[speedyman]

Originally Posted by Frenetic

That vent temperature adjustment is so redundant and unnecessary, especially with the advent of automatic and multi-zone climate control. It just creates unnecessary confusion and is stupid if you ask me.

It’s like the car is asking you, do you really want it at 72, or were you just kidding and want it warmer than that?

That number should mean precisely that: 72. I want the car cooled down to what I set it at. These numbers should have a temperature feel to them so if you set it at 72 in the future you know exactly what to expect. With BMW, that 72 could feel different depending on that dumb vent setting.

+2 and I'm sure most BMW owners who actually know this foolish redundancy exists would agree. Where we live it goes to full blue left and stays there. Lived in S FL for 3 years now and have never turned on heat in a vehicle or at home.

[bforbrian]

Originally Posted by TurtleBoy

This issue would have nothing to do with the ability to adjust the upper vents. As mentioned, you can just keep it in the middle and it should operate as "normal". If your issue persists have your dealer check it out.

Hm, my assumption was that this setting changed when I hit 'Auto.' I thought that the vehicle would change the blue and red settings depending on the conditions in the car. Can you confirm that the upper vent settings never change, even in manual climate control or auto climate control?

[bforbrian]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

Ah, I didn't know you figured it out already. Great!

I don't know if you've accepted the vent adjustment's utility given your earlier statement about temperature being an objective measurement. while true, comfort is highly subjective, e.g., 68°F is comfortable for my wife but too chilly for me. this adjustment can fine tune that comfort without (or minimally) affecting others. (at least that's its intended design/function.)

Makes sense. I've accepted it and now don't mind it

[VTENGR]

Originally Posted by bforbrian

Hm, my assumption was that this setting changed when I hit 'Auto.' I thought that the vehicle would change the blue and red settings depending on the conditions in the car. Can you confirm that the upper vent settings never change, even in manual climate control or auto climate control?

They never change. The setttings are relative to what you set the temp to. So if you have the vent settings all blue, what that means is the air temp coming out of the vent will be the SET temp minus X degrees. If you have it set all the way to red, it will be the SET temp plus X degrees. I don't know what the actual offsets are for all blue and all red, but I'm sure it can be found on the interwebs.

For me, personally, I like this feature and use it regularly. I like it to be cold in the cabin, but I don't like cold air blowing on me, so I regularly adjust the vent temp down on days when it's hot, but not very hot.

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by bforbrian

Hm, my assumption was that this setting changed when I hit 'Auto.' I thought that the vehicle would change the blue and red settings depending on the conditions in the car. Can you confirm that the upper vent settings never change, even in manual climate control or auto climate control?

The upper vent settings are manual, using Auto will not effect them.

Edit: See VTENGR ';s explanation above.

[BostonHack]

I've been enjoying the responses to my response to this thread. Being new to both the iDrive 7 and this forum, I didn't know this would be such an engaging topic. Perhaps that's what the BMW design team was going for when they changed it to be part of their iDrive menu - to get everybody sharing their experiences. If that was their intention, they sure nailed it.

As a software engineer, it also makes me think more about this vent-temp-adjust feature that seems to matter to a great number of people. I've owned a number of different cars and my 2017 X3 was my first experience with it. What makes it great is that I didn't have to read a manual or join a forum to learn how to use it. The control was just sitting there and I could adjust it without taking my eyes off the road. Amazingly simple for such a great feature. I'm surprised other cars don't add this vent-temp-adjust feature as well.

I'm probably like other people where 68 doesn't feel like 68 all the time. During the course of a trip, I may want it cool to start, then warmer, then maybe cooler again. It's something you would use quite often. I thought about saving various settings across the bottom as Auricom suggested; I considered using button1 for cool vent setting, 4 for middle white and 7 for hot - but I think it would also save all the other heating control settings as well. And it would likely require me to first select the specific menu heating/ventilation setting to activate those "vent" button settings instead of changing my radio or whatever else I might have selected as the menu option. I haven't played with this feature yet, let me know if anybody has found something truly useful for these buttons. Is there already a thread for that somewhere?

