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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 F11 520d : "gripes" list, ie. what could be improved |
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03-18-2011, 05:33 PM | #1 |
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F11 520d : "gripes" list, ie. what could be improved
I got my F11 520d since a few weeks. I have the following configuration
Alpine white exterior Black Tudor leather/tissu trim Sport seats Sport automatic transmission Sport M Suspension Sport Steering Wheel Panoramic sunroof Hifi Loudspeaker upgrade Sunblinds rear windows Ext. mirrors - folding, auto dimming USB connection Bluetooth Black roofrails Overall impression, great car and I love driving it. Although some of you will just see this as a list of futile "complaints", my reason for the list with "gripes" below is (a) I think some things should/could be done differently (even very good always can be better), and although I am not naive enough to think that writing this on a forum would make any difference, I am just interested to get your opinion; and (b) maybe I just didn't find the way to make it work as I think it should, and someone else on the forum can help me So, my list of things I don't like: 1) light indicator this is the first car I drive that has no indicator for the low beams: you cannot see whether the car has the low beams or the daytime running lights switched on. The indicator on the dashboard is always the same. And it is the same whether you use the "auto" function, or whether you switch manually from DRL to low beam: on the dashboard it's the same symbol. 2) auto hold not part of personal profile (so needs to be switched on every time) I could understand that when you start up the car, the autohold is not immediately enabled, because you often are maneuvering, which is easier without autohold, but there could be the functionality that once you have passed the 20 km/h, it is switched on automatically (if you choose so in your personal profile). 3) idem for sport setting Discussed elsewhere on the forum. I appreciate BMW's concerns for CO2 emissions, and maybe it is even a legal requirement that if BMW wants to use the low CO2 emission numbers (which are by far not met if you drive in sport mode) as official numbers for the car (which has a tax impact in several countries). But I would have liked the possibility to have it switched on permanently. 4) "nav" button on idrive even if the navigation option was not taken Ok, I did not take the satnav option, and maybe I am as such part of a very small minority, but I think that in a premium car, in that case the "nav" button on the iDrive should have a different label and functionality (USB/external source? trip computer?). 5) ipod connection does not work for older ipod models (iPod mini and iPod nano G1 are not recognized) Only my latest (G6) nano is recognized. My (very old) mini, and Nano G1 are no recognized. Which is a pity, because I like to keep an old ipod in the car, and keep my latest nano elsewhere. Ok, this might be an Apple problem, but it was a disappointment anyways. 6) higher gear on motorways in sport stand The auto gearbox is a dream, in particular in sport mode. BUT, for cruising on motorways (hence no changes in speed), it keeps the car in a lower gear than in the normal mode. This is great in the city, but on motorways very annoying. Even if you use the paddle to switch from 7th to 8th gear, and you maintain the same speed, it switches automatically back to 7th after a few seconds. You could say, put it in normal mode on motorways, but then I loose the advantage of the firmer steering, which mitigates a little bit gripe n°11 7) plastic ridge on top of dashboard (even without head-up display installed) When driving in sunlight, you "see" the reflection in the windscreen of the outline (ridges) of where the head-up display is installed if you took that option. For best visibility, the top of the dashboard should be very dark/black and as flat/smooth as possible, but this is unfortunately not the case in the F10/11. The reflection of these ridges are straight in my line of view, and quite annoying. 8) kids lock on back doors not electric Well, maybe there is a safety reason for this, but a button on the dashboard (or next to window controls on the door panel) or a setting in the iDrive would be better than a mechanical switch on the inside of the back doors. This is so outdated?? 9) cruise control controls It just does not work as conveniently as I wish. The first time you switch it on, it's ok. But when you want to change to a different speed (which you reached either by braking, or accelerating with the pedals), you either have to manually change it with the "roller wheel", or you have to switch off completely, and switch on again. It would have been so easy that pushing the "roller wheel" would just set the new current speed as cruising speed. 