[lindros2]

Originally Posted by delvek

Lindros, based on your most recent posts I can tell that these sorts of problems follow you. I have nothing left to say excpet bid you well.

Seriously?

This is a known issue with the car. The answer is "purchase 4-zone climate controle," which many of us would have done (for as little as zero dollar) if made aware of the issue.

"Problems follow me"? I've only had the known issues, which haven't been that big of a deal.

Arrogants like you are a bigger issue.

[rexus300]

Sorry, but I like the new 2012 Audi A6 more. Its sportier, more planted, and is smoother than the 5 without the jittery and harsh ride of the 5 even without runflats.

[davesf]

Originally Posted by delvek

I wasnt aware that BMW was having turbo issues ...

You can see the complaints on these forums from some 535 drivers about hesitation from a stop. Some of them may simply be hyper-sensitive to the unavoidable small amount of turbo+torque-converter lag. Others seem to be having genuine minor engine issues. (kinked turbo line, fuel pump, calibration issues).. which seem to get resolved.

However, my comment is more that when I think about all the car-in-the-shop comments I've heard from friends, there is no one brand that typically has good or bad reliability. For every bad Audi/BMW reliability story, I can find a good one. The common factor in those stories is that turbos are more frequently in the shop.

It's too soon to tell what the 10-year longevity of current BMW turbos will be. However, I trust that they will become quite good at managing turbos, having moved basically their entire line to them. Just like Audi will probably become quite good at superchargers, having moved their entire line to them.

Sorry, but I like the new 2012 Audi A6 more. Its sportier, more planted, and is smoother than the 5 without the jittery and harsh ride of the 5 even without runflats.

I agree the 2012 A6 3.0T has some stellar qualities. I too preferred many things about it. In the end for me it lost because I prefer the 550's grunty V8-turbo passing power to the A6 3.0T's high-rpm passing power (reminded me of a rice rocket), and more importantly because I find the A6 aesthetics bland (especially the rear end). I just couldn't get excited about walking to that car everyday vs the sexy F10. I expect the S6 to be a more worthy competitor to the 550, though I'm doubtful they will spice up the styling much. The A7 has more curb appeal, but sadly is 2+2.

[delvek]

Originally Posted by davesf

You can see the complaints on these forums from some 535 drivers about hesitation from a stop. Some of them may simply be hyper-sensitive to the unavoidable small amount of turbo+torque-converter lag. Others seem to be having genuine minor engine issues. (kinked turbo line, fuel pump, calibration issues).. which seem to get resolved.

However, my comment is more that when I think about all the car-in-the-shop comments I've heard from friends, there is no one brand that typically has good or bad reliability. For every bad Audi/BMW reliability story, I can find a good one. The common factor in those stories is that turbos are more frequently in the shop.

It's too soon to tell what the 10-year longevity of current BMW turbos will be. However, I trust that they will become quite good at managing turbos, having moved basically their entire line to them. Just like Audi will probably become quite good at superchargers, having moved their entire line to them.

I misunderstood your point but the clarification is spot on. After reading much about the 535 complaints (I own a 550) I think a lot are confusing that small bit of turbo lag you reference upon acceleration. I have had turbo BMW's for a while now and have yet to have a problem but your point is well taken across the board.

Second only to the feel of a rabid V8 screaming down a straight away, I love turbos and think they will be a major part of the worlds insane road to "greenness".

[delvek]

Originally Posted by davesf

I agree the 2012 A6 3.0T has some stellar qualities. I too preferred many things about it. In the end for me it lost because I prefer the 550's grunty V8-turbo passing power to the A6 3.0T's high-rpm passing power (reminded me of a rice rocket), and more importantly because I find the A6 aesthetics bland (especially the rear end). I just couldn't get excited about walking to that car everyday vs the sexy F10. I expect the S6 to be a more worthy competitor to the 550, though I'm doubtful they will spice up the styling much. The A7 has more curb appeal, but sadly is 2+2.

I look forward to blowing the doors off the A6 and the S6 and looking like a rockstar doing it. No offense but you either have to have grand kids, be a librarian or drive a Lexus to think the A6 looks nice, its like pre-2000 lines.

[rexus300]

I agree with davesf which is why the A6 with the sports package and 19 wheels look amazing and I can get away with the looks at the end. Its more of the drive, comfort, style, and the amazing tech inside the A6 and A7 that make them worthy overall. So its what you want in a car that matters at the end.

[lindros2]

My apologies to Delvek and others for taking this off-topic.

My only point with regard to the A6 - and to the original topic - is that there is a KEY airflow and temperature problem in the rear of the cabin. Whether Delvek admits this or not, it is an issue. BMW's response - after one year - of "we'll give you $2k, but you'll lose $8k" was unacceptable.

