Questions on new G29 M40

P

PaperSniper

Member
 West Tennessee, USA
So, I have been driving my new Z4 now for about a week, and I have some questions whose answer alludes me in the Owner's Manual. I have these noted for my next trip to the dealer, but I am in no hurry to do that.

1. Is there a way to have the dynamic driving "Sport" button on the console default to "Sport" upon starting the engine? I have found I only drive this car in Sport. It just feels and sounds wonderful!

2. Not sure if you outside the USA have the Remote Start option, but one of the reasons I got another BMW is they finally made that option available. I use the key fob to start my car, and occasionally the Connected app if I am out of range of the fob. I noticed at least once that I could not remote start the car a second time in about an hour. Is there some limit on how often the remote will work? I got an error saying something like "remote availability not possible due to limits" or something like that.

3. Can anyone confirm my tires are not Run Flats? My salesman didn't know, believe it or not. I examined my tires as closely as my 73 year old body would allow and could not find the "RSC" symbol on the tire sidewall.

4. My car always asks about starting Ventilation when I turn off the engine. What is that?

Thanks y'all from Elvis Land! :roll:
 
1. I understand you CANNOT default to sport mode. It always defaults to comfort.
2. I don't have remote start in UK so can't comment
3. The tyres are definitely NOT runflats.
4. Auxiliary Ventilation means that when you stop the engine, it uses the residual heat/cooling available to maintain the temperature selected. It does not produce any extra heat or cooling but will continue to ventilate the car.

Hope that helps.
 
Z4monster, that answers the question totally, thank you sir.

PS - You folks outside the US will get a kick out of this: I have been seeing 30+ for the MPG on your Z's in this forum and thinking, heck that's great mileage! Then I remembered that your gallons are a bit larger than ours in the US! But still, I did not get this car for its mileage. I only have about 1000 miles on mine, and the mileage so far is 27 mpg US or about 32 mpg Imperial. I have no complaints, especially considering the kind of driving I've been doing: no highway, only rural country driving.
 
I’ve recently covered close to 1800 miles in a Euro Road Trip across to The Alps. Long steady motorway runs and some spirited drives over a number of the high mountain passes. 37.5mpg overall! Really pleased with this return and a little better than I achieved in my E89 35is on similar trips. :thumbsup:
 
Obs-Com said:
I’ve recently covered close to 1800 miles in a Euro Road Trip across to The Alps. Long steady motorway runs and some spirited drives over a number of the high mountain passes. .........
Click to expand...

How I envy where you have been driving! Here in west TN we have very, very few hills or curves. I used to ride motorcycles until about 3 years ago, so I have searched out all the twitchy roads in the tri-state area. Most of the good ones are about 300 miles away, but there are a few decent curves around my home, albeit of short duration. I am looking forward to a trip over to the Ozark mountains in Arkansas this fall. There are some nice twisty roads there...for the US anyway. 8)
 
I believe you can get it programmed with tools like Carly to be able to start in Sport mode by default.
Not entirely sure if it works already for the new models. Remote start is also not available here in Belgium.
 
raven said:
I believe you can get it programmed with tools like Carly to be able to start in Sport mode by default.
Not entirely sure if it works already for the new models. Remote start is also not available here in Belgium.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I may check into Carly, but I find that it's getting to be a habit pattern now to push the Sport button as soon as I sit in the car. It's only been at most a few years since the USA BMWs were shipped/equipped with remote start. That's the one reason I would not have gotten a Bimmer as my car, although we have had, and my wife drives, a 3 or 4 series for the past 14 or so years. I REALLY wanted a car with remote AND a manual transmission, but now that the Z is available with remote start, I've gotten over the manual craving. There is nothing I've ever driven that has a transmission like BMW's automatic. 8)
 
handymanuk said:
Out of interest, what is the benefit of remote start? I don't think we have it here in the UK either.
Click to expand...
I think it may be illegal here, something to do with the engine should not be left on without the driver in it.
 
PaperSniper said:
Thanks, I may check into Carly, but I find that it's getting to be a habit pattern now to push the Sport button as soon as I sit in the car.
Click to expand...
I do the same :lol:

Nictrix said:
handymanuk said:
Out of interest, what is the benefit of remote start? I don't think we have it here in the UK either.
Click to expand...
I think it may be illegal here, something to do with the engine should not be left on without the driver in it.
Click to expand...
Its illegal because of the emissions in Belgium, you're not allowed to leave your car idling when its not needed :)
Only advantage i see for remote start is when its snowing/freezing and you want to preheat the car :)
 
Nictrix said:
handymanuk said:
Out of interest, what is the benefit of remote start? I don't think we have it here in the UK either.
Click to expand...
I think it may be illegal here, something to do with the engine should not be left on without the driver in it.
Click to expand...

