As you approach your BMW, do the interior....

When you walk up to you car do the interior lights and door handle lights illuminate before you grab the door handle? If so how do you turn this function on?

Push your unlock button?

I doubt that function exists. It would be a waste to have that turn on when you walk past the car to pick up the paper, not to mention 1000 other use cases. If you like the look as you approach the car - and who wouldn't? - you can press the unlock button on the fob discretely while it is in your pocket.

My friend has a 2010 lexus. We went out for wings one night. After leaving the wing joint, we started walking toward her car in a dark parking lot. When we were about 10 feet from her car, the interior lights went from off to dim then gradually to full brightness. It was cool as hell. I was wondering if the BMW had a function like that. I see something in the manual called welcome lighting, but I dont understand how that works.

Try the coding threads to see if they come up with something. This is a nice safety feature that makes walking to my car at nite a bit safer that I believe the excessively meticulous engineers at BMW wouldn't miss, but the legal team of BMW may have not signed up for.

My dad's MY12 Toyota Sienna with Smart Key has this feature. Kind of sad that it's included on a $40k Toyota, but optional on a $60k+ BMW. Comfort Access is a $1k option. Ridiculous

Originally Posted by AutoUnion

optional on a $60k+ BMW. Comfort Access is a $1k option. Ridiculous

Are you saying X5´s with comfort access has this illumination feature? I have comfort access, how come when I approach my car it doesen´t light up?

Originally Posted by TurboBusa

Are you saying X5´s with comfort access has this illumination feature? I have comfort access, how come when I approach my car it doesen´t light up?

Not sure. I don't have it

Just complaining for the sake of complaining abotu BMW

Comfort access doesn't include this feature. Using the fob button to unlock will turn on the interior and exterior lights if set to in the iDrive (at least 2011+). The flip side to the lights going on automatically is that you may not necessarily want people around you knowing which car you're heading to. Obviously that could also be a setting but it's not.

Originally Posted by TurboBusa

My friend has a 2010 lexus. We went out for wings one night. After leaving the wing joint, we started walking toward her car in a dark parking lot. When we were about 10 feet from her car, the interior lights went from off to dim then gradually to full brightness. It was cool as hell. I was wondering if the BMW had a function like that. I see something in the manual called welcome lighting, but I dont understand how that works.

I don't want this, let me push the button if I choose.

set the light control to AUTO to have courtesy Light turn ON