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Cool things I bet you didn't know about the F10

37K views 52 replies 33 participants last post by  Stonehauler 
#1 · (Edited)
Ok, after reading the manual in detail, and playing with my car for a few hours, I found some obscure and interesting stuff that I bet some owners didn't know about them. Please feel free to add to this list, and if it is good enought, it could become a sticky.

1) After you move the vehicle in reverse, you don't need to push the safety button on the left of the shifter to move back to Drive. It makes a 3 point u-turn much faster.

2) You can pause, rewind and fast forward your Satellite Radio music, just like a Tivo! While playing a song, Just move the iDrive one click to the left, and select the 4th option down on the new pop-up menu that apears. Also, you can see ALL THE SONGS PLAYING in all the stations if you select Title view instead of Station view with the first icon on that same menu.

3) If you try to drive with your door open, the car will stop, engage the hand-brake and put the vehicle in P, all by itself.

4) If you turn off the engine, the car gets into P by itself. If you were in the Sports program (shift lever to the left), the car selects P, and then moves the lever to the right by itself.

5) There is a 12V power outlet below the glove box compartment. (Glove box closed, look up from the floor, towards the left).

6) If you open the trunk with your key-fob, or with the switch next to the hood release, the trunk unlocks and pops-open. No Convenience Package required... :)

7) For those with fold-down rear seats (don't know about the rest): When you fold down the center arm rest, there is a little piece behind it that pops open and gives you access to the trunk. That piece has a small compartment inside, suposedly for the Ski Bag.

8) When using the cross-hatch function in the Nav (to find a location in the map by moving the iDrive cursor left-right and up-down) you can move diagonally at any angle if you rotate the iDrive knob while tilting it left, right, up or down.

9) You can play the songs stored in your blackberry and control the playback thru the stereo if you connect your BBerry to the USB/iPod port in the armrest compartment and enable the USB Storage option on your blackberry. This also recharges your Bberry while you drive, and if you had it paired with bluetooth to the car, the playback will pause while you get a call, and resume where you left the song.

10) If you have the 2TB option (Sports Auto Transmission), you can configure Sports mode in the Dynamic Driving Control to only change the Chassis (if you don't have ZDH, only changes the steering wheel tighter) and this gives you a better feel, while saving you gas. If then you want to also change the engine and transmission, just flip the shifter to the left. This way, you don't have to be re-configuring the Sport setting every time.

11) If you floor the accelerator at a red light, you leave almost everyone in the dust and a stupid grin apears automatically in your face... :)
 
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#2 ·
"No Convenience Package required"

"If you open the trunk with your key-fob, or with the switch next to the hood release, the trunk unlocks and pops-open. No Convenience Package required... "

Do I understand this correctly: the trunk opens all the way? The only difference from a power tailgate is that you have to manually close it?

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
"If you open the trunk with your key-fob, or with the switch next to the hood release, the trunk unlocks and pops-open. No Convenience Package required... "

Do I understand this correctly: the trunk opens all the way? The only difference from a power tailgate is that you have to manually close it?

Thanks!
That is correct, it opens all the way. You have to close it manually.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Thank you Alex_C, this is a fascinating thread. I have one for you. If you have the rear view camera, leave the trunk open, and back up the following will happen. You see the sky on the I-Drive screen and the car warns you to close the trunk.
 
#27 ·
Haha. I did it and it feels weird looking up on your backup camera. :)
 
#7 ·
What am I missing? The trunk lid on my 2007 530xi opens all the way when I depress the button on my key fob.
 
#10 ·
Thank you! That feature is a lot of fun, specially when listening to news, etc. and you miss something, you can rewind and listen again. Also, no more blind (or deaf?) zapping thru the stations. You know what is playing and where before you change the station.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I'd like to know more about the car venting hot air after 30 mins. Does it do it every 30 mins or just once? The reason I ask is I'm debating if I should get the ventilated seats or not. It gets pretty hot here in Atlanta during the summer and although my seats are gonna be oyster the car is gonna be jet black. I'm worried about spilling something on the seats with the perforated leather and damaging the fans or getting that smell that comes from moisture.
 
#12 ·
You have to be careful to make sure you drive far enough after using the programmable fan feature to fully recharge the battery. I didn't usually do that and had to replace my battery after a few years. So, I don't use it anymore. That's one reason I'm getting the ventilated seats on my F10.
 
#15 ·
standard feature. i started using the feature and have noticed my car is much cooler when i get in.

will the ventilated seats also vent during that time?
 
#17 ·
Here's something I just noticed today. If it's dark outside, the numerals / text in the blackscreen under the instrument cluster (the gear indicator letter, the MPG indicators on the Efficient Dynamics readout, etc.) are the BMW orange. When it's light outside, they are white. Not really a feature I guess, other than the white would be really bright at night whereas the orange is better on the eyes.
 
#19 ·
Most of the electronic toys available on the F10 were already available on the E60. Some of them are probably better now (better software, ergonomics, etc.).

