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      05-14-2013, 10:51 AM   #309
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Originally Posted by BMWCali View Post

And because of its big battery pack, you can engage the air conditioning to turn on and cool down the car from your iPhone wherever you are before you get back to your car. Imagine eating a meal on a hot day or spending the day at a theme park and you can precondition your car so it's ice cold inside before you even get back to it.
New 2013 AH3 (F30H) owner.

I have had higher end Sports Cars (Porsche, Lotus, several Vipers) in the past, 3 top of line Range Rovers SUVs and multiple luxury vehicles (Mercedes S Series, etc), all new.

That said, my car for the last 4 years has been a 2009 Prius Touring (top of line) which I picked up for a steal in 3/2009 during the Financial Crisis when no one was buy ANY cars.

Most things were ok about the car for around town driving. But it obviously was not up to the performance of some of my past cars. Looked at a lease on a Prius 5 with Advanced Technology v the price of a 2013 AH3 tricked out (MSRP North of $66k) and the small difference (well, $170 a month) made me go with the AH3. Also looked at the Lexus GS450h (lease was almost double the BMW), Infiniti and Audio.

One of the key reasons I went with the AH3 was for the feature you listed above. In Florida, it is really needed! Its the reason I vowed NEVER to own a dark interior again, which after reading this thread, I will probably be flamed for. But as someone else said, its my car, ordered the way I WANT IT.....

But bottom line, I cannot get this feature to work. The Dealer says the car WILL NOT do this, which I am somewhat miffed about, as I read it elsewhere only finding this forum last night.

So, does this car do this - as has been stated on this thread - and in other publications - or is this a fairy tale? If it does, anyone have instructions?

Thanks in Advance!

PS. What is the M Pedal I read about in this thread?
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      05-14-2013, 10:58 AM   #310
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Originally Posted by Jparker82 View Post
I bought one on Wednesday. Can't wait to get it. It's at the port and I will have it next Saturday. Bought a black with coral M sport. These cars are a great deal right now. $3500 Eco credit $4000 off MSRP and a $1750 rebate. Got $9250 off sticker. Also they have a 1.9 rate with BMW. Was looking at the 335i m sport but this was a much better deal. I have owned a lot of BMWs but this one has me excited. I have heard several numbers on the HP but I think 341 is correct. Thinking of adding the juice box and getting it up around 440. Just want to see my redneck friends look on his face when I smoke his Camaro SS with a Hybrid.
Given the date on this post, I was actively looking for mine in the Tampabay Area at exactly the same time, before ordering from factory on 2/28. Curious who you ended up buying from as the prices I was given from the Bay area dealers were all over the road.
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      05-15-2013, 02:43 PM   #311
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kabrich
Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWCali View Post

And because of its big battery pack, you can engage the air conditioning to turn on and cool down the car from your iPhone wherever you are before you get back to your car. Imagine eating a meal on a hot day or spending the day at a theme park and you can precondition your car so it's ice cold inside before you even get back to it.
New 2013 AH3 (F30H) owner.

I have had higher end Sports Cars (Porsche, Lotus, several Vipers) in the past, 3 top of line Range Rovers SUVs and multiple luxury vehicles (Mercedes S Series, etc), all new.

That said, my car for the last 4 years has been a 2009 Prius Touring (top of line) which I picked up for a steal in 3/2009 during the Financial Crisis when no one was buy ANY cars.

Most things were ok about the car for around town driving. But it obviously was not up to the performance of some of my past cars. Looked at a lease on a Prius 5 with Advanced Technology v the price of a 2013 AH3 tricked out (MSRP North of $66k) and the small difference (well, $170 a month) made me go with the AH3. Also looked at the Lexus GS450h (lease was almost double the BMW), Infiniti and Audio.

One of the key reasons I went with the AH3 was for the feature you listed above. In Florida, it is really needed! Its the reason I vowed NEVER to own a dark interior again, which after reading this thread, I will probably be flamed for. But as someone else said, its my car, ordered the way I WANT IT.....

But bottom line, I cannot get this feature to work. The Dealer says the car WILL NOT do this, which I am somewhat miffed about, as I read it elsewhere only finding this forum last night.

So, does this car do this - as has been stated on this thread - and in other publications - or is this a fairy tale? If it does, anyone have instructions?

Thanks in Advance!

