[boltjaM3s]

I've got a very high-end auto car wash that I trust and they do a great job of cleaning luxury cars in my ritzy neighborhood. The F30 seems to have a few quirky car wash issues, wondering if anyone has come across them yet:

Transmission Initiates "P": There's a safety feature where if the door is open and the seat belt is unbuckled the car forces itself into Park. My guy will get in the car, door open, no belt, and drive the car onto the car wash track. Anyone have the car lurch violently into P when the guy is driving? Also, with the door open and the seatbelt undone, can the guy put it into N or will the car jam in P and scrape its way through the wash tunnel?

Foot Under Bumper Trunk Release: Wondering if anyone has had the power spray designed to wash the undercarriage accidentally trip the trunk release and come through flooded or with trunklid damage. Not to mention the track and the other machinery that can trick the sensor under there.

Head-Up Display Screen: My guy will do the interior and spray the windshield with cleaning fluid before wiping down nicely with a clean chamois. Will his cleaning fluid damage the HUD when it gets in the little bathtub that the display sits in?

Floor Mat Velcro: BMW finally got its act together with a good way to anchor the mats down, but wondering if having my guy tug on them to take them out and clean them over time will weaken the system or break whatever it is that's holding the mats down.

My car wash is a real treat for me, saves me a ton of time with the added bonus of not having to worry about paint swirls or interior scuffs because they are so careful. Just checking that there aren't some technical issues that will prevent this practice.

BJ

 

[Elk]

The manual addresses sending the car through a car wash, etc.

 

[Nordic_Kat]

BJ,
You're breaking my heart with your questions.

1) Why isn't your manservant hand washing your car?

2) The velcro system is not a new design. (If you didn't have it on your E9X's it's because your dealer was lazy.) If the floormat is peeled away gently there should be no damage or loss to the integrity of the system.

3) If water spraying under the bumper triggers the trunk opening device, BMW might as well forget selling these cars in Houston. We have rains that generate more turbulent water than your average touchless car wash. Bottom line, I think you will be okay with this feature.

Might I suggest a dry double vodka Martini to calm you new car jitters?

 

[dtc100]

Don't be such a tightwad, slip the guy a Benjamin, he will shut the door, put the seatbelt on, later he will get in the trunk and hold it down, then he will lick the HUD device, instead of spraying it.

 

[captainaudio]

I have my cars hand washed by the attendant every time they are returned to the garage. I supply the supplies, wash mits, microfiber towels, etc, and they are only used on my cars. They are then covered with fitted car covers and parked in dedicated spots. You have to be a fanatic to keep a car in showroom condition in New York City.

CA

 

[boltjaM3s]

The manual addresses sending the car through a car wash, etc.

Great. Please post it. Thanks.

BJ

 

[pcbrew]

Here is one: http://cache.bmwusa.com/pdf_f7be0ea...3.arox?v=45af12ac-60ad-4a8b-bd9d-33e5debb749a

You can also download from your MyBMW page if you have that setup.

 

[tim330i]

The trunk will not open. There is a key sensor so unless you're hanging out by the trunk with your key in the car wash it won't open. Same if you try to open the trunk using the hands free feature without the key in your pocket.

From the owners manual

Automatic car washes
Note the following:
***9655; Give preference to cloth car washes or those
that use soft brushes in order to avoid paint
damage.
***9655; Make sure that the wheels and tires are not
damaged by the transport mechanisms.
***9655; Fold in the exterior mirrors; otherwise, they
may be damaged, depending on the width of
the vehicle.
***9655; Deactivate the rain sensor, refer to page 65,
to avoid unintentional wiper activation.
***9655; In some cases, an unintentional alarm can be
triggered by the interior motion sensor of the
alarm system. Follow the instructions on
avoiding an unintentional alarm, refer to
page 41.
Guide rails in car washes
Avoid car washes with guide rails higher
than 4 in/10 cm; otherwise, the vehicle body
could be damaged.***9664;
Before driving into a car wash
In order to ensure that the vehicle can roll in a car
wash, take the following steps:
Manual transmission:
1. Release the parking brake.
2. Drive into the car wash.
3. Shift to neutral.
4. Switch the engine off.
5. Switch on the ignition.
Automatic transmission:
1. Release the parking brake, refer to page 63.
2. Drive into the car wash.
3. Depress the brake pedal as needed.
4. Engage transmission position N.
5. Switch the engine off. In this way, the ignition
remains switched on, and a Check-Control
message is displayed.
Transmission position P with the ignition
off
When the ignition is switched off, position P
is engaged automatically. When in an automatic
car wash, for example, ensure that the
ignition is not switched off accidentally.***9664;
The vehicle cannot be locked from the outside
when in transmission position N.
A signal is sounded when an attempt is made to
lock the vehicle.

 

[windsor027]

No issues with my F30.....it will never see the inside of a commercial car wash

 

[dtc100]

The trunk will not open. There is a key sensor so unless you're hanging out by the trunk with your key in the car wash it won't open. Same if you try to open the trunk using the hands free feature without the key in your pocket.