10) not enough space to put "junk" (glove box, armrest, ...) Quite self explanatory. Where do I keep all the stuff that I have in my pockets, and like to put somewhere in the car around me (wallet, keys, car key, phone, my wife's phone, credit card to pay toll, toll tickets, ipods, anti-radar device, etc.) 11) steering stability at cruising speeds Widely reported, and true. This is my only "real" gripe about driving/handling an otherwise quite perfect car. 12) comfort close : keep on pushing until all is closed Very annoying: if you have windows/sunroof open, you have to continue pushing until all are closed. There is the very probably risk that you released the button too early, and a window or sunroof are still partially open, so you almost have to make a visual inspection whether all did fully close. Did someone measure how long it takes to go from all windows+sunroof open to all closed? I would not be surprised if this would be 20 seconds or more. So this is the minimum time you have to push the button to close everything. It should work like, if you push a bit longer (2 sec), all should start closing, but without you having to keep on pushing; so once you see hear that the window start closing, or mirror start folding, you can release button, walk away from the car, and you can be confident that all will be closed. 13) radio/CD/USB input keeps on playing for a long time (5 minutes) or until you lock the car Why? If I switch of the car, and open a door, music should stop playing. If it's radio, no problem (although neighbors might not like it if you arrive late at night and keep the doors open for a while to unload the car), but if it's CD or Ipod, I don't want that the playback continues when I am doing things around the car (putting coats on, getting the kids' stuff out of the boot, etc. etc.). Again, maybe some people think this is just a good feature, but I would love that this could be customized in the personal profile. 14) the green LED on the lever when you activate automatic wipers mode. The LED is completely invisible if you sit behind the wheel! Why not an indicator on the dashboard? So that's it. Nevertheless, great car, and I would definitely re-order the F11 if I had the choice again. Maybe only a very few changes in my options list, but that's it. |
03-18-2011, 10:08 PM | #2 |
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Sorry in advance... I had to effectively lemon my first F10 and now have had the grinding steering problem with the replacement and a need to replace all four tires because the Goodyear Eagles are on backorder... Your list provides me with a comedic opportunity that in no way reflects my opinion of you as an individual...
1) light indicator this is the first car I drive that has no indicator for the low beams: you cannot see whether the car has the low beams or the daytime running lights switched on. The indicator on the dashboard is always the same. And it is the same whether you use the "auto" function, or whether you switch manually from DRL to low beam: on the dashboard it's the same symbol. I remember how happy I was when i got the first car i had driven where I did not have to find the metal knob on the floorboard to turn on the High Beams... Now the "A" setting is too inconvenient! 2) auto hold not part of personal profile (so needs to be switched on every time) I could understand that when you start up the car, the autohold is not immediately enabled, because you often are maneuvering, which is easier without autohold, but there could be the functionality that once you have passed the 20 km/h, it is switched on automatically (if you choose so in your personal profile). I totally agree. If you are going to save me from the exertion of putting slight pressure on my calf muscle, why would you insist on undue stress on my index finger? 3) idem for sport setting Discussed elsewhere on the forum. I appreciate BMW's concerns for CO2 emissions, and maybe it is even a legal requirement that if BMW wants to use the low CO2 emission numbers (which are by far not met if you drive in sport mode) as official numbers for the car (which has a tax impact in several countries). But I would have liked the possibility to have it switched on permanently. Is your driveway an autobahn on-ramp or is it that pesky carpel tunnel syndrome in the index finger again? 4) "nav" button on idrive even if the navigation option was not taken Ok, I did not take the satnav option, and maybe I am as such part of a very small minority, but I think that in a premium car, in that case the "nav" button on the iDrive should have a different label and functionality (USB/external source? trip computer?). Totally with you here. I lost my iPhone and am waiting for the price to come down, and everytime I see that darn "TEL" button I curse BMW for taunting me about being too cheap. 