BMW M4: Initiation

The 2015 BMW M4 coupe is getting a wonderful welcome into the BMW family. More than 50 new and classic M models were arranged to create a truly unique course for the M4 to parade around. BMW enthusiasts across the country graciously volunteered their vehicles to make this possible. If you're a BMW lover, this video will make your heart pound as fast as the new M4 can drive.

What do you think? Tell us in the comments below.

On the Road Again

Taking a road trip is a great way to celebrate summer and see new places. Here's what you should not do if you want to have a great trip:
 
Get a speeding ticket. It's more important to get to your destination safely than quickly. Besides, half the fun is getting there, isn't it?

Be on your iPad. Keeping your mobile devices in play may keep you and your loved ones entertained, but it prevents valuable bonding time and opportunities to make memorable moments together.

Be a music snob. You're not going to love every song someone wants to listen to, just as not everyone in the car will love what you want to blast through the speakers. Taking turns listening to everyone's favorite tunes is the best way to keep everyone happy.

Overeat. It's easy to go for the super-size meal so you can snack on leftovers to hold you over until the next stop, but those calories can really add up.

Drink too much caffeine. Staving off sleep can be dangerous. If you're tired, switch drivers or spring for a hotel. 

Most importantly, don't forget to get your vehicle in road-trip shape. Make an appointment with our service center to make sure your BMW is ready to go.

BMW i3 named Most Efficient Luxury Car of 2014

 

Great news! Kelley Blue Book named the BMW i3 as the most efficient luxury car on the market this year. Arguably the most visionary car of its class, the innovative design and efficiency of the i3 has achieved 124 mpge combined.

 

The i3 isn't the only BMW to make KBB's top 10 list; the 328d also appeared at No. 8 for achieving 37 mpg. Available as a wagon or sedan, the 328d is designed for those who crave the practicality of a subcompact and the look of a tailored German car.

In a Fender Bender? Here's What To Do

We hope you’re never involved in a car accident. Unfortunately, they do happen. In addition to practicing safe driving, it’s best to be prepared for the unexpected. Keep the following in mind if you ever get in a fender bender:

Stay calm. You don’t want to say or do anything that may worsen an already troubling situation.

Stay at the scene. Make sure you are in a safe place either in or near your vehicle. If you or the other driver(s) need medical attention, call 911 immediately.

Report it. No matter how minor the accident may be, failure to report it to law enforcement is against the law. You also need to exchange insurance information.

Take photos. Use your cell-phone camera, or better yet, have a disposable camera on hand for these situations. Take photos of both vehicles and the area in which the accident occurred.

Take notes. Text yourself or keep a notebook handy so you can jot down notes about what you were doing before the crash, which direction you were headed, when the other driver came into the scene, etc.

Stay on top of it. Keep in constant contact with your insurance company and the repair shop to make sure everything is happening in a timely manner so you can get on with your life.

Pain-free Driving Tips

Driving can be a pain, literally. Sitting for long periods of time can lead to cramps and aches that make it difficult to drive comfortably. A few changes in behavior can make a huge improvement in how you feel during and after your drive.

• Slide your pelvis backward on the seat, align it with your torso and pull your feet toward the seat. You may find you need to scoot your seat closer to the pedals to reach them.
• Relax your back by letting your ribs drop toward your pelvis rather than lifting your chest, and don't push your shoulders or head toward the back of your seat. 
• Realign your shoulders whenever you're feeling achy by doing a shoulder roll with each side, up and down.
• Gently stretch your neck and head periodically, and keep your head aligned with your spine. Leaning your head too far forward or sticking your chin up can cause compression and discomfort. 

MUST See U.S. Landmarks

Summer isn't over yet! Hop in your car and head on an adventure to one of these amazing U.S. destinations. How many have you been to?

1) Mount Rushmore

2) Beaches of San Diego 

3) Rocky Mountains of Colorado

4) San Francisco Bay Bridge

                                     

Series: Best Parks in the U.S.

July is National Vacation Month and we've listed below a few of our favorite parks in the United States. Have you been to any of these? It's awesome to know that such beautiful landmarks can be found in our amazing nation!

1. Grand Canyon National Park - Arizona

2. Sequoia National Park - California

3. Gettysburg National Military Park - Pennsylvania

4. Yosemite National Park - California
                                          

Summer Mainenance Tip: Check Your Tires

Summer is just around the corner, and it's time to get your car prepared for the heat of the next few months. The first place to start is your tires. Did you know that only 1 out of ever 10 drivers regularly check their tire pressure? This is important to do as tire pressure changes one to two PSI for every 10-degree increase in outside air temperature. Be sure to check your owner's manual to maintain proper inflation, because the only thing worse than having to stop and change a blown-out tire is having to do so in the heat. While you're at it, it's probably also a good idea to check your tire's tread, as well as alignment, as this can affect stop time and gas mileage. Be sure you've got a properly inflated spare in your trunk as well!

