[GreenThree]

Has anyone ever used this on the HVAC system? My CA was telling me about how you can keep the car warm in the winter or the car cool in the summer for a half hour when you run into the store or something. Anyone ever try this? I have pressed it a few times and it does not seem to work.

I know, I know, before anyone gets to it

[Nikos335i]

Yes I have and works quite well! Used in the winter but haven't yet for summer though.

[Dmitriy@AUTOcouture]

I press it to let my turbos take a load off.

[Taittinger]

Originally Posted by GreenThree

Has anyone ever used this on the HVAC system? My CA was telling me about how you can keep the car warm in the winter or the car cool in the summer for a half hour when you run into the store or something. Anyone ever try this? I have pressed it a few times and it does not seem to work.

I know, I know, before anyone gets to it

Did you shut the car off? It works in keeping the car warm though I do not know if the half hour is correct. It uses the residual heat from the engine after you shut if off. I never used it to keep the car cool.

[bsamoul]

The outside temperature has to be within a certain range, and the engine has to be hot. Then you set the temps you want and hit rest and it will run the fan when the car is off. Works quite well in winter. I haven't used it in summer, I just open all the windows with the remote a few min I drive to cool it off.

[GreenThree]

OK, so in the winter, just hit it before I turn the car off, and it should work then? Not sure why it was not working before at the beginning of April when I picked it up. Thanks guys.

[addy85]

rest? lol i've never even seen this button. is it in a particular package?

[Taittinger]

Originally Posted by GreenThree

OK, so in the winter, just hit it before I turn the car off, and it should work then? Not sure why it was not working before at the beginning of April when I picked it up. Thanks guys.

No, after the car is off.

[Brunotheboxer]

Originally Posted by addy85

rest? lol i've never even seen this button. is it in a particular package?

its the sleeper package.

[Taittinger]

Originally Posted by addy85

rest? lol i've never even seen this button. is it in a particular package?

No it is standard, big round button on the right of the climate control console.

[delman27]

I can't see this working on a hot day. It would need to power the AC compressor in order to add much of a benefit.

I used this during the colder months and it worked well.

[MrClean]

The rest button only works to heat the car with residual engine heat. To cool the car, you need to set an internal timer (via iDrive in my car) to go off at at predetermined time, which will run for 1/2 hour. There are two separate timers, so you can set it to go off at two different times for half an hour each. Resets itself every 24 hours, so you would need to reprogram if you wanted it done another day. It is designed to pull hot air out of the car and try to equalize the interior temp with the exterior. It does not involve running the ac.

[f82phan]

Originally Posted by addy85

rest? lol i've never even seen this button. is it in a particular package?

it's in the e9x package --- buy one and you get it.

[Neema]

Originally Posted by MrClean

The rest button only works to heat the car with residual engine heat. To cool the car, you need to set an internal timer (via iDrive in my car) to go off at at predetermined time, which will run for 1/2 hour. There are two separate timers, so you can set it to go off at two different times for half an hour each. Resets itself every 24 hours, so you would need to reprogram if you wanted it done another day. It is designed to pull hot air out of the car and try to equalize the interior temp with the exterior. It does not involve running the ac.

exactly correct

[darkphantom]

wait a minute, that timer that you can set to turn the AC on, it does that only once? and you have to activate it every time?!?

[battlehawk1025]

Originally Posted by Boost_Nation

exactly correct

like what he said, u read the manual thats a good thing

[Icedog_16]

Here's the portion of the manual dealing with it:

[SoYank]

The REST button is to keep the cabin warm for a short period of time during the winter. It uses the residual heat from the engine and circulates the engine coolant through the heater. The function can be under the following conditions: within 15 minutes of the engine being switched off, the engine is at operating temperature, as long as battery voltage is sufficient, and the outside temperature is below 77°F/25°C.

The REST function will not cool the car. To do so the AC compressor would need to be running and this takes way too much energy from the battery since the engine would be turned off.

For cars with iDrive there are the Parked Car Ventilation/Heating Timers. This function can be used at any outside temperature and provides forced air ventilation to the passenger compartment to lower the inside temperature towards the climate control setting. I think the name is rather misleading since the manual says nothing about actually heating but explicitly mentions lowering temperatures although I have no idea why anyone would want to lower the temperature inside the car during the winter. The manual indicates that this function has a high power consumption. There are two separate timers and each works for 30 minutes. You set them for when you want the ventilation to start. I use mine and set it for about ten minutes before my quiting time (and then end up having to work longer).

[cmurphy335e92]

The temp outside needs to be 37 degrees or below for the feature to work.

[SoYank]

Originally Posted by darkphantom

wait a minute, that timer that you can set to turn the AC on, it does that only once? and you have to activate it every time?!?

It does not turn the AC on. But, yes, the timer only activates once per setting.

[E90Brian]

If you guys did, you would find that the Rest button is described under the heading "Using residual heat." This should be the first clue that the Rest button is not going to do jack in the summer to cool the car. The section reads as follows:

The heat stored in the engine is used to heat the passenger compartment, e.g., while stopped at a school to pick up a child. You can use this function for up to 15 minutes after switching off the engine if it is warm and the battery is sufficiently well charged. The outside temperature must be below 77 F/25 C (note: this is the second clue that this will not cool the car). The LED in the button comes on if these conditions are met and the function is activated.

For this function to cool the car it would need to run the air conditioning compressor--something that won't happen with the engine off.

So there.

[E90Brian]

Originally Posted by cmurphy335e92

The temp outside needs to be 37 degrees or below for the feature to work.

Funny the pdf-based manual I have says 77 degrees. Thirty-seven degrees makes more sense. Need to check the paper manual in my car...