Auto Hold

[FunfDreisig]

I've been using Auto Hold quite a bit lately. Maybe everyone else already knows all the features of Auto Hold besides the obvious one: once fully stopped you can take your foot off the brake and the X5 will hold the brakes for you. But just in case....

When starting up your X5...
* Pressing the Auto Hold button disengages the Parking brake and puts the X5 in Auto Hold mode with one button press.

If Auto Hold is on and you have come to a full stop....
* Pressing the Start/Stop button will turn off the engine, place the X5 in park AND set the parking brake.
* Opening the door and getting out of the driver's seat will place X5 in park AND set the parking brake. (I don't recommend this, but it does work).

Auto Hold reduces or eliminates the slight rolling when you get out of the X5 with the engine running (e.g. on a gentle slope). IOW if you have Auto Hold set, you can put the X5 in Park and when you get out it will set the parking brake automatically and hold it's position better than if you put it in Park and set the Parking brake manually. I use this feature quite a bit when picking up mail at the gate and hooking up the trailer.

Are there more features that I haven't found?

Funf Dreisig

[DINOONE]

I use it as well, its really great when your in dead stop traffic.....

[Roadster]

yes, there's is 1 more, hum, feature...
when slowly (and I mean slooooowlyyyy) rolling to a stop, it jerks all of a sudden on the brakes making you look like an idiot that doesn't know how to soft brake...
but other than that, it is a great feature!

[bimmerpwr]

Not using this feature after reading posts about how it can lock up. I guess I don't trust this feature enough to risk being stuck in traffic light. Possibiliy of having to manually release it while other drivers honk as they pass by just doesn't register too well.

[FunfDreisig]

Originally Posted by bimmerpwr

Not using this feature after reading posts about how it can lock up. I guess I don't trust this feature enough to risk being stuck in traffic light. Possibiliy of having to manually release it while other drivers honk as they pass by just doesn't register too well.

Hmmm..
I haven't read about Auto Hold locking up and requiring a manual release. AFAIK Auto Hold is strictly hydraulic and only works when the engine is running.

OTOH the Parking Brake is both hydraulic (when the engine on) and mechanical (with the engine off). The posts I've read about manual release involved the Parking Brake. But maybe I've missed something.

Funf Dreisig

[ABMW]

Not read anything about autohold locking up either.

If it did, such is life. If people want to honk, good for them. It will give me a better story to tell.

But, seriously, I do use autohold quite a bit. There are a few exceptions. If I'm first at a light and people start to walk across the walkway in front of my X5, I apply the brakes manually. In general, I'll also apply the brakes manually if the intersection in front of me is fast moving. That is, I'd not rely upon autohold to be the only piece of equipment keeping me and my X5 from being sideswiped by a large delivery truck. I'm quick, to be sure, but feet can slip, and attention can lapse.

It's simply unsafe, in my opinion to use autohold in many situations.

I think autohold is a great feature, but I'm not going to place my life or the life of someone else in the hands of BMW electronics (at least not in this regard).

[FunfDreisig]

Originally Posted by ABMW

....
It's simply unsafe, in my opinion to use autohold in many situations.

I think autohold is a great feature, but I'm not going to place my life or the life of someone else in the hands of BMW electronics (at least not in this regard).

Ironically, I'm so old school that I rarely use Auto Hold for it's main feature -- stop and go traffic. It just doesn't feel right Besides our other vehicles don't have Auto Hold and I don't want to get in the habit of expecting to be able to release the foot brake with the vehicle in gear -- unless I plan on it moving.

I do use Auto Hold quite a bit here on the property though, particularly for the features I posted. Basically I turn it on at start up (which releases the parking brake) and turn it off when I get to the gate before I pull onto public roads. I turn it back on when I return to the gate, check the mail, etc..

Funf Dreisig

[Price]

Is there a way to set Auto Hold ON by default, i.e. w/o having to turn it on every time your start the car? I use it all the time, and even in my previous car (Land Rover) that had e-brake but w/o Auto Hold, I pulled e-brake quite often.

[Texas5]

I believe the "locking up" issue comes like this:

When stopped with Auto Hold engaged, if the driver lifts off the seat enough (e.g., to get a wallet out of the back pocket), the transmission will automatically shift to Park. Presumably a safety feature so the driver can't depart the car while still in Drive.

If the driver doesn't notice the change in transmission status, then it's freak-out city when the light turns green. Not a complete disaster, but just another reason that I rarely use this feature.

[elbowgrease]

I've confirmed that with autohold activated, the brake lights stay on after you take your foot off the brake pedal. I thought that BMW would design the system to keep the brake lights on but I checked just to be sure.

So far, my use of autohold has been limited. It's a nice feature and the only dislike I have is that autohold does not allow me to modulate vehicle speed when when I'm creeping into a tight parking space and stops me a few feet short of where I intended.