Stay tuned for future summer car maintenance tips!

BMW Mobile Office

BMW Mobile Office is a feature that allows you to see text messages and emails from your smartphone while it is connected through Bluetooth. Since this function is designed to maximize the amount of time that your eyes stay on the road while driving, Office has a built-in capability of reading and responding to emails and texts using voice controls. Once you have it set up, you will be able to continue working or keeping an active social life even while you are driving. 

In this guide, we will cover setup and usage of BMW Mobile Office, but you should start by reading Tips & Tricks #4: Bluetooth. You will want your phone to be connected to the car via Bluetooth before you start. 

Note: Since the setup and operation of BMW Mobile Office is very different between Android and iPhone, this guide will have a section for each, starting with Android. You can click here to skip ahead to the iPhone section.

While BMW officially supports certain Windows Phone and Blackberry devices, this guide will focus on Android and iPhone, as they make up the vast majority of smartphones.

Android Guide 

Note: This guide was tested with a Nexus 5 running Android 4.4 (KitKat) and the latest version of iDrive with the touchpad controller (most 2013 and later models). If you want to verify that your phone is supported by BMW, you can go to bmwusa.com/ bluetooth and look at the currently available phones.

As usual, in this guide, blue text indicates items on your phone and red text indicates items in the iDrive system of your BMW.

 
1. Pair and connect your Android phone with the Bluetooth in the car, as described in Tips & Tricks #4: Bluetooth. Make sure to answer ‘ Yes’ to all the questions in the pop-up windows on your phone. Pay special attention to steps 1 & 2 of the Troubleshooting section, as these show you how to enable Office in the iDrive settings.
2.  If you have followed the pairing and troubleshooting tips correctly, you should be connected and have Office enabled. From the main iDrive menu, you can then select Office.
    
   From the Office menu, there are a number of options:
   
   A.Current Office will show you any unread emails or text messages (SMS). When you click on a message, it automatically takes you to the main messages list.
   B. New Message is where you go to compose a new text or email
   
   
   
   
                                                                  
   
   C. Contacts will show you all of the contacts that are on your phone. These sync every time you connect your phone, so it should always be up-to-date.
   
   
   Note: This is different than your Phone book in the Telephone menu: the Phone book will only show you the name and phone number in your phone’s contact list, whereas Contacts will show you names, phone numbers, emails, and mailing addresses as well.
   
   D. Messages is the list of all the text messages and emails that you already have received. If you need to respond to an email or text message that you have already seen, Messages is where you would go to do that.
   
   

                                                                      
   E. Notes is where you go to create voice notes for yourself while you are driving. These notes can be saved on a USB flash drive, but they are in a BMW proprietary format, so you won’t be able to listen to them on anything other than a BMW.

There are many options and functions from this point, and all of your options will appear on the screen for each menu. For instance, if you go to Messages and click on a text message, you will see a menu of possible options along the left side of the message, including Text-to-speech, Call sender, Reply, Forward, and Delete. Whatever you choose to do from there, you will use your voice as the input method, so as to help you keep your eyes on the road.

iPhone Guide

If you visit bmwusa.com/bluetooth and look at the list of available devices, you will notice that iPhones are on the list, but they are not supported with BMW Mobile Office. This guide is an unofficial way to get this function to partially work, but there may be a better option for you, depending on which iPhone you have.

Any iPhone 4S (Fall 2011) or later will have Siri built into the phone, which will be able to read and respond to emails and text messages through voice commands. You can hold down the Home button (the round button on the front of the phone) or the Voice Control button on your BMW steering wheel and Siri will pop up to start listening to your voice commands. You can then ask Siri to read and respond to your most recent emails and text messages.

You could also follow this guide to get BMW Mobile Office set up to show and read your text messages and emails, but it cannot take any other actions with your messages. You cannot call the phone number, respond to the message, or even delete it. Still, for many people, being able to see and hear the message is very valuable, and you could have Siri respond or call the person if the matter cannot wait until you park.

Note: In this guide, blue text indicates items on your phone and red text indicates items in the iDrive system of your BMW. 

This guide was tested using the latest iDrive system with the touchpad controller and iPhones running iOS 7. 

1. Pair and connect your iPhone with the Bluetooth in the car, as described in Tips & Tricks #4: Bluetooth. Pay special attention to steps 1 & 2 of the Troubleshooting section, as these steps show you how to enable Office in the iDrive settings.

Note: If your BMW does not have the Connections menu within Settings, your BMW has an older iDrive system and these instructions will not work in your vehicle. Thus far, I have not found a workaround for these older vehicles. 

Again, at this point the easiest way to access and reply to emails and text messages is to use Siri, if your iPhone has it. Just hold down the Voice Control button on the steering wheel or the Home button in the iPhone for 1-2 seconds, then Siri will start listening to your voice commands. You can say all sorts of things to Siri, but you might want to try asking, “Can you read my most recent email?” or “Do I have any new text messages?” You can also ask Siri to create new emails or text messages by saying something like, “Send a text to [contact name].” At that point, Siri will ask all the relevant questions to complete the message and send it off.

If you would still like to get texts and emails to show up in your car, once you have paired and connected your phone, turn the car off and continue to Step 2.

2. On the iPhone, go to Settings > Notification Center and find Mail and Messages. They will probably be under the Include section, but they may be under Do Not Include

 
3. Tap on Messages. Under the Alerts section, make sure that the switches for both Show in Notification Center and Show on Lock Screen are flipped on. Then do the same for Mail.

4. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and find your BMW under Devices. Tap on the blue “i” next to your BMW, and make sure that Show Notifications is turned on.


5.Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Fetch New Data and make sure Push is turned on.

From the same ‘Fetch New Data’ page, you should check to see which schedule is used by your different accounts. Your emails may not show up in the car if the account does not have an option for ‘Push’.

6. Double-click the Home button (the round button on the front of the phone) and find Mail. Swipe upward on the app’s screen to close it. Then do the same with Messages.

7. Manually lock your phone by briefly pressing the Lock button (the power button) on the top of your phone.

 8. Turn the car on. In iDrive, go to Settings > Connections > Bluetooth. From the Bluetooth menu, highlight your phone and either push to the right with the iDrive controller or press the Option button. Then click on Configure Bluetooth and make sure that Office is checked.

9. Press the Menu button to go back to the main iDrive menu. Click on Office > Messages. This is where new messages will show up when you receive a new email or text message while you are in the car. It will not display any messages that are in your inbox unless you have received them since you got in the car and connected your phone via Bluetooth.

If you would like help navigating the Office menu, you can take a look at Step 3 of the Android section.

Note: The menus will be lacking some of the options that the Android section describes. This is because, with an iPhone, the iDrive system can only read the messages to you, but cannot reply, forward, call the sender, delete, or take any other actions. The buttons for these functions are still visible, but they are “grayed out” and unselectable. If you would like to do these things, press and hold the Voice Control button on your steering wheel and use Siri to complete these tasks using your voice. 

Troubleshooting

1. If you get a new text message or email and it still won’t display on the iDrive screen, try turning the car off, and make sure that both Mail and Messages are closed on your phone (Step 6) and lock your phone (Step 7) before the next time that you start up the car again.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. If it still doesn’t work properly, on your phone, go to Settings > Notification Center > Mail > Include and change it to something other than what it already is. If it says 5 Unread Items, change it to 10 , and vice versa. For whatever reason, this can sometimes trick it into working properly.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Just a reminder: This iPhone guide is an unofficial workaround for something that is officially unsupported. BMW does not support iPhones in this manner, and if this does not work properly, there may not be anything that BMW, BMW Centers, or Apple can do to fix it. Siri may be your best and most stable option for receiving and responding to messages in the car. This guide was intended for those who would really like to get more iPhone integration into their BMW, and who don’t mind a little bit of fiddling with their technology.

Bluetooth Tips

Bluetooth can be a very powerful tool to use for many different functions in your life. Generally, Bluetooth is used to connect your phone to other audio devices for making and receiving phone calls. Over the years, Bluetooth and smartphones have evolved to allow for other features, such as remote music playback and wireless display of text messages and emails.

But before we can get into the fun stuff, we should know a little bit about the way Bluetooth operates.
It is important to know that Bluetooth is a short-range wireless connection between two electronic devices. The range of Bluetooth depends on the type of antenna used, but most devices have a range of about 30-50 feet.

It is also important to know that Bluetooth is its own signal; it does not rely on wireless internet or mobile data networks. You could be out in the middle of nowhere with no signal of any kind, and Bluetooth would still work perfectly. Of course, if you are trying to make a phone call and use a Bluetooth headset or speaker and you have no cellular signal, you will not be successful.

Since there are so many different types and manufacturers of mobile phones, BMW has compiled a list of supported phones and all their supported functions with a BMW. To find this list, you can go to bmwusa.com/bluetooth, then click on ‘Currently Available Phones’.

