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      01-01-2015, 11:05 PM   #1
doug_999
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Heated Steering Wheel

Ok, we got some nice cold weather the last couple of days and I actually got to drive my car during this time (the last cold snap I was out of the country - damn).

I have to say, the heated steering wheel sucks on this car - or do I have a possible issue?

It seems to work fine when the weather is 30+, but under that - say the 4 degrees it was on Wednesday, and the wheel just doesn't warm up much. I have about a 12 minute drive to work and on that given morning, the wheel wasn't even warm by the time I got to work. This was never the case with my previous BMWs (550/M5/X6) - those steering wheels got hot enough that you actually had to turn them off. Not the 650 - it just gets up to a warm temp (eventually) and stays there. Normal for this car?

I should mention I have the new M sport steering wheel that started appearing in June 2013 builds.
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      01-02-2015, 06:17 AM   #2
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I cannot speak for the new M wheel, but my 2012 wheel heater works great - fast and hot.
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      01-02-2015, 08:51 AM   #3
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I think yours maybe defective. My M sport wheel definitely warms up but there are some warmer spots than others. Takes a minute or two, not much more. I do think it's not quite as warm as the old wheel on my 535 xi wagon but no complaints.
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      01-02-2015, 09:37 AM   #4
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Mine warms up, but it doesn't get hot like the seats do. Also, the lower half is a lot warmer than the upper half. In fact, the upper half definitely has cold spots.
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      01-02-2015, 12:18 PM   #5
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I bought the alternative.

Gloves

On cold days you need them to get to and from the car anyway!
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      01-02-2015, 02:54 PM   #6
doug_999
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ManiacGT View Post
I bought the alternative.

Gloves

On cold days you need them to get to and from the car anyway!
I just hate wearing gloves! In fact, once I got a car with a heated steering wheel (my 550 back in 2005), I vowed to never own a car in the winter WITHOUT a heated steering wheel. As they say, once you have one, you will never go back
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      01-03-2015, 02:02 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doug_999 View Post
I just hate wearing gloves! In fact, once I got a car with a heated steering wheel (my 550 back in 2005), I vowed to never own a car in the winter WITHOUT a heated steering wheel. As they say, once you have one, you will never go back
I have a late 2013 build 640d GranCoupe with the new retro-styled steering wheel. Having the heated option was the best £150 I spent in a while and don't expect ever to go back either!

The wheel does not get uncomfortably hot, that would be a safety risk and I rather have a moderately warm, comfortable wheel I can have on always on a trip than something I need to toggle on and off just to be comfortable. So no complaints at all. The mid-2014 software update added an icon to the multi function instrument display when the heated steering wheel was activated/deactivated addressing my only (minor) complaint with the system
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      01-16-2015, 05:41 PM   #8
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I love my heated steering wheel!
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      01-16-2015, 06:26 PM   #9
doug_999
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Quick update
The heated steering wheel appears to work fine when the temp is over 30. Under that and you better let the car warm up

It seems they make the heating elements more wimpy each year. My 550 was awesome, my M5 not too bad, my X6, fair, and my 650, fair at best.

NONE of them ever made the steering wheel to hot to touch - but they used to get a lot warmer a lot faster.
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      01-16-2015, 09:13 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doug_999
Quick update
The heated steering wheel appears to work fine when the temp is over 30. Under that and you better let the car warm up

It seems they make the heating elements more wimpy each year. My 550 was awesome, my M5 not too bad, my X6, fair, and my 650, fair at best.

NONE of them ever made the steering wheel to hot to touch - but they used to get a lot warmer a lot faster.
Mine is hot after 3-5 minutes and we had some single digits when I tested mine out. I'll put a stopwatch to mine next time it's below 15 degrees. Which looks like next week for me. Ugh.
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      01-17-2015, 08:43 AM   #11
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I've been using the one in my 15 640 Msport and it gets very warm maybe even hot to the touch, and I've used it to -3 or so. Now, if you leave it on, I do notice that it appears to cool off a touch once the interior of the car warms up.
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      07-22-2015, 03:30 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doug_999 View Post
I just hate wearing gloves! In fact, once I got a car with a heated steering wheel (my 550 back in 2005), I vowed to never own a car in the winter WITHOUT a heated steering wheel. As they say, once you have one, you will never go back
Driving gloves? They are both stylish and practical.
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      07-22-2015, 03:35 PM   #13
doug_999
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wolverine566 View Post
Driving gloves? They are both stylish and practical.
And so is a heated steering wheel!
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      07-22-2015, 03:42 PM   #14
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Well......practical maybe. Can't say its stylish though as a heated one looks exactly the same as a non-heated
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      07-22-2015, 05:18 PM   #15
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I don't think you can get a heated one that looks like this, or the digital one..

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      07-22-2015, 06:27 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wolverine566 View Post
Well......practical maybe. Can't say its stylish though as a heated one looks exactly the same as a non-heated
Not always
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      12-01-2019, 10:34 AM   #17
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Bringing up an old thread so I am hoping for any updates....

On my 2016 650 GC, 38 degrees F outside today, and the wheel barely warms up on a 20 minute drive. There are definitely segments of the wheel that warm up more than others. The area from 10 o'clock to 2 o'cklock is the warmest, whereas the rest of the wheel is hardly noticeable. My wife was surprised how cold my hands were after the drive, so I would say the heating is not very effective.

This is my first Heated Wheel, so not exactly sure what to expect.

What are your observations?

L
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      12-01-2019, 12:27 PM   #18
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There are some variations in warmth around the wheel, but not a lot. It can get pretty darn warm and no part is "hardly noticeable." I'd say yours is defective probably. I will say that perhaps due to a thicker wheel it does not get as hot as the wheel on my X3. That wheel can actually get uncomfortably warm in 20 minutes and I cycle it on and off.
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      12-01-2019, 02:17 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Luftpost View Post
Bringing up an old thread so I am hoping for any updates....

On my 2016 650 GC, 38 degrees F outside today, and the wheel barely warms up on a 20 minute drive. There are definitely segments of the wheel that warm up more than others. The area from 10 o'clock to 2 o'cklock is the warmest, whereas the rest of the wheel is hardly noticeable. My wife was surprised how cold my hands were after the drive, so I would say the heating is not very effective.

This is my first Heated Wheel, so not exactly sure what to expect.

What are your observations?

L
As posters were sharing with the original poster several years back, it should get very warm and pretty quickly. Within about 1 to 2 minutes, mine is at full warmth. It gets very toasty - to the point where I usually turn it off within a few minutes, especially if I also have the seat on. May be something defective with yours.
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      12-02-2019, 04:57 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ezmaass View Post
As posters were sharing with the original poster several years back, it should get very warm and pretty quickly. Within about 1 to 2 minutes, mine is at full warmth. It gets very toasty - to the point where I usually turn it off within a few minutes, especially if I also have the seat on. May be something defective with yours.
Agree with the above - the steering wheel gets really warm within 1-2mins on my '14 F06, so it sounds like you may have a poorly heating steering wheel. From reading the forums there are various common issues with these steering wheels - though the heating works fine for me, the vibration motor is on its last legs I think...
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      12-02-2019, 07:34 PM   #21
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Thanks for your input! I will have it looked at the next time I bring it in. Which will hopefully be a while.

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      12-03-2019, 02:55 PM   #22
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Your not driving in eco pro mode are you? I know my heated seats are a lot cooler when in eco pro.
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