Originally Posted by mikeg7' post='491671' date='Nov 8 2007, 09:39 AM

After reading these forums for a while, it seems to me that there are an insane number of things that can go wrong with these cars, most of them very annoying but nothing that would prevent you from driving it, and all of them software-related.

Perhaps BMW should consider hiring better programmers?

Originally Posted by mikeg7' post='491671' date='Nov 8 2007, 07:39 AM

After reading these forums for a while, it seems to me that there are an insane number of things that can go wrong with these cars, most of them very annoying but nothing that would prevent you from driving it, and all of them software-related.

Perhaps BMW should consider hiring better programmers?

Originally Posted by Rudy' post='491577' date='Nov 8 2007, 02:31 AM

I have this exact problem and it happens with the car locked or unlocked. Going in for service next week to see if they can sort this one out...

My bet is that something is preventing the car from entering sleep mode. Once the car detects that something is keeping it from going to sleep, it starts to shut down individual electrical "consumers" based on a certain priority. On my car, for example, comfort access won't work until the car is awake (CA would be a low priority consumer.) I can wake it up by unlocking the car using the fob (or opening the door if it's unlocked) and then comfort access will work. Interestingly, if the car is in this state and you open the driver's door, the display between the speedometer and tachometer (the MID) will flash very quickly and sometimes the individual LED's on the switches for the seat heat/ventilation, PDC, and DSC will flash as well.

One thing to note is that when you have to reset the clock, take a look at the date. I'll bet you'll see that the date is displaying whatever date it was when you parked the car. For example, if you park the car on Friday in your garage and return to in on Monday, if the clock is showing all dashes, the date will be showing Friday's date.

Active steering reinitializes itself as soon as you drive off but until it's finished, the wheel is very hard to turn. Again, I think it's a result of some module being turned off instead of going into sleep mode. The increased battery discharge warning will also appear -- especially if the car sits for some time. Before I had this no sleep theory, I was posting some symptoms about this issue in the following thread: http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=46104

Finally, another sign that the car never went to sleep is that when I wake it up, the car remembers the seat heater or seat ventilation settings from before I turned it off (just like it does if you turn the car off and turn it back on within 15 minutes or so.)

Originally Posted by Rudy' post='491667' date='Nov 8 2007, 06:31 AM

The cell phone charger was the culprit a while back when they issued the service bulletin. In theory, no matter what kind of current draw, the charger should be shut down when the car is turned off or goes to sleep. In the case of my LCI car, there's absolutely nothing plugged into the car either via an accessory outlet or the USB/iPod adapter and this issue still occurs...

Originally Posted by igord' post='492311' date='Nov 9 2007, 02:34 PM

Not sure if this'll help, but...

I have an '08 550 (made in 9/07) and this doesn't happen. Also, I have an iPod plugged in (almost never take out) and the rechargeable flashlight. I do not, however, have the cellphone charger plugged in.

Most of the time I do lock my car in the garage, on days that I don't nothing happens.

Originally Posted by Rudy' post='492317' date='Nov 9 2007, 02:51 PM

What options do you have? I'm thinking that there may be a connection to a specific option or set of options that causes this to happen...

Originally Posted by ih_hsueh' post='491803' date='Nov 8 2007, 11:44 AM

I wonder if the little rechargable flash light next to the glove box causes the delay. Will test it tonight.