What does this Button do?[newbie]

[z4_DanMac]

Hey had my Z for almost a week now, loving it! couple quick questions.

The Button second from the right --> ( ! ) what does this do??

Also my steering wheel has radio controls but also phone controls, my car is not equipped with wireless phone option so seems strange to have these buttons? is it possible the previous owner retro fitted this wheel? also im guessing the adjustable setting on the wiper control stick affects the speed/ ratio of the window wipers? doesnt seem to have a noticeable change?

Any advice would be great also anything a new Z owner should know which might not be obvious
cheers

 

[Citation 650]

Question #1 The manual says: "The indicator lamp lights up red; in addition, an acoustic signal is sounded: Respond immediately by carefully reducing vehicle speed to under 50 mph / 80 km/h. Avoid hard brake applications and steering maneuvers."

 

[z4_DanMac]

Yea seen that in manual. doesn't make much sense to me :?

Why would a warning signal require a button??

 

[stehanson]

Welcome to the forum! (still fairly new myself)

Button is something to do with runflats I believe - mines on normal tyres so unsure what its use is exactly!

Steering wheel controls appear to be on all models even if the phone module was not bought as an option at time of manafacture,guess it saves having multiple steering wheel configurations, and their associated design/manufacturing costs

Speed control for the window wipers as you mention is actually the sensitivity of the auto rain activated mode, one click up on the stalk from its lowest position, use the wheel to adjust its sensitivity, sensor is on windscreen exterior side or rear view mirror.

Hope everything is correct, my fellow forum members will soon correct me if i'm wrong lol!

Enjoy the car mate, loads of fun esp in summer

 

[markeg]

Second button is for resetting the tyre pressure monitor - not just for run flats. Having had a flat, can assure you both the monitoring and reset work

And the phone buttons are standard on all cars equipped with a MFSW - just because they are there doesn't mean the car has ever had BT fitted.

HTH


Tapatalking...

 

[z4_DanMac]

Thanks guys, really aprreciate. Looked into the RFT's. i knew the car had them fitted but didnt realise there were pressure sensors, very handy!

Also never knew it was equipped with rain sensors! car gets better and better.

Also sold my astra today so im thinkn...Mods :evil:

or possibly just some petrol ! :thumbsdown:

 

[markeg]

They're not really pressure sensors, it's BMWs way of doing it - IIRC they measure rotational speed of the wheels and compare across axles. If it differs, the pressure sensors indicate an issue. Once the tyre is changed, you need to press and hold this button to reset the monitor...


Tapatalking...

 

[Bing]

You should re-set the tyre pressure sensor every time you put air in the tyres - hold it for 5 secs or so and the orange symbol lights up on the dash. Then drive off and it will go out when it has re-calibrated.

Don't expect the auto wipers to work automatically either :roll:

You have to initiate them every time you start the car - either flick the stalk up or down and back to the auto position, or flick the sensitivity switch up and down one click. Not exactly sure why this is, but one theory I have seen is that it stops the wipers tearing themselves when the screen is iced up and they are frozen to it.

Your car is even more clever than you think - when the auto wipers are activated by rain, sensor measures how much rain is falling and periodically sits the brake pads very gently against the disks to dry them off so you have more stopping power in wet conditions.

 

[hype]

You have to initiate them every time you start the car - either flick the stalk up or down and back to the auto position, or flick the sensitivity switch up and down one click. Not exactly sure why this is, but one theory I have seen is that it stops the wipers tearing themselves when the screen is iced up and they are frozen to it.

Your car is even more clever than you think - when the auto wipers are activated by rain, sensor measures how much rain is falling and periodically sits the brake pads very gently against the disks to dry them off so you have more stopping power in wet conditions.

I didn't know either of these two things! Thanks for sharing.

 

[sars]

Bing....the guy that rtfm

oh and hello and welcome

 

[jaxZ4]

Your car is even more clever than you . . etc.

Bing - hello ! that was quite impressive and I thought I had RTFM back to back but I don't think I knew that about the pads !

Agree with other comments here re "tyre pressure" monitoring - it does need re-setting otherwise it can be disconcerting when the dash lights up - especially when mrs jax (an experienced and good driver - brownie points for xmas) is driving to a forum meet point and tells you the temperature light is on and you then imagine you smell overheating - she had not RTFM !

