sd_dracula

If an E60 has the auto A/C panel like in the photo below, does it automatically have the timer for to pre-heat the car also? Or it can just have the timer for auto cool?
Basically how to tell if an E60 has an auxiliary heater.

sanjsanj

[font="'Comic Sans MS"]look in idrive climate settings for the timer?[/font]
[font="'Comic Sans MS"]I was playing around with it yesterday, ended up confused and have no idea what it's for![/font]

sanjsanj

Just read the manual. In the iDrive, go to climate, go to independent mode, then go to direct operation.

If you see independent heater, you have it. If you see independent ventilation only, then you don't have it.

thomas finlass

All E60's (well Euro ones anyway)are fitted with an Auxilliary Heater, these store heat in order to be able to heat the cabin, even when the engine is not running. I'm not sure how long they stay warm for. The basic E60's do not have timers or settings for the Auxilliary Heater, but it still heats the cabin without the engine running, these are supposed to help in the reduction of emmisions, if you are sitting in your car....outside a shop..waiting for the wife ...then you don't have to keep the engine running to keep your bum warm

sd_dracula

I was not asking if my car has it, pretty sure it doesn't. But if looking to buy another one, will it be safe to assume if it has High A/C controls that it will have aux heater with timer also?

Gilgorm

I think you are talking about two different things. The REST or 'Residual Heat' function only works in cold weather as long as the engine is still hot/warm enough to provide heat before it cools down. The car must be OFF. My manual states up to 15 minutes after engine shutoff, with engine at operating temperature and with sufficient battery charge and below 77F /25C outside temp. There is no button but rather turn the centre Auto knob to the right after shutting off the car. It will not work if the engine is cold. This feature has been around a long time. My 2003 325iT had it as well as multiple MBs.

The second item refered to is Parked Car Ventilation which is used in the summer to blow outside air into the interior to cool it down. It can be set by two timers (on my 2008) but uses a lot of power and should only be used once between trips. It supposedly vents for up to 30 minutes.

I am not aware of a pre-heat function for when the car is cold in the winter..

sd_dracula

I believe that pre-heat option is the exact same as the ventilation one you described above and it is foun in diesel cars only perhaps?
Works the exact same way with a timer and I believe there is an auxiliary heater that does that so it works when the engine is cold also.
I'm just wondering if the car (if its a diesel I guess) will have the pre-heat function if it comes with the HIGH AC controls, mine has standard AC controls and no timer/heater.

mmitev

No.
(Unless in a market like Ireland all E60s with auto AC also have a heater. That is the case for some cars and some colder climate markets.)

mmitev

No, an auxiliary heater is diesel/gasoline-fuelled heater which sits in the engine compartment, is pretty expensive (1000-1500 EUR new), and heats the car on cold winter mornings using the fuel from the tank to generate the heat and the battery to blow that warm air into the cabin. Most of the times this independent heater is made by the company Webasto. In German its called "Standheizung". I was referring to that heater in my post above.

On another note, every E60 has a function built into the auto AC, which uses electrical heating elements to heat the air into the cabin ONCE the engine runs, but the coolant is not hot enough. Some people confuse that function with the auxiliary/independent heater described above.

mmitev

On REST: There is a button for this on the E60, if you look at the pic of the auto AC panel, the middle round portion of the right-hand temp adjuster is that REST button.

Pre-set ventilation: I think every E60 has it, at least every one with auto AC. I don't think it consumes a lot of energy. It is meant to vent the hot interior on a sunny afternoon, just before you get out of the office and jump into the oven-hot car.

The auxiliary/independent heater (its not a function, its a piece of pretty expensive additional equipment) I've described above. This heater has its own remote control, which can turn it on or off and pre-set the time when it should fire up in the morning.