On hot days, you can turn on a feature hidden in the BMW iDrive system to instantly cool down the air within the vehicle. True to its name, Parked Car Ventilation: When the automobile is parked and turned off, it activates ventilation fans to cool the air inside.
While test-driving the 2013 3 Series, I came upon this ventilation system function. With Parked Car Ventilation, you may program a time when the interior air of the car will start to cool without rolling down the windows. When you get into the car, you can also turn on the vent fans, which run for roughly 30 minutes.
But does it actually function? It does, according to Thomas Plucinsky, manager of product and technology relations at BMW North America. “Due to solar load, a car’s inside temperature may be up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than its outside. Parked Car Ventilation will use the blower fans to bring the temperature inside the car down to around the same level as the surrounding air.”
The industry and BMW are not pioneers in the use of the ventilation system. The Toyota Prius includes an optional solar-paneled roof that may run a fan to cool the interior, reducing the amount of fuel needed to keep the vehicle cool. By using the ventilation fans to cool the automobile, BMW’s Parked Car Ventilation technology aims to keep drivers content.
When the air conditioner is turned on, the car cools down more quickly, according to Plucinsky. It doesn’t have to raise the interior’s temperature over the level of the sun. Despite being a long-standing auto feature, the iDrive multimedia system is only available in BMW vehicles. On my test car, IDrive was a standard feature.
This feature appeals to me for obvious reasons. With two children, returning to the car after a hot day at the zoo or park may be excruciating when you step inside a stiflingly hot vehicle. Yes, I open the windows to let the hot air out of the car. I do have water, yes. However, it would be much better if the interior of the car cooled down more quickly from the heat.
It was a wonderful, unanticipated surprise given that Parked Car Ventilation wasn’t even mentioned on the Monroney of my test vehicle. It’s something that everyone in the car can enjoy, unlike many possibilities.
In This Article...
How to use auxiliary ventilation to change the temperature inside your BMW
In this video, BMW How-To demonstrates how auxiliary ventilation is incorporated with the optional equipment “Automatic air conditioning,” depending on the model and country. Utilizing power from the vehicle’s battery, the independent ventilation enables interior temperature adjustment prior to departure. The cabin is heated or ventilated using any available engine leftover heat, depending on the programmed temperature and outside temperature. It is possible to turn the system on and off immediately or at a specific departure time. Navigate to “CAR,” “Settings,” “Climate comfort,” “Auxiliary ventilation,” “Departure schedule,” and then choose the necessary departure time. Set the departure time and, if necessary, the day of the week. The fan and time symbol on the climate display indicates that a departure time has been triggered once the necessary departure time has been set. The departure time should be set/activated at least 10 minutes before the anticipated departure time to give the climate control adequate time to function. The system can also be turned on and off directly via the My BMW App by selecting the fan icon and then tapping “Start.” After some time, the system turns itself off automatically.
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Does the “Remote Start” option exist in your car? I’m assuming that when the temperature reaches 39 degrees Celsius, you expect the air conditioning to start working and lower the inside temperature. However, this requires the engine to be running, which is impossible without remote engine start. The same is true for heating, which necessitates the purchase of the “Additional Heating” option along with the car.
Only the “ventilation” that can bring in air at the current temperature is operated by remote ventilation. If the engine is still warm, this can be helpful in cold weather. Apart than that, it is not really helpful.
The feature should be operational when you observe a fan animation on the HVAC LCD screen. There can be an issue even if you enabled the function on the intelligent remote control and saw the fan animation on the remote but not on the HVAC screen of the car (check if this feature is activated on iDrive menu).
Remember, this feature is heavily dependant on remote start and further heater extra choices, so don’t expect much from it.
How to Quickly Cool Your BMW in a Video
Our cars will undoubtedly heat up exponentially more quickly and to higher degrees as summer approaches and the hot sun shines on them. Therefore, precautions must be taken so that a person doesn’t pass out as soon as they get inside their car. In order to swiftly cool your car throughout the heat, BMW created a brief guide. Although the title may exclusively pertain to BMWs, some of these pointers also apply to other types of vehicles.
This can be accomplished in a number of ways. Of course, choose a parking area with shade will assist if you are careful about where you park in the first place. If that isn’t possible, BMW offers the option to install sunshades on several models, including the 5 Series, 7 Series, and X5, X6 models’ back doors and rear window. It will be used to filter the sunshine and lessen the intense heat inside.
Some vehicles additionally have pre-departure climate controls, which allow you to lower the temperature inside even more. When you choose a departure time, the vehicle will use its ventilation system to exhaust all of the interior heat for up to 30 minutes. To do this, navigate to Vehicle Settings in the My Vehicle menu on your iDrive screen, then scroll down to Climate Settings. Then, pick your departure time and day after selecting Comfort Ventilation. At the time and date of your choosing, your automobile will automatically ventilate.
The BMW ConnectedDrive app can also be used to configure the ventilation. On your phone, you can turn on the ventilation one time by holding down the “Activate Now” button for two seconds, or you can set the vehicle to turn on before you leave at a specified time and date. Pressing the MAX AC button on the HVAC controls inside the car is the quickest method to stay cool. It also circulates the air while turning on the climate control system at its greatest speed and coldest temperature. When the temperature is just right, hit the same button once more, and the system will go back to its default settings.
How do I turn on the ventilation in a BMW?
To instantly activate the ventilation in your BMW using the My BMW App, tap the fan symbol in the “Vehicle” page. As an alternative, you may program the ventilation to start at a certain time. To achieve this, go to the My BMW App and pick “Vehicle” > “Ventilation timer” > “Set Timer” and “Send to vehicle.”
What does the BMW app’s ventilation option entail?
Utilizing power from the vehicle’s battery, the independent ventilation enables interior temperature adjustment prior to departure. Using any available remaining engine heat, the inside is vented or heated based on the specified temperature and the outside temperature.
BMW preconditioning – what is it?
Pre-conditioning can be set from the car’s iDrive screen or smartphone to warm or cool the interior for your comfort, possibly at the same time each morning. The vehicle will optimize the battery temperature to maximize range if you let it know when you want to drive. Instantly instruct the car to warm the inside using an app or smartwatch and avoid depleting the battery!
Has my BMW has backup heating?
Connected Drive by BMW. Activate the vehicle’s immediate start feature to see if the supplemental heating is working. Choose “Settings,” “Climate,” “Activate auxiliary heating” or “Auxiliary heating immediate start” to accomplish this. Regardless of the ambient temperature, the supplementary heating begins immediately.
Can I remotely heat my BMW?
With the BMW Remote App, you can pre-set the temperature of your BMW so that you can get into a warm car in the winter instead of having to scrape ice off the windows. You can activate the auxiliary heating* or even the auxiliary ventilation** in the “Climate” menu.
This calls for the supplementary heating item of optional equipment.
* Some vehicles need additional optional equipment for automated air conditioning in order to run the “Climate-auxiliary ventilation” function, depending on the series and model.
Requirements:
- Services for ConnectedDrive as specialized equipment
- The BMW ConnectedDrive customer portal is where you must enable Remote Services before you may utilize them (incl. security question for use via the call centre)
- You must first download the My BMW Remote App from the App Store or Google Play before using it.
Availability:
- only in conjunction with the Radio Professional, Navigation System Professional, and Navigation System Business
- The following telephone number can be used to reach the BMW Call Center in Germany: +49-89-1250 16010.
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Must I allow my BMW to warm up?
Even while you don’t necessarily need to let your car warm up, it is a good idea to drive your BMW slowly at first, especially in the morning when it has had some time to sit.
How can I preheat my BMW?
People will be looking for ways to warm up their cars before getting inside as winter approaches quickly. Consequently, whether we’re talking about internal combustion engines or electric automobiles, the BMW Remote Engine Start feature will be quite useful. The latter scenario gives them the advantage because you can heat up your car while it is charging, which prevents pollution and noise while heating up the interior.
That’s also crucial to note because it’s against the law in several nations to leave your automobile running, even in your driveway. To ensure you don’t break any laws, you might wish to check your local laws before utilizing the system. If everything is in order, you may watch a little video below from BMW that demonstrates several ways to use the Remote Engine Start technology.
You must first enable the feature from the car’s iDrive system submenu before taking any action. Choose Preconditioning/ventilation from the submenu under Car – Settings – Climate Comfort. You must select the Remote engine start option that will appear. After that, you can heat up the interior of your car in one of three ways: using the key fob, the BMW Display key, or the BMW ConnectedDrive app.
By touching a few clicks on the app, you can start the car’s engine from the farthest distance. By pushing the lock button three times while using the BMW key fob, you can turn on the heater; however, the Display Key has a preconditioning sub-menu that lets you start the engine remotely. If you get in the car before the engine shuts off automatically after 15 minutes, you can turn it off manually. By swiftly pushing the lock button three more times, you can turn off the engine if you’re using a conventional key fob. Hope this makes the winter go by a little bit easier for you!