I just picked up a 2013 535i awesome ride!! Quick question. How do I make the door handle lights come on when I approach the car? Interior and head lights only turn on when the key fob is pressed.
The handle lights come on when you unlock the car, or if you press the lock button on the fob when it's already locked. Their main purpose is to provide downlighting to light the perimeter of the car. I have a 2011 535i, not sure about the packaging of items on the '13's. Do you have the handles with the chrome strip down the middle (are you sure you have the handle lights)? Maybe you're not seeing them during daylight. I think they also come on when you first open the door if it's already unlocked.
I don't think that's a feature of the car. I only think that once it is activated in some way through the key fob does it illuminate the door handle lights. One of the only cars that I'm aware that does this it he new 2013 LS.
I read somewhere that if the interior overhead light is not set to switch on when opening a door (someone held the interior light button for 3 seconds), the external handle lights will not either...
My Highlander have this feature and I love it. As soon as I get close to the SUV it activate the puddle lights. Unfortunately this feature is not an option in our vehicles although a few members have uncovered a lot of hidden features thru coding so hopefully there's still hope.
K-A, I think for 2012 and '13, the chrome-stripped door handles were made standard. For 2011, they were part of the premium package, which included ambient lighting. You rarely see an F10 without the chrome strips. When I first went to look when the F10 was first introduced, I snapped a pic of one on the dealer's lot (below). That one must not have had the package, because if you look closely, there are no chrome strips on the door handles.
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