The only really new features are the DHP, camera, and front active seats and rear comfort seats. I also like the dashboard that incorporates the Nav and other info on there.
 
#21 ·
Ok, after reading the manual in detail, and playing with my car for a few hours, I found some obscure and interesting stuff that I bet some owners didn't know about them. Please feel free to add to this list, and if it is good enought, it could become a sticky.

1) After you move the vehicle in reverse, you don't need to push the safety button on the left of the shifter to move back to Drive. It makes a 3 point u-turn much faster.

2) You can pause, rewind and fast forward your Satellite Radio music, just like a Tivo! While playing a song, Just move the iDrive one click to the left, and select the 4th option down on the new pop-up menu that apears. Also, you can see ALL THE SONGS PLAYING in all the stations if you select Title view instead of Station view with the first icon on that same menu.

3) If you try to drive with your door open, the car will stop, engage the hand-brake and put the vehicle in P, all by itself.

4) If you turn off the engine, the car gets into P by itself. If you were in the Sports program (shift lever to the left), the car selects P, and then moves the lever to the right by itself.

5) There is a 12V power outlet below the glove box compartment. (Glove box closed, look up from the floor, towards the left).

6) If you open the trunk with your key-fob, or with the switch next to the hood release, the trunk unlocks and pops-open. No Convenience Package required... :)

7) For those with fold-down rear seats (don't know about the rest): When you fold down the center arm rest, there is a little piece behind it that pops open and gives you access to the trunk. That piece has a small compartment inside, suposedly for the Ski Bag.

8) When using the cross-hatch function in the Nav (to find a location in the map by moving the iDrive cursor left-right and up-down) you can move diagonally at any angle if you rotate the iDrive knob while tilting it left, right, up or down.

9) You can play the songs stored in your blackberry and control the playback thru the stereo if you connect your BBerry to the USB/iPod port in the armrest compartment and enable the USB Storage option on your blackberry. This also recharges your Bberry while you drive, and if you had it paired with bluetooth to the car, the playback will pause while you get a call, and resume where you left the song.

10) If you have the 2TB option (Sports Auto Transmission), you can configure Sports mode in the Dynamic Driving Control to only change the Chassis (if you don't have ZDH, only changes the steering wheel tighter) and this gives you a better feel, while saving you gas. If then you want to also change the engine and transmission, just flip the shifter to the left. This way, you don't have to be re-configuring the Sport setting every time.

11) If you floor the accelerator at a red light, you leave almost everyone in the dust and a stupid grin apears automatically in your face... :)
Isn't the feature #9 above the"Smart Phone Integration Option" which is priced at $150 and therefore not standard?
Cheers
 
#22 ·
I don't think you have #10... ;)

Maybe some of these may not be news if you already had them in your previous vehicle, but some of us who did no have a previous E60 (I had a 2008 E92 and had none of them), or had an older model before, my not be aware of them. :)
 
#25 ·
I bet you would like it if you ever got car jacked :yikes: Can you imagine the look on the jacker's face when he tries to drive off before he shuts the door.

Great list. Some features have been around for a long time like the programable venting. I had it in 2002 but most did not know about it or use it. Cant wait to try the "TIVO" function on the sat radio when my F10 arrives. :thumbup:
 
#26 ·
Yeah I have a S&W aftermarket security device (and Permit THANK YOU SECOND AMENDMENT!!!!!!) in my glove box to handle those types of situations. Can you imagine the car jacker's face when he limps away leaving a yellow and brown trail of cowardice behind. Joking aside when I had my mini cooper i was almost car jacked at a red light and made the choice to stomp on the gas and blow the light after that it was time for a security upgrade for my ride.
 
#28 ·
The three series also has the "tivo" rewind on the sat radio as of MY2010 and the parked car ventilation.
 
#30 ·
If you look at the passenger footwell, below the glove box, there is a light. The outlet is next to the front-left corner of the light fixture.

I hope this helps.
 
#33 · (Edited)
Surprisingly, even when most of these things are not new, or exclusive of the F10, there are many owners out there that at least some of them are news. That was the goal of this post, to make most F10 owners aware of some of the cool things available on their car.
 
#35 ·
Another really cool, unheralded feature is the mini glove box to the left of the steering wheel. It is one third the size of the regular glove box in front of the passenger's seat. It is great for sun glasses, tollway transponder, Blackberry, etc.
 
#38 ·
one of the things i loved about my 335i was that when you unlocked the car using the remote, the ambient lighting around the car would light up at night. at a dark outdoor parking lot, it looked amazing with sort of a glow around my alpine white car :)
 
#39 ·
one cool feature if you can call it that IMO is the fob holder between the two cup holders up front. If my CA didn't put the key there while showing me some of the features of the car when i first got it i would never know what that spot was for.
 
#45 ·
my fingertouch lock won't work unless the fob is outside the car when it is touched. Its pretty specific as my son can't touch the rear driverside door sensor and open the car when the key is in my pocket near the front door.
 
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