Does anyone here have any long term experience to indicate burn in problems?

Maybe they should come out with a screen saver

 

LCD displays typically don't suffer from burn in, this is a CRT or Plasma issue.

 

or one helluva commute

 

Just to add to this, it is more than "typically", it is simply "LCD displays do not suffer from burn in". Because there is nothing to burn in on LCD panels.

 

Anyone know the average life of the LCD screen? I have a couple LCD projection TV's and after 3 years of almost continuously being on 24x7 I finally had to replace the bulb. $40 for the bulb....replaced it myself. If the idrive screen is similar to this then I can see the screen lasting well past the life of the car.

 

Rear projection screens are a totally different technology. They use a small (or 3 separate small) LCD screens, which have a high powered bulb behind them. The bulb shines through the LCD and uses lense(s) to project the image on to the rear of the screen. Like you say, you have to replace the _bulb_ - you didn't have to replace the LCD screens. The life on LCD screens is years and years and years. If anything is going to break, it is usually the backlight. Whether you can buy a backlight for an iDrive as an individually replaceable component, I don't know.

Enjoy the car though, forget about not using any part of it "incase it breaks" ... you don't buy a car like an E60 to worry about saving a few $ here and there by not using the features of the car

 

I've always wondered also but just can't drive without it.

 

I usually turn it off,