Just got my Bentley manual and am learning all sorts of cool trivia.
To reset the indicator:
-The car should be off
-hold down the left instrument button (the trip odometer reset)
-while holding the key, turn the ignition to position 1 (radio)
-you will see a test menu
-keep holding the button
-after maybe 10 seconds, the word "reset" will appear
-let go of the button and press again
-THe indicator is reset!
In reading about the indicator, I also learned that BMW changed the way the intervals are calculated for cars post 6/2000.
For cars buiilt after this date, it is calculated based solely on gallons of fuel consumed (for example, 601 gallons for 328i manual).
Cars built prior to this date take into account other factors such as engine temp, # of cold starts, etc. I don't know why BMW bothered to change and simplify this-- if they already had the electronics, why not just leave it alone?
If you haven't done so, I highly recommend buying the Bentley manual. Even if you never plan to work on your car, you'll appreciate it so much more and will know if your dealer is blowing smoke when you take it in for service.
One other interesting fact-- some of you may know this-- but the whole E46 dashboard including the center console sides is 1 piece! I believe this was done to lessen the chance of rattles. The downside is that if you ever damage or crack any part of the dashboard, the whole thing would need to be pulled and replaced.
Anyway, I'll continue to post interesting tidbits as I come across them.
To reset the indicator:
-The car should be off
-hold down the left instrument button (the trip odometer reset)
-while holding the key, turn the ignition to position 1 (radio)
-you will see a test menu
-keep holding the button
-after maybe 10 seconds, the word "reset" will appear
-let go of the button and press again
-THe indicator is reset!
In reading about the indicator, I also learned that BMW changed the way the intervals are calculated for cars post 6/2000.
For cars buiilt after this date, it is calculated based solely on gallons of fuel consumed (for example, 601 gallons for 328i manual).
Cars built prior to this date take into account other factors such as engine temp, # of cold starts, etc. I don't know why BMW bothered to change and simplify this-- if they already had the electronics, why not just leave it alone?
If you haven't done so, I highly recommend buying the Bentley manual. Even if you never plan to work on your car, you'll appreciate it so much more and will know if your dealer is blowing smoke when you take it in for service.
One other interesting fact-- some of you may know this-- but the whole E46 dashboard including the center console sides is 1 piece! I believe this was done to lessen the chance of rattles. The downside is that if you ever damage or crack any part of the dashboard, the whole thing would need to be pulled and replaced.
Anyway, I'll continue to post interesting tidbits as I come across them.