PS. What is the M Pedal I read about in this thread?
It appears to be supported in other countries. I have no idea why the US got the shaft there.
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      05-15-2013, 03:47 PM   #312
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It appears to be supported in other countries. I have no idea why the US got the shaft there.
Pretty sure it's a NHTSA thing, where the feature is illegal to sell in any capacity within the US - a mandate assuming that gas powered cars would be idling and creating exhaust fumes etc.

I was able to enable this "feature" in my car through some coding, but it does nothing because I don't have the actual hardware - which I assume is an ECU that has the ability to start up the car and monitor gas, temperature etc. I'd guess on the hybrid you already have the hardware to run this feature, so you need to do some coding. Maybe poke around the coding forum and see if someone local can help you out?
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      05-15-2013, 11:26 PM   #313
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Pretty sure it's a NHTSA thing, where the feature is illegal to sell in any capacity within the US - a mandate assuming that gas powered cars would be idling and creating exhaust fumes etc.

I was able to enable this "feature" in my car through some coding, but it does nothing because I don't have the actual hardware - which I assume is an ECU that has the ability to start up the car and monitor gas, temperature etc. I'd guess on the hybrid you already have the hardware to run this feature, so you need to do some coding. Maybe poke around the coding forum and see if someone local can help you out?
As you appear to have broken the code, but just do not have the equipment, wouldn't your code work as is on the AH3?
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      05-16-2013, 07:05 AM   #314
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Originally Posted by Kabrich View Post
Given the date on this post, I was actively looking for mine in the Tampabay Area at exactly the same time, before ordering from factory on 2/28. Curious who you ended up buying from as the prices I was given from the Bay area dealers were all over the road.
I got mine from Fields in Lakeland. I have bought cars from Reeves and Furman and don't care to ever return. Fields is worth the drive and if you need service they will pick it up and leave you a loaner.
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      05-16-2013, 07:16 AM   #315
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Given the date on this post, I was actively looking for mine in the Tampabay Area at exactly the same time, before ordering from factory on 2/28. Curious who you ended up buying from as the prices I was given from the Bay area dealers were all over the road.
Fields Lakeland. I bought it over the phone never saw it or drove one until it showed up. About to hit 4000 miles and still love it. I have only drove it in Hybrid for 20 of that 4000. I didn't buy it for fuel Eco. I bought it for the Eco boost.
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      05-16-2013, 07:17 AM   #316
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How many of you AH3 owners have started modding your cars?
Just worried about blowing something. Heard that dealer won't even instal PPK.
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      05-16-2013, 07:18 AM   #317
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As you appear to have broken the code, but just do not have the equipment, wouldn't your code work as is on the AH3?
Unfortunately, I don't have a BMW, for the VW family of vehicles the company Ross Tech provides the OBD2 tool VAGCOM for use with their software VCDS. Someone within the Audi community figured out the coding for this feature on the B8 platform.

I'm sure someone in the BMW coding forum has likewise figured it out, just takes one person to guinea pig through it, and there usually is some commonality among a companies lineup, so someone who did it on a 5 series should also be able to help
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      05-16-2013, 12:53 PM   #318
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I suspect it's not just coding. It's the BMW remote smartphone app that is restricting features by region. I already have a button on my remote for firing up my AC with compressor and all.... The car is clearly already coded for auxiliary AC.
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      05-16-2013, 01:37 PM   #319
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I suspect it's not just coding. It's the BMW remote smartphone app that is restricting features by region. I already have a button on my remote for firing up my AC with compressor and all.... The car is clearly already coded for auxiliary AC.
Oh, that's even better, you mean key fob? I wonder how proprietary these program API's are. For example, I can send my car a waypoint with either google maps on a computer or from this "send to my car" app I downloaded on my android phone.

The idea on my S4 was to set a timer for precondition, so you would do it via the cars infotainment system. But I can see how the feature is much nicer when enabled via cell phone.
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      05-16-2013, 06:39 PM   #320
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Oh, that's even better, you mean key fob? I wonder how proprietary these program API's are. For example, I can send my car a waypoint with either google maps on a computer or from this "send to my car" app I downloaded on my android phone.

The idea on my S4 was to set a timer for precondition, so you would do it via the cars infotainment system. But I can see how the feature is much nicer when enabled via cell phone.

The AH3 already supports, AC wise:
- Turning on the AC right after the car shuts off by hitting the fan increase button.
- Turning on the AC at two preset times via the nav menu
- Turning on the AC by pressing and holding the diamond button on the key fob, at any time.