5) ipod connection does not work for older ipod models (iPod mini and iPod nano G1 are not recognized) Only my latest (G6) nano is recognized. My (very old) mini, and Nano G1 are no recognized. Which is a pity, because I like to keep an old ipod in the car, and keep my latest nano elsewhere. Ok, this might be an Apple problem, but it was a disappointment anyways. That's just the way Apple does business. They release an iPad, knowing a web-cam is a no brainer, knowing we'll buy it and then buy again when the iPad 2 comes out. I am certain that in the same way they knew in 2002 how to make the G1 compatible with the 2011 BMW, but wanted to screw you into shelling out $99 once every 10 years. And BMW is no better... I have been trying to pair my Motorola DynaTAC for days now with no luck 6) higher gear on motorways in sport stand The auto gearbox is a dream, in particular in sport mode. BUT, for cruising on motorways (hence no changes in speed), it keeps the car in a lower gear than in the normal mode. This is great in the city, but on motorways very annoying. Even if you use the paddle to switch from 7th to 8th gear, and you maintain the same speed, it switches automatically back to 7th after a few seconds. You could say, put it in normal mode on motorways, but then I loose the advantage of the firmer steering, which mitigates a little bit gripe n°11 I think you have some trust issues. The car has a full plethora of dynamic, electronically controlled drive settings for any occasion, but you second guess the gear ratio when "Cruising"? And you need firmer steering while "Cruising the motorway" why? 7) plastic ridge on top of dashboard (even without head-up display installed) When driving in sunlight, you "see" the reflection in the windscreen of the outline (ridges) of where the head-up display is installed if you took that option. For best visibility, the top of the dashboard should be very dark/black and as flat/smooth as possible, but this is unfortunately not the case in the F10/11. The reflection of these ridges are straight in my line of view, and quite annoying. Only a problem on Sunny days, and since Paris only has 75 or so a year, I would just insist the government give you those days off... or cause a riot. OK... OUCH... uncalled for... sorry 8) kids lock on back doors not electric Well, maybe there is a safety reason for this, but a button on the dashboard (or next to window controls on the door panel) or a setting in the iDrive would be better than a mechanical switch on the inside of the back doors. This is so outdated?? Some days I wish I could disable the airbag child safety settings from the console as well... C'mon, these are jokes people! 9) cruise control controls It just does not work as conveniently as I wish. The first time you switch it on, it's ok. But when you want to change to a different speed (which you reached either by braking, or accelerating with the pedals), you either have to manually change it with the "roller wheel", or you have to switch off completely, and switch on again. It would have been so easy that pushing the "roller wheel" would just set the new current speed as cruising speed. Honestly I haven't tried cruise yet. Must be a "resume" somehow... Last resort would be that calf muscle workout again. 10) not enough space to put "junk" (glove box, armrest, ...) Quite self explanatory. Where do I keep all the stuff that I have in my pockets, and like to put somewhere in the car around me (wallet, keys, car key, phone, my wife's phone, credit card to pay toll, toll tickets, ipods, anti-radar device, etc.) In order: pocket;pocket;pocket;center console;her purse;it's called EasyPass;see previous;get an iPhone;slow down 11) steering stability at cruising speeds Widely reported, and true. This is my only "real" gripe about driving/handling an otherwise quite perfect car. I often fear for my ability to keep it on the road at "Cruising" speed... that's why I can't drive.. 55 12) comfort close : keep on pushing until all is closed Very annoying: if you have windows/sunroof open, you have to continue pushing until all are closed. There is the very probably risk that you released the button too early, and a window or sunroof are still partially open, so you almost have to make a visual inspection whether all did fully close. Did someone measure how long it takes to go from all windows+sunroof open to all closed? I would not be surprised if this would be 20 seconds or more. So this is the minimum time you have to push the button to close everything. It should work like, if you push a bit longer (2 sec), all should start closing, but without you having to keep on pushing; so once you see hear that the window start closing, or mirror start folding, you can release button, walk away from the car, and you can be confident that all will be closed. You are making my index finger hurt just thinking about it... And I am with you that anything that takes more than 20 seconds to complete, and has potential of having to exert more effort to ensure the job is satisfied, is very annoying... especially if I have to use my overworked index finger. 