[PodBimmer]

I just picked up my new 330i SP SG/BLK this afternoon and I noticed that the "clown nose" on the bottom of the rear view mirror does not light up when the car is locked. On my previous car (2002 503i sp) this flashed indicating that the alarm was on. Has anyone else noticed whether their light blinks or know if this is a dealer configured option.

Thanks

[deutschmann59]

Hey PodBimmer, welcome to the forum, and congrats with your new car! Does your car have the iDrive option? I was reading through the owners manual .pdf file on this site and I noticed (I mentioned this on the alarm thread) there are several different "security" settings under vehicle setup menu. I think I know what you're talking about with this clown-nose light, but I'm not 100%. If you don't have the iDrive, check the owner's manual because there's most likely a way to change it without the iDrive (assuming your problem has a fix listed in the manual)

[EVO_S4]

wait awhile and you should get more responce, since thier is alot of people still waiting for the car. congrates on your e90

[Nathan]

Did you buy the alarm and did your dealer add it?

[pharding]

I have an e69 545 with that feature. The red sphere does not light up or blink when the car is locked and the system is armed.

[PodBimmer]

Thanks for the input. My car does not have iDrive so I can't tell if there is a configuration setting that way. I read the manual last night and it seemed pretty clear that the alarm comes standard including internal motion detectors, hood/door alarms, tilt sensor (towing), etc. I'm not aware of an additional dealer installed alarm. My old 530 was the same way. According to the manual the clown nose can tell you if the alarm is armed, whether the car has been tampered with while you were gone, and whether the tilt sensor has been disabled (by pressing lock button twice). This is what I've been able to figure out so far. I will ask my dealer to see if I missing something. Apparently I was the first 330i delivered by my dealer so I'm not expecting them to know much about the car yet. We'll see.

[CaptJack]

If it blinks upon locking from the outside you have an alarm sys. If it does not, like my E90, then you have the clown nose but NO ACTIVE ALARM SYSTEM. It is probably an option either stand alone or buried in some pkg.

The absolute test is to sit inside your car being careful NOT to move, even a little, and have someone else lock your car from the outside using the remote key function. Give it about 30 secs and them move around inside the car. If the alarm goes off (the sys has a motion detection feature) you have an alarm sys. If nothing happens....Sorry Charlie, no alarm sys. As far as I can tell this car does not come with an active alarm sys. Having said that, this wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong!

Cheers!

P.S. The astrik (sp?) next to the heading means that it is an optional item

[ziv]

A derivitive of what CaptJack is saying is:

Sit still in the car, and lock it from the inside, using the key fab. The car has no idea if you're inside or outside :-) I mean, I COULD be wrong, since it has weight sensors in the pass side seat, to detect if to disable the side pass airbags or not, so they COULD be smart enough to not arm the alarm if you're sitting in the car. In any case, if they're not smart enough, you could argue that turning the alarm using the key fab, doesn’t' matter if you're inside or outside :-) If you want to be sure, sit in the back :-) I don't think there are weight sensors there...

In terms of an alarm being built in -- I didn't think it was part of the car, but an added option, just like it was on the E46. I could be wrong... Either way -- in the old E46 days, people found out how to program the car to make the nose mask blink even w/o an alarm, but it caused several OBD II errors to come up, when the car arrived at the dealer. So it's not recommended.

If the E90 is like the E46, installing the BMW alarm should only take 30 minutes, and should cost $200...

Originally Posted by CaptJack

If it blinks upon locking from the outside you have an alarm sys. If it does not, like my E90, then you have the clown nose but NO ACTIVE ALARM SYSTEM. It is probably an option either stand alone or buried in some pkg.

The absolute test is to sit inside your car being careful NOT to move, even a little, and have someone else lock your car from the outside using the remote key function. Give it about 30 secs and them move around inside the car. If the alarm goes off (the sys has a motion detection feature) you have an alarm sys. If nothing happens....Sorry Charlie, no alarm sys. As far as I can tell this car does not come with an active alarm sys. Having said that, this wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong!

Cheers!

P.S. The astrik (sp?) next to the heading means that it is an optional item

[RedStripe]

Can someone please post a picture of this "clown nose" thing on the rearview mirror people are referring to. Thanks.

[ziv]

take a look at any of the stock BMW photos, they have on their site. It's clearly visible under the rear view mirror.

[RedStripe]

Thanks ziv. I went online to the bmwusa site, but couldn't find anything under the image gallery for the 325i or 330i that showed the rearview mirror. However, a quick look through the Official Interior Forum, I found some good pictures, which I will attach here.

Does anyone know what kind of function this thing serves? (Other than the alarm stuff already mentioned)

[ravinxd]

The alarm a $300 option in the BMW accessories catalog (not including installation).

[pete330]

What a rip off! A $40k car with no alarm!

[ziv]

Originally Posted by RedStripe

Thanks ziv. I went online to the bmwusa site, but couldn't find anything under the image gallery for the 325i or 330i that showed the rearview mirror. However, a quick look through the Official Interior Forum, I found some good pictures, which I will attach here.

Does anyone know what kind of function this thing serves? (Other than the alarm stuff already mentioned)

For us poor folks, who didn't get the Premium Pkg, it serves as the tilt mechanism to lower/raise the mirror, when someone is blinding you from behind. For you rich folks, who got the prem pkg, it's just a nose mask that lights up if you have the alarm :-)

[RedStripe]

Is the alarm not available if you don't get the premium package?

Also, for the auto-dimming mirrors included in the premium package, does that include the rearview AND both side mirrors get the autodimming feature. Also, if anyone can explain in brief technical terms how the mirrors actually dim when you get hit by bright lights behind you, I would be curious to find out. Thanks.

[e90fanatic]

according to my dealer, the alarm is not even available for purchase yet and it's not the one for E46

[deutschmann59]

Originally Posted by RedStripe

Also, if anyone can explain in brief technical terms how the mirrors actually dim when you get hit by bright lights behind you, I would be curious to find out. Thanks.

The auto dimming mirrors have a sensor in them, so when light reaches the sensor, somehow, I believe two separate pieces of glass are shifted in the mirror in such a way that the mirror dims. I believe that's how they work. You can see the sensor in the mirror itself. It's a little circlular notch in the glass.