Water Temp Permanent Display

[Davidf]

The water temp gauges are buffered so they don’t wander from center as the water temp fluctuates normally due to load or other factors. BMW does this so owners don’t freak out if the needle moves occasionally. The buffering can be coded out or modified and is implemented in temperature zones, so can make the gauge less or more sensitive in specific temperature ranges.

On my sons E46, I set the gauge fairly sensitive and sure enough, my son freaks out occasionally and calls when the gauge gets close to red. I tell him to shut down if it hits red, which happens at a cooler temp than factory settings. This way, you have some warning reaction time before engine damage occurs.

[josiahg52]

Yeah, except on the current generation, it's not even a meter. It's a faux gauge made of pixels. There's is no damping, no adjustment. It's a completely made up indication with no more function or reliability than a light. Unfortunate.