I digress. I think most of us agree that vent-temp-adjust is a good feature, worthy of keeping on all BMWs. The problem is how to control it. I think Marty in NY got it right when he suggested sometimes pushing buttons and turning knobs are the way to go. I don't agree that "those days are gone", well, maybe for mobile phones perhaps. What seems to be happening with the current iDrive design trend is that the BMW designers are taking design cues from Tesla and mobile phones and whatever else is new. Because we all conflate new with better. They will play around with this solution for awhile until it is no longer new, then someone will come up with the idea of putting the physical control back! Yeah, they'll say retro is back in and we'll all be talking about it again on this forum in 10 years.

That is I why I believe a physical control is the best design solution for the vent-temp-adjust feature. Because it works, it's obvious, and you can use it while you're driving without taking your eyes off the road. That would have been my first design recommendation. My second would have been to just remove the ability for the user to control the setting and automate the function (you could probably simulate much of this functionality using simple AI and sensors.) As much as I do enjoy what AI brings, I prefer option 1 since when it comes to whether my body needs more cooling or heating, it is only something I will be able to get right 100% of the time.

[hdahman]

mine is very cold, i got sick one day from it

[LexxM3]

Originally Posted by BostonHack

As much as I do enjoy what AI brings, I prefer option 1 since when it comes to whether my body needs more cooling or heating, it is only something I will be able to get right 100% of the time.

Two points, mostly as amplification of yours:

(1) I don't know where you are in your engineering career, but something every engineer MUST learn early is that ALL automation ("AI" or otherwise, but "AI" in particular) MUST have a user manual override available. No exceptions. It's one of those rare black and white rules.

(2) Tech in cars can be great and G05 X5 has lots of great, well-functioning tech as an example. But smartphones are not multi-tonne missiles driving alongside other semi-conscious multi-tonne missiles and smartphone touch design language is simply (and clearly) not appropriate for cars. Full stop. I sure hope kids and fu-fu "designers" learn that soon.

[speedyman]

Originally Posted by LexxM3

Two points, mostly as amplification of yours:

(1) I don't know where you are in your engineering career, but something every engineer MUST learn early is that ALL automation ("AI" or otherwise, but "AI" in particular) MUST have a user manual override available. No exceptions. It's one of those rare black and white rules.

(2) Tech in cars can be great and X5 has lots of great, well-functioning tech as an example. But smartphones are not multi-tonne missiles driving along-side other semi-conscious multi-tonne missiles and smartphone touch design language is simply (and clearly) not appropriate for cars. Full stop. I sure hope kids and fu-fu "designers" learn that soon.

Wow, what great points you make here my friend. This is the best post I have seen on this subject in any internet forum.
This is an area of tech that gets a volume commentary and you nailed it.

[Stoshu]

Although I have my setup were I want it and am happy with the controls I too miss having the button/knob for easy adjustment. My supposition is it was an economic call to remove them. No more need to produce or source the dials and knobs, just add a couple lines of code and a GUI and your done, save $10/vehicle across the brand!

[Timmer-Bimmer]

I have found a workaround for the problem of lukewarm air when AC is set to 68 degrees automatic on a very hot day. I hit the MAX AC button once. That brings up a sternly worded message that I am not to use the MAX AC button. I should use AUTO instead. So I hit AUTO again and the cold AC comes on.

I haven't tried this dial that everyone speaks of. I'll have to give that a try.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by Timmer-Bimmer

I have found a workaround for the problem of lukewarm air when AC is set to 68 degrees automatic on a very hot day. I hit the MAX AC button once. That brings up a sternly worded message that I am not to use the MAX AC button. I should use AUTO instead. So I hit AUTO again and the cold AC comes on.

are you talking about when you're already cruising or upon entering a hot vehicle that's been sitting in the sun a while?

immediately after the car starts, my wife hits the MAX A/C button cuz she tolerates heat poorly. i, on the other hand, am willing to wait, because i know in a few more seconds, the fan will increase, even higher as the car starts to move.

i think it's a "style of comfort" thing. no harm in using the MAX A/C button. (it's there for a reason, eh?)

