[nachob]

Originally Posted by Ritz42

You're sure your 135i had both a coolant (water temp) gauge and an Oil temp gauge? Like I said, my families 1m does not have a coolant gauge, only an oil temp gauge. Our old 128 had no temp gauges.

Yes, all the 1 series including the 1M had it. I attached a pic of 1M. It was very useful on 1M. It had the big cooling ducts, oil cooler, aux rediator and on cold mornings, it would take some time to get up to operating temp which I realized by the handy temp gauge.

[Ritz42]

Originally Posted by nachob

Yes, all the 1 series including the 1M had it. I attached a pic of 1M. It was very useful on 1M. It had the big cooling ducts, oil cooler, aux rediator and on cold mornings, it would take some time to get up to operating temp which I realized by the handy temp gauge.

That gauge is only for oil temp, hence the oil can next to it. That doesn't show your coolant temp at all. You might need to invest in the same glasses as Bradley!

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

no you can't... only way to see temp is with the hidden menu

Or you could shell out for the MPerf wheel with the LCD display, it can be shown on there also. Not very practical though.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by Ritz42

That gauge is only for oil temp, hence the oil can next to it. That doesn't show your coolant temp at all. You might need to invest in the same glasses as Bradley!

I'll take anything that gives me some engine health at this point. Coolant, oil, head temp, whatever. I don't like idiot lights.... they call them that for a reason!

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by rayploy

Do you guys know about the secret menu?
Press down the mileage reset button, while starting your car.
The unlock code is the last four digits of your vin added together .

I tried this twice, but it wouldn't unlock.

On holding down the reset button I saw a display line beginning with 01 *, 02 *,
etc. I tapped the reset button repeatedly until I came to the line "unlock." I then held the reset button down until a 0 digit appeared. Next, tapped the reset until the magic sum of the last 4 digits of my VIN appeared. Then what? How do you enter that figure? I tried holding down the reset. No go. Tried shutting off the car and restarting. No go. No workie.

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

I tried this twice, but it wouldn't unlock.

On holding down the reset button I saw a display line beginning with 01 *, 02 *,
etc. I tapped the reset button repeatedly until I came to the line "unlock." I then held the reset button down until a 0 digit appeared. Next, tapped the reset until the magic sum of the last 4 digits of my VIN appeared. Then what? How do you enter that figure? I tried holding down the reset. No go. Tried shutting off the car and restarting. No go. No workie.

cause it's the last 5 digits not 4

[nachob]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

This thread brings something to mind:

When I bought my new Mazda RX-7 in 1985, the salesman's parting words were, "This is a sports car and meant to be driven hard, so go enjoy it."

When I bought my new RX-8 in 2004, the salesman said essentially the same thing.

Neither car ever gave a hint of overheating, even when pushed hard. I'd surprised if BMW couldn't do that good with their cars.

Not worried (but I am going to try holding down the trip odometer reset button during the next start up to see what comes up on the display)

I really honest to god am not trying to argue or start anything but I see "salesmen" quoted a lot. I have seen people say they don't break-in their cars because salesman told them not necessary despite the engineers saying they should. I see salesmen jumping on open doors to show you they don't bend. OK but I'm not going to put 200lbs on my door hinge. I see salesmen tell people all sorts of insane things. I don't know why salesmen are considered authorities?

Even engineers worry me but I would take their word over a salesman any day. Remember the airbus crash at Paris airshow? Engineers figured the plane could land itself and would ignore the pilots if the computer thought they were wrong. When they did a low fly-by for the spectators, the computer overrode the pilots who tried to pull up and put the plane into landing straight into the forest. Engineers with over reliance and arrogance as to their programming prowess killed a lot of people. Most are smart and wish to hear their logic for dropping it but in the end they will say the same thing that they have all these systems doing this and that. The problem is that they break and when they do, something like a temp gauge mean the difference between annoyance or something worse.

