[WingWong34]

Hello all f34 owners. I'm Wondering if I can somehow see what gear I'm in during Drive. Just curious.
I'm also wanting to get a rear mat for my F34.. one of those ones that 3Ds around the tyranny tunnel and up the sills.
Wethertech look good.. but pricey..

[Billfitz]

Nope. As for mats I wouldn't use anything but Weather Tech liners. I had mine in hand before I took delivery of the car.

[Ragnar The Redneck]

Weather Tech is the best, full stop. You have a BMW, don't start cheaping out now. Weather Tech is made in the USA, using materials sourced in the USA. Their competition sources everything from China, is nowhere near the quality of Weather Tech, and isn't that much cheaper.

Disclaimer: I do not have Weather Tech mats in my BMW, but do have some really nice, luxurious custom mats (I live in the carpet capital of the world), but I do have them in my Tacoma. You do get what you pay for. Listen to @Billfitz on this one.

As far as seeing which gear you are in, in my USA spec 335, if I put it in manual mode, I can see the gear, but normal D does not.

[Oksamit78]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

Nope. As for mats I wouldn't use anything but Weather Tech liners. I had mine in hand before I took delivery of the car.

Did the same, but I only purchased the rear one as it is 1 piece and offers max protection possible to the floor and the tunnel. The only challenge - protecting the carpet that is just below the bottom seat cushion at the rear. With young kids, their shoes won't be on the floor and highly likely will transfer dirt onto that portion of the carpet. I had installed Taxmat in my wife's f30 as it protects not just the floor but also the carpet on the sides above, front and rear. Worked flawlessly with our daughter growing up.

[OfficeHeadphones]

Hi,

The Weather Tech mats are pretty good. Be aware the trunk mat's raised lip is not the same height all the way around. It dips at the back corners over the amp and battery locations.

I had a crock pot spill hotdog water in the back and spent an afternoon pulling out the drain plugs and electronics. Nothing was damaged, but I did get to drive around with a hotdog car for a few days.

I'd still buy the mats, just wanted to share a possible down fall if you find your self with a crockpot full of hotdogs.

[WingWong34]

Good advice all thankyou. I've just bought a rear Wtech and intend to extend up the sills with some deftly cut nbr rubber.
Trying to find a clear tape for the door jamb that peels off clean.
I had a similar experience in my first car (Austin mini van 95L) and a shop candy jar full of pickled onions. Terribly rusty floorpan in that car...

[All4F34]

Seconding everyone else, weathertech is great, well worth it. You cannot see your gears in normal transmission mode without flashing the transmission. If you flash it using XHP you can choose to have it always display the gear.

[eleven11]

Originally Posted by All4F34

You cannot see your gears in normal transmission mode without flashing the transmission. If you flash it using XHP you can choose to have it always display the gear.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you can code the display to show the active gear (e.g. BimmerCode)? I have xHP and can see my active gear, but feel like I was already able to see it before xHP (with coding).

[All4F34]

Originally Posted by eleven11

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you can code the display to show the active gear (e.g. BimmerCode)? I have xHP and can see my active gear, but feel like I was already able to see it before xHP (with coding).

Possibly, I don’t recall ever seeing that as an option, it may be model specific. It does show active gear in sport transmission mode without any coding or flashing though.

[KCee]

I have the WeatherTec too. It fits well and protects. I thought it would be thicker/heavier, but it's durable. If you keep your car for years like I do it's probably worth it.

[BMW Boojum]

I, too, yearned to know which gear my 435d is in - and not just when in manual mode. So I was delighted to discover that Bimmerlink offers this facility (along with so much more) via my mobile phone.

I also want to see what's going on with DPF sooting and regeneration: once bitten (in a previous, long-mileage 535d), twice shy. This data is comprehensively covered by Bimmerlink.

The only hassle was plugging/unplugging the OBD dongle each trip. I researched whether battery discharge would be high enough to matter if I left it in. Opinion online is divided: some leave their dongles on continuously, while others recommend removal if the car is to be unused for several days.

Deciding not to risk it, I searched for an extension cable that incorporates a switch. I found one on Amazon for 14 quid, albeit only 2 feet long.

Routeing the flat cable from the OBD socket, I hid it under the rubber and plastic seals/trims beneath the driver's door opening and secured the dongle to the front of the seat slider frame using stick-on Velcro. The switch comes readily to hand below the right corner of my seat (RHD car).

Job done. Open the app, switch on the OBD dongle and the Bimmerlink information is conveniently displayed - including the current gear.

[WingWong34]

Nice to think someone else has crazy projects like this.

I did contemplate trying a diy head up display with an old phone and an obd. The thing that's foiled me is A) digging the lithium battery out of the phone. B) hacking the phone so it mirrors the display.
Nice to know you can get a kill switch.. with a Bluetooth OBD.

I recently discovered that pushing the gear lever left displays the gear, but its not the same as D. I've tried M manual mode but I find it tricky to drive safely/quickly and stay on top of the revs... partly because of all the horses (can't imagine what the full blooded F3x series cars are like to drive).

[Billfitz]

This is my HUD:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMD6NH6K...T1zcF9kZXRhaWw

I originally tried one that displayed to the windshield but it could only be seen well at night. This one is much better, though I improved on it by adding window tint film to further reduce the sun shining on it through the windshield.