Note: There may be some phones that are not on the list but will partially work with BMW cars. This is because BMW has decided that these devices do not work well enough to be officially supported.
Now that we have a little bit of background information, we can learn how to pair up a Bluetooth-enabled phone with a BMW.

Note: Many of you have already done this before, and this is meant to be a fairly easy process. I am creating a special guide for this so I can provide a knowledge base before I move on to make guides on more complicated topics related to Bluetooth.

Bluetooth Connection Guide

Note: In this guide, we will cover Bluetooth setup and troubleshooting with iPhones and Android phones.
Although we can‟t cover every phone type specifically, many of the steps are the same between most
phones and tablets. It is also worth noting that while we are using iPhones and Android phones, iPads,iPod Touches, and Android tablets are directly relevant to this guide as well.

1. The first thing we need to do is make sure that Bluetooth is activated in your phone.
A. To do this, you will need to find and tap on your Settings app on your phone. On iPhones,
this app will be somewhere on your home screen.
On Android devices, the Settings app may be on the home screen somewhere, but you
may have to go into the app drawer and access the full list of apps in order to find Settings.

Note: This guide was made with an iPhone 5C with iOS 7 and an LG Nexus 5 with Android
4.4 (KitKat). The icons and locations may vary with different iPhones and Android phones
with different software versions.

B. Find and tap on the menu for Bluetooth, near the top of the Settings page.

Note: You may notice an On/Off Switch for Bluetooth on Android. It is not necessary togo into the Bluetooth menu to turn it on and off, but we will still tap on the Bluetooth menu because we will need to use more features inside it.

C. Find the On/Off Switch near the top of the screen, and make sure that it is in the ‘On’ position. On Android, the switch may read ‘On’ and ‘Off’, and on iOS, the switch will be colorless in the ‘Off’ position and green in the ‘On’ position. Tap on the switch to toggle it on if it is not on already.

Note: Depending on which phone you are using, there may be a shortcut for turning Bluetooth on an off. On iOS 7, you can swipe from the bottom of the screen to access Control Center, which has a Bluetooth toggle button. On some Android devices, specifically ones made by Samsung, there will be a similar Bluetooth toggle button that is accessible from the pull-down notification bar at the top of the screen. There are also third-party apps that you can download to achieve this fuctionality on non-Samsung Android phones.

2. Next we need to turn on Bluetooth in the car.

A. From the main iDrive menu, select Settings.

B. In Settings, select Connections. Then select Bluetooth.

Note: Alternatively, you can push the physical "TEL" shortcut button twice, then select Bluetooth devices.

3. Next, click on Add new device. This will allow the car to be recognized by your phone.
You will then see a screen with a BMW Bluetooth ID number. This is what will show up on your phone in the next step. In our example, the Bluetooth ID number is ‘BMW 90516’.
Note: This unique ID number is always "BMW" + the last 5 digits of your VIN.

 

4. On iPhone, you will see a list of the discovered Bluetooth devices that are within range of the phone. This should include the BMW Bluetooth ID number. It may take a few seconds for the BMW to show up on this list, but you can tap on it once you see it.
OnAndroid, it may be necessary to tap on the ‘Search for Devices button towards the bottom ’of the screen.

5. The car will then display a 6-digit passcode that you will need to verify on both devices. Check the number displayed in the car and make sure it is the same as the one on your phone. If the number is the same on both screens, tap Pair on the phone and click OK in the car.

6. After the car checks to make sure that the numbers are correct, it will give you a list of possible functions that you can use Bluetooth for. Most of the time, you will not need to change anything on this list, but you should do a quick check just to verify. If anything needs changing, just click on the item to check or uncheck the corresponding box.

Note: These settings can always be changed later.

7. At this point, the phone should be successfully paired with the car. Sometimes, like on Android devices, you will see a few more prompts on your phone asking for permission to access items like your call history and contacts. This is so you can use your phone properly to make calls over Bluetooth without knowing all the phone numbers off the top of your head. You will always want to answer ‘Yes’ to these prompts.

If you answer ‘No’, you will not allow the car to see any of the names, phone numbers, email addresses, or physical addresses in your contact list. When you want to make a call, you will then have to type in the phone number each time, which is not recommended.

Note: Some Android devices, like ones made by Samsung, will provide you with an optional checkbox saying something along the lines of, “Remember my decision,” or, “Do not ask me again.” You may want to select this box before you tap "Yes" , otherwise it will prompt you every time you enter your car. If you check the box and then make a selection, you can change your mind and your selection, but you will have to tell the car and the phone to forget each other and then re-pair them. We will cover this in the next section.