[danimal]

It's all about having the best tool for the job. If the job is knowing that your engine is starting to overheat, you have several choices. The three that seem to be in discussion here are:

1. A gauge
2. A warning light
3. A "limp home" mode

A gauge requires that you pay attention and notice that it is starting to move toward the yellow or red region. If the needle moves slowly, and you're not presently concerned about it, you may not check it often enough. And, yes, even if you are a car guy.

Historically, the problem with warning lights is that they only turn on after the problem is serious. That's not a problem with warning lights, it's a problem with their implementation. A warning light that turns yellow when the coolant (or oil) is hotter than normal, then turns red when it's actually starting to fry would actually be quite useful. The light turning on and staying on would do a much better job of grabbing your attention than a slow moving needle.

A "limp home" mode is a no-brainer. Basically, protect the expensive parts of the car from damage. Combine a "limp home" mode with a good warning light, and the gauge becomes unnecessary.

Now, I don't honestly know if BMW's warning lights are what I would consider good, but if they are, I say dump the gauge.

But what if your job is knowing when it's okay to rev the engine? Look no further than the M solution of putting lights around the tach that indicate how high you can rev the engine. As the engine warms up, the lights sequentially turn off. As far as I'm concerned, this is far more intuitive and useful than a temp gauge.

Bottom line, if BMW deletes a gauge and replaces it with something as useful or more useful, I have no complaints. It seems like BMW has dumped the gauge but not really provided a good way to know when it's okay to push the car (I think the lights on the tach is exclusive to the genuine M models). They do provide a clock, but unless you remember what time you started the engine, that's only somewhat useful. Also, ambient temperature would presumably have some effect on warmup time.

As for the lack of a dip stick, I can see this being a problem for people who change their own oil. For just determining whether I might need to add a quart at some time in the near future, the in-dash bar graph is good enough for me.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by nachob

I really honest to god am not trying to argue or start anything but I see "salesmen" quoted a lot. I have seen people say they don't break-in their cars because salesman told them not necessary despite the engineers saying they should. I see salesmen jumping on open doors to show you they don't bend. OK but I'm not going to put 200lbs on my door hinge. I see salesmen tell people all sorts of insane things. I don't know why salesmen are considered authorities?

Even engineers worry me but I would take their word over a salesman any day. Remember the airbus crash at Paris airshow? Engineers figured the plane could land itself and would ignore the pilots if the computer thought they were wrong. When they did a low fly-by for the spectators, the computer overrode the pilots who tried to pull up and put the plane into landing straight into the forest. Engineers with over reliance and arrogance as to their programming prowess killed a lot of people. Most are smart and wish to hear their logic for dropping it but in the end they will say the same thing that they have all these systems doing this and that. The problem is that they break and when they do, something like a temp gauge mean the difference between annoyance or something worse.

Common sense helps. Unfortunately, it is not all that common.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by nachob

The problem is that they break and when they do, something like a temp gauge mean the difference between annoyance or something worse.

Oh yeah, forgot something. Both my RX-7 and RX-8 had temperature gauges. And I'm one of those weird drivers who actually scans the gauges.

But back to the point: My RX-7 and RX-8 were sports cars designed to be driven in a sporty manner. So I'll say it again, it's not a stretch to think our "Ultimate Driving Machines" are nothing less. In fact, they should be and are mostly likely, more.

But then, some folks have no feel for the machine. Yeah, load up the electronic gizmos; the appeal to today, but some folks are so tuned into a frigging LCD display now days, they've lost touch with skin and seat of the pants feel.

[ska///235i]

Just to piss you off...had a 320i loaner the other day and that pos had a oil temp gauge

Yup 320i lol

[3.0L]

I mentioned it previously, but I'll say it again. I think BMW could simply update the firmware/software in our cars and make the Sports Display show anything they wanted in regards to coolant temp, oil temp, oil pressure and boost and a whole lot of other stuff.