13) radio/CD/USB input keeps on playing for a long time (5 minutes) or until you lock the car Why? If I switch of the car, and open a door, music should stop playing. If it's radio, no problem (although neighbors might not like it if you arrive late at night and keep the doors open for a while to unload the car), but if it's CD or Ipod, I don't want that the playback continues when I am doing things around the car (putting coats on, getting the kids' stuff out of the boot, etc. etc.). Again, maybe some people think this is just a good feature, but I would love that this could be customized in the personal profile. Pushing the button twice vs. additional programming and customization settings... something tells me you are not in IT 14) the green LED on the lever when you activate automatic wipers mode. The LED is completely invisible if you sit behind the wheel! Why not an indicator on the dashboard? You mean an indicator that can easily be analyzed... right in front of your eyes... maybe like wipers on the windshield that are not moving on a consistent interval? So that's it. Nevertheless, great car, and I would definitely re-order the F11 if I had the choice again. Maybe only a very few changes in my options list, but that's it.[/QUOTE] Sorry again... just jokes... but I would seriously get that finger looked at |
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03-19-2011, 01:00 AM | #3 | |
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In order to get your older iPods to work, it would break using newer iPods that you can actually purchase today. I think that's a fair trade-off. Personally, I just keep a flash drive in the car with my music collection. No reason to keep an iPod in the car. |
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03-19-2011, 01:06 AM | #4 | |
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The light is off when the daytime lights are on. The light is on when the headlights are on. Maybe the headlights stay on too long for you. Keep in mind that even if the headlights are in, the interior displays don't dim unless the interior light sensor sees that it's dark. |
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03-19-2011, 02:46 AM | #5 |
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Very much enjoyed the humour here. Am sure it will be taken in the spirit it is intended.
All those annoyances are fair. You spent a lot of money and you don't appreciate having to compromise. I'm with you. That said, on balance I would still ho out and buy the same car again. |
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03-19-2011, 05:11 AM | #6 | |
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To be ready for action, in sport mode, the car is in a lower gear and is higher revving than in normal mode.
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03-19-2011, 07:32 AM | #7 |
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I can appreciate you're critical thinking - it's part of what I do as well to build efficeient and intuitive systems at work. The reason these cars are such a pleasure to drive is because the engineers have done enormous amounts of detailed work already. As you point out nothing is perfect and can constantly be improved.
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03-19-2011, 05:13 PM | #8 |
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I totally agree with many of your points. Why to complicate if it could be easy? For example, closing windows was fine on e60, now after switching off it needs to be pushed manually. Not really an improvement.
I can add some more: 1) no Skip Forward/Backward buttons on the wheel. 2) many small Idrive bugs 3) no convenient place to put keys in a car, bigger keys than e60... |
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03-19-2011, 07:20 PM | #9 |
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No, but there is a scroll/click wheel that offers more functionality. Don't you think that's better than the traditional skip buttons?
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03-20-2011, 02:39 AM | #10 |
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[QUOTE=Pacecar;9160068]I got my F11 520d since a few weeks. I have the following configuration
9) cruise control controls It just does not work as conveniently as I wish. The first time you switch it on, it's ok. But when you want to change to a different speed (which you reached either by braking, or accelerating with the pedals), you either have to manually change it with the "roller wheel", or you have to switch off completely, and switch on again. It would have been so easy that pushing the "roller wheel" would just set the new current speed as cruising speed. Once you've reached the speed that you want, just push the 'lever button' up/down once (as if you want to increase/decrease the speed by 1 m/hr). The cruise control will jump to the current speed you are going. I hope that makes sense. For eg if I'm traveling @ 70m/hr on CC and brake to 63 m/hr, I just click the lever down once and the CC sets to 63m/hr. |
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03-20-2011, 02:46 AM | #11 |
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You mean an indicator that can easily be analyzed... right in front of your eyes... maybe like wipers on the windshield that are not moving on a consistent interval?
