the business and for many this is their first mechanic job. It is great when you are simply dealing with warranty items and the free maintenance but if you want do something "custom" like that I recommend going to an expert. Sevan at Integrity is beyond an expert when it comes to BMW, Porsche and Audi brands. If you need it done as per the service bulletin, I would go there.

And to add to Auto Start-Stop, mine only complaint was the little jerk the car made everytime it shut off. The back on part was smooth and came on when I wanted it to without delay, but everytime it shut off there was a slight jerk to the car, kind of like when you roll to a stop then suddenly press firmly on the brake and the car rocks forward as the momentum keeps the body rolling forward. It was slightly annoying but other than that the feature doesnt bother me.

Memo from BMW top dealers allowing them to modify default auto start/stop logic to "Last user mode."

www.bmwblog.com/2012/08/13/bmw-dealers-can-now-deactivate-the-auto-startstop-settings/

And according to this, all new BMW M models have the "Last user mode"� as the default setting from production.

Originally Posted by The X Men

My god, are you able to walk and chew gum at the same time?

Every second your engine is idling, it has a environment impact.

The ASS is widely use and accepted in Europe and most people here in the US who can walk and chew glue at the same time do not find it to be a safety hazzard.

No need for personal insults.

Environment: Learn more about the issues before you post. There's nothing a bunch of wealthy BMW owners can do with their engine settings to make any difference. If in 20 years every car on the road has an ASS system and we all participate it'll still do virtually nothing. The issues are related to factories and lack of pollution controls in third world nations. Just by living in the United States and recycling we do 100x what an equivalent individual human being does in Indonesia or India.

Safety: ASS causes confusion and potential hesitation in spots where you need dependable acceleration. I can walk and chew gum at the same time. That's not the point. The point is I don't want to think about an engine needing to start as I'm crossing traffic coming at me at 50 MPH at a busy intersection. One of the reasons I drive BMW's is their fantastic torque which can safely propel me across a dicey intersection. If I wanted an environmentally friendly slow car I'd buy a Kia.

BJ

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

No need for personal insults.

Environment: Learn more about the issues before you post. There's nothing a bunch of wealthy BMW owners can do with their engine settings to make any difference. If in 20 years every car on the road has an ASS system and we all participate it'll still do virtually nothing. The issues are related to factories and lack of pollution controls in third world nations. Just by living in the United States and recycling we do 100x what an equivalent individual human being does in Indonesia or India.

Safety: ASS causes confusion and potential hesitation in spots where you need dependable acceleration. I can walk and chew gum at the same time. That's not the point. The point is I don't want to think about an engine needing to start as I'm crossing traffic coming at me at 50 MPH at a busy intersection. One of the reasons I drive BMW's is their fantastic torque which can safely propel me across a dicey intersection. If I wanted an environmentally friendly slow car I'd buy a Kia.

BJ

Its not a personal insult at all, all I am saying is that if you can get easily confuse by the simple system like the ASS system, you should probably drive a lower tech car. I think many on this have already suggested a Camry as your daily driver, but your idea of a Kia as youe DD is a good idea as well.

If you think the ASS system does not reduce pollution, why dont you try sucking on your tail pipe for a 30 seconds and you will realized how much pollutant the ASS system is eliminating at every stop light.

If you need quick accelaration and you are too lazy or too forgetful to shift to the DS mode, that is your own fault and not a BMW safety issue. If you need quick accelaration, you should be in DS to begin with. For a self proclaim car enthusiast, you sure are not very in tune with your car.

The X Men Its not a personal insult at all, all I am saying is that if you can get easily confuse by the simple system like the ASS system, you should probably drive a lower tech car. I think many on this have already suggested a Camry as your daily driver, but your idea of a Kia as youe DD is a good idea as well.

Again, I understand the technology. I just have no use for it as it's useless tech designed to make the gullible think they're doing something environmentally-friendly, so they can tell their friends "I'm green" at cocktail parties.

