I hope we helpt out the author of this post :thumbup: and you are right about being very useful. Nothing better than getting into a nice warm car, while everyone else is scrubbing their windshields while their blowers are on max. with the engine on in the freezing cold ;)

This is the remote I have for my aux heating system. I turn it on half an hour before I drive off in the morning and the car is nice and warm when I get in :thumbup: It does not look like the one posted above, maybe a diffrent year or something?

A different remote?
 

What year and engine type is your x? I put my heating on 10-15mins before taking off.
I take it that the winter conditions in Iceland can be quite....ROUGH? What temperatures do you get? Maybe you've got some "maxi" version or something. Does your heater under the hood look like mine(pic on page 2)?

Yup, very secure, the alarm stays on, the car stays locked and best of all it`s getting the engine pre warmed too to reduce cold start wear.

It is a 2002 3.0d. The heater looks just like yours. When there is a lot of snow and Ice on the car I turn it on maybe half an hour before I leave but when it isn't then the 15 mins will do the trick. It can get quite cold here, the temp this morning was -8°C (18°F). But then again It isn't always the case. Yesterday morning it was raining :-)


Edit*

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...80&hg=64&fg=65

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...79&hg=64&fg=65

WOW, I want one! All we need is for somebody to try a retro.
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...68&hg=64&fg=65

Superb. Thanks guys for all the replies. Apologies to the non-diesel drivers who got unduly excited about auxiliary heating (mistaking it for auxiliary venitilation). The capacity to heat up the car before you get to it is fab...but is NOT the same as auxiliary ventilation.

This is what BMW says about Auxiliary HEATING:
"We (BMW) can confirm that only as an add-on option a water-based heater is used for auxiliary heating and is supplied with energy from the car's fuel system. Heat is generated by burning a fuel/air mixture in a separate combustion chamber, the engine coolant being heated by a built-in heat exchanger. This warms the engine and allows you to safely use higher 'revs' from when you pull away from overnight parking. In lay terms, the 'engine' is pre-heated. A separate electrical water pump circulates the coolant independently of the engine coolant pump. Heated air is also blown into the passenger cabin to warm the interior and will also generate sufficient heat to de-ice all windows. While operating for a maximum period of 30 minutes, the water temperature in the small heater circuit is kept at 70-85 degrees centigrade, regardless of the heat drawn from the system. The system is operated by a keyless remote, only one remote is provided with the system."

Hence my original question about the remote...so again, thanks for all the details.

Cheers


John[I][B]

Forgot to say, but in the UK the auxiliary heater can be fitted to ANY (3.0, 4.4, 4.8, and 3.0d) model if ordered as a factory fit. It just costs more for the petrol heads.

man... this is the first BMW I have ever purchased without every single option... Although I optioned up the 3.0 about as much as makes any real sense... Reading these kinds of threads REALLY makes me wish I had just gone with a fully loaded 4.4.

Now that it is cold... I noticed for the first time I don't have heated seats. This is the first BMW I've ever owned without them.. and I tell ya... you miss them when you don't have them. But AUX HEATING? W-T-F?! ARGH!! I'll give this thing 1 more year and then I'm tradin her for a fully optioned, bigger motor model (whatever that happens to be in 07).

I have an 05 3.0d sport with the top heater box (fitted as standard) but not acting as a heater, only an air mover. How much was the option and was it difficult to fit?

I remember the aux heating kit was about £350 as a factory option but I'm guessing it's a whole lot more than that now!