Well I bet that got your attention!
I followed up on a lead from bimmer.org about accessing a status screen - not only does it work, but there is some really fun info there!
How would you like to know your latitude and longitude? The direction of net G-force according to the gyro? (Did you even know the M5 has a gyro in it?) Your instantaneous speed at any time in meters per second? How would you like to know the hardware and software versions of every system component?
You can see all this and more. Here's how:
1)Buy an M5
2)Turn the key on (engine running/moving is OK, not required)
3) Press Menu, then Set to enter the Settings screen.
4) Press-hold the menu button. The display will instantly change back to the menu screen, but keep holding the menu button in for about 15 seconds and you'll get to the Status screen. There are several options there, including "Telematics" which probably only applies if you have the phone option, and Video System which only applies if you have the European model which allows you to watch TV.
5) The cool stuff is under "GPS" and "Sensors". Once you get to the GPS screen, you choose "Function" to see "tracking info" which will tell you which satellites the GPS is watching at the moment, and how many. Another function shows you the GPS status - lat, lon, speed, etc. It has a spot for Altitude but mine always read 0. Speed is in meters/sec - I believe if you multiply this number by 2.24 you should get MPH. (Would some physicist please check my work!)
6) Under "Sensors" is a really cool little icon that shows you what the gyro is feeling. This screen also reports a single number called "Wheel Sensors" the number was roughly 400 @ 40mph, roughly 300 @ 30 mph. Could this be wheel revolutions per sec?
Anyway - there is a lot of really cool info here - enjoy - but please keep your eyes on the road!
I followed up on a lead from bimmer.org about accessing a status screen - not only does it work, but there is some really fun info there!
How would you like to know your latitude and longitude? The direction of net G-force according to the gyro? (Did you even know the M5 has a gyro in it?) Your instantaneous speed at any time in meters per second? How would you like to know the hardware and software versions of every system component?
You can see all this and more. Here's how:
1)Buy an M5
2)Turn the key on (engine running/moving is OK, not required)
3) Press Menu, then Set to enter the Settings screen.
4) Press-hold the menu button. The display will instantly change back to the menu screen, but keep holding the menu button in for about 15 seconds and you'll get to the Status screen. There are several options there, including "Telematics" which probably only applies if you have the phone option, and Video System which only applies if you have the European model which allows you to watch TV.
5) The cool stuff is under "GPS" and "Sensors". Once you get to the GPS screen, you choose "Function" to see "tracking info" which will tell you which satellites the GPS is watching at the moment, and how many. Another function shows you the GPS status - lat, lon, speed, etc. It has a spot for Altitude but mine always read 0. Speed is in meters/sec - I believe if you multiply this number by 2.24 you should get MPH. (Would some physicist please check my work!)
6) Under "Sensors" is a really cool little icon that shows you what the gyro is feeling. This screen also reports a single number called "Wheel Sensors" the number was roughly 400 @ 40mph, roughly 300 @ 30 mph. Could this be wheel revolutions per sec?
Anyway - there is a lot of really cool info here - enjoy - but please keep your eyes on the road!
BMW apparently doesn't want you to play with this, so most modes are locked. Once you unlock them, they remain unlocked, until you bring in your car for service, or explicitly lock them yourself.
