[kave]

I am in the market for a new car this spring.
I have always liked to have a BMW and now when I run my own company I can pretty much buy what I wan't.

I really have tried to understand the iDrive system. Usually I can manage to do what I like to do but it takes so much clicking arround to do what I like so I never remember the right way. For example:

I can't find Pause. How can BMW make a stereo that doesn't have Pause? The dealers know almost nothing about iDrive at all.

If I have played from USB memory how do I quickly select Bluetooth instead? MODE seems to only go to the radio.
If I like to start playback of a song i need to first select artist, album, song and then start playback. Then it only plays the same song over and over.
To play something else I have to sort of delete the search or something.
Sometimes I get to the folder view of the USB memory instead and I never know how to change back to Artist/Album view.

I know most computer OS's on the market and I teach and do support and make installations for a living. The best part of iDrive is that I have already charged customers money to help them do playback from USB memory etc.

So my question is to you all:
Do you feel that you know exactly how the iDrive system works and you know immediately which buttons to press? Hell, even the online manual can be a problem to get back if you searched for something.

[gatoman39]

The newer I-Drive system is much easier to use. The older versions were a bit complicated. So to answer your question, yes, I know how it works.

[ghueser]

Originally Posted by kave

I am in the market for a new car this spring.
I have always liked to have a BMW and now when I run my own company I can pretty much buy what I wan't.

I really have tried to understand the iDrive system. Usually I can manage to do what I like to do but it takes so much clicking arround to do what I like so I never remember the right way. For example:

I can't find Pause. How can BMW make a stereo that doesn't have Pause? The dealers know almost nothing about iDrive at all.

If I have played from USB memory how do I quickly select Bluetooth instead? MODE seems to only go to the radio.
If I like to start playback of a song i need to first select artist, album, song and then start playback. Then it only plays the same song over and over.
To play something else I have to sort of delete the search or something.
Sometimes I get to the folder view of the USB memory instead and I never know how to change back to Artist/Album view.

I know most computer OS's on the market and I teach and do support and make installations for a living. The best part of iDrive is that I have already charged customers money to help them do playback from USB memory etc.

So my question is to you all:
Do you feel that you know exactly how the iDrive system works and you know immediately which buttons to press? Hell, even the online manual can be a problem to get back if you searched for something.

As with anything, there are pro's and con's to any of the numerous interface systems that vehicle manufacturer's offer. The biggest main difference being whether it uses some form of touch screen..or manual knob to work. With the changes and improvements that BMW has made to the i-Drive system, it does in my opinion work pretty well. In fact, it has recieved reletivley high marks recently from various trade publications and automotive magazines as of late. It does take time to learn, but once understood is reletively painless to use and does offer a wide variety of features. The maual does a poor job in describing some of the features yes, and as with you, the dealer is not always quite up to par on knowing things as well. But there is a vast source of information on the internet and through forums such as this that can supply whatever information you require to help you master this system. Do I know how the system works.....probably not completely, but well enough to feel very comfortable using it.

[delvek]

I feel like I have a good mastery of the system and the F10 itself mainly from using the Idrive owners manual and working through each item. I feel it gets you very familiar with the basic controls while navigating but then each topic usually tells you how to do something.

[kave]

Alright. You who claim to know the system:
How do you pause playback then? When listening to an audobook or whatever.
How do you turn the stereo off?

[1HOT BMR]

Originally Posted by kave

Alright. You who claim to know the system:
How do you pause playback then? When listening to an audobook or whatever.
How do you turn the stereo off?

Just push on the volume button to pause. When you push it again it brings you back to where you left it.

[kave]

1hot. No, it doesnt pause, it just mutes.

[O.S.]

Mine pauses

Originally Posted by kave

1hot. No, it doesnt pause, it just mutes.

[5fix]

It's a car, not a stereo. I turn off the music and listen to the engine.

[1HOT BMR]

Originally Posted by kave

1hot. No, it doesnt pause, it just mutes.

Sure it does pause. Push the button when the song is at 1:31 and return 5 minutes later to the same song at 1:31. Mute would be if the song keeps running without sound, it doesn't. This is using the USB port in the console and a thumb drive. Different build dates? Different equipment?

[delvek]

Can anyone verify that paused music in fact also mutes?

[strumbringer]

Originally Posted by O.S.

Mine pauses

Mine too.

[M1rcea]

So does mine.

[HabsingeR]

Originally Posted by kave

1hot. No, it doesnt pause, it just mutes.

Maybe he was listening to radio before :-)

[GGPlena]

LOL :-)

[kel3]

mine pauses..

[Jon D]

Originally Posted by delvek

Can anyone verify that paused music in fact also mutes?

And, does the fridge light go off when you shut the door?

[northernmonkey]

Originally Posted by HabsingeR

Maybe he was listening to radio before :-)

beat me to it......

....but +1 mine (as with last 3 BMW's with iDrive) pauses playback if I mute. if I want to play the same track again i just use the selector wheel on steering wheel and hit same track. to go back and search other albums or artists i just use the "CD" button near the iDrive wheel and then select either All Albums or All Artists and it takes me back to the full device content list.

all seems fairly simple? I think BMW will utilize the iPod "Out" functionality soon which should be available for existing cars as a s/w update so the experience should get even slicker.

[Bmrmeup]

Mine pauses & resumes also. Just push the volume button on the dash.....

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by kave

I am in the market for a new car this spring.
I have always liked to have a BMW and now when I run my own company I can pretty much buy what I wan't.

I really have tried to understand the iDrive system. Usually I can manage to do what I like to do but it takes so much clicking arround to do what I like so I never remember the right way. For example:

I can't find Pause. How can BMW make a stereo that doesn't have Pause? The dealers know almost nothing about iDrive at all.

If I have played from USB memory how do I quickly select Bluetooth instead? MODE seems to only go to the radio.
If I like to start playback of a song i need to first select artist, album, song and then start playback. Then it only plays the same song over and over.
To play something else I have to sort of delete the search or something.
Sometimes I get to the folder view of the USB memory instead and I never know how to change back to Artist/Album view.

I know most computer OS's on the market and I teach and do support and make installations for a living. The best part of iDrive is that I have already charged customers money to help them do playback from USB memory etc.

So my question is to you all:
Do you feel that you know exactly how the iDrive system works and you know immediately which buttons to press? Hell, even the online manual can be a problem to get back if you searched for something.

Are you for real??????

[james d]

For Real on Planet Zanussi, but not here!