I have to agree with PACECAR on this one. The light on the wiper stick is not easily visible. I have left it ON when leaving the car, especially if its just a drizzle and the wiper doesn't come on that often. I forget to turn it OFF cuz I don't realise its turned ON. Once my neighbour knocked on the door to tell me my wiper was still ON |
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03-20-2011, 03:01 AM | #12 |
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I agree with most of your list. I have noticed several of these issues in the 8 weeks I've owned my car. I'd add to the list:
1) My E39 had up/down arrows for radio volume AND channel on the steering wheel. I wish the hadn't removed the channel arrows. (I know you can use the click wheel, but you have to look at the display to see what you are doing.) 2) There used to be a ventilation recirculate button on the steering wheel. Why did they remove it? Better yet, put a button on the steering wheel that we can program however we want. 3) I'm sorry, but the iPod interface on idrive really SUCKS! How about BMW hire a couple of apple UI engineers to redesign the whole idrive interface while they are at it. It looks like it was designed in 1996... 4) I had the same confusion trying to understand if the head lights or DTRL were on. I think one of the follow on commenters cleared that up though. 5) I'd vote for the car remembering what drive mode it was in the last time the car was driven. 6) I'd like the option for a spare tire/jack/and regular tires. 7) Why do I have to make a half a dozen button clicks to get to the now playing song on my ipod? |
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03-20-2011, 04:03 AM | #13 | |
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<Voicecommand> "current playback"
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03-20-2011, 04:07 AM | #14 |
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I miss skip buttons when listening the music on random. Then the only way to skip is to press the buttons which are very (unconveniently) far away on a dashboard. Very poor interface design.
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03-20-2011, 04:12 AM | #15 |
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03-20-2011, 04:36 AM | #16 |
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[QUOTE=JPHender;9168321]
6) I'd like the option for a spare tire/jack/and regular tires.[QUOTE/] That is the main thing on my list. After three months I figured out most of the little differances with the E60 and am quite happy with how the F10 can be used. The dissatisfaction with the IT will never be solved. I would like to have the promissed but in NL not delivered internet. And the possibilities to ad POI's to the nav. To the OP; You can put suspension on sport and leave the ZF in overdrive in the menu, I am sure you can find it and will be pleased with that setting. For all the apple fans out there, it is not BMW, but Steve's company that is to blame for all the improper functions on the I product range. So do not let that interfere with the joy you can have with your F10. Last edited by F11-Diesel; 03-20-2011 at 11:42 AM.. |
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03-20-2011, 05:03 AM | #17 |
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If BMW would have to incorparate each and every individual user requirement, the steering wheel would have 500 buttons.
IMO it is very good design to leave the interior uncluttered and I cannot think of a better man/machine interface than the one BMW is typically offering. Btw: have you tried voice command?
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03-20-2011, 05:14 AM | #18 | |
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Yes, I know. ;-) In e60 it was not possible to skip to next random track. On f10 it is finally possible, but now ... no skip button ...
I haven't tried voice commands yet. I have language on English, but when I press voice button on a wheel, voice in german says something and whatever I say doesn't work. I didn't order voice command option, only navi proffessional, which should include voice commands, but maybe only for navigation. Quote:
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03-20-2011, 05:22 AM | #19 |
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I have also found following idrive bugs:
1. When listening to the radio, if the station is changed by a scroll wheel on the steering wheel to a station which is not currently shown on central display (it is above or below on the list), then central display stays unchanged and does not show selected station. 2. When listening to CD or music collection, whenever you rotate a central controller and you do not click to select a new track, the red frame around the selection will stay on the screen on this position no matter what track is played afterwards (next, random etc.) So the display doesn't show a track playing and you are lost in the folder structure. 3. After switching the car on, sometimes the display is showing the root folder selection instead of the last track which is being played. No "now playing" option. |
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09-13-2011, 04:42 PM | #20 | |
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I would say: since you also have Sports Auto option, you can configure Sport mode. In this case, when you are driving on a motorway, you can choose "Chasis only" for your sport mode and here you go...You will have tighter steering and chasis and 8th gear as well. Furthermore, when you need extra power and revs, you can pull the steering lever to left and then you have both engine and chasis at the same time in sport mode. |
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09-13-2011, 04:52 PM | #21 | |
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09-14-2011, 03:58 AM | #22 | |
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