One more hidden feature would be the REST setting on the climate control. On the e38 and all other BMWs of this generation and generation after if you push the max AC button (rest button on pre lci e39 and e38s) it will blow warm air into the passenger compartment that it draws from the engines residual heat when the car is turned off. It's very nice to keep your car toasty when in a store for a short time or waiting in the car.
This is something I didn't even know about, I'm going to check it out! I know about the E38's auxiliary fan which can be set on a timer or at a specific time, or manually on if you're leaving someone in the car. I'll try it out this week when I take it out for a spin, it's definitely a feature I would use up here!
I tried this out about 20 minutes ago! The button definitely works, I never thought to try and press it before. Sure enough the light will come on and the vents start making a sound, like a small portable heater or fireplace. I left it running for about 5 minutes when I ran into the bank but came back to find the air coming from the vents wasn't warm, maybe a bit warmer than outside temperature. brothafromanothamotha mentioned a furnace system on the E38, I'm wondering if mine requires replacement.
You live in a very cold climate. I have noticed if the car does not get up to temp or its frigid outside, the air will not be hot when it comes out. That might be the reason it's not too hot.
i think your furnace system as you call it requires replacement. it is a very common problem on e38 and e39, my 530d has it too. most people don´t notice because they don´t use the button at all.
I also love the 4-digit security PIN which you can enable and it makes sure that the car can't be started without entering it. I had the guys from the garage come to collect my E38 for service one day and I gave them the keys at the door. I went inside the house, showed them where the car was parked and said goodbye to them. Five minutes later I was looking outside the window and noticed that the car was still there. I immediately remembered that the PIN was on so I went outside to them. They told me that they couldn't start the car. I apologised to them profusely for forgetting to disengage the PIN and I unlocked it. The strange thing is that the car was clearly prompting them for the CODE but they seemed to have missed that. Us men don't read instructions🤣🤣
I believe you're right, if not they were only beat by a year or two by Mercedes-Benz. The active cruise control is a feature I wish they had offered here in North America. It's something I would use every day.
Thanks! We certainly try. It's gotten a little neglected over the past few months as we've been in the process of moving, but we're hoping with our new studio we'll be able to get a full detail done on it.
hello. you missed something very essential located in the ceiling just behind the sunroof, an anti-theft control system connected to the car main electrical system. this module detects if the car is being lifted or dragged away so it starts the alarm and locks every electric device in it especially the fuel pump.
I own E38 735 IL 1999 black metallic, facelift edition, beige interiour, electric m seats , very clean inside and outside, like a new car 366000 km and it flyes, i place a coin vertikal on the running engine and it stays vertikal. Love my black horse
PRN Yeah, there's not many around these days! I just remember how technologically advanced it was when my dad's one was delivered in 1989. Thanks for the video by the way!
E32 you could turn on then hold the wiper lever for how long the intermittent wiper would be timed. Later model E38s has a rain sensor in the windshield.
The automatic start with just a flick with the ignition key , does not work on my 1995 740.. too old? Its is not a fullspec either Great upload never stop!
We'd definitely like to! It's just a matter of finding an owner with the right car in good condition to film, and who wants their car featured. We've started reaching out to people directly, so we'll see how that goes.
Will do! If you have any suggestions please let us know, aside from comparison videos with other similar cars, we've only drawn up 1 other E38 related video that we can think of.
Glad to hear it, thanks for subscribing! If you've got any recommendations for some videos you'd like to see, let us know and we'll see what we can do!
They're all available on my e39 Also to add few more × if you want to restore your memory seat/mirror/steering position without holding the button just press it when the door is open ×if you hit the automatic window up then open the door it will stop to prevent you from having your hand stuck. And also the front windows have a resistance sensor that will detect if something got stuck in their and will stop and go back down (don't try it with your hands it will hurt) ×also the passenger and center mirrors has automatic dimming, meaning if you're driving at night and someone comes behind you with high beam the mirrors will become dimmer so you don't get blinded but the driver side stays for safety × if the car is locked and the windows are open when you stick your hands inside the cabin the alarm will set off
Great info, thanks for sharing! The last two are more option specific which is why we didn't mention them, but we've had a lot of people bring up the auto window feature!
I believe it’s specific to vehicles built after September 1998 which should only be 1999+ model years, but there could be some 99s with early production without the feature. The Light Control Module III is what allows the feature.
Hey Nile, nice video! One thing though, the wipers work with the rain sensor which is located in the rear view mirror leg facing the windshield. The wiper control lever has a knob with 4 settings for adjusting the sensitivity of the rain sensor. My E38 730d has auxiliary heating, which means I can set the time when the car will be warming the cabin and engine for about 30 minutes or when you open the door. It has a small furnace for that which uses fuel to heat everything up. The furnaces (made by Webasto) are usually not working, because they have a lifespan of about 10 years. Mine got refurbished over a month ago. It is great to sit in a warm car during the cold winters.
I always wondered what that sensor was on the front of the rearview! If you were to cover it, would it directly affect the wipers? I was always under the impression that rain sensors were only on European E38s, at least when I check the VIN on my car that option doesn't seem to show up. I was going to talk about the aux system as well, but I believe I covered it in my MKIII Nav video from a while ago. I tried the engine heat option today, pressing the Max AC after the car turned off but the air didn't seem warm at all, is this what that furnace is connected to? If so, mine doesn't seem to work either. I hadn't heard about it until today!
PRN You can turn it on manually by turning the auxiliary vent on in the timer menu. It should also work automatically when you turn the engine on and the temperature outside is under 5C. Also I checked, the NA versions of E38 don't usually have auxiliary heating, the European versions had them by default since FL. I'm not sure about NA FL versions, it can be retrofitted, though. Rain sensor should be default option with all FL E38s. You can turn the rain sensing wiping on by putting the wiper control lever to the very first on position.
Fair enough! I have used the aux fan before but not often, I can count two times that I actually set it up. I haven't fully tested it either, if it just circulates the air or if it would generate some heat. I know I could have used some pre-heating in the car a few nights ago. I haven't heard the term FL used for E38s before, is it the same as LCI?
you should try the aux fan, if your car does not get warm, the furnace is probably broken. yes lci means the same, FL means facelift, the term is used in germany and probably europe.
Ah makes sense! I haven't done much research or testing with the aux fan, is it only meant for warm air? If so I might give it a try later on and see if it does anything, from what I remember it only ever blew fresh air temp.
Most features are found across the BMW range, which is great for anyone looking to pick up a 90s or newer BMW. We're hoping to get our hands on some older models so we can figure out when a lot of these things became standard.
there is another one Nile, if you try to close the window but your hand is out or something else the window will stop from closing. Try it :) Awesome video !!!!!!!!!!!
Thats not good Campo87! I'm always worried about mine. Hopefully it's a straightforward fix. The door cards aren't too hard to get off, but breaking the clips that keep them on are inevitable. I need to pickup a bunch, most of mine broke.
I don't know if this was specific to my E38 but on the models in the U.S. that didn't have the navigation system, mine had an ignition lockout feature where you had to type in an ignition code to start the car before you turned the key. Other wise if you got the code incorrect the security system refuses to start the car.
I mean, we go over it in detail at 1:32, which is why I assume you commented with the name of it, since we had it on-screen and discussed exactly what it does. Not sure what the question is here.
I'm surprised the E39 didn't have the same type of ignition system, did yours come with the newer diamond-shaped key, or the older rounded one? That might be the difference in systems, I haven't driven an E38 with the older key so I can't confirm for sure.
Hello, It had the diamond key and this key was charged directly from the coil of the ignition switch ID system. But I'm talking about European made cars, since I saw, that the US versions are often pretty different. My E39 had the GM transmission, which was working fantastical. Now I have E65 with ZF, which is even smoother, but i have it only two months, so I cannot give any realistic feedback. I'm off topic (again :)
Good to know! Strange that the feature wasn't included. I didn't have a chance to try it out on the E39 Touring we filmed a few weeks ago since we were inside a building. Glad to hear you're driving an E65! Not many people own them, so it's nice to see someone's picked one up and is enjoying it.
PRN Well, it was a good deal, the seller didn't care much about the price, since he bought a new one. regular price is about 11-12k€ for 730d 2007 and I got it for 8k. I couldn't resist it and after two months I'm not sorry at all.
Not bad at all! Most of the later model 750is here are selling between $13,000 and $16,000, less if the mileage is high, more if it's a LWB. I suspect the prices will continue downward for the E65 for a while, whereas the E38s are going to start to increase for well preserved or highly-sought after V12s.
you should watch the russian cult classic film "Бумер" (beemer) and it's sequel if you haven't yet .. perhaps you can find them with english subs somwhere... just watched both and gave me some nice nostalgia, haven't seen them for many years...
Hidden Features? Thats all standard for me. Yeah it helped a lot of people as it seems, but for everyone who is a bit interested in cars should know all of this.
And do you think that people who are interested in cars are born with this knowledge? The reason we produced this video was to inform people who want to know more about their cars, or just learn something interesting about a vehicle they might be interested in. Not everyone can know everything about their cars, we learn new things all the time. We want to lift people up with videos like this, not put them down by knocking them for not knowing.
Thank you for your answer. I do not think that people are born with this knowledge. But everything you talked about is quiet the standard in cars from the late 80s and 90s. Except for the parking lights (that as you mentioned in Europe is commonly used) and the Rest Button (car manual?) Everything is standard. I think who owns this car should know that. But also to contribute something useful. I guess the E38 came with the servo-closed-trunk as a standard and had the servo-closed doors as an option. For someone who never tried to soft-close their doors this might beneficial to know. As you do not have any identification if the car is equipped with the feature or not. Parking lights are labeled on the lever as there is a "REST" Button if you have the option in the car. So again. Using logic it makes sense what "REST" means if the button is placed on the climate control. No harm intended :) EDIT: Something worth sharing is also the "MAX AC" Button that works as expected in summer, but in winter it turns to an "MAX WARM" function. After the heater is warm it blows hottest air possible into the cabin.
We have covered the heating buttons with the videos we've published on the specific cars, the 1997 740i we featured should have had the REST button which we should have gone over, same with the video we originally published on our 2001.
We did produce a complete Buyer’s Guide on the E38 back in Spring: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GSY64_XSRq8.html if that’s what you’re talking about.
I manually get into my 1995 e38 by turning the key, the electric fob dosnt work. Does anyone know how I can stop the summer window setting from activating? I live in Canada and can't have all my windows and sunroof open just about every time. I'd really appreciate the help.
The window opening should only happen when you hold the key for a second, at least in my experience with mine it wouldn't do it when I'd unlock the car.
The all-window and sunroof close by turning and holding key in lock position debuted on the E32 in 1987 Euro Models... a neat feature. The wipers stopping at stops or longer delays, is unique to BMWs - started on, once again, the E32. However, one item you did not mention that started with the E38 is the passenger wiper arm stretching to the cover the upper corner of the glass. M-B 1st used a piston/cam with the 190E in 83/84 to reach the corners better, then the other models followed. The E39 was the last gen. to use the E38 style pass. wiper extension. Very cool and intelligent.
We've heard from an E32 V12 owner in the Toronto area, our hope is to film it in the summer and talk about some of this tech that started with the E32!
The OBC cluster menus? I was thinking about it, however there are a lot of videos on RU-vid covering the unlock and menu options for that, one of the reasons we didn't include it in this video.
There's another feature on some models where you can program your car to ventilate at specific times. Comes in handy on very hot days if you leave your car parked for a long time in the hot sun. Not sure if Mercedes has it on their older S models though my D2 chassis Audi A8 Quattro had it. Just picked up a 01 740il and it has that feature, plus I can BT my phone to the head unit. Also a Passport radar detector and backup camera was installed too.
Try this: 1) put your ignition on code lockout in your on-board computer. 2) Then try to start the engine, you will see OBC display asking for code and "ding" sound, release the ignition key, enter your 4 digit code on computer and press "deactivate" = enjoy how engine magically cranks up on itself. Though there's some expiration time, try to be quick or set your code to 0000 for the first test. Just discovered this feature today.
What do you mean by cranks up on itself? If you mean that you don't have to hold the key in the ignition position until it turns over, that should be a standard feature on all E38 models, but at the very least on LCI versions. No coding required.
@@PRNTestDrive Engine starts once you push your OBC deactivate button while not touching the key. It's second part of comfort start. Life scenario would be this: 1) you're on rush or forgot that you put it on code lockout 2) you jump in and try to start the engine - nothing happens of course, because normally you would enter code before attempt to start the engine. 3) usually you enter the code and then forced to turn the key back to position 2 and then 3 again to engage the starter because it won't allow to turn to pos. 3 twice after fail start 4) but if you're quick enough to put the code in - engine will start up the moment you put the code in without you touching the key twice even after fail start. It's pure convenience.
It's something we'd like to do, but unfortunately we haven't had much success tracking down E65s for the show. We've got it on the top of our list so we'll see what we can do!
None when it comes to solving them unfortunately. Mine was connected to the battery during the spring yet the battery kept draining even with a battery minder connected so I just disconnected it. I think that ended up killing the new battery I bought for it.
One of the reasons we wanted to film this video originally! Seems like BMW, Mercedes, and maybe Audi are really the only ones adding this feature to cars for North America.
Hi, I'm a student and i want to buy E38. do I need to much money for maintenance?. I drive less than 1000 mile on one month. Also I can't pay for maintenance more than 150$to 200$ per months. or should I go for Korean cars.
You might not want to pick a BMW then if you're on a strict monthly budget like that. While mine has been surprisingly reliable, one major problem could set you back quite a bit. If you're good with a wrench and have the ability to do most of the repairs yourself though, then you'd probably be alright.
Better than breaking the wallet! You can always take a chance, but every car is different, some seem to be very reliable whereas other E38s have no end to their problems.
I mean we say that right at the beginning, starting around 0:23 you see it in action. You press and hold the key fob unlock button until they all open completely, or you turn the key in the driver's door and hold it in the unlock position until they all open.
Thanks! These are the warmest hats on the planet, we wouldn't trust anything else to keep our heads warm! As for the gas tank, we had a couple leads for replacement parts but we didn't end up going with them. We're hoping to start looking in Spring, as the car won't be coming out of the garage until the snow melts here.
So what is hidden here? Do you know of all the coding options that can be done? CA market cars are not the same as US market cars, check out window pinch strip, auto window up with the doors open won't work ect ect ect you left out a lot
We love hearing that, thanks! We learn something new all the time about these cars as well, in doing research for the video but also through the community here in the comments. Thanks for watching!
Thanks! Most of the BMWs from the mid-90s and newer have these, that's true. Some are great to have, and great to know about too for those who are new to these cars!
None of them at all? As far as I know all E38 models have these features (aside from the charging key, those are facelift only). The windows might be a coding thing, perhaps they became disabled or turned off by a previous owner. As for things like the parking lights and follow me home lights, those should work no matter what. The car's Light Control Module should control those features, but if there's a problem with the LCM none of your headlights would work.
I just bought a 5 series E39 from 1996 and its really similar to the E38. I really like the but I had alot of engine problems like the CCV valve broke and the crankshaft sensor went bad. I owned several w210's and I never had engine problems. the only problems was rust (alot) but those Mercedes engines are bulletproof. BMW has way better rust protection but the engines just cant compare with Mercedes in my opinion. And just to mention you cant also open/close the windows only using the lock and unlock buttons on your key. Al BMW's have that feature nowadays. And again a great video PRN!
Sorry to hear that the E39 you picked up has had some engine troubles, hopefully you'll be able to get them sorted out! We definitely agree that Mercedes makes phenomenal engines, we've noticed there's often very little to look out for when we research our classic car episodes of TestDrive on older Mercs.