Troubleshooting
Sometimes, things just don’t work correctly right away. If you are trying to use a feature of your Bluetooth-enabled phone in your BMW and it doesn’t seem to be working correctly, there are a few things you can do.
1. Check bmwusa.com/bluetooth to make sure your phone and vehicle are capable of using that particular function. If you find your phone and your BMW and the feature is not listed, there may not be anything further that you can do, short of buying a new car and/or phone that is officially supported by BMW.
2. If you find that the function is supported on your phone and your vehicle, the next step would be to check and make sure that that function is enabled in the settings in your phone and car.
A. In iDrive in your BMW, go to Settings > Connections > Bluetooth, and scroll so that your phone is highlighted in the list of connected devices.

B. Push the iDrive controller to the right or push the ‘Option’ button behind the iDrive controller on the right side. This will take you to the Options menu for your phone.
C. Click on ‘Configure Bluetooth.’

D. This is the menu that allows you to see which Bluetooth functions are compatible with your car, and enable or disable them as you see fit. Unless you explicitly do not want a certain feature to be usable, it is recommended to enabled everything on this list.

• Bluetooth audio – Allows you to wirelessly listen to music from your phone through the BMW audio system.
• Office – Allows certain phones to interact with emails and text messages through iDrive. It also allows you to store addresses from your phone’s contact list in the car.
• Show images – This refers to images for album artwork or apps that may appear on the iDrive display from your phone.
• Telephone 2 – Enables two phones to be simulataneously connected to the car. Telephone 1 will always be the default when it comes to phone calls and music.

E. When you have finished enabling settings, push the iDrive controller to the left or press the ‘Back’ button behind the iDrive contoller on the left side. The select ‘Configure device.’

This will bring you to the same list of Bluetooth functions as it displayed when you first paired your phone. You can always go back to this menu if you would like to adjust those settings.

F. Next we will check our Bluetooth settings in the phone. On your phone, navigate to Settings > Bluetooth and find your BMW on the list of connected devices. You can access more settings that are specific to the BMW by tapping on the corresponding blue ‘i’ on iPhone or the icon that looks like a menu or settings button on Android.

G. Each phone’s settings will be different at this point, but you should take a look and see if there are any settings related to the function that you are attempting to use. You may see that all the functions are already enabled, and if nothing stands out as being relevant to the function you are trying to use, you may want to enable any remaining features that were disabled.

3. If you have tried all that and are still having difficulties with a certain function, it may be time to unpair and re-pair the devices. This involves removing the phone from the car’s memory AND removing the car from the phone’s memory.

Note: "Paired" and "connected" are similar but very different terms. If two devices are paired, that means they both have verified each other‟s identity at one point using a "secret handshake" of sorts (the unique 6-digit code that you verified earlier). If two devices are connected, it means they have already been paired and are both powered on and within range of each other. For example, you can only have your phone connected to your car while both the car and phone are on, but once the car has been turned off, they will stay paired so next time you turn on the car and your phone is with you, the phone will automatically connect without asking you to verify the car's identity again.

A. In your phone, navigate to Settings > Bluetooth, then find your BMW and tap on the blue ‘i’ or ‘settings’ icon next to it.

B. Tap on ‘Forget this Device’ or ‘Unpair.’

C. Next, from the main iDrive menu, select Settings > Connections > Bluetooth. Scroll to highlight your phone, then push the iDrive controller to the right or push the Option button.

D. Click on ‘Remove device’.

E. Pair your phone again using the same method as before. Surprisingly, unpairing and re-pairing your phone can solve quite a few problems.

4. If you have done all this and you are still having trouble, you can either call 952-303-7500 to set up a service appointment with the BMW of Minnetonka service team or contact Miles Paquette-Falk, the BMW Genius at BMW of Minnetonka.

Why Texting and Driving Isn’t as Harmless as you Think

We all know not to text and drive, but still it’s tempting to send that quick text while at a red light. Here are the reasons you should refrain:

• As the number of texting induced accidents rise, some states are passing laws making it illegal for you to be on your phone while you drive and it comes with a hefty fine.
  
• If you think your insurance premiums are high now, wait until your insurance company hears that you caused the accident by texting. You should notice an immediate rise in your premiums and in some cases you may be dropped completely.
  
• Consider other people before you pick up your phone, not only do you endanger the people around you but you put the people in the car with you at extreme risk.
  
• The driver puts bikers and walkers at extreme risk when they aren’t even looking at the road.
  
• Hands free technology is widely available nowadays and not outrageously expensive. If you simply must reply to someone at that moment, do it without touching your phone.

Please drive responsibly.