Bimmertech Remote Start? Is this new?

[///d]

Is this fairly new to Bimmer-tech? I've been searching for a remote start that is known to work on the F15 for some time now and this has never popped up before.

Anyone using it? Does it work well?

One of my local shops apparently has a remote start from a newer company that they say works with the F15, but it's close to $1600 installed. this Bimmer-tech one is far more intriguing at $600...

Finding a remote start for the F15 from a reputable company has been challenging...

https://www.bimmer-tech.net/category...start-retrofit

[sukhk527]

It’s been out for I want to say a year or so now. I don’t have first hand experience but it seems to do what it says from the reviews I’ve seen, although they have been mixed.

I do think the tech has caught up to enable this functionality for f15s, but I believe the good systems would require giving up a key to store in the dash somewhere.

[1norseman]

Not new:

https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...t=remote+start

[Tomcat_F15_STL]

Expensive, but works.

link to my experience with Bimmertech Remote Start

[///d]

Originally Posted by Tomcat_F15_STL

Expensive, but works.

link to my experience with Bimmertech Remote Start

Expensive if you need to order a second key, which I do not. And since I already have a key it's far less expensive than any other option I've found.

My only real gripe is the remote distance. Mine isn't too bad and the chin method gives a little bump, but the fiancés F30 has horrible distance. But if this works well enough I don't feel like the extra distance of other kits with a dedicated remote is worth the extra money. Plus then I have to carry another remote.

[1norseman]

Originally Posted by ///d

Expensive if you need to order a second key, which I do not. And since I already have a key it's far less expensive than any other option I've found.

My only real gripe is the remote distance. Mine isn't too bad and the chin method gives a little bump, but the fiancés F30 has horrible distance. But if this works well enough I don't feel like the extra distance of other kits with a dedicated remote is worth the extra money. Plus then I have to carry another remote.

Roughly what distance do you get with your bimmertech remote start?
Just outside house, or a bit better?
Thnx,

[Tomcat_F15_STL]

Yeah. Ranger is kinda pitiful. I usually need line of sight too.

[M3HNGRY]

Originally Posted by Tomcat_F15_STL

Yeah. Ranger is kinda pitiful. I usually need line of sight too.

Bummer that car cuts off when opening the door. Just more wear and tear on the starter :/

[50iXman]

This looks intriguing.
CarPlay MMI PRO Retrofit for BMWs and MINIs
from: $799.00

anyone use?

[///d]

Originally Posted by 50iXman

This looks intriguing.
CarPlay MMI PRO Retrofit for BMWs and MINIs
from: $799.00

anyone use?

I have the android auto one. It's alright, but has bugs and quirks that irritate me but I'm starting to think those are android auto and not the MMI itself. BUT, I did buy it used from someone who totaled their X5 so maybe it's because of that... But support from Bimmer-tech is top notch.

[///d]

Originally Posted by M3HNGRY

Bummer that car cuts off when opening the door. Just more wear and tear on the starter :/

I'd rather have a little more wear and tear on the starter with a warm cabin and engine ready to go vs having to run outside to start it in sub zero temps. Especially on those days where I need to start it multiple times a day while at work to ensure it will start when its time to go home because for some stupid reason I still live in this frozen tundra state we call Minnesota.

[MaverikDS]

I’m not sure if it’s possible. I added remote start onto my GLE 300d (which also required dedicating a key) and at the same time added a cellular option from Drone Mobile. Not sure if it would work on the F15 but it added the ability to not only use my key but my phone/Apple Watch to start the car. With that system it also does the handoff without shutting the car off which is why I liked it more than the Mercedes app. The cost is also much less vs paying the yearly fee for the app vs the Drone Mobile offers during discount times. Might be worth checking with Bimmertech if drone mobile can be added to their system. Even without that I’ve found decent range, as long as the key fob can reach it, it works. That’s not like some of the 1 mile advertised ones but this is very clean and tucked away, can’t tell it’s been added to the car by looking at my keys. The whole having to get another key did turn me away from doing it on the X5 (that and it’s mostly the car my girlfriend drives) because even though I have both original FOB’s I don’t want to sacrifice one for remote start and would purchase a third.

