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Sedans BMW 3-Series iDrive and the 3-Series
46 messages, Last post on Sep 26, 2009 at 9:00 PM
You are in the BMW 3-Series Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
What are your experiences with the iDrive in the 3-Series?
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Set your radio controls to show the presets, not just the frequencies. You can then spin the controller to get to the station you want. Press/Play. Done. Yeah, having direct buttons would be nice, but if you have voice activation, press it, say "Play or tune 95.1" and it will tune to it. Voice activation makes iDrive the secondary controller.  -Paul
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Replying to: erickpl (Sep 27, 2005 4:27 am) Right, I understand that, but I like my nav. screen to be on most of the time. So, it would be good to have the station buttons to bypass using the screen.
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Replying to: carnaught (Sep 27, 2005 9:25 am) -Paul
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Replying to: erickpl (Sep 27, 2005 10:20 am) |
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| I've had my car for four weeks now. I have the 330i with idrive. I also have the 745i with idrive - 2002. As I've mentioned before, I wanted the 330 loaded and the idrive on the 2002 (the BAD year for idrive) was what made me consider selling my 328i - 2000 - a near perfect car!. I love getting directions - and they are easy and accurate. The car is an improvement on perfection. The radio is beyond. The sound some of the best I've heard. I thought the Satellite would be a waste but I got it because of the ability to get reception on a long drive. I hardly every listen to regular radio now. I love the selection. Run Flats? So it could cost me a few hundred to replace a bad tire - I could have to replace one with regular soft side wall tires. Just factor that there is a penalty for driving poorly into curbs and ruts in the road. When you pay top pricing for the top of the line you have to factor in some additional expenses. Just the way it is. | |
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I am just about to pull the trigger on a 330i . . . . I had decided I didn't want Navigation early on in my E90 selection process, largely based on negative reviews in the press of the iDrive system. Now that the dealer has located a car with the odd set of options I want (and NOT Navi) , I am suddenly thinking I should consider Navi, as I frequently travel to unfamiliar places, sometimes over long distances, for work. I'm going to LEASE - probably for 3 years, maybe even for 2 years - so it isn't as if I'll have it for the next 10 years if I don't like it. And I am quite comfortable with computers, and love doing all kinds of stuff with them. The questions are, I guess, for those who have Navigation or who studied up on it carefully before deciding against it: Is it difficult to use, cumbersome, and irritating? Or is it helpful, amazing even, and you can't imagine doing without it? What are the pros and cons, as you see them? If you had it to do over, would you get Navi? Let me know what you think. Thanks, as always, for any input, Jim
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Replying to: buynewbimmer (Dec 18, 2005 9:00 pm) Good Luck, DL |
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Replying to: buynewbimmer (Dec 18, 2005 9:00 pm) For my money, having the ability to upload/download from a portable GPS to/from a PC gives me just what I want, and I can use the thing in a rental, on the airplane getting there, and in my next car. I have hundreds of waypoints marked, and have no interest in trying to load them into a $2000 dedicated system. Plus which, all these things work a little bit differently, and it takes a long time to get familiar with all the features & how to get them to work efficiently. I used to drive professionally and have had occasion to drive well over a million miles at this point, 95% with only paper maps & my memory to work from. No real problems, but navigating single-handed in unfamiliar territory (especially the UK, driving on the left) becomes 100% stress-free with a GPS. I don't go beyond my daily commute without mine. Even if you've been someplace before, there's entertainment value in knowing how far it is to the next item of interest and/or exactly when you're going to get there. FWIW. |
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Replying to: buynewbimmer (Dec 18, 2005 9:00 pm) Will I get it for my next car? You betcha! Do I put any trust in what magazine writers say about the system being too complex? No way! We have to wonder how good they are with computers, maybe they complaint about an iPOD since it has fancy menus  . Good luck with your purchase. |
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