I have had problems with the engine management since the car was new and this week BMW finally threw in the towel and admitted that they cannot fix the problem. It's a pity that the F11 is close, but still too far away, so I will settle with a new E61 instead (which isn't the worst fate for petrolhead like me :whistle: )

One option I was thinking about is ventilated seats... anyone with expereince that could give me the pro's and con's; ie does it really work?

Seat ventilation is very :thumbsup:

Press the button and after 20 - 30 sek your nuts will feel like in heaven :twoup:
Thats a good option for hot summer.

I have them in my new car and recently tried them out. I very quickly realised that this function is not suited for this time of year, so best not to use it when its -10 outside :rolleyes: An attendee at one of the European Meets had this feature and he let me try it out; I have to say it was great in the hot weather and am really looking forward to having that feature in the summer :) Only ever heard good things about it.

What you really DO NOT need is the "Active Seats" massage function. I also have that in my current car and its the most useless feature I have ever come across -- it just feels like someone is try to stick something up your a.... :blink:


So what model / options are you going for? Another 530i M-Sport with SAT? What about the colours, going to try something different?

Ventilated seats, in my opinion, are a must. :cool:

Obviously, people are different but for me, I find that I often use them even in the winter. It's funny but I will often use them simultaneously with the seat heaters!

In the summer, I turn them on before I even take the car out of park! :thumbsup:

Excellent feedback - thanks guys! :twoup: I'll keep it on the option list.

Heated seats and cooling seats at the same time?! I didn't know that was possible, I just assumed it would not work. Thanks for the suggestion/feedback, that's something new to go try out later... :D

That's a shame having trouble with the car all that time almost since day one. I remembered I got my LCI E61 around the same time as you did, also from Förenade Bil? Nice for you to get a new, are you getting a good deal on the new one, I guess so, otherwise you wouldn't get another E61. The new iDrive is a huge improvement over the old one, I played with one the other day. Will it be another 530i?

Also, I'll tell my friends to keep away from that gray E61 at Förenade... ;)

Ventilated seats work just fine, especially in the summer :thumbsup:

I guess I have a minority opinion - I don't think the vented seats are cold enough... <shrug>

I can only say this...

I have significant, first-hand experience on ventilated seats from various M-Bs and from my 550. The M-B seats are close to worthless when it comes to cooling. The BMW seats actually work and work well! :thumbsup:

I think M-B was more concerned with the fans making too much noise and disturbing the occupants so they opted for moving less air volume in order to keep things quieter. (Oh high speed, you can't really hear the M-B but in the BMW, when on high, it sometimes makes you think there's a rear window open just a crack or something... :cool: