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      03-02-2013, 08:09 AM   #1
Deyvy
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Comfort Access Retrofit

Just emailed my sales guy to see if it's possible and how much it would cost to retro fit it.

The now wife, was chatting to her friends and they're all going on about how great keyless entry is. Even the Mazda has it. Our's doenst have it. Pretty much everything else, but not that.

So being put on a guilt trip how the option were chosen (women love digging up old excrement), I've emailed the dealer to see what the damage would be.

Who has it? And is it really that good?

As a guy not finding the car keys in my handbag isn't really a problem so, never crossed my mind for this option. She never mentioned it...So.... But in all honesty the amount of time she cant't find stuff in her handbag, that does grate on me. But hindsight and all that.

Personally I thought it would be safer not to have the keyless entry.
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      03-02-2013, 08:46 AM   #2
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I wouldn't have it given myself.

As the normal key doesn't need to leave my pocket anyway I don't see the point.
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      03-02-2013, 09:10 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Redbaron1973 View Post
I wouldn't have it given myself.

As the normal key doesn't need to leave my pocket anyway I don't see the point.
I've read the boot access is a bit hit and miss too.
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      03-02-2013, 09:36 AM   #4
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Who closes the door by the handle, and then strokes it? To me pressing the key fob whilst walking away from the car is much easier.

Then almost half my journeys start or end at home, and since I need keys in my hand to lock/unlock my house I don't see how much easier comfort access makes things.

I can see the attraction to women who generally have the biggest bunch of keys ever, coupled with the tendency to leave them in the bottom of a hand bag.

So to me comfort access is a waste of time.

The day they integrate a phone app that replaces the key altogether, and locks/unlocks on proximity, then I'm in.
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      03-02-2013, 10:28 AM   #5
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BMW retrofits always seem to cost a lot more than the factory price so prob £500+
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      03-02-2013, 10:58 AM   #6
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I think on the build page its £460? It wouldnt suprise me if it was double that.
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      03-02-2013, 11:18 AM   #7
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Had Comfort Access on my E81 (although that didn't include the wavy boot thing).

Pros:
- Great just being able to walk up to the car with the key on your person somewhere and the car just unlocks.

Cons:
- Locking the car by touching the door handle was a pita because it didn't always respond and you'd stand there like a dick with your finger on the handle waiting for it to do its thing.
- Washing the car with the key in your pocket, the car would constantly lock/un-lock itself whenever water washed over the door handle.
- The system failed twice.

Would I spec it again? No.
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      03-02-2013, 11:52 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Deyvy View Post
I think on the build page its £460? It wouldnt suprise me if it was double that.
...and then some. By way of comparison the Reversing Camera is a £300 option. You can have it retrofitted (3 parts - the boot handle camera unit, a small control box and some cable, then some coding). Yours for £1,009
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      03-02-2013, 12:19 PM   #9
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I have the rear camera and its pointless you need to get out to clean the lense before you can see anything, should be better in the summer when its dry so it will only be the dust that covers the lense
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      03-02-2013, 12:33 PM   #10
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Ridiculous option.
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      03-02-2013, 12:38 PM   #11
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I think it's nice.

Most of what RobUK complains about on the older versions are fixed. It still fails to open on the first try sometimes but not as often as my E92 did. But it was easier to justify the cost on the E9x since you had to insert the key otherwise to start the car. Since the F3x is semi-keyless as standard and the price is the same as it was on the E9x I thought about it more than one time before adding it.

So yes, it is nice. I haven't seen or touched my key since I bought the car in September. But it isn't one of the must-have-options if you are on a budget.
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      03-02-2013, 12:43 PM   #12
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It's pointless for me anyway, as I still have to punch a 4 digit number into another fob to de-immobilise my car as it's got 2 immobiliser systems. This can only be done from inside the car. Otherwise, it won't start.
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      03-02-2013, 12:50 PM   #13
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I have it in my E90 and now my F30. I bought my F30 as a 2012 left over and the car was optioned to the max. I will say the new comfort access is greatly improved from my E90 but still not perfect. IMHO, it is what I like to call a nice to have but not a need to have. As for a retrofit, I think the cost would be crazy since you not only need a software update but also new door handles as well. The comfort access handles have a ribbed area that activates the system. Oh, and the trunk pop option is very touchy for sure.

Last edited by 1bad335; 03-03-2013 at 03:56 AM..
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      03-02-2013, 03:23 PM   #14
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I have it on my F31 and M3. And after the M3 said I would never buy a BMW without it. But it's personal opinion - there are certainly better options to have instead, and there are worse ones in my view.

You forget you even have a key and the stroking the handle thing isn't an issue... it's designed so as you get out and shut the door, you walk away from the car touching the right place of the handle such it locks as you move away. Hard to describe.

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      03-03-2013, 03:36 AM   #15
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Comfort Access is a fantastic feature. I had it on my old E92, then not on my E82 as it was an ex-demo: both me and my girlfriend missed it, and there was no doubt we had to have it again on the F30.

As has been said above, just putting your keys in your pocket - or handbag - when you leave the house, then never having to think about them again until you return home, is very beneficial.

It's a very natural system: you walk up to the car and while putting your hand on the door handle - as you would have to to get in the car anyway - the car unlocks itself for you. It also unlocks the boot in th same manner, with the hands free boot opening being a bonus (once you get the knack, it works 100% of the time without fail).

Locking the car is - granted - slightly less natural as you have to consciously think what to do; but it is still much more convenient than reaching into a pocket, or a bag, to find the lock button on your key. When closing the door, you're obviously standing very close to your car anyway, so slightly reaching out to touch the lock 'strip' on the door handle is very convenient and doesn't require any effort at all.

I do agree that the keyless start was a large part of the system before, and now that we have it as standard on the F30, half (or more than half) of the benefit of the system is standard, so CA should at least be a bit cheaper than it was before (which it isn't!). But it is still nice to be able to complete the system and have keyless entry to the actual car, as well as just starting it.

You will be able to retrofit I'm sure, but it will cost a lot; there are other threads about it, certainly on the E9x, and I seem to remember £1500-£2000k being mentioned. For that, it's a luxury that is hardly worth it; but for the factory price, it's an option that will have been overlooked mainly by those who've never had such a system before. But for those who have: it's a definite step backwards to not have it in a future car (as I quickly discovered!). As Mat said, for the price I would definitely prioritise other options over it, if you're working to a relatively tight budget; but if you can afford it, it is a worthwhile option to have, and improves the experience IMO.
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      03-03-2013, 04:52 AM   #16
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Thanks for the input guys. See what price the guy comes back with.

Bit of a concern if I do go ahead with it, seems to be quite common when people take in the car for some updates or something, somehow the coding affects something else.
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      03-04-2013, 04:28 AM   #17
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I personally wouldn't have purchased Comfort Access, thinking it an unneccesary gimic. But having it in my car and using it for several months it is, as already said, easy and natural to use.

Leave the house, fob in pocket... get back home fob still in pocket. As we don't need the 'key' to start the car, seems more natural not to handle the fob at any time. If we needed the fob to start the car, as in the E9x models, there would be no point to CA, as we'd have to handle the fob anyway.

I like it and would miss it now, if changing to a car without it.

As to a retrofit... can't see it as a cost effective thing to do, as it is never worth nearly £500 to start with, IMO, even as a 'factory fit' bit of kit.

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      03-13-2013, 10:11 PM   #18
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Any follow up to this? My wife ordered her X3 without it and is regretting it now, so I'm thinking about retrofitting for her.
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      03-14-2013, 01:03 PM   #19
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No update yet. No reply from the guy who sold me the car.

I have to assume he's on holiday or something. Otherwise I shall be disappointed with the poor response.
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      03-14-2013, 10:07 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Deyvy
No update yet. No reply from the guy who sold me the car.

I have to assume he's on holiday or something. Otherwise I shall be disappointed with the poor response.
Thanks! I'm interested in hearing what you find out. I'll talk with my dealer as well...
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      03-15-2013, 06:43 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rossifumi View Post
I think it's nice.

Most of what RobUK complains about on the older versions are fixed. It still fails to open on the first try sometimes but not as often as my E92 did. But it was easier to justify the cost on the E9x since you had to insert the key otherwise to start the car. Since the F3x is semi-keyless as standard and the price is the same as it was on the E9x I thought about it more than one time before adding it.

So yes, it is nice. I haven't seen or touched my key since I bought the car in September. But it isn't one of the must-have-options if you are on a budget.
Don't get me wrong, it was a nice feature on my E81 - it always unlocked first time just the 'touch the ridges on the door handle to lock' feature didn't always respond straightaway.

At a few hundred quid for the factory option it's a nice-to-have but the cost of a dealer retrofit is going to be eye-watering I'd think. Wouldn't be surprised if they wanted £1,500.
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      03-15-2013, 12:06 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RobUK View Post
Don't get me wrong, it was a nice feature on my E81 - it always unlocked first time just the 'touch the ridges on the door handle to lock' feature didn't always respond straightaway.

At a few hundred quid for the factory option it's a nice-to-have but the cost of a dealer retrofit is going to be eye-watering I'd think. Wouldn't be surprised if they wanted £1,500.
Yeah, I agree. What I was trying to say is that it works much better on the F30 compared to my earlier BMW's. I don't know if they have done something, or it is just down to being lucky - but on my E92 I sometimes had to touch the door handle 4-5 times for it to react. People think you are stupid and can't even open a car door!
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