The Comfort Seats exacerbate this, since there is very limited air flow to the rear of the passenger compartment.

During winter (cold) and summer (warm) months, the lack of auxiliary vents in the B-pillars - which were part of every German E-class car - is a big miss.

If I had done it all over again, I would have purchased 4-zone climate control. I have it on my other two large vehicles (my Nissan GT-R rear seat isn't suited for anyone who would care about heating or cooling).

[Bimmernerd]

Sorry dogruyolk but there must be something wrong with your car...I have a brand new 530d xDrive Touring (F11) with only dual-zone climate control. I have checked the rear vents several times and there IS hot air coming out, similar to the temperature you set up front. The hot-cold vents you can adjust in the front below the Nav display, have no impact on the rear vents when it comes to temperature in the rear. When I tested all this the outside temperature was approx 0 degrees Celcius or colder.

[davesf]

Originally Posted by MERCSUk153

Maybe there is a difference with the Euro and North American cars. Possibly BMW tried to save some money on the cheaper North American cars hence the 2 zone N.A cars don't have heat.

I'm not sure where this speculation comes from, however, I just tested my 2012 USA-North American 550xi with 2-zone climate control.... and both hot and cool air flow from the center-rear-vents.

How I tested this:

1) Turned on the car
2) Set the temp to 84 (max), Auto, ALL, snowflake
3) WITNESS: no air came out any of the vents in the car (because the engine was not warm yet, and heat comes from engine block temperature)
4) Took a little spin around the block to heat up the engine
5) Retested, set the temp to 84 (max), Auto, ALL, snowflake
6) WITNESS: Heat came out of the center rear vents (and all other vents)
7) set the temp to 65
8) WITNESS: cool came out of the center rear vents (and all other vents)
9) reset the temp to 85
10) WITNESS: heat came out of the center rear vents (and all other vents)

It's quite obvious, that in my 2-zone climate control car, both hot and cold air come out of the center rear vents. The rear vent temperature seems unrelated to the front-center-console red/blue dial.

If hot air does not come out of your center rear vents.... make sure your engine is warm (because heat comes from engine block heat). If the engine block is heated, and hot air is coming out of other vents, and your rear-vents are open (set to 1 not 0), and you still have no heat from the rear vents, then your heating system may be broken have your dealer fix it. If the BMW system has a rear-seat temperature sensor, that may be broken, or the heat/cool bypass vent control for your rear seat air vents may be broken or disconnected.

If your dealer is using a complaint about broken car behavior as an excuse to get you to buy a new car, they are sleazy, and I'd get a new dealer. (or spend your time talking to the service dept or service manager, not the sales guys, who can do nothing but sell you a new car)

---------

HOWEVER, I am sad that 4-zone isn't publicized as a stand-alone option in the US. I would have bought it on my custom-order 2012 550xi. The only reason I didn't, is I thought that it only came bundled in the "luxury seating" package that also includes seat-perforation/ventilation I didn't want. It's also sad to think that had I just asked, I might have been able to get it added as a $0 option since my car was built in November. Ohh well. Even on a custom order car it's hard to get everything perfect.

BMW should bundle 4-zone with a lower-tier option package, or put it into the cold-weather package as well as luxury seating.

[darrko]

Logically speaking, a 4-zone system would mean 4 "independently controllable" zones for the aircon system so the 4 zones would be (1) the driver (2) the passenger (3) the rear left passenger and (4) the rear right passenger. A 2-zone system would be just the driver and passenger zones that are independently controllable but obviously does not mean the rear passengers do not get any cold/hot air from the system!

The fact that there would be no hot air coming for the rear passengers is just preposterous and the OP's frustration is understandable, given what he paid for the car and his expectations from it. I would really get the system checked by another service center.

[kave]

I have a 2012 520D with extended climate control, i.e. 2 zone and it blows and blows hot air through the rear vents. The only place it blows cold air is through the 4 middle vents in the front if the fresh air dial is on blue.

Maybe there are different setups for different markets? We also have heated seats standard in the front.

[Teo71]

I've got f10 520i 2011.
If I set 16C temperature(with -1C outside) I get cold air in rear vent.
If I set atleast 16,5C or higher temperature I get warm air from the rear center vents, however a bit later than it happenes from the front center vents.
Perhaps you should wait a bit and test the rear vents after 5 min of driving?

P.S. I saw in a manual that 2 zone climat control might have the same rolls with red&blue spots for hot&cold air as they have in front center vents.
I haven't got such rolls in my car. I've got the same air as in front vents with a short delay.

One more - my car has an option "Cold weather"(price ~50EURO). I don't know what it is. Perhaps it connected with those rear vents somehow?

