2005 BMW M6 V10

[James B]

Decided to drive to work today and took the opportunity to try out something I read about BMW's with the push button start (but not keyless go).

If you jump in the car and start it, stop it again and then remove the key from the slot you can start the car again within 10 seconds without the key and thus step away and lock the car. Ideal for defrosting the car on a cold morning or warming the engine for its 'arduous' 2 mile commute in town traffic where it doesn't get fully to working temps. When you want to get back in you can just unlock the car and drive away as normal without having to reinsert the key.

Handy!

[rdysan]

Wow, never heard or read that before. Very interesting!

I have a ghost immobiliser installed so you can start the car once and warm it up but in the knowledge that if someone were to jump in the car and try and drive it off, the car would immediately stall as soon as it went from neutral to drive. Even if the key is in the ignition a thief wouldn't be able to start the car again.

Although not a car that would be targeted (I hope) for hijack if something like that happened at a traffic light, I would just switch the car off and then try and leg it. I've heard of some pretty audacious attempts to hijack cars in central London from friends and it is a terrifying experience.

[rdysan]

Is that process in the manual, or just something you have learnt generally and applying to all BMWs with a start stop button (but non-keyless go).

[James B]

To be honest I never checked the manual but I found it while i was reading up about interesting retrofits people were doing like keyless entry etc.

[wolfracesonic]

Tempted to try it, only the picture of me in my mind stood there trying to get back in my locked car with the engine running forlornly pressing the plipper, to no avail, is stopping me

[slipstream 1985]

Nice James. I looked at them before going for the m3 but mine came up in Aberdeen at the right price and low miles so had too. However it has since cost a couple of big bills.

[James B]

wolfracesonic said:

Tempted to try it, only the picture of me in my mind stood there trying to get back in my locked car with the engine running forlornly pressing the plipper, to no avail, is stopping me

I would assume you have the blade emergency key in the fob though so worst case you can get in that way.

[James B]

slipstream 1985 said:

Nice James. I looked at them before going for the m3 but mine came up in Aberdeen at the right price and low miles so had too. However it has since cost a couple of big bills.

Hi Mark,

Never realised you had an M3. What did you go for?

The M6 has been an interesting find. It seems to tick all the boxes for me but i'm yet to get it out on a decent run to know just how good it is. For all it owes me I can see it being with me for a very long time.

[slipstream 1985]

James B said:

slipstream 1985 said:

Nice James. I looked at them before going for the m3 but mine came up in Aberdeen at the right price and low miles so had too. However it has since cost a couple of big bills.

Hi Mark,

Never realised you had an M3. What did you go for?

The M6 has been an interesting find. It seems to tick all the boxes for me but i'm yet to get it out on a decent run to know just how good it is. For all it owes me I can see it being with me for a very long time.

E46 coupe with the manual box. Great sounding engine at revs but gets beaten by most modern hot hatches now. I have heard you cars v10 at full chant before it is such a brilliant sound.

[Slippydiff]

rdysan said:

Is that process in the manual, or just something you have learnt generally and applying to all BMWs with a start stop button (but non-keyless go).

I used it on my ‘07 E90 335D M Sport on numerous occasions. Very handy on seriously cold mornings ! !

[James B]

slipstream 1985 said:

E46 coupe with the manual box. Great sounding engine at revs but gets beaten by most modern hot hatches now. I have heard you cars v10 at full chant before it is such a brilliant sound.

The E46 is a nice thing, particularly with a manual. Shame a couple of bills have hit you but they've hopefully just improved and future proofed the car for you.

Yeah V10 is rathen an addictive sound. Took it to work again this morning and had to take the tunnel under Union St with the windows down and accelerating hard!

[8bit]

Feels a bit weird posting an update on someone else's thread but here goes... I had the pleasure of catching up with James and taking some photos of his car a couple of weekends ago. Finally got round to sending the Flickr links to James last night and it turns out he's off for his shoulder surgery today so he's asked me to post these here on his behalf in the meantime. All the best for the op and recovery, James!

DSC_9176-Pano by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9193 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9195 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9204 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9209 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9210 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9212 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9213 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9227-Pano by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9244_stitch by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9272 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9275 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9284 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9319-Pano by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9352-Pano by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9359 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9364 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9366 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9370 by niallporter1, on Flickr

DSC_9399-Pano by niallporter1, on Flickr

[snowley]

Very special car - looks in amazing condition.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

[rdysan]

Great pics! It's such a photogenic car! Ditto on the speedy recovery James.

[rdysan]

Don't mean to knock cellphone cameras which get better year on year but for me it takes a dedicated lens to really pull out the colours and DOF required for some atmospheric shots. Excellent.

[8bit]

Thanks for the comments Adobe Lightroom helps a little to make the colours pop out but right enough, cell phone cameras are better than they used to be but can't come close to proper lenses and big DSLR sensors for capturing detail.

[James B]

Niall,

Thanks so much again for the pics and congrats too on what you have produced from an NCP Car park in sub-zero temps in grey Aberdeen!!

Annoyingly I have been kept on for observation at my O2 levels weren’t picking up as they should. I’ll be out in the morning.
Even more annoyingly the surgery was a little greater than anticipated so I’m in a sling for 4 weeks and depending on progress may be out of the driving seat for 3 months!!!! I’d have got less for being caught at over a ton!!!
Still, mustn’t grumble. This means I may get racing again this year so that’s my only goal!

Thanks for the comments too from everyone else. This is a car I look back at once parked which is saying something. The rear 3/4 view is just brutal with the combination of the wide flank, lowish stance and dished wheel. It’s fair to say I love it.

[8bit]

My pleasure James! Hopefully we can get another shoot in due course of some of your other machines. Hope you got home OK and on the mend too.

[Commander2874]

Lovely motor mate. Also nice and clean, what do you do detailing wise to keep it looking so good?

[James B]

Commander2874 said:

Lovely motor mate. Also nice and clean, what do you do detailing wise to keep it looking so good?

Thanks.

In fairness it has just been detailed so I washed and dried it for these pics. It also doesn’t do many miles so it’s never terribly dirty.