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by MaverikDS

I’m not sure if it’s possible. I added remote start onto my GLE 300d (which also required dedicating a key) and at the same time added a cellular option from Drone Mobile. Not sure if it would work on the F15 but it added the ability to not only use my key but my phone/Apple Watch to start the car. With that system it also does the handoff without shutting the car off which is why I liked it more than the Mercedes app. The cost is also much less vs paying the yearly fee for the app vs the Drone Mobile offers during discount times. Might be worth checking with Bimmertech if drone mobile can be added to their system. Even without that I’ve found decent range, as long as the key fob can reach it, it works. That’s not like some of the 1 mile advertised ones but this is very clean and tucked away, can’t tell it’s been added to the car by looking at my keys. The whole having to get another key did turn me away from doing it on the X5 (that and it’s mostly the car my girlfriend drives) because even though I have both original FOB’s I don’t want to sacrifice one for remote start and would purchase a third.

Doesnt work with Bimmertech hence why there’s is so cheap. There is another company out of Canada that is almost double the price that allows for drone mobile. I used them for my M5 and Bimmertech for my wife’s X5. Install was much simpler for Bimmertech but similar.

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by M3HNGRY

Bummer that car cuts off when opening the door. Just more wear and tear on the starter :/

Not nearly as much as auto start stop. So I wouldn’t worry about that. But you can thank EU laws for that “safety” feature.

[///d]

Well, after being back ordered I finally received two units, one for the F15 and one for the F30.

F15 installed fine and fired right up, but the engine does not stop when I unlock or open the door, and the trunk button does not shut off the engine either. It also locks the doors three times after you get in and shut the door.

F30 is being a pain. If I tuck the key box away it will try to start but tell me it can not start without a key. If I leave the key box on the floor it starts fine. Same as the F15 though, doors and trunk button does not shut the engine off.

Email sent to tech support. Hopefully an easy solution.

[sukhk527]

Good to hear, I hear their support is good so looking forward to the results. It’s friggin cold in Chicago lol.

[///d]

Originally Posted by sukhk527

Good to hear, I hear their support is good so looking forward to the results. It’s friggin cold in Chicago lol.

Yeah their support is great, but it kind of needs to be with their lack of quality control in instructions and videos. They don't appear to double check to make sure they didn't miss anything, and they don't update anything when there are changes or faults found.

I first watched the videos for both the F15 and F30 installation, and then cross-referenced with the PDF instructions they sent and they are different. Wire colors don't match, but thats common as colors can vary depending on manufactured month, assembly plant, etc., but there are also issues like the sequence of steps not being the same, important details missed, etc. Most of it is stuff that the customer should have enough common sense to figure out, but as a business if you're providing instructions they should be thorough, checked and verified accurate before giving them to a customer. Always give instruction as if the end user has zero knowledge and has never seen anything like this, never assume someone will "just know".

[sukhk527]

I agree , I’m a small business owner myself and you have to account for the lowest common denominator. Looking forward to the feedback.

[///d]

Support stated the issue with the F30 is likely the key box is too far away from the receiver, which I kind of suspected but it's literally in the vehicle so it leads me to believe that the module is not supplying enough power to the key.

He did not have an answer for the issue with doors and trunk buttons not stopping the engine and stated he would research and get back to me.

I've also noticed some funny things;

In both vehicles the seat positions are all jacked up. At first I thought maybe it was caused by my spare key being in the remote start and the vehicle is setting things to that keys last positions, but this morning in the F15 I did not use the remote start and the seat still moved to some strange position, and my stored positions don't seem correct either.

I always fold my mirrors in when parking in the garage, and usually just let the vehicle move them back out as I'm going down the driveway, but now regardless the key I use they immediately fold out when I start the vehicle, and yesterday they folded back out after I shut the vehicle off and opened the rear door to grab my bag.

Not big issues but strange none-the-less. I have to wonder if these are because the remote start has some optional features you can set like mirrors folding, window controls, etc, and those features are conflicting with coding I've already done. I'm going to pull the remote start key and set all of my seat settings as I want them for that key before reinstalling and see if that stops my seat from moving on me.

[sukhk527]

I’d follow the same process of troubleshooting and thought. My guess is they didn’t test the module with cars that had coding done and so on, which is weird given who they are.

But definitely interested in your troubleshooting process and findings. Thanks for the detail and good luck!

[Maverik259]

Very odd. And lucky. I wish mine glitched and wouldn’t turn off when I opened the doors. Lol

[///d]

Originally Posted by Maverik259

Very odd. And lucky. I wish mine glitched and wouldn’t turn off when I opened the doors. Lol

Yeah, I dont mind it, but it does concern me because if this isnt working, what else might not work when it's supposed to?

I did get a response back from tech support, they want me to send photos of all my wiring and open the control module and take photos, which is fine but also annoying because it's all neatly tucked away and now I need to make a mess of it all again to get the photos.