Buttons below radio and Climate control

[WhiteOne]

I have noticed that some cars have no buttons. If you do not get certain options, I guess you don't need any buttons. Am I the only one that thinks the dash looks naked without them? How do you disable the electronic driving aids? Does anyone think this would be a good place for the boost and a/f gauges?

[Nutkins]

Bump for this - anyone one know what options give your the row of buttons referred to in the previous post?

I've worked out heated seats is one of them but there's another button in a lot of pics with an Icon I can't work out - phone prep perhaps?

[larryn]

Butt warmers, front and rear park distance control, and the convertible open close buttons, would be my best guess... along with the passenger ejection button.

[taylor82]

from what i can see it's impossible to get them all on your dash. As far as i can tell the buttons are for heated seats, hill desent* (135 only) automatic engine off (diesel models only), roof (conv. models only) and maybe front park sensors? The annoying thing is that even if you did load your car with every possible option it is impossible to have all the buttons filled with actual working buttons, instead you get a filled in plastic button that looks a bit tacky. Why don't bmw just leave the button out like on other models?

*Hill decent - not too sure about this but i'm sure i've read it somewhere, doesn't make sense why the 135 would need it?

[taylor82]

Just looked it up, it's not hill decent it's hill start

[Nutkins]

Nice one Taylor82 - I still think it looks better to have the row of buttons, albeit with a row of blanks. Rather than a hugh bit of blank plastic - that just doesn't look right to me.

It also might be useful to have them there in case there are some mods in the future than need a button, like a remap on and off perhaps or some TV function for the NAV for example (although these are just random things I come up with).

[larryn]

Hill start is a feature of the brakes, which cannot be disabled. Hill decent is on the X and ix series, but not on the 1 series. I think you may be correct about the diesel model having the extra button though, and in the States we don't get front PDC.

[taylor82]

Originally Posted by larryn

Hill start is a feature of the brakes, which cannot be disabled. Hill decent is on the X and ix series, but not on the 1 series. I think you may be correct about the diesel model having the extra button though, and in the States we don't get front PDC.

I'm sure iv'e seen a picture somewhere of the button with a car on a slope, i would know where to start looking for it though.
I'm still not sure if one of the buttons is for pdc or not, just what someone wrote on this thread earlier.

[GatoGrande]

If we are all talking about the same row of buttons, they come when you order the premium package and they are like 5 or 6 buttons which are programmable for things like your favorite radio station, or other items if you wish.

[RXC135i]

You may also see a button for the rear privacy shade which is common on Euro-spec cars....one push and shade goes up...another and the shade goes down. It was there on the new M3 I drove yesterday!

[taylor82]

Originally Posted by RXC135i

You may also see a button for the rear privacy shade which is common on Euro-spec cars....one push and shade goes up...another and the shade goes down. It was there on the new M3 I drove yesterday!

Haven't seen the option on the 1er

[rdkind62]

Originally Posted by taylor82

Haven't seen the option on the 1er

Yes it is a 1 series option.

[moff]

Originally Posted by rdkind62

Yes it is a 1 series option.

Not in the UK.

I have just seen a pic of a UK 123d with only one button and about 4 blanks... although I will never use them, might have to edit my order to include Heated Seats just to get 2 real buttons... how vain am I?:biggrin:

[Nutkins]

Originally Posted by moff

Not in the UK.

I have just seen a pic of a UK 123d with only one button and about 4 blanks... although I will never use them, might have to edit my order to include Heated Seats just to get 2 real buttons... how vain am I?:biggrin:

Not at all - I think I'd get the heated seats to do the same (unless there's a cheaper option that'll do it!)

BTW I think that one button you saw was the traction control on / off as I saw the same thing the other day. Was it a car without Nav by chance? I reckon that feature maybe gets moved to I-Drive if you get the Nav. So the buttons are lost unless you get another option that requires them, like the seats. So perhaps if you don't get Nav you definitly get the buttons..

My head hurts now.

[john970]

I expect a fully specced out car, like mine, to have three buttons: two seat heaters and the PDC button.

On a vert i'd expect two more for the up/down, and if they made a diesel vert, you'd get all 6?

I think if you don't get pdc but you get seat heaters the middle is one solid piece so it doesn't look like you got a stripped down car.

[UK135i]

Hi guys

I will have a look at my little 135i tonight when i take it for a drive and will let you know later or more likely tomorrow....

[taylor82]

Originally Posted by Nutkins

Not at all - I think I'd get the heated seats to do the same (unless there's a cheaper option that'll do it!)

BTW I think that one button you saw was the traction control on / off as I saw the same thing the other day. Was it a car without Nav by chance? I reckon that feature maybe gets moved to I-Drive if you get the Nav. So the buttons are lost unless you get another option that requires them, like the seats. So perhaps if you don't get Nav you definitly get the buttons..

My head hurts now.

The button on the 123d that you get is definately for disabling the automatic on/off engine thing, I think it's a really good idea (auto on/off) but i'm sure there will be times you don't want your engine to turn itself off, cold winters morning comes to mind, so you can disable it if you choose.
BTW as far as i can remember the traction button is in between the centre heater vents.

[UK135i]

that and the triangle button taylor and the lock door button