From the owners manual

Automatic car washes
Note the following:
***9655; Give preference to cloth car washes or those
that use soft brushes in order to avoid paint
damage.
***9655; Make sure that the wheels and tires are not
damaged by the transport mechanisms.
***9655; Fold in the exterior mirrors; otherwise, they
may be damaged, depending on the width of
the vehicle.
***9655; Deactivate the rain sensor, refer to page 65,
to avoid unintentional wiper activation.
***9655; In some cases, an unintentional alarm can be
triggered by the interior motion sensor of the
alarm system. Follow the instructions on
avoiding an unintentional alarm, refer to
page 41.
Guide rails in car washes
Avoid car washes with guide rails higher
than 4 in/10 cm; otherwise, the vehicle body
could be damaged.***9664;
Before driving into a car wash
In order to ensure that the vehicle can roll in a car
wash, take the following steps:
Manual transmission:
1. Release the parking brake.
2. Drive into the car wash.
3. Shift to neutral.
4. Switch the engine off.
5. Switch on the ignition.
Automatic transmission:
1. Release the parking brake, refer to page 63.
2. Drive into the car wash.
3. Depress the brake pedal as needed.
4. Engage transmission position N.
5. Switch the engine off. In this way, the ignition
remains switched on, and a Check-Control
message is displayed.
Transmission position P with the ignition
off
When the ignition is switched off, position P
is engaged automatically. When in an automatic
car wash, for example, ensure that the
ignition is not switched off accidentally.***9664;
The vehicle cannot be locked from the outside
when in transmission position N.
A signal is sounded when an attempt is made to
lock the vehicle.

Wow, why not just leave the engine on, just put it in neutral and be done with it?

 

[bt1337]

Real luxury car wash places as you said are doing it by hand exclusively. I think you're better off getting the garden hose and doing it in your driveway assuming you have one. But you're in a ritzy place so you should

 

[boltjaM3s]

The trunk will not open. There is a key sensor so unless you're hanging out by the trunk with your key in the car wash it won't open. Same if you try to open the trunk using the hands free feature without the key in your pocket.

From the owners manual

Automatic transmission:
1. Release the parking brake, refer to page 63.
2. Drive into the car wash.
3. Depress the brake pedal as needed.
4. Engage transmission position N.
5. Switch the engine off. In this way, the ignition
remains switched on, and a Check-Control
message is displayed.
Transmission position P with the ignition
off
When the ignition is switched off, position P
is engaged automatically. When in an automatic
car wash, for example, ensure that the
ignition is not switched off accidentally.

Thanks Tim. If I keep my key in my pocket as I walk away from the car (call it 100 feet away) will the engine stay running or will it shut down by itself? Also, if the guy driving the car into the tunnel turns the engine off he won't be able to re-start it to drive it to the bib where they do the interior, right?

BJ

 

[tim330i]

I believe the engine will stay running. Just leave the key in the cup holder and it shouldn't be a problem.

Tim

 

[boltjaM3s]

I believe the engine will stay running. Just leave the key in the cup holder and it shouldn't be a problem.

Tim

Ah, gotcha. So you're saying if the key is in the cupholder there's no way to pop the trunk with the foot-motion because the proximity sensor is very sensitive.

Thanks.

BJ

 

[tim330i]

Correct. I believe there is an antenna just for the comfort access trunk.

Tim

 

[Turbo6]

Potential for damage to paint on the back edge of the hood if they are not careful lifting the wiper arms. See new post - weird wipers.

 

[jlukja]

The trunk will not open. There is a key sensor so unless you're hanging out by the trunk with your key in the car wash it won't open. Same if you try to open the trunk using the hands free feature without the key in your pocket.

From the owners manual

Automatic car washes
Note the following:
***9655; Give preference to cloth car washes or those
that use soft brushes in order to avoid paint
damage.
***9655; Make sure that the wheels and tires are not
damaged by the transport mechanisms.
***9655; Fold in the exterior mirrors; otherwise, they
may be damaged, depending on the width of
the vehicle.
***9655; Deactivate the rain sensor, refer to page 65,
to avoid unintentional wiper activation.
***9655; In some cases, an unintentional alarm can be
triggered by the interior motion sensor of the
alarm system. Follow the instructions on
avoiding an unintentional alarm, refer to
page 41.
Guide rails in car washes
Avoid car washes with guide rails higher
than 4 in/10 cm; otherwise, the vehicle body
could be damaged.***9664;
Before driving into a car wash
In order to ensure that the vehicle can roll in a car
wash, take the following steps:
Manual transmission:
....
Automatic transmission:
1. Release the parking brake, refer to page 63.
2. Drive into the car wash.
3. Depress the brake pedal as needed.
4. Engage transmission position N.
5. Switch the engine off. In this way, the ignition
remains switched on, and a Check-Control
message is displayed.
Transmission position P with the ignition
off
When the ignition is switched off, position P
is engaged automatically. When in an automatic
car wash, for example, ensure that the
ignition is not switched off accidentally.***9664;
The vehicle cannot be locked from the outside
when in transmission position N.
A signal is sounded when an attempt is made to
lock the vehicle.

Thanks Tim. This is very helpful.

 

[Deinonych]

bj,
you're breaking my heart with your questions.

1) why isn't your manservant hand washing your car?

lol