HELP! Figuring out the car still (Lots of Qs here)

Hey all, in the first 24 hours of getting the car, took the friends and family for the obligatory cruise and the wife to a hip restaurant and parked in front already.... Now I got a few Qs for the car and its myriad of functions.

1. What exactly is the function of the light under the side mirrors? So you don't step out into a puddle or some dog poo?

2. Where is my ski bag? I have the cold weather package.

3. Where exactly should I store the owner's manual and first aid kit? My dash is taken by the CD changer and it won't hold much else.

4. Anyone get aftermarket mats? I ordered some weathertechs because the creme mats look like they'll last all of 1 hour before stains set in.

5. Does the Nav show street names in Perspective mode? It's cool looking but fairly useless if you don't have street names on it. I tried the different distances already.

6. Anyone figure out what's the purpose of the Venting Controls when you push left on the I-Drive? I tinkered with the Parked Vehicle settings and it just upset me....

7. Are there hacks for the DVD player? Right now it only plays the Nav DVD, right? It'd be nice to use the screen for DVDs instead of looking at the split I-Drive Menu/Nav setup.

I'll probably have a lot more Qs but if anyone got answers or input, I would love to hear from everyone who figured out the car more than me. (Which is not hard to do)

Originally Posted by lawman800

Hey all, in the first 24 hours of getting the car, took the friends and family for the obligatory cruise and the wife to a hip restaurant and parked in front already.... Now I got a few Qs for the car and its myriad of functions.

1. What exactly is the function of the light under the side mirrors? So you don't step out into a puddle or some dog poo?

2. Where is my ski bag? I have the cold weather package.

3. Where exactly should I store the owner's manual and first aid kit? My dash is taken by the CD changer and it won't hold much else.

4. Anyone get aftermarket mats? I ordered some weathertechs because the creme mats look like they'll last all of 1 hour before stains set in.

5. Does the Nav show street names in Perspective mode? It's cool looking but fairly useless if you don't have street names on it. I tried the different distances already.

6. Anyone figure out what's the purpose of the Venting Controls when you push left on the I-Drive? I tinkered with the Parked Vehicle settings and it just upset me....

7. Are there hacks for the DVD player? Right now it only plays the Nav DVD, right? It'd be nice to use the screen for DVDs instead of looking at the split I-Drive Menu/Nav setup.

I'll probably have a lot more Qs but if anyone got answers or input, I would love to hear from everyone who figured out the car more than me. (Which is not hard to do)

As Emily Litella (Gilda Ratner in Saturday Night Live) once said, "You sure ask a lotta questions." Everything you ask has been discussed here, but to be merciful (since it's Christmas Eve), here are the ones to which I know the answer.

1. Yes. Puddle marker.

2. Folded behind the removable middle cushion.

3. In an indentation on the right side of the trunk. Some people take out the manuals they need and store in the glove box and put the others away. Mine is in the trunk.

4. Not yet. If you know a good source, please tell us.

5. No, unfortunately. I wish it did; it would be useful as well as visually interesting.

6. I think so. I think it increases air flow. However, sometimes it blows cold when I want it to blow hot, so maybe Cobradav (our most senior member and expert) will tell us after he recovers from Christmas.

7. No. The DVD player is only for the navigation DVD. However, the Euro model allows those in the car to play movie DVDs when the car is stationary. There is a company here in the US that imports the software and hardware necessary to change the DVD to do this. Look at this thread, for a post by esoteric (whose compnay it is) near the end. http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=124797 This will set you back 2 large or so. Where we live, Lawman, it's highly illegal, but apparently you have immunity. There are no other known hacks for the iDrive system, which is as inscrutable as Microsoft's source codes.

1. Correct

2. Stick your hand between the rear seats and pull, the "middle" will fold out and there you have your ski bag

3. ...

4. I got original rubber mats from BMW. Costed me around 60 euro's or so. They are nice and fit in there perfectly. I got'em in black so they contrast with the dash. If i used those velour beige ones they would've been destroyed in 3 weeks max... if i wouldn't take my shoes off when stepping in that is. They're pointless unless u live in Dubai or some warm place where it never rains or snows.

5. Dunno, can't use Nav in my country

6. It just blows air into the cabin while the car is parked, you can tell it when to start and when to stop i think. It's useless because it uses plain air not AC so you can't find the car cool when it's very hot outside.

7. There is a setup available. http://www.tvandnav2go.com

Originally Posted by AriciU

1. Correct

2. Stick your hand between the rear seats and pull, the "middle" will fold out and there you have your ski bag

3. ...

4. I got original rubber mats from BMW. They are nice and fit in there perfectly. I got'em in black so they contrast with the dash. If i used those velour beige ones they would've been destroyed in 3 weeks max... if i wouldn't take my shoes off when stepping in that is. They're pointless unless u live in Dubai or some warm place where it never rains or snows.

5. Dunno, can't use Nav in my country

6. It just blows air into the cabin while the car is parked, you can tell it when to start and when to stop i think. It's useless because it uses plain air not AC so you can't find the car cool when it's very hot outside.