Years ago I had a Clifford alarm in my Toyota Celica and then later in my E30 325i and one of the features of that alarm was remote engine start. I used to get it kick out of starting the car when people were standing next to it, back in around 1990 it truly was futuristic and people just couldn't believe the car could start with no one in it. It was great for either heating up the car or cooling it down before you set off. The alarm was legally sold in the UK although the law did say that you couldn't leave a car idling unattended.

I also had an electronic gearbox mod on the E30 from Racelogic which allowed me to change gears manually (car had BMW's new switctronic auto box) via a lever mounted on the steering column. This was years before BMW came out with the Steptronic in the E46.
 
handymanuk said:
Out of interest, what is the benefit of remote start? I don't think we have it here in the UK either.
Click to expand...

Benefit of remote start is simply convenience of cooling or heating the car before you get into it. I believe the BMW's remote start will keep the engine running for about 15 minutes, which is typical of every other car's such feature in the USA. We enjoyed the remote start a few months ago when we had to park outside in very cold temperatures for about 3 months while our daughter was in the hospital; it was a real blessing! She is doing much better now BTW. Remote start is a luxury, and in no way needed, but we really want it on at least one of our cars. Every car but our BMWs (until the Zed) had it, so we would have missed it if it were not available. We are the typical spoiled American drivers. :oops:
 
raven said:
I believe you can get it programmed with tools like Carly to be able to start in Sport mode by default.
Not entirely sure if it works already for the new models. Remote start is also not available here in Belgium.
Click to expand...

Just checked Bimmercode and it looks like it can be coded. I thought it couldn't be done but I was obviously wrong. Might be my next mod, in that case.
 
Off topic, but I keep seeing those "Fuellly" numbers, and though I'd look at the MPG's on my car, although it has but 1000 miles on it. Most of it "spirited" driving, considering the few hills and curves we have here in the west Tennessee tri-state area. I'm getting 29 MPG-US, which calculates to almost 35 MPG-UK. I am totally pleased....I didn't buy this car for its fuel economy, although I was expecting around 30-31 MPG-US once it had over 5k miles on it. I'm pretty sure I will reach that goal. 8)
 
Indeed,

1. I'm in the habit of just poking the "Sport" button, right after starting it up.
2. We didn't get the remote start in our 2020 M40i, since it won't see much winter driving, due to the salt in Central NY State, USA. But, in our SUV, it's a must, due to warming it up in the drive way, for my Dear, before we depart. We should use it for AC in the summer, but just open the windows at first, no big thing. Now in Arizona?
3. I think you'd see the tires marks as run flats. We had them on our MINI, bad news! They're so hard, not interested. The chances of needing them are so slim.
4. Thanks, I wondered about that ventilation thing, don't see the need, we're top down from about 55°F.

I'm 73, into sports cars in the early '70's, with a 240Z, autocrossing, can't stand slow drivers. I use a radar detector, since NY cops almost always have their radar on, as soon as they crank up the cruiser, announcing their presence. Carly? I see some bad reviews, I'm not willing to chance it.
 
I got distracted. My question was, how do you turn off the traction control? On our old Nissan 350z, it was a button, I just pushed it as soon as I got in, knee jerk reaction. I think I need to hold the console button down for a while, not sure. Is that it? Thanks! :driving:

BTW, love the 2020 M40i, but I need my manual trany. The 8 spd with paddle shifters is good, but it's not real.
 
"..1. I'm in the habit of just poking the "Sport" button, right after starting it up..." - ME TOO!
"..3. I think you'd see the tires marks as run flats. We had them on our MINI, bad news! They're so hard, not interested. The chances of needing them are so slim..." - ME TOO!
"..BTW, love the 2020 M40i, but I need my manual trany. The 8 spd with paddle shifters is good, but it's not real...."-ALMOST ME TOO! 8)

Jeez, you sound like my long lost brother! We share so much, including our ages. :wink: I agree with you on the run-flats. We had them on our last few cars, my wife's C300 and a couple of 328i, and they were expensive and not too good for spirited driving. But since she drove it 97% of the time that was okay with me, as I didn't want her to get stuck somewhere around Memphis in the hot summer and have to wait for a tow. I drove motorcycles all over the western USA for over a dozen years, and had 2 or 3 flats. No spares, no run-flats. I never did both trying to repair the tires, just called our emergency road service and waited for a "tow". Once I had to wait about 4 hours in the wilds of Texas, but that's another story.....
I agree with you almost on the manual shifter: I had a Miata RF with MT and absolutely LOVED that car, but it was not practical for us in the long run - sold it after about a year. I considered getting a Boxster with MT over the M40i, but in the end I just thought I could adjust to the BMW's wonderful transmission, and I don't miss the shifting with clutch too much....most days. :driving:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom