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BMW 5-Series (G30) Forum iDrive, Audio, Bluetooth, Phone, Cameras, Electronics + Coding heated seats on auto start

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      11-15-2023, 05:16 PM   #1
DNYC1919
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heated seats on auto start

I noticed when I auto start my 540 from
My phone the heated seats don’t come on. Is there a way to have them come on ?
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      11-16-2023, 12:43 AM   #2
AP
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The seats only heat up when the seat belt is fastened
You could try plugging in the seatbelt?
I’m also not sure if the car checks that there is also someone sitting on the seat aswell
It may not fro the driver as it assumes there will always be a driver but for a passenger it will detect as that triggers whether the seat belt reminder is activated as it has detected someone sitting there
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      11-16-2023, 03:01 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DNYC1919 View Post
I noticed when I auto start my 540 from
My phone the heated seats don’t come on. Is there a way to have them come on ?

There is a setting in iDrive where you set what outside Temp you want the seat heat to come when remote starting. (Settings\Climate functions)

Last edited by Marc_911; 11-16-2023 at 03:09 PM..
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      11-19-2023, 12:26 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AP View Post
The seats only heat up when the seat belt is fastened
You could try plugging in the seatbelt?
I’m also not sure if the car checks that there is also someone sitting on the seat aswell
It may not fro the driver as it assumes there will always be a driver but for a passenger it will detect as that triggers whether the seat belt reminder is activated as it has detected someone sitting there
I have the BimmerTech remote start on my 2020 G30. I ran a quick test this week where I ensured that my iDrive was set to turn on seat heating well above the current ambient temperature, then got out of the car, fastened the seat belt, closed the door, and waited for everything to turn off. Then I triple-pressed the "lock" button and was delighted to see the seat heater come on when the car started! So it seems that at least for the driver, the car isn't sensing whether somebody is actually in the seat. Its only check is the seat belt.

So... does anybody know how to "trick" the G30 into thinking that the driver's seat belt is fastened? Hopefully it's just a matter of shorting two pins on a connector. I doubt that this can be coded, but if it can, that's even better.
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      11-21-2023, 09:09 AM   #5
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OK so I contributed $32 to the cause and learned how the seat belt sensor works. Far be it for our friends at BMW to design a simple mechanical switch that closes when the seat belt buckle is inserted! Instead, their clearly superior design uses a magnet and a Hall effect sensor that detects a change in the magnetic field when the ferrous buckle is inserted between them.

Time for Plan B. It's apparently impossible to purchase a seat belt buckle without the rest of the seat belt, so I found an old steel plate that I subjected to my limited metalworking skills to fabricate a fake buckle. Witness Exhibit A. I successfully confirmed that inserting this monstrosity into the seatbelt clip allows the seat heater to come on when using remote start. So I will need to remember to insert it into the clip when exiting the car if I want seat heat for my next remote start.

Meanwhile, I'll be happy to share more details on the BMW seat belt sensor if anybody would like to have a go at a more elegant solution.
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      11-21-2023, 10:17 AM   #6
AP
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You could no doubt get hold of the seatbelt buckle from a breakers yard or equivalent if bmw won’t sell you just that
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      11-21-2023, 10:23 AM   #7
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I was also wondering if an extender like this would work. I would probably want to remove it before attaching my seatbelt since I don't trust how safe it would be, but at least it makes for a slightly more attractive solution.
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      12-04-2023, 07:00 PM   #8
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Just closing out this topic, I took the plunge on this extender and found that it fits and works perfectly. I can leave it plugged in and that's enough to activate the driver's seat and steering wheel heater during a remote start. It makes a big difference in the winter. I doubt that it would also work for the passenger seat because that uses additional electronics to detect a passenger. But I'd be interested to know if this also works for LCI models with factory remote start.
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