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View Poll Results: For you F'15 Owners who've owned E70's...
You like your F'15 more than E70? (why? post it) 84 85.71%
You like your F'15 equal to your E70? (why, post it) 4 4.08%
You like your F'15 less than your E70? (why? post it) 10 10.20%
Voters: 98. You may not vote on this poll

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      11-02-2014, 07:44 AM   #45
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You lose me at E53 is a sports car....

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Originally Posted by tkila View Post
My 2003 X5 4.4i E53 drives better than the F15 35i I tested. The turbo V6 is really laggy and does not have enough thrust as my old V8 naturally aspirated engine. The steering is loose and not as direct as my old X5. The F15 does not react to the slightest movement of the steering wheel. You have rotate the wheel a lot to get the E70 to turn, really disappointing. Though parking is easier with F15 due to light steering. The E53 is much sportier to drive, but you if you like newer tech then the F15 is for you.

The F15 does have a nicer interior with leather dash and softer seats, but it felt big and heavy like a truck whereas the E53 felt more like a sports wagon. It does ride better than E53, but the new X5 is too focused on comfort than sport.

E53 is a sports car whereas F15 is a luxury cruise ship. I feel rather cold and bored when driving the F15. There is no V8 soundtrack, nor instant response when you floor the throttle or take a sharp turn.
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      11-02-2014, 01:55 PM   #46
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Originally Posted by Ray knight View Post
I loved my E70 (50i) but i love the F15 more. Its quite a bit of an upgrade in luxury and technology. The E70 tracked much better on the road though. Steering was more solid. The F15 likes to wander around more and needs more attention to keep between the lanes. I suspect the F15 alignment is the reason. They could have taken out the tiny bit of toe in the E70 had to save fuel and tires but it takes away that sharp feel. I'm going to play with mine and add a touch of front toe in and see if it tracks better. Everything else is better on the F15. Its drastic. And the E70 is amazing on its own so those were big shoes to fill.
hmm I feel the same way about how it feels too soft on the highway and needs too much attention to keep it in lane, gives me a headache sometimes driving lol. I first thought the car was maybe slightly out of alignment (maybe the front wheels), hard to imagine this big of a car wandering around on the highway haha. I'm actually taking my car in to the dealer to take a look at the alignment. I haven't driven or had the previous X5's so can't really compare but I read they're much tighter and have heavier steering feel, which I would want in this car.
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      11-02-2014, 03:03 PM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by batmanken View Post
hmm I feel the same way about how it feels too soft on the highway and needs too much attention to keep it in lane, gives me a headache sometimes driving lol. I first thought the car was maybe slightly out of alignment (maybe the front wheels), hard to imagine this big of a car wandering around on the highway haha. I'm actually taking my car in to the dealer to take a look at the alignment. I haven't driven or had the previous X5's so can't really compare but I read they're much tighter and have heavier steering feel, which I would want in this car.
I have never driven the E70, but I experience exactly the same as you describe your F15 - it need quite much attention to stay steady in the lane.

HOWEVER - I think we are talking about two different things here. I have driven various cars that have been light (lighter or similar to the F15) - but still being more "calm" om the roads and in the lane.
I simply believe this must be the nature and normal behavior of the F15.

I.e. I have yet another time to mention our former car here - the Volvo XC60. Smaller yes, but a similar SUV style car. Being able to choose from 3 different steering wheel response settings - heavy, medium and light - I always kept our on "light". Just a personal preference.
BUT - that didn't mean the car wanted to "wiggle" from side to side in the lane. Actually quite the opposite, steady as rock.
Meaning safe and good - but also - not as sporty feel as the X5. (So, I would say "typically Volvo").

Also, If I set the X5 to its "sport" mode - the steering tightens up quite much -but the car still requites similar attention to keep it in the lane. At least that's my feeling.
So yes, the steering feel of the X5 - I think its simply a style of the new generation X5. Tires and tire-pressure can of course influence the various steering-feels, but I surely think nothing is wrong with the car itself.

Again, I cannot comment how this feels relative to the earlier E70 model.

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      11-03-2014, 08:27 PM   #48
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Originally Posted by Midwest X6 View Post
You lose me at E53 is a sports car....
Im just sayin E53 is sportier than E70 and F15 which both veer towards luxury than sport.
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      11-03-2014, 09:00 PM   #49
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I just picked up my new X5, and I have to say I'm feeling more than a little let down compared to the 2012 E70 I had. Here are a couple of things that are bothering me that I hope can be adjusted somehow:

- The rectangular lcd on the instrument cluster (bottom right) is terrible to look at in nighttime. It's bright and looks completely out of place on the cluster at night. Am I missing some way to adjust this?
- With an iPhone play list (plugged into USB), when I select "Random" it actually randomizes the entire list (rather than just playing the list in a random order but keeping the list in the order I originally uploaded, the way it did it in the E70). Can this be changed somehow? When it randomizes the entire list it makes it impossible to quickly find a song and still play the rest of the playlist randomly.

There are a bunch of other headscratchers that I'm just stuck with:

- No tick marks at 55 and 65 mph on the speedometer??? 60 and 80, with a half tick at 70???
- Adjusting the volume on the radio always requires your right hand (on the E70, the volume could be adjusted left hand on the steering wheel and right hand on the actual radio).

And, some things I'm just disappointed about:

- I miss the overhead ambiance lighting. I find the replacement colored LEDs to be much less useful.
- The multicontour seats seem much less comfortable (slightly narrower and the bolster is not nearly as high) as on the E70.
- The side view mirrors are smaller than the E70.
- The colors on the Nav are almost neon. I've tried both color displays and neither is very good. What were they thinking?
- the steering is pretty loose at high speeds, even with the active steering, which is a lot better than the standard steering.

So far, I'm very disappointed. I had very little time to test drive the car. My lease was up and I trusted BMW -- it's my 6th BMW -- so it's my fault. Unfortunately, it's the first BMW I drove away from the dealer with feeling disappointed. I wish I bought out my E70 and kept it.
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      11-03-2014, 09:20 PM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tlon View Post
I just picked up my new X5, and I have to say I'm feeling more than a little let down compared to the 2012 E70 I had. Here are a couple of things that are bothering me that I hope can be adjusted somehow:

- The rectangular lcd on the instrument cluster (bottom right) is terrible to look at in nighttime. It's bright and looks completely out of place on the cluster at night. Am I missing some way to adjust this?
- With an iPhone play list (plugged into USB), when I select "Random" it actually randomizes the entire list (rather than just playing the list in a random order but keeping the list in the order I originally uploaded, the way it did it in the E70). Can this be changed somehow? When it randomizes the entire list it makes it impossible to quickly find a song and still play the rest of the playlist randomly.

There are a bunch of other headscratchers that I'm just stuck with:

- No tick marks at 55 and 65 mph on the speedometer??? 60 and 80, with a half tick at 70???
- Adjusting the volume on the radio always requires your right hand (on the E70, the volume could be adjusted left hand on the steering wheel and right hand on the actual radio).

And, some things I'm just disappointed about:

- I miss the overhead ambiance lighting. I find the replacement colored LEDs to be much less useful.
- The multicontour seats seem much less comfortable (slightly narrower and the bolster is not nearly as high) as on the E70.
- The side view mirrors are smaller than the E70.
- The colors on the Nav are almost neon. I've tried both color displays and neither is very good. What were they thinking?
- the steering is pretty loose at high speeds, even with the active steering, which is a lot better than the standard steering.

So far, I'm very disappointed. I had very little time to test drive the car. My lease was up and I trusted BMW -- it's my 6th BMW -- so it's my fault. Unfortunately, it's the first BMW I drove away from the dealer with feeling disappointed. I wish I bought out my E70 and kept it.
Everyone's different. I do agree that the handling is much looser, which is why I'll be upgrading to Accuair air suspension in a few months. A lot of people said to get DHP or M suspension for better control. If you have stock suspension, active steering isn't going to do much for you.

You can still get the 6WB cluster like mine, and it will completely change your idea on the cluster and quality of the interior look.

I'm not sure about the iPhone randomization, but I'm sure others can help you out because iPhone stuff has been discussed quite extensively especially by @MattBianco.

Regarding the volume controls...you get used to it. I know old habits are hard to break free from, but it'll happen eventually. The new X5 in terms of quality/looks, is well beyond the e70 - esp the engine. I'm really happy with mine.

I understand some of the points you're addressing and many will support you in the steering feel, while others will respectfully disagree on some other things like the ambient lighting (this is something I love - it's very clean/futuristic - esp with my different 6WB modes).

The MC Dakota seats are a bit stiff, but I find them far more comfortable than my brother's ML63's Designo interior. Just break it in before you write it off.

My two cents .
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      11-03-2014, 10:37 PM   #51
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Thanks, Opasha.

You are, of course, right. It's all very subjective and that was my first reaction. I just remember getting into my 2012 E70 and thinking this is the best car I've ever owned, and this was the experience I had with almost all of the previous BMWs I'd owned as well. This is the first where I didn't feel good about it immediately. But, I'll get used to the quirks and I'm sure end up enjoying it, hopefully as much as my E70.



Quote:
Originally Posted by opasha View Post
Everyone's different. I do agree that the handling is much looser, which is why I'll be upgrading to Accuair air suspension in a few months. A lot of people said to get DHP or M suspension for better control. If you have stock suspension, active steering isn't going to do much for you.

You can still get the 6WB cluster like mine, and it will completely change your idea on the cluster and quality of the interior look.

I'm not sure about the iPhone randomization, but I'm sure others can help you out because iPhone stuff has been discussed quite extensively especially by @MattBianco.

Regarding the volume controls...you get used to it. I know old habits are hard to break free from, but it'll happen eventually. The new X5 in terms of quality/looks, is well beyond the e70 - esp the engine. I'm really happy with mine.

I understand some of the points you're addressing and many will support you in the steering feel, while others will respectfully disagree on some other things like the ambient lighting (this is something I love - it's very clean/futuristic - esp with my different 6WB modes).

The MC Dakota seats are a bit stiff, but I find them far more comfortable than my brother's ML63's Designo interior. Just break it in before you write it off.

My two cents .
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      11-03-2014, 10:42 PM   #52
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tlon View Post
Thanks, Opasha.

You are, of course, right. It's all very subjective and that was my first reaction. I just remember getting into my 2012 E70 and thinking this is the best car I've ever owned, and this was the experience I had with almost all of the previous BMWs I'd owned as well. This is the first where I didn't feel good about it immediately. But, I'll get used to the quirks and I'm sure end up enjoying it, hopefully as much as my E70.
Exactly, my friend. Trust me, I know exactly where you are coming from. I came from a 2004 FX35 with 20" wheels - to me, there is no better SUV suspension that I've felt in a midsize SUV till this day. I'm sure a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S or X5M might be up there or better, but those were out of my price range. I love tight suspension vehicles...always have always will. My X5 took some major getting used to, but I've really gotten the hang of it and how it handles. I adapt quite fast/well to change. Do I miss my FX35 handling? Definitely. Was the leather more comfortable? Definitely. Would I go back to it from my F15? No, because there's a lot more positives than negatives. I think once I get my new suspension installed, I will have everything I need.
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      11-03-2014, 10:57 PM   #53
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tlon View Post
Thanks, Opasha.

You are, of course, right. It's all very subjective and that was my first reaction. I just remember getting into my 2012 E70 and thinking this is the best car I've ever owned, and this was the experience I had with almost all of the previous BMWs I'd owned as well. This is the first where I didn't feel good about it immediately. But, I'll get used to the quirks and I'm sure end up enjoying it, hopefully as much as my E70.

How was the overhead ambiance light in E70? I don't think we are missing anything in F15, are you referring to courtesy lights? I just let my E70 go, it was a really nice vehicle. F15 feels like a completely different vehicle. If someone blind folded me and removed all familiar interior, F15 drives nothing like E70, but it's not all bad so far. Seats are more comfortable (standard leather seats) I went from all black to white interior, I really like how cozy & fresh it looks.

I totally agree that it's very silly of BMW to move the volume button to right side of the steering wheel, as someone who rarely uses cruise control, it was just fine behind the steering wheel.

How about that Power button. I find myself having to correct it and use my steering wheel to adjust the volume, did they really have to put that power icon on the knob, are there really any people who had no idea it was a power/pause button? I might stick something over it later on.

How do we fast forward/rewind during a song?

I never used Sat radio until F15, I listened to it in different radios but SAT in F15 is very advanced. I try not to get used to it, since we only have 1 yr included. It has a very nice time shift function.

As for neon colors, just swap to Traffic view, I use that view most of the time, but you can also turn down the brightness, which will also turn down cluster brightness and sort of blend with that bright LCD screen. I also didn't like how 4-Zone temp displays are glowing and you can see how they are not a uniform installation, during day of course non of this matters.

Where is RED ambiance lighting? Why orange?
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      11-03-2014, 11:18 PM   #54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hyde View Post
How was the overhead ambiance light in E70? I don't think we are missing anything in F15, are you referring to courtesy lights? I just let my E70 go, it was a really nice vehicle. F15 feels like a completely different vehicle. If someone blind folded me and removed all familiar interior, F15 drives nothing like E70, but it's not all bad so far. Seats are more comfortable (standard leather seats) I went from all black to white interior, I really like how cozy & fresh it looks.

I totally agree that it's very silly of BMW to move the volume button to right side of the steering wheel, as someone who rarely uses cruise control, it was just fine behind the steering wheel.

How about that Power button. I find myself having to correct it and use my steering wheel to adjust the volume, did they really have to put that power icon on the knob, are there really any people who had no idea it was a power/pause button? I might stick something over it later on.

How do we fast forward/rewind during a song?

I never used Sat radio until F15, I listened to it in different radios but SAT in F15 is very advanced. I try not to get used to it, since we only have 1 yr included. It has a very nice time shift function.

As for neon colors, just swap to Traffic view, I use that view most of the time, but you can also turn down the brightness, which will also turn down cluster brightness and sort of blend with that bright LCD screen. I also didn't like how 4-Zone temp displays are glowing and you can see how they are not a uniform installation, during day of course non of this matters.

Where is RED ambiance lighting? Why orange?
I also don't ever use the Cruise Control function on any car that I drive.

For Fastforward/Rewind, just hold the left or right arrow right above the Power/Volume circular knob. This mechanism is the same for those of you have coded video or use DVDs.

I would love red ambient lighting, esp for Sport mode. BTW, all of you with 6WA, I found a code for sport mode that turns your lights red with a silver outline.

HU_NBT > 3000 > M_VEHICLE > change from nicht_aktiv to aktiv. This basically changes the Gauges in Sports Display from BMW Amber to Red & Silver.

I'm not sure if it works, but those of you who have the 6WA, try it and let me know what it does. My sport mode for 6WB is obviously red so it wouldn't matter to me at this point.
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      11-03-2014, 11:25 PM   #55
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@Tlon, I am happy to help sort out your music stuff as much as I can.

if you are in a playlist, after you select the first song, you can select random and it will randomize that list only. You have to be in the list you are randomizing.

I have a thread about making playlist in USBs that I find more convenient than iPhone. It is there in the storage console, can randomize, show album art, select song order, etc. http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...phone+playlist

software publisher mentioned in the thread states the software is also usable on Windows.
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      11-03-2014, 11:34 PM   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by opasha View Post

For Fastforward/Rewind, just hold the left or right arrow right above the Power/Volume circular knob. This mechanism is the same for those of you have coded video or use DVDs.
I meant the function was removed from steering wheel controls. Now there is no way to fast forward/rewind on steering wheel. I wish the CC buttons worked as radio buttons when CC is not active.
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      11-03-2014, 11:40 PM   #57
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I meant the function was removed from steering wheel controls. Now there is no way to fast forward/rewind on steering wheel. I wish the CC buttons worked as radio buttons when CC is not active.
Ah, gotcha. Yes, this would be very useful. Blame BMW...they have deleted a lot of convenient/nice features that they have had before. Also...ANTIDAZZLE!!! They give it to Europe through specific hardware (their lights have the capability) while they take it away from us completely. The only way to get this to work most likely would be to special order the light components (who knows what exactly) and VO Code them correctly.
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      11-04-2014, 12:55 PM   #58
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hyde View Post
How was the overhead ambiance light in E70? I don't think we are missing anything in F15, are you referring to courtesy lights? I just let my E70 go, it was a really nice vehicle. F15 feels like a completely different vehicle. If someone blind folded me and removed all familiar interior, F15 drives nothing like E70, but it's not all bad so far. Seats are more comfortable (standard leather seats) I went from all black to white interior, I really like how cozy & fresh it looks.
I'm not sure what it was called on the E70, but the area with the moonroof controls had a very faint amber lighting that illuminated all the way down to the shifter without being intrusive. I thought it was a very nice touch. Plus the overhead light was not quite as blinding when the door is opened.

I guess my feeling so far is that the E70 was very intuitive (other than the central locking system being where it was, which in the end I really liked) and gave you the controls where you needed them most. For every step forward on the F15 -- I love the sync button on the climate control, having 8 programmable buttons instead of 6 -- there seems to be two or three steps back on user interface.

My biggest pet peeve might be the instrument cluster problem, though. It looks absolutely terrible at night. Not sure what to do about that. That and the MC seats. I miss the biggeer bolster support from the E70 MC seats.
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      11-04-2014, 01:06 PM   #59
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Originally Posted by MattBianco View Post
@Tlon, I am happy to help sort out your music stuff as much as I can.

if you are in a playlist, after you select the first song, you can select random and it will randomize that list only. You have to be in the list you are randomizing.

I have a thread about making playlist in USBs that I find more convenient than iPhone. It is there in the storage console, can randomize, show album art, select song order, etc. http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...phone+playlist

software publisher mentioned in the thread states the software is also usable on Windows.
Thanks, Matt. I'd love it if you have a suggested solution.

Here is the problem: I have a playlist on my iPhone (plugged in via USB) sorted A-Z by song title. I want to play that list in a random order, so I select Random from the options menu. At some point, I decide I want to listen to a particular song on that playlist and then go back to listening to the rest of the playlist in random order. I do this all the time. On the E70, all I would do is go to the playlist, which would still be displayed in order, select the song, and when it was over, the playlist would continue playing randomly What happens in the F15 is that when I choose Random now, the entire playlist order is displayed in a random order. This makes it almost impossible to find the one song I want to play because the entire list (400 plus songs). Imagine if the iPhone randomized your playlist when you selected shuffle, for example, rather than just shuffling the music in the background.

I found a bit of a workaround. I programmed one of the programmable buttons to select "Random" from the options menu. I can now more easily turn it off and on. Play the list, select Random, turn it off to find a song, play that song, and then turn it back on. The problem is that it takes some time to randomize and then reorder the entire list.

Any suggestions?
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      11-04-2014, 01:20 PM   #60
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tlon View Post
I'm not sure what it was called on the E70, but the area with the moonroof controls had a very faint amber lighting that illuminated all the way down to the shifter without being intrusive. I thought it was a very nice touch. Plus the overhead light was not quite as blinding when the door is opened.

I guess my feeling so far is that the E70 was very intuitive (other than the central locking system being where it was, which in the end I really liked) and gave you the controls where you needed them most. For every step forward on the F15 -- I love the sync button on the climate control, having 8 programmable buttons instead of 6 -- there seems to be two or three steps back on user interface.

My biggest pet peeve might be the instrument cluster problem, though. It looks absolutely terrible at night. Not sure what to do about that. That and the MC seats. I miss the biggeer bolster support from the E70 MC seats.
6WA extended cluster or 6WB is the only way you'll feel better about the cluster. I had the exact same one as you and that made my decision to upgrade to the 6WB a no brainer for me.
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      11-04-2014, 01:28 PM   #61
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Thanks, Opasha. I think I have the 6WA. At least it looks to be the same as this one:



You can actually see the problem in the beginning of that video at :02. If you pause it there, you'll see a large rectangular area reflected at the bottom right. At night, that rectangle looks like a lcd screen that is displaying a black background. That is, you can see a lot of light bleed on the rectangle, which makes it stick out like a sore thumb on the cluster. Does that happen on the 6WB?
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      11-04-2014, 01:33 PM   #62
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Quote:
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Thanks, Opasha. I think I have the 6WA. At least it looks to be the same as this one:



You can actually see the problem in the beginning of that video at :02. If you pause it there, you'll see a large rectangular area reflected at the bottom right. At night, that rectangle looks like a lcd screen that is displaying a black background. That is, you can see a lot of light bleed on the rectangle, which makes it stick out like a sore thumb on the cluster. Does that happen on the 6WB?
Exactly. That's the one I had. The extended version of the 6WA goes all the way across the bottom and up through the middle slightly unlike this basic 6WA that only has that annoying rectangle that looks very out of place/cheap. The 6WB does not have any light bleeding issues. It's very crisp and uniform, especially when you adjust the knob wheel brightness to whatever you feel like looks best.

You get your money's worth in my opinion with the 6WB. Just check out my thread to get an idea of how it looks and feels. Also, if that still doesn't satisfy you, I'm more than happy to take some day time pictures for you to see it.
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      11-04-2014, 03:59 PM   #63
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Thanks! So, just so I understand, are there three versions? Normal 6WA, Extended 6WA, and 6WB?
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      11-04-2014, 04:14 PM   #64
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Thanks! So, just so I understand, are there three versions? Normal 6WA, Extended 6WA, and 6WB?
Yes, that is correct. I believe the extended 6WA usually comes with HUD option.
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      11-04-2014, 04:16 PM   #65
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Yes, that is correct. I believe the extended 6WA usually comes with HUD option.
The thing that makes me really angry is that the configuration tool on BMWNA shows the extended cluster with my exact order.
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      11-04-2014, 04:22 PM   #66
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The thing that makes me really angry is that the configuration tool on BMWNA shows the extended cluster with my exact order.
Yeah, this is the annoying part and why part numbers really matter a lot. No one would know this without our discussions. Even I did not know this until after I bought mine and saw many of other members' clusters who had HUD option on theirs. I don't have HUD. That's also why I didn't mind about losing the two "codeable" features that a few have coded into their HUD: 1) turn signals in HUD 2) lane departure warning in HUD - both of these do not come enabled from the factory - you have to code them. They don't work on the 6WB though as I mentioned earlier in my thread, but the 6WB is still worth it despite this, esp for members that don't care for coding anyway.

@Tlon, in all honesty, buddy, I recommend you get everything for coding and setup ESYS - it's very easy with the PDFs, videos, and instructions I have posted/linked. That cost will only run you about $20 for the cable, the software and files are free, and only about $30 for the token if you borrow it for 5 years from Antonio (the ENET cable seller) or $50, $60, $70 (1, 2, 3 years from Token Master). Then you can buy the 6WB and Bimmer-Tech will help you set it up remotely for free. If you don't trust them, you can trust me and I will help you code everything as I have and am going to do for a few members at no cost. It's very easy/straightforward. You also live in D.C., so we can meet up if you just want me to do the coding from my computer if you decide to get the 6WB and feel like coding isn't your thing.

In my humble opinion, coding is great and really teaches you a lot about your car and its wonderful capabilities/options that BMW decided not to enable when they should have.
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