Comfort Access & Driver Profiles

Not really sure if I understand the driver profiles in our new 2013 X3. We each have our key programmed with the settings we want. However, when either of us unlocks the car the seats, etc will not go into position. After start-up we have to select the driver profile we want (our own) and then the seats will move. It seems the key has no effect as to selecting the profile. It just unlocks the car.

In our former 09 535i the Comfort Access system worked as I expected. Unlock the car with the fob and everything adjusts to the key settings. In the X3, I'm confused and the manual doesn't really explain it all.

I tried deleting the profiles thinking the car was getting confused between the key and the profiles but it seems I cannot delete any of them.

Any thoughts?

After you get the car the way you want it, did you get out and lock the car? There is a setting in iDrive where you can have the settings return to the way they were when the car was locked. To me, this functions exactly like the previous generation BMWs.

I have a key and my wife has her key. When we unlock the car with our respective keys the seats and mirrors return to our individual settings.

Yea, but then you bring it in for service and the seat position is changed by the tech and then the car is locked. You now have the tech's favorite seat position which always seems to be as low and far back as possible.

Originally Posted by wavewuver

Yea, but then you bring it in for service and the seat position is changed by the tech and then the car is locked. You now have the tech's favorite seat position which always seems to be as low and far back as possible.

Well, there's your mistake right there. You need to have the wife bring the car in for service.

I am having the same issue. I have not found how you tie a profile to a specific key. Very annoying.

I had the same question re synching a key to a profile. They set it up for us at the PDC with one key but, when we arrived home, I tried everything I could think of to synch my key to my settings. Reading the manual didnt' help me (terminally dumb, I guess), so I called the nice lady who did the car intro at the PDC and she patiently explained it to me.

Manually selecting the desired profile via the iDrive did prove that we had 2 profiles configured. This is your first step. Make sure there are multiple profiles.

The next steps are easy and are related to locking the vehicle, just as Doug in NC stated. Select the profile you want to use via iDrive. Exit the vehicle and lock it using the key you want to synch. Don't use the touch pad on the door handle (if you have one); use the key to lock the car. It should now be synched to the last iDrive-selected profile. If you unlock or just open the door with that key in hand (or pocket), the seat positions and other options associated with that key and its profile should be set.

A good service guy should either not change the settings or save and return them to the customer's original. Can well imagine that a lot of them don't bother.

Originally Posted by wavewuver

Yea, but then you bring it in for service and the seat position is changed by the tech and then the car is locked. You now have the tech's favorite seat position which always seems to be as low and far back as possible.

Yes, but, if you have programmed the memory buttons on the side of the seat, you push your number and the seats and mirrors adjust back to your liking. Next time you lock the door, you are good to go. Worked that way on every BMW I've owned since 1995.

I found the memory buttons on the driver seat to be a useful backup.

Regarding the keys...On F series cars the driver's settings are assigned to a profile and each key is then assigned to the profile in use when the key is present. This permits different drivers' including a guest to use the same key without changing settings on a particular profile. On E series cars each key has a single profile.

To set up each key I opened a profile in iDrive, renamed it, then set all the settings. We repeated these steps to set up my wife's profile and key. We've had no issues with personalized settings ever since.

I agree the Owner's manual is lacking an initial setup guide.

Well, I think I finally have this figured out. The key to it all, so to speak, was to set everything up, i.e. profile, seats, positions, etc. and then LOCK those in with the key fob by pressing the lock button. Did the same for the other fob as well. Finally got it working as I remember in our 535. Once I got them both set I could turn off the selection of driver profiles in the iDrive.

Originally Posted by Fighterpilot

Well, I think I finally have this figured out. The key to it all, so to speak, was to set everything up, i.e. profile, seats, positions, etc. and then LOCK those in with the key fob by pressing the lock button. Did the same for the other fob as well. Finally got it working as I remember in our 535. Once I got them both set I could turn off the selection of driver profiles in the iDrive.

Did you delete the existing profiles first?

I did not find a way to delete a profile once I created it. Only able to rename

A quick question for 2014 owners. If you go to Settings - Profiles andf then hit the options button do you see the "Display user list at start up" option? I don't see it on mine and I would like to have that option enabled, so just wondering if it is supposed to be there.

Originally Posted by ironfan

A quick question for 2014 owners. If you go to Settings - Profiles andf then hit the options button do you see the "Display user list at start up" option? I don't see it on mine and I would like to have that option enabled, so just wondering if it is supposed to be there.

I don't have that option


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Thanks for the reply. I've got the dealer looking in to it but maybe it's gone from the new iDrive?


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