Working, but....

[aquilaboy]

Posted similar before but after checking, the following functions that work fine with the engine running, do not work with only the ignition on but engine not running. Is this normal? Dip main beam (with switch in correct position) /cigar lighters/horn/rear fog lights/heater fan/heated seats/auto gear selector lights (so you don't know if you're in Park/D/N/R before starting the engine).

[Smartbear]

Those functions are fairly high current usage so would deplete the battery quickly if the engine wasn’t running, can you not see what the drive is engaged in by turning the key to light up the instruments, is it not displayed in between the dials?
Why do these things worry you?
Rob

[buzyg]

Hard to believe the head lights are not meant to work.

[mcbutler]

The heater fan should work if the engine is hot, it's a 'keep warm' feature. You park at the shops, key out, press the + button on the fan control and the centre LED should come on and the car will be kept warm till either the coolant gets cold or the battery level drops to critical level.

[Busterboo]

I'm impressed you know that.

[markplant]

The auto box should always be in park , am sure you can't remove the key without it being in park , thus would still be in park when you get back in , prepares to be corrected

[srhutch]

The auto box should always be in park , am sure you can't remove the key without it being in park , thus would still be in park when you get back in , prepares to be corrected

I think with these electronic gear selectors when you turn the car off it selects park itself.

Also can’t see why you would need dip beam with the engine off.

[Tinker15]

The auto box should always be in park , am sure you can't remove the key without it being in park , thus would still be in park when you get back in , prepares to be corrected

I suppose it depends if he has Comfort Access or not. If he hasn’t you can’t remove the remote from the slot without the car being in Park. Not only that but you can’t start the car without it being in Park and your foot on the brake. To be honest I’m not sure what the OP is on about. RTFM springs to mind!

[flybobbie]

I can operate dip beam if i have home lights selected in the iDrive.
Never tried the horn, but every other car i have owned the horn could be operated ignition off.

[aquilaboy]

I posted this question, not because i'm worried that certain functions do not work unless the engine is running, but because I want to know if these functions should be working, but aren't - maybe they've been deactivated deliberately to save battery juice. Maybe this is the way things should be with this model/year? Model is 2015 20i Z4 Msport, so if anyone has this year or later, grateful for definitive answers.

[Pbondar]

Hi, they should all run when the full ignition on sequence is done, there is an intermediate stage that only switches minor things on like boot lights /door lights/audio, are you confusing that first stage?

At the risk of creating yet another set of arguments, at the age your battery is it should be a ok to support all the systems for a period of time without the engine running..best way to check is to fully charge the battery and see waht happens to a) the battery ei does it fully charge and b) the car..

These babies need lots of high quality juice or things become erratic v quickly..

IMHO..