7. There is a setup available. I think it's called TVtoGO or something like that. Search around and you'll find it ("bmw idrive tv dvd" in google)

I am sure AriciU wants to be helpful, but he is located in Romania, if I remember correctly, and I don't think he understood your question about the ventilation system. Merry Christmas Arici.

Thanks guys. I figure some of the Qs are discussed before in other threads but I went through a few pages of threads and my eyes started hurting something awful. In my advanced age, you know, squinting at a computer screen is not conducive to health.

The reason why I ask about the manuals is that the indentations in the trunk seem fine but what about when you do some spritied driving? Or does BMW figure that the manuals are so heavy that they won't fly at anything less than cornering at 100mph?

Also, that parked venting control, so it's for when you are parked and sitting there in the car and you want automatic venting to come on when you stop and park? Talk about lazy! If I am parked, I can adjust the venting myself, I figure.... Oh well, someone must have brought it up for BMW to engineer it, right? Or is it for when you leave the car parked and it vents so when you get back it won't be hot and stale or freezing?

Like I said, I'll be happy to figure out 1/3 of the functions in this car. That manual will take up the rest of my vacation, I tell ya.

Merry christmas to you too Can't really remember right now since i never use but that's the logical thing it should do.

Just checked the manual. As i said, it blows air into the cabin while the car is parked

Originally Posted by lawman800

...
4. Anyone get aftermarket mats? I ordered some weathertechs because the creme mats look like they'll last all of 1 hour before stains set in...

You can order the OEM rubber or all-season floor mats. They are avail in 3 colors: black, gray, and tan. I'd strongly recommend that you get Black b/c it hides dirt/stain and compliments the black interior of the 6er.

A. All-season floormats
01 RUBBER FLOOR MATS E-63 BLACK 1 82-55-0-309-447
01 RUBBER FLOOR MATS E-63 BEIGE 1 82-55-0-309-448
01 RUBBER FLOOR MATS E-63 GRAY 1 82-55-0-309-449
02 RUBBER FLOOR MATS E-63 BLACK REAR 1 82-55-0-309-450
02 RUBBER FLOOR MATS E-63 BEIGE REAR 1 82-55-0-309-451
02 RUBBER FLOOR MATS E-63 GRAY REAR 1 82-55-0-309-452

B. Rubber floor mats:
01 KIT RUBBER FLOOR MATS FRONT SCHWARZ 1 51-47-0-307-686
01 KIT RUBBER FLOOR MATS FRONT BEIGE 1 51-47-0-307-694
01 KIT RUBBER FLOOR MATS FRONT SCHILF 1 51-47-0-307-703
02 KIT RUBBER FLOOR MATS REAR SCHWARZ 1 51-47-0-307-691
02 KIT RUBBER FLOOR MATS REAR BEIGE 1 51-47-0-307-700
02 KIT RUBBER FLOOR MATS REAR SCHILF 1 51-47-0-307-706

The good sources to buy OEM parts & accessories at discounted prices are Pacific BMW (www.pacificbmw.comc) and Crevier BMW (www.crevierbmw.com).

Originally Posted by Malibubimmer

I am sure AriciU wants to be helpful, but he is located in Romania, if I remember correctly, and I don't think he understood your question about the ventilation system. Merry Christmas Arici.

He answered correctly and he described the parked car ventilation perfectly - but I can't imagine anyone ever actually using it.

Originally Posted by credit777

He answered correctly and he described the parked car ventilation perfectly - but I can't imagine anyone ever actually using it.

I have actually used it twice in the last week. It's still 70+ degrees in the Southeast region and the sun does warm up the interior a bit.

Really - that's cool ( ). So you actually have it set up on the timer? Glad to hear it really works!

You have most the answers you need so far.

I used GG Bailey for some unique personalized mats. I may have pics to post on those.

On the Parked car ventilation you can set up to two specific times to turn on prior to your returning to car. Can cool down car in the heat and warm up car in the cold (if you have not been parked too long and engine is still warm.). Tried it for giggles once but did not seem to be of great benefit here in Florida Summer. Actually, just opening the windows from about 60 feet away on way to car is enough to dispel the blast of hot air normally associated with parking in the Florida sun.


Only major highways are shown in perspective mode.

Like you can set the parked car vent thing to turn on in 60 minutes if you anticipate your lunch to be done in about an hour or so? That's so cool!

Actually, I just rolled down the window for a few minutes with the UNLOCK button and smoked a cigarette. That was enough time to get all the hot air out.

The 05 645i had a conventional key? It looked like that in your pic. Can I plug in an IPod with the adapter AUX input?

Originally Posted by lawman800

The 05 645i had a conventional key? It looked like that in your pic. Can I plug in an IPod with the adapter AUX input?

Prior models have the regular key. You can use any MP3 players (iPod, Yen, etc.) with the AUX input cable. You can install it, but it has to be coded in iDrive for it to work.