[cohenfive]

So I've had the M235i for a couple of weeks now, and just got back from taking it up to the mountains for a couple of days to get it registered in its new home state of NV (from CA)...which didn't happen but that's another story.

Anyway, here are my initial impressions of the car. I'm a long standing BMW owner, having owned a few e39 variants (including m5) as well as an e92 m3. Current other car is a 2012 x3 msport which I really like.

1. Driving experience--the car is pretty quick when you get on it, not like my m3, but sport mode makes a very big difference. Handling is surprisingly supple, but the car handles really well. Very nimble is how I'd describe it. Sport chassis settings sharpen things up a bit, but the car is far from harsh in this mode. I will use sport chassis settings all the time in the mtns, probably not around town.
2. Efficiency--so far it looks like this car is going to get really good mpg....I've averaged 28.8 mpg so far on the obc, mostly highway at between 70-80 mph. I am a bit surprised at how good it is on this front.
3. Interior--seats are nice, obviously not much room in back. I have the alu trim which I don't like all that much but no big deal. All the tech and sound system work well so far (except for my minor questions below). Two complaints...first, I wish the car had a grab handle for passenger side at least. I guess the interior isn't roomy enough? Second, bigger issue...the door handles. Too big, and not positioned well imo, especially for the passenger who doesn't have anything to grab to get leverage. My wife is having a hard time closing/opening the door easily. With the m3 there was a 'lip' on the arm rest so even if you couldn't get a good perch with the handle, you could grab the arm rest and get control over the door. She's concerned that the door will easily get away from her since the handle is too far forward. I see her point.

Questions:

1. I have not been able to get the auto stop/start to shut the engine off at a stop light. The little light is on signifying it is working, but I can sit there for a while and the engine still runs. I don't really care about the feature, but would like to know that it works as advertised. Is there a setting somewhere that I don't know about?
2. Garage door opener setup. We have two garages, and so far while it set up our home opener perfectly, I have been unable to get it to set up for the garage at our little mountain house. I've followed the instructions, have cleared things out twice now, but it just won't take even though the led shows that it should work. This function works fine on our x3 for both garage doors.

So overall I'm pretty pleased. The car is attractive, handles well, is fast enough, the tech is great, and is pretty efficient.

[icycoldd]

Light on means it will disable auto start/stop.

[SCCThree]

Originally Posted by cohenfive

I have the alu trim which I don't like all that much but no big deal.

From what I have read in these forums the trim is very easy to swap out and doesn't cost much to procure. Just a thought.

Can't speak to the rest since I haven't taken delivery of my M240i yet. Congrats on the new ride!

[mumps]

Yes, when the light is on, the auto shut off is disabled. If you press the button the light will go off and the feature is then enabled. Alternatively, you could put the car in Eco-Pro mode and it works automatically in that setting; but then it feels like you're driving a Prius lol.

Chris

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by SCCThree

From what I have read in these forums the trim is very easy to swap out and doesn't cost much to procure. Just a thought.

Can't speak to the rest since I haven't taken delivery of my M240i yet. Congrats on the new ride!

You can get different trim in the classifieds around $200. It's easy to swap. Buying brand new from BMW can be anything from $200 for gloss black to $700 for aluminum. No idea on wood.

[SCCThree]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

You can get different trim in the classifieds around $200. It's easy to swap. Buying brand new from BMW can be anything from $200 for gloss black to $700 for aluminum. No idea on wood.

Then there is the carbon fiber trim. That can get really expensive.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by SCCThree

Then there is the carbon fiber trim. That can get really expensive.

Yes - I left that out since info on that is easy to find

I went gloss black with my CR interior. Why it's an option on the 228/30 but not 235/40 is beyond me. Wanted the red to pop and have the rest of the interior as clean and monochromatic as possible.

[griz31]

Originally Posted by cohenfive

Questions:

1. I have not been able to get the auto stop/start to shut the engine off at a stop light. The little light is on signifying it is working, but I can sit there for a while and the engine still runs. I don't really care about the feature, but would like to know that it works as advertised. Is there a setting somewhere that I don't know about?

I believe your driving mode effects this as well. For example, I believe the feature is disabled in Sport+ mode. When I come to a stop I will actually see on my gauge cluster (Bottom right of the cluster) that the Auto Start/Stop is off despite whatever the light above the push start is.

[cohenfive]

Thanks guys, but I'm still confused about the auto stop/start feature and when it is on or off. I have a button directly above the main ignition button for auto stop with a little orange led indicator. When that light is lit, you are saying that auto stop feature is off? I read the manual, it wasn't clear to me which was off and which was on. As I said, I'm still unsure whether I'll use it or not, but I'd like to understand when it is on at least. My confusion is that when that little light is not lit, I have a dash red indicator of the auto stop with a slash through it..which to me means that 'light off' means 'auto stop off'.

I'm still confused....good thing I don't really care, but I'd like to make sure this works as it should.

So light off means auto stop/start is on...I'll try it. Not sure about the indicator, but I'll give it a go and report back.

[ianp622]

Yes, when the orange button above the auto-stop is on, the auto-stop is off. There are other reasons why it won't turn on even when it's enabled (or in some cases will turn back on while you're standing still) - here's a partial list of the common reasons:

1. You're in sport mode
2. You just finished reversing.
3. You haven't gone above a certain speed yet (or for a long time)
4. The temperature is too cold outside.
5. You have the AC/Heat set to a certain level and it hasn't reached that temperature.

[cohenfive]

Thanks, I saw all that in the manual...which in my mind didn't make clear when it was off or on. Do most here use this feature or do they just leave it off?

[xtremcarl]

A shot in the dark for the garage door opener but some openers have a button you have to press while your car is looking for a code instead of getting it from a remote. Since your X3 works I would be surprised if the 2 is any different to setup but its possible.

[ianp622]

Originally Posted by cohenfive

Thanks, I saw all that in the manual...which in my mind didn't make clear when it was off or on. Do most here use this feature or do they just leave it off?

I use it, but I switch to sport if I'm in an area with a lot of stop signs, or if I'm in a stop-and-go situation.

[bartginger]

As for the door handle leverage issue, try grabbing the inside and outside edges of the storage compartment at the bottom-back of the door. That works much better once you get used to it.

[cohenfive]

Thanks, not a bad suggestion.

[mrfattbill]

Originally Posted by cohenfive

2. Garage door opener setup. We have two garages, and so far while it set up our home opener perfectly, I have been unable to get it to set up for the garage at our little mountain house. I've followed the instructions, have cleared things out twice now, but it just won't take even though the led shows that it should work. This function works fine on our x3 for both garage doors.

My extra garage programmed in 10 seconds. I have spent many hours and cannot for the life of me get my main programmed. I even went so far as accidentally completely resetting the main garage opener to the point that I locked my wife out from her car and the keypad outside the garage, so I had to reprogram those

I followed every online video and post I could find, nothing has worked.

Bill

[Maynard]

Our local dealership runs a mini-clinic in how to program these, so I assume it is far from straightforward - I didn't get that package, so don't know the 'secrets' but the bit I recall from the general setup talk was that it may take rebooting the car - either turning on/off or some other type of reset while the remote signal is active. Might look for videos about this, or email the bmw genius. I have to admit that there is a lot in the manual that is far from clear, even after multiple rereads (serves me right for years of poking fun at Asian instructions, I guess).

[Mclrbra]

Originally Posted by mumps

Yes, when the light is on, the auto shut off is disabled. If you press the button the light will go off and the feature is then enabled. Alternatively, you could put the car in Eco-Pro mode and it works automatically in that setting; but then it feels like you're driving a Prius lol.

Chris

But then we can earn stars!!

[Mclrbra]

Originally Posted by mrfattbill

My extra garage programmed in 10 seconds. I have spent many hours and cannot for the life of me get my main programmed. I even went so far as accidentally completely resetting the main garage opener to the point that I locked my wife out from her car and the keypad outside the garage, so I had to reprogram those

I followed every online video and post I could find, nothing has worked.

Bill

Tried 5 times and yet to get the garage door opener to work with the garage... Seems futile...

[mrfattbill]

Originally Posted by Mclrbra

Tried 5 times and yet to get the garage door opener to work with the garage... Seems futile...

I'm going to give this another shot...........because I enjoy misery.

Bill

[Mclrbra]

Originally Posted by mrfattbill

I'm going to give this another shot...........because I enjoy misery.

Bill

They may be non functioning buttons put on the car to look good!

[mrfattbill]

FINALLY! SUCCESS!!! I have a Genie 3GT remote that I had been attempting to program the car with with no success. It actually is what I was using in the car to control the door. I finally got fed up and decided to try the outdoor wall keypad. Took it down entered the code then hit the open/close button and did everything else like all the directions state and it is finally programmed and working

Bill