All good stuff here for you DanMac !

 

[GregZ4]

The tyre pressure sensor will also activate if your tracking is way out of whack.
Had this issue with mine and was only resolved once the tracking was done.
Remember you do need to check pressures manually as slow leaks not necessarily detected and you could have 4 empty runflats!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9300 using Tapatalk

 

[AlanJ]

Remember you do need to check pressures manually as slow leaks not necessarily detected and you could have 4 empty runflats!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9300 using Tapatalk

.....only if they all deflate at the same rate and the comparative rolling radius remains constant. Its the variation that triggers the system.

 

[bladeowner]

Remember you do need to check pressures manually as slow leaks not necessarily detected and you could have 4 empty runflats!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9300 using Tapatalk

.....only if they all deflate at the same rate and the comparative rolling radius remains constant. Its the variation that triggers the system.

I haven't got runflats on but I presumed the system worked on normal tyres as well? Would the system be less or more sensitive to standard tyres?

 

[Dav the wheel nut]

It will work whatever tyres you have fitted.
I have non runflats and it activated with a loss of a couple of pounds due to a slow puncture.
Remember to stop straight away if it activates with non runflats of course.

 

[Bing]

Bing....the guy that rtfm

I am making a conscious effort to be more 'responsible' in my posting sars - not that I am reducing the sh1te, just increasing the usefulness quotient

Bing - hello ! that was quite impressive and I thought I had RTFM back to back but I don't think I knew that about the pads !

Alright Jax, you well mate ?

I have to confess that whilst I have indeed RTFM, and there are references in it, GregZ4 started a thread that caught my attention a wee while ago. I actually read every link he posted on the second page (of which I understood about 70% :roll: ) and then went off and did some of my own googling. Some really interesting stuff about DSC/DTC etc... And some info I found on another forum. Annoyingly the BMW site link doesn't work as they appear to have updated the site and I cannot now find the info it contained about all the safety systems they build into their cars. I have read about the brake drying specifically on the Z4 but can't find it :x

Here's the thread - http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=44594&hilit=Brake+drying&start=15

I am now annoyed and need to go find the BMW info...

 

[Bing]

Foud the BMW pages - not model specific, but lots of useful explanations for stuff that is in the manual, not hugely detailed and does not mention brake drying for some reason :?

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/..._guide/index_category.html?code=4&view=Safety

I think that the DSC system was 'upgraded' on facelifts, possibly only Si models, which would explain why Jax hasn't seen it in his manual -

Evo article here - http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/200519/bmw_z4_30si.html

M registry info here (I know it is the ///M, but it describes DSC+) - http://www.bmwmregistry.com/model_faq.php?id=23

Annoyingly I still cannot find the detailed vehicle specification to confirm 100% which models it is (or isn't) on

Anyway, forum good deed done for the day

 

[ESP]

Also my steering wheel has radio controls but also phone controls, my car is not equipped with wireless phone option so seems strange to have these buttons? is it possible the previous owner retro fitted this wheel? also im guessing the adjustable setting on the wiper control stick affects the speed/ ratio of the window wipers? doesnt seem to have a noticeable change?

Any advice would be great also anything a new Z owner should know which might not be obvious
cheers

Hi mate, i had this same issue when i got my Z4, i assumed that because the buttons where there that they all work.
Eventually i got around this by getting a local company to fit a Parrot CK3000 Evolution fitted in the roof of my glove box, with a extra bit of kit that sorts the phone buttons on the steering wheel. Its brilliant!!!

I have a iPhone 4s which has the Bluetooth always turned on. You get in the car, start the car, and with in 10seconds there’s a BEEP to confirm the phones paired automatically, BINGO, I don’t even have to get it out of my pocket. You can use SIRI, voice dialling, voice texting etc...
Best Mod iv ever had. Came to under £220 and he came to my work and did it in a couple of hours. JOB DONE!

One of these jobbies

 

[jaxZ4]

, which would explain why Jax hasn't seen it in his manual -

That looks about right Bing (cheers - yes thanks) - didn't realise I had old school / inferior DSC / DTC !

That's a good point about the Parrot kit too - I have the Parrot MKi9200 which does all this too (+screen & ipod/SD/USB control). I can confirm this makes these buttons very effective - you need a Parrot Unika cable / kit which to some is a DIY job - 'fraid I employed a pro