[jrstech]

I've been on the DIY coding thread and found a member on the 1er F21 forum that coded his M135 to display a colored graphical temp gauge but with no temp value. The fact the gauge is actually there leads me to believe there must be another value somewhere that needs to be coded to make it functional. Hopefully someone well versed in coding can chime in here.

KOMBI ECU, 3000 Module, BC_MOTORTEMP_ENABLE changed from Nicht Aktiv to Aktiv.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...postcount=6973

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by jrstech

I've been on the DIY coding thread and found a member on the 1er F21 forum that coded his M135 to display a colored graphical temp gauge but with no temp value. The fact the gauge is actually there leads me to believe there must be another value somewhere that needs to be coded to make it functional. Hopefully someone well versed in coding can chime in here.

KOMBI ECU, 3000 Module, BC_MOTORTEMP_ENABLE changed from Nicht Aktiv to Aktiv.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...postcount=6973

That is so badass!

[ska///235i]

Someone hack it please

[mjposner]

Simple answer is that 98% do not care about water temp gauge, oil temp gauge or oil dipstick. Since 998% do not care BMW gives them what they do care about. Read Roundel, BMW has lost its way, blah blah blah. They sell more cars each year. They do not care what a few old school drivers want if a 98% do not care. One complainer here actually mistook an oil temp gauge for a water temp gauge. No one is forcing you to buy a BMW.

[bradleyland]

Originally Posted by mjposner

Simple answer is that 98% do not care about water temp gauge, oil temp gauge or oil dipstick. Since 998% do not care BMW gives them what they do care about. Read Roundel, BMW has lost its way, blah blah blah. They sell more cars each year. They do not care what a few old school drivers want if a 98% do not care. One complainer here actually mistook an oil temp gauge for a water temp gauge. No one is forcing you to buy a BMW.

Ok, so why do all these people (who don't care about temp gauges) buy BMW instead of a more sensible choice? Because of BMW's brand image. Why does BMW have the brand image that they do? Because BMW used to cater to "drivers" (enthusiasts), who become part of the brand image. If BMW abandons us, they're walking down the path toward wherever Lexus resides. Sure, BMW's marketing will carry them for a while, but alienating your customer base is never a good idea.

[alz0rz]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

Oh yeah, forgot something. Both my RX-7 and RX-8 had temperature gauges. And I'm one of those weird drivers who actually scans the gauges.

But back to the point: My RX-7 and RX-8 were sports cars designed to be driven in a sporty manner. So I'll say it again, it's not a stretch to think our "Ultimate Driving Machines" are nothing less. In fact, they should be and are mostly likely, more.

But then, some folks have no feel for the machine. Yeah, load up the electronic gizmos; the appeal to today, but some folks are so tuned into a frigging LCD display now days, they've lost touch with skin and seat of the pants feel.

The RX-8 did not have an oil temp gauge and the coolant gauge was a dummy, it would stay down when cold and then move up to just past halfway when 'good' and then when truly overheating (i.e, after it overheats) it would just spike to the right side. Same exact thing with the 'oil pressure gauge' - you either had oil pressure or you didn't. Both of them were not true gauges , they even removed the 'oil pressure gauge' for the 09+. I owned 2 RX8's over the course of 6 years.

[mjposner]

"Why does BMW have the brand image that they do? Because BMW used to cater to "drivers" (enthusiasts), who become part of the brand image." This simply isn't true. As far back as the 80s, BMWs were seen as Yuppie cars for Dinks. Remember the opening scene to madhouse? http://pics.imcdb.org/0is607/madh000419c23.2999.jpg

Except for the M cars and the roadsters, the rest are small, medium and large luxury cars with some driving flair. Enthusiast market is small luxury market is large and BMW wants to continue to grow and has consistently for many years.

This rant about BMW losing its soul has been going on for many many years. I see in in the Roundel mailbag every month. Dipsticks, temp gauges, runflats, no manual transmission, no spares blah blah blah. Its a car company, and if you do not like the cars they sell buy something else. They are in this to sell cars and people seem to ant what they sell, each new generation sells more so they must be doing something right.