[popper]

Great post, thanks. Now cold air much improved!

[NCRob]

Wishing it put out half as well as my 2006 GMC Truck

[MJBradley1967]

Yesterday (and today) it was 99ºF and I have to drive my black X5.

Days like that I really miss the old R-12 and also AMC's with their A/C settings, Colder→ and Desert Only settings.


Modern automotive A/C is outmatched above 85º.

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by MJBradley1967

Yesterday (and today) it was 99ºF and I have to drive my black X5.

Days like that I really miss the old R-12 and also AMC's with their A/C settings, Colder→ and Desert Only settings.


Modern automotive A/C is outmatched above 85º.

Well, the way things are heating up across the US, maybe the "Desert Only" Setting will be coming back

[MJBradley1967]

Originally Posted by Marty in NY

Well, the way things are heating up across the US, maybe the "Desert Only" Setting will be coming back

With R-134a being the standard, I don't think it would help

[cellarrat]

I have to say that the a/c is the weakest part of the car. Setting aside the rather anemic performance and the crazy-loud fan noise, who in their right mind decided you needed to bury a menu for selecting the temp of air coming out of the vents AND fan speed? You have an "auto" option; is the meaning of "auto" really that ambiguous? Why am I setting the cabin temp AND the temp of the vent air?

Never seen anything like this. My other cars, over the last, what, 20 years have meant "automatic" when they say "automatic."

[jaxdtw2196]

I always wondered this exact same thing about BMWs... any other car, you hit auto and select a temperature... the car automatically sets a fan speed to attain that temperature/stay at that temperature... my 2004 Crown Vic with automatic air does that, but my 2022 BMW does not.

Originally Posted by cellarrat

I have to say that the a/c is the weakest part of the car. Setting aside the rather anemic performance and the crazy-loud fan noise, who in their right mind decided you needed to bury a menu for selecting the temp of air coming out of the vents AND fan speed? You have an "auto" option; is the meaning of "auto" really that ambiguous? Why am I setting the cabin temp AND the temp of the vent air?

Never seen anything like this. My other cars, over the last, what, 20 years have meant "automatic" when they say "automatic."

[bmwauug]

Well - thanks for this ! I had no idea - feels like a freezer now !

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by cellarrat

I have to say that the a/c is the weakest part of the car. Setting aside the rather anemic performance and the crazy-loud fan noise, who in their right mind decided you needed to bury a menu for selecting the temp of air coming out of the vents AND fan speed? You have an "auto" option; is the meaning of "auto" really that ambiguous? Why am I setting the cabin temp AND the temp of the vent air?

Never seen anything like this. My other cars, over the last, what, 20 years have meant "automatic" when they say "automatic."

that setting doesn't affect the whole cabin, just the respective driver or passenger sides. the purpose of this setting is to be able to adjust your (or passenger's) comfort without affecting the entire cabin. for example, my HVAC is set to 73ºF. my wife (passenger) likes it cooler so she adjusts the slider for her side more on the blue area.

BMWs used to have a physical knob for quick adjustments instead of being buried inside the menu.

[Marty in NY]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

that setting doesn't affect the whole cabin, just the respective driver or passenger sides. the purpose of this setting is to be able to adjust your (or passenger's) comfort without affecting the entire cabin. for example, my HVAC is set to 73ºF. my wife (passenger) likes it cooler so she adjusts the slider for her side more on the blue area.

BMWs used to have a physical knob for quick adjustments instead of being buried inside the menu.

I loved that physical vertical rotary knob in the center of the dash, all my BMW's had it and I used it a lot! However, this X5 is the first BMW I've had where the HVAC controls are truly separate for the driver and passenger, everything down to even the fan speed so they would have had to installed two of those rotary knobs in order to stay true to the theme or just stick it in iDrive among the myriad of other controls. I think you can program one of the shortcut buttons to take you directly to that control.