Thank you

The controls in any other car (including BMW) are much easier.

I don't mind I Drive but you should have dedicated buttons for HVAC.

 

Use AUTO mode all the time (along with the auto setting for the fresh air recirculation) and you never have to touch iDrive at all. It works perfectly if you let it -- just adjust the temperature dials up or down to suit your needs and let the car and it's advanced systems figure out everything else...

 

Rudy - I've tried to let the AUTO control handle the issue along with fresh air recirc. It has been fine up until this recent cold weather in Boston, but I think the very cold outside temperature has fooled the thing somehow. It's blowing cold air everywhere, even with the two (L&R) temperature dials set on 72. I am very glad to have the heated seats and steering wheel while this cold wind courses through the car. Just as a side note, I find that closing the inner cover over the moonroof makes for a much more comfortable situation when the temperature outside is 0F.

 

Go back to the I-drive, c if the the person symbol is blue or red. If it's blue, that's why it's cold.Turn the I-drive until the person symbol turns red. Thats it.

 

Quieter too!

 

Thanks for asking this question! I've been designing hvac systems for longer than I'll admit. Getting them fixed, and getting them built too. So far the I drive has me stumped. Just showing my age.

DaveL

 

I agree that you need to close the shade to add an extra layer of insulation from the cold. If your center vent setting isn't in the blue (as explained earlier), then there may be something wrong with your car. We've had below zero temperatures here as well this past week and my car's heating system performed flawlessly. I'm also 99% sure that I leave the center vent setting "in the middle" (white bar) and I'm still quite satisfied with how everything works. (I've been satisfied with the automatic modes of BMW's HVAC systems since my first E39 back in 1998...)

 

Auto is fine for day to day however when its really cold and you want to put warm air on the windshield (to melt ice & snow) you need to push the defrost button.
When you do that all the air is directed to the windshield and my feet get cold. In any other car you can tell the car (push a simple button) you want air at the windshield and floor.

 

Here's the solution to your problem:

1. On the drivers side temperature control knob, press the center button and that will short cut you to the climate control window on your idrive screen.
2. Using your idrive control wheel, select the little box with a plus on top and a minus underneath. It is here that you can select whether you want more warm or cool air to blow out of the center vents. In your case, you'll want to change the setting to 3 or 4 red bars for more warmth.
3. Now select the auto button on your center knob and manage your ambient temperature by adjusting the temp through your temp knobs.
4. Press the menu bottom by the control wheel to get out of the climate window.

In summary: With the e60 idrive, press the center button of the driver's temp knob to adjust the cool-warm level coming from the center vents. With the e90 (3 series), it's a simple wheel like the one in the back seat. Go figure.

 

I understand but again, on my car (and on my old E60), I rarely need to use the windshield defroster. When I do, I don't need it on for very long so in short time, I switch it back to auto and everything continues to work perfectly. If you're using the defroster to melt ice and snow maybe you should use a windshield scraper on it first? (Not trying to be a wise guy -- I just don't know why you're experiences are so different than mine...)