As long as you have more than 5% or so HV battery charge, the car will comply, and you'll hear the compressor kick on.


In the US, it does not support turning it on via the iPhone app. The iPhone app can be used to send nav addresses to the car, locate the car, lock/unlock the car, beep the horn / flash the lights, but not activate the AC. The reason for that is unknown, as the AH3 cools the car solely using the HV battery's excess charge.


P.S. Former A4 owner here — 2011 B8 A4. Played a lot with VCDS. Loved the car, but if anything I had a bit of regret with not getting a S4!
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      05-16-2013, 09:46 PM   #321
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jdong View Post
The AH3 already supports, AC wise:
- Turning on the AC right after the car shuts off by hitting the fan increase button.
- Turning on the AC at two preset times via the nav menu
- Turning on the AC by pressing and holding the diamond button on the key fob, at any time.

As long as you have more than 5% or so HV battery charge, the car will comply, and you'll hear the compressor kick on.


In the US, it does not support turning it on via the iPhone app. The iPhone app can be used to send nav addresses to the car, locate the car, lock/unlock the car, beep the horn / flash the lights, but not activate the AC. The reason for that is unknown, as the AH3 cools the car solely using the HV battery's excess charge.


P.S. Former A4 owner here — 2011 B8 A4. Played a lot with VCDS. Loved the car, but if anything I had a bit of regret with not getting a S4!
Interesting...it's sweet the car can run pretty much every subsystem in pure EV mode. Sounds somewhat frustrating about the software, guessing it would be pretty hard to crack (I'm no CS guy), so I suppose unless someone really clever comes you'll be SOL

Regarding the cars, I suppose the grass is always greener. Your car is incredibly unique considering it is able to dance and in someways better performance sedans like the S4 or 335i. I personally am excited to see where performance oriented brands like Audi and BMW decide to take Hybrid, EV and plugin hybrids. Did you have a problem with your A4 or just finish up the lease? Audi has it's fair share of problems, carbon buildup, drivetrain reliability...but I still feel very fortunate considering I had a 92 prelude a year ago
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      05-18-2013, 12:14 PM   #322
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No blingy on C-pillar It was quick and easy, didn't even have to use floss to remove letters
Instructions for someone who does not want to screw up the paint?
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      05-19-2013, 12:45 AM   #323
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Instructions for someone who does not want to screw up the paint?
I did not use hair dryer maybe due to hot weather in so-cal or my car was brand new from the port..i don't know But you can always use your hair dryer to heat those area for 3-5mins and work on it

First WIPE out the all dirt around the area before you are about to remove the badges. Then slowly peel from the top edges first(observe adhesives are attached to plastic) then pull straight out. It will come out with ease!

To remove big number 3 part though, you will need dental floss. I used about 15 inch long string, roll them on my each index finger and start lifting the adhesive doing saw motion.

If you are skeptical using hand, you can do them all with dental floss method.
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      05-19-2013, 10:06 AM   #324
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Originally Posted by Kabrich View Post
One of the key reasons I went with the AH3 was for the feature you listed above. In Florida, it is really needed! Its the reason I vowed NEVER to own a dark interior again, which after reading this thread, I will probably be flamed for. But as someone else said, its my car, ordered the way I WANT IT.....

But bottom line, I cannot get this feature to work. The Dealer says the car WILL NOT do this, which I am somewhat miffed about, as I read it elsewhere only finding this forum last night.
So can the AH3's cooling-feature be started by pressing the Diamond-symbol on the keyfob? This would be one of the crucial features on the AH3 for me as well so I want to make sure it works.

IMO, BMW advertises this feature on the AH3 and AH5 so they should deliver on their promise!

EDIT: Oh wait, I guess you were stating that the BMW App does not support remote cooling but the keyfob does, right?
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      05-19-2013, 10:13 AM   #325
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Pretty sure it's a NHTSA thing, where the feature is illegal to sell in any capacity within the US - a mandate assuming that gas powered cars would be idling and creating exhaust fumes etc.
I don't really think that there are any regulations that limit this feature in the US. After all, Jeep is offering a remote start feature on their gas powered Grand Cherokee using either the keyfob or an App, too.
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      05-20-2013, 12:40 AM   #326
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So can the AH3's cooling-feature be started by pressing the Diamond-symbol on the keyfob? This would be one of the crucial features on the AH3 for me as well so I want to make sure it works.

IMO, BMW advertises this feature on the AH3 and AH5 so they should deliver on their promise!

