This morning, I drove off in the bimmer for about a minute (under 20mph) when a warning chime alerted me to a "TRIANGLE with a SNOWFLAKE like icon in the middle of it." This image came on for about 15 seonds or less and disappeared; hence, I did not have time to snap a shot with my phone. The location of the triangle is in the temperature/date/time window. My Idrive brightness was unusually dimmed too. I had my AC (snowflake icon) off, but the AUTO button and recirculation ON.

About and hour later, I started the car up again. This time, all my FM radio stations were "wiped out." Bluetooth was still available for my Razr, all entertainment settings were still there, but the feature to lock the doors was set to factory setting (not to lock doors). The Idrive brightness was normal again. But the recirculation button light was OFF.

Is this a glitch or could someone explain this phenomenon.? What does the triangle with the snowlake in the middle mean?

 

Hi B32:

I think the triangle/snowflake comes on at only 38 degrees--the temp at which black ice forms. Was your temp down to 38? Regardless, it sounds like something strange happened. Duh! But, I don't know what might have caused all your resets. Dealer time?

 

Right, the temp was at 36 F. Is it normal for an E60 black ice warning? If so, what sensors (beside the temp gauge) would cause this momentary warning chime? Of course, Houston doesn't get to the 30's that often. But it still doesn't explain the resets to my FM stations and others.

This was the express on my wife's face:
This was my expression: I'll ask the forum members. Maybe they'll have an answer.

 

The 38 degree temp would cause the warning chime too, but, the resets, me too--

 

The frost warning isn't easy to confuse I've had it quite a lot for the last coupla weeks - it has a statement in the i-drive screen saying outside temp 3.0c (or whatever it is).

Sounds like you've experienced something else and may need to visit your dealer.

 

The reset of your FM stations is not related to the low outside temp warning.

 

Did you use the same key the second time you started the car?

If you set up the presets with key # 1 and not with key # 2 when you use key # 2 no presets will come up.
Just maybe you used key #2 and thats what happen.Good luck
cheers
vern

 

You sunny southerners...That warning goes off everyt time I start the car, from November to April, up here in Yankee Land. It's just the Lawyers' Chorus singing a simple song.

Cheers,
Ray Hull

 

The snowflake is definitely a 37 degree warning. It drives me nuts, but there's no way to inactivate it.

The wiped out settings sounds like it may have something to do with the key memory settings. When I initially set my radio stations and other iDrive settings, my key was in the ignition. A couple of weeks later I mistakenly picked up the spare key and radio presets were gone as well as iDrive settings all back to defaults. I had to reprogram everything with that key as well. Could you have done the same thing by mistake?

 

I used the same key. It was after church service, I started the car, and the settings were gone. I think it might be a combination of things that started when I started the car the first time in the morning to go to church. The Idrive screen was very dimmed, but the stations was there. I tried turning the lights on, off, auto, but the Idrive screen remain dimmed. After church service, the Idrive was back to normal brightness, but all the stations gone.

Thanks everyone about the frost warning chime. I tried reading the manual and did not see it. In Houston, we get about 7 days of 30's F in a year.