[Teo71]

If you have children about 4-5 years old, 4 zone climate control might be a real problem because you can't prevent children from using it during a trip and they can fool with it including get cold

[delvek]

Originally Posted by Teo71

If you have children about 4-5 years old, 4 zone climate control might be a real problem because you can't prevent children from using it during a trip and they can fool with it including get cold

There is a sync button up front.

[delvek]

Originally Posted by MERCSUk153

Good for you. A V8 with TT beats the supercharged V6 by .4sec to the quarter mile and even at 0-60.
Then at the corners the BMW can't keep up.
http://www.insideline.com/audi/a6/20...and-video.html
http://www.insideline.com/bmw/5-seri...ison-test.html

Don't worry about looking at the A6 once the new S6 comes out it will not only leave your 550i in the dust in the corner but will do so also on the straight away.

My 550i is pushing 500hp / 720Nm. 0-60 seconds is pointless, my tuned, dropped and exhausted 550i is too fast, I will pull away from any stock or tuned A6 or S6 up to 260kmh all day long. It would be a joke. Let me know what the posted 80kmh to 180kmh is, if its under 7 seconds then let me know otherwise get that turd sled out of my way.

lol, leave me in the dust ...

ps. I understand someone has to be second best but if your so Audi why are you on a BMW forum, do you have nothing better to do.

[sanf]

how does that affect a 2zone setup? whatever comes out of the back vent should directly be what's going out in the front. I thought it's just a simple tube splitting from front to rear. 4 zones would be another story.

my 2zone setup is working fine.

[Bimmernerd]

Originally Posted by sanf

how does that affect a 2zone setup? whatever comes out of the back vent should directly be what's going out in the front. I thought it's just a simple tube splitting from front to rear. 4 zones would be another story.

my 2zone setup is working fine.

Yep! If you have the 2-zone system and always get cold air through the rear vents regardless of outside temp and the adjustment of temperature up front there must be something wrong with the car...

[mistry]

I have the 2-zone and have noticed there is always cold air coming from the rear vents. but noticed somthing different this morning. it was about -2 outside and noticed that when the car first got going there was very warm air coming from the rear vents, then when the car got up to temperature it switch and starting blowing cold, and nothing I did to the temp, circulation, A/c etc would change it.

very odd, why it would be warm to begin with then cool right down.

[Sharbotcom]

Originally Posted by Bimmernerd

Yep! If you have the 2-zone system and always get cold air through the rear vents regardless of outside temp and the adjustment of temperature up front there must be something wrong with the car...

It appaers a number of vehicles behave differently. My rear vents work as expected. Please read http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=614791.

Thanks,
Bill

[Bimmernerd]

Originally Posted by Sharbotcom

It appaers a number of vehicles behave differently. My rear vents work as expected. Please read http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=614791.

Thanks,
Bill

Bill, I have read the thread you referred to before. What I was most surprised about were the authors who consistently said that it was not possible to get warm air through the rear vents in a car with just a dual-zone system. Obviously not a correct statement...

However, it is very odd that different owners get different results when testing their dual-zone climate controls. If the "cold air-problem" is common there must be a solution from BMW, right?

I have so far driven my car 2000 miles and have nothing to complain about when it comes to temperature through the rear vents. Actually my wife turned off these vents the other day when she and my daughter were in the back seat - it was getting too warm! As we have winter here in Sweden the outside temperature has varied between -15 and +5 degrees Celsius. Regardless of outside temp there has been no problem with the climate control.

I think it would be very strange if the factory setting for the dual-zone systems differ depending on where the 5:er was sold as someone suggested?

[Sharbotcom]

Originally Posted by Bimmernerd

I think it would be very strange if the factory setting for the dual-zone systems differ depending on where the 5:er was sold as someone suggested?

It appears to be a mystery.

Perhaps one of this thread's readers who happen to have one of those snake camera probes (the ones used by HVAC people to check the inside of duct work) is willing to feed it through one of their rear vents to see if they can figure out the routing of the air source...this would go a long way in determining what is happening to the air as it is fed to the vents.

[JNoSol]

Originally Posted by delvek

I wasnt aware that BMW was having turbo issues ...

I never read a review when buying a car. Those reviews are written by people who dont know anything about what I want or expect in car, nor the way I will drive the car or maintain the car. Also, most of those reviewers come to the table with bias and prejudice towards manufacturers or models. My recommendation is to drive a car the way you would drive it each day and determine which is best for you.

For me, I have yet to drive an Audi that didnt feel like a cheap pig. My New Years resolution was to be nicer to Audi drivers, I am not doing too well.

+1, I'm sure those car reviews are all politics. Example: The 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year is a Chevy Volt??? C'mon, that can't be better than the Fisher Karma & Tesla S in the eco (green) class!!!