EDIT: Oh wait, I guess you were stating that the BMW App does not support remote cooling but the keyfob does, right?
Correct. This works exactly as advertised from the keyfob and is a fantastic feature. It's also nice for making a quick stop on a hot summer day, you can lock your car and keep running the A/C while making an errand.
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      05-20-2013, 12:49 AM   #327
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(Don't really want to derail from this AH3 discussion into one about other cars, but it does lend some context to why I have an AH3 on my driveway...)


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Originally Posted by drob23 View Post
Interesting...it's sweet the car can run pretty much every subsystem in pure EV mode. Sounds somewhat frustrating about the software, guessing it would be pretty hard to crack (I'm no CS guy), so I suppose unless someone really clever comes you'll be SOL
That I think is one of the appeals of this car. It's not really an "economy" green car -- BMW seems to have thoroughly engineered it for both full-electric and all-gas usage, and it delivers the best of both worlds.

Quote:
Regarding the cars, I suppose the grass is always greener. Your car is incredibly unique considering it is able to dance and in someways better performance sedans like the S4 or 335i. I personally am excited to see where performance oriented brands like Audi and BMW decide to take Hybrid, EV and plugin hybrids. Did you have a problem with your A4 or just finish up the lease? Audi has it's fair share of problems, carbon buildup, drivetrain reliability...but I still feel very fortunate considering I had a 92 prelude a year ago

I loved my Audi, but I had been thinking the grass is greener for a while, and one day, a BMW dealership was able to make me a great deal that got me out of my A4 and put me in a AH3 while lowering my out of pocket costs.

There was nothing wrong with the A4 or with Audi per se. IMO the Internet is a great medium for amplifying rare issues until they seem like epidemics. I didn't have any carbon buildup or reliability issues with my A4. Apart from a loose heat shield causing some rattling at around 1000 miles, the rest of my time with the car was trouble-free.

In the end though, the only critique I had about the A4 was, coming from a 5.7L HEMI V8, the Audi 2.0T was a noticeable step down in power without enough of a fuel economy advantage. The low-end throttle response was laggier than I wanted, and at some point I got fed up. Now I'm in a car with 100+ more HP while getting 3-4mpg more in at-the-pump observed MPG. I couldn't be happier.

The Audi 3.0T and 4.0T cars are still in my short list and forever will be. Audi won the last round, BMW won this time, who knows what's next for me.
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      05-20-2013, 03:20 PM   #328
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Correct. This works exactly as advertised from the keyfob and is a fantastic feature. It's also nice for making a quick stop on a hot summer day, you can lock your car and keep running the A/C while making an errand.
Not sure its working exactly as advertised as plenty of information stating it could be done with smartphone app - and the fact that starting the car with a key FOB gives you what, 10 extra seconds of cooling before you enter a car, considering the proximity needed?

If I can send navigation info from my smartphone, i should certainly be able to send a start AC command 2 minutes before heading out to my car!
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      05-20-2013, 03:35 PM   #329
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Originally Posted by 760Lifan View Post
I don't really think that there are any regulations that limit this feature in the US. After all, Jeep is offering a remote start feature on their gas powered Grand Cherokee using either the keyfob or an App, too.
You're probably right...this was something a tech mentioned to me after I coded this feature and it threw an error code. Seemed like he was talking about HVAC control instead of remote start but I guess they're the same thing.

Figured it was strange but made sense since I'd never heard of a car that did this without some kind of aftermarket kit. It does seem like whenever you want remote start it's a dealer installed accessory rather than factory option, but that's just from the cars I've seen and in no way represents everything.
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      05-20-2013, 05:29 PM   #330
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Not sure its working exactly as advertised as plenty of information stating it could be done with smartphone app - and the fact that starting the car with a key FOB gives you what, 10 extra seconds of cooling before you enter a car, considering the proximity needed?

If I can send navigation info from my smartphone, i should certainly be able to send a start AC command 2 minutes before heading out to my car!
I meant exactly as advertised FROM THE KEYFOB, but not the smartphone app. And the extra time is pretty useful. It at least allows you to be outside the car in the initial phase where the AC just blows hotter air at your face. Otherwise you have to step inside your hot car to turn it on, then decide whether to fry yourself inside your car or step out and wait again.


I typically have to put stuff in my trunk anyway, so the AC runs for a good 20 seconds before I want to get in.


I totally agree that the smartphone feature should be available. Especially on the AH3 where the AC can run with zero emissions...
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