If you think the ASS system does not reduce pollution, why dont you try sucking on your tail pipe for a 30 seconds and you will realized how much pollutant the ASS system is eliminating at every stop light.

Again, get educated. A pack-a-day cigarette smoker is a bigger threat to the environment than a German luxury car driver. Right now less than 1% of all cars on the road have ASS technology. It's not a conversation for 2013. It's just a way for BMW to sell cars to the granola crowd.

If you need quick accelaration and you are too lazy or too forgetful to shift to the DS mode, that is your own fault and not a BMW safety issue. If you need quick accelaration, you should be in DS to begin with. For a self proclaim car enthusiast, you sure are not very in tune with your car.

When I'm trying to get across a crowded intersection in an automatic, the last thing I need is to figure out how to shift in DS mode. I've used DS mode once in my life and it was only because I was coming down a mountain and needed to keep the car locked in second gear for engine braking purposes.

Not sure what your issue is anymore. I'm getting my ASS shut down on Wednesday, problem solved for me. I worry about Mr. & Mrs. Camry when these technologies go mainstream as they're the ones who will get t-boned at an intersection.

BJ

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

When I'm trying to get across a crowded intersection in an automatic, the last thing I need is to figure out how to shift in DS mode. I've used DS mode once in my life and it was only because I was coming down a mountain and needed to keep the car locked in second gear for engine braking purposes.

Now I understand your problem with the ASS system, you do not know the difference between the DS mode and the manual shift mode

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

No need for personal insults.

Environment: Learn more about the issues before you post. There's nothing a bunch of wealthy BMW owners can do with their engine settings to make any difference. If in 20 years every car on the road has an ASS system and we all participate it'll still do virtually nothing. The issues are related to factories and lack of pollution controls in third world nations. Just by living in the United States and recycling we do 100x what an equivalent individual human being does in Indonesia or India.

Safety: ASS causes confusion and potential hesitation in spots where you need dependable acceleration. I can walk and chew gum at the same time. That's not the point. The point is I don't want to think about an engine needing to start as I'm crossing traffic coming at me at 50 MPH at a busy intersection. One of the reasons I drive BMW's is their fantastic torque which can safely propel me across a dicey intersection. If I wanted an environmentally friendly slow car I'd buy a Kia.

BJ

While I usually enjoy your posts, the facts about pollution are pretty clear. China is number 1 and we are number 2. It is only recently that China pulled ahead of us. But the US is the number 2 culprit when it comes to air pollution in the world. It becomes even worse when you break it down per capita. We are number two again, behind Australia (which is just strange).

The idea that by simply "living" in the US you do 100x more to combat pollution is just plainly not true. You may feel good about your recycling program in your town, but the truth is the infrastructure of our country that you enjoy so much, that inconvenience you feel when the power is out for 15 minutes comes at a cost. Don't kid yourself, on a per person basis, we are grossly inefficient. India and China aren't even in the top 10 when you look at from a population perspective.

We out pollute India by a factor of 3, and Indonesia is not even on the top 20 list. In 20 years, I suspect we won't be near the very very top anymore, but you should not feel warm and fuzzy about your carbon foot print just because you recycle. While it might seem trendy to talk about being green, the past it littered with examples of trends starting small but eventually making a huge impact. ASS may not be one of those, but to dismiss it so quickly is a little bit far fetched.

Can't comment on the safety aspects. In fact I don't think anyone can until we get some instrument testing to determine how much of a difference the technology makes when you accelerate. I mean even if it adds .5 seconds to your launch, and that causes an accident, I would say you where cutting it close already...

I agree, the US produce more pollution per capita than Indonesia, India, China or any third world nations and the internal combusion engine is the number cuase of CO2 emission, in the U.S. 60% of carbon monoxide is caused by on road vehicles.
I get a good chuckle when Americans like BJ who think they are doing their part for the environment by donating money when poor kids come to their door, or by separating their recyclables on pickup day and sending their kids to the country club on cleanup day.