heated steering wheel and heated exterior side mirrors

[rowong]

Hey all,

Just curious to know how "hot" does your heated steering wheel get? I find that its barely warm during cold weather in the east coast. I have had a Nissan Pathfinder loaner and its heated steering wheel was noticeably hot that i would have to turn it off after a while.

Also, been trying to look up how to turn on the heated exterior side mirrors, however, there doesnt seem to be a button to do so? I was always under the assumption that by turning the rear window defroster, that the side mirrors will be heated. Checking the manual, it says that the side mirrors are heated automatically. However, i dont feel like its heating up especially during rainy days which makes viewing the mirror difficult from time to time. I did bring it up at the dealership but they checked and reported everything was fine =\

Sorry for a long post, but wondering if any other owners are experiencing the same thing?

TIA!

[cmyx6go]

I've found that the level of heat to the steering wheel has varied on my different cars. My current '16 M just takes the edge off. My '10 50i got so hot, I had to shut it off once it warmed up. My '13 was perfect.

As far as the side mirrors, I'm pretty sure they engage with the rear defroster.

[rowong]

Thanks for the reply, maybe on my 2012 35i its just that the heating is not as strong as your 2013.

In terms of the side mirrors, i have tried everything, i tried the rear defroster, the front defroster, combination of both, turning AC on as well as heating up my seat but they all dont seem to make any difference.

Hoping to get more input from other owners.

thanks!

[cmyx6go]

I don't think the heated mirrors really do anything for the rain. They do make a huge difference in the winter keeping ice and snow from accumulating. How long do you have the X6? Have you been through a winter yet?

[peter2772000]

Just asked the gf, she drove ours in the winter way more than I. She says that our 2012 wheel would get toasty warm even in the coldest months.

On the other hand, our MB gets "warm" officially, not much more.

[rowong]

Originally Posted by peter2772000

Just asked the gf, she drove ours in the winter way more than I. She says that our 2012 wheel would get toasty warm even in the coldest months.

On the other hand, our MB gets "warm" officially, not much more.

Thanks for the reply! Maybe I should get the dealership to take a look then the next time i visit them.

[rowong]

Originally Posted by cmyx6go

I don't think the heated mirrors really do anything for the rain. They do make a huge difference in the winter keeping ice and snow from accumulating. How long do you have the X6? Have you been through a winter yet?

Yup, have been through 2 winters so far, actually, tbh dont remember much about the winter time but perhaps winter was alright for me but in the rain i definitely feel it could be better =\

[Colodano]

I find that I have to turn off the steering wheel heat in my rig after about 5 minutes, as it gets rather toasty.

From my reading, the mirrors are supposed to turn on automatically below a certain temperature, as well as the washer fluid heating.

[Kerrazy]

My 2011 gets warm, thats all, better then cold and I do shut it off. my old E53 X5 got hot!

[dreamalaska]

Originally Posted by rowong

Hey all,

Just curious to know how "hot" does your heated steering wheel get? I find that its barely warm during cold weather in the east coast. I have had a Nissan Pathfinder loaner and its heated steering wheel was noticeably hot that i would have to turn it off after a while.

Also, been trying to look up how to turn on the heated exterior side mirrors, however, there doesnt seem to be a button to do so? I was always under the assumption that by turning the rear window defroster, that the side mirrors will be heated. Checking the manual, it says that the side mirrors are heated automatically. However, i dont feel like its heating up especially during rainy days which makes viewing the mirror difficult from time to time. I did bring it up at the dealership but they checked and reported everything was fine =\

Sorry for a long post, but wondering if any other owners are experiencing the same thing?

TIA!

Being in Alaska I use the heated steering quite often. I've noticed that the heating varies, so I assume it is tied to the outside temperature reading. On about 3 occasions the wheel has become blistering hot after shutting the car off but with the vehicle left in "on" mode to listen to the radio while waiting for wife to run into a store, and that was after turning the heated steering switch off. Cycling the car fully off, then on, reset the heating element. Weird little gremlin, but hasn't caused an issue yet.

[rowong]

Originally Posted by dreamalaska

Being in Alaska I use the heated steering quite often. I've noticed that the heating varies, so I assume it is tied to the outside temperature reading. On about 3 occasions the wheel has become blistering hot after shutting the car off but with the vehicle left in "on" mode to listen to the radio while waiting for wife to run into a store, and that was after turning the heated steering switch off. Cycling the car fully off, then on, reset the heating element. Weird little gremlin, but hasn't caused an issue yet.

Thanks for the reply, I can't figure it out either.. Sometimes i think it might be due to the outside temperature or like you mention, the way of shutting off the engine and leaving vehicle in "on" mode and then starting the car again. There was only one single time which i felt the wheel was actually the temperature that I wanted at. Never got that temperature again lol.

BTW Merry Christmas everyone!!

[yco]

got '10 X6M.. steering wheel heat is just perfect in (-) weather without need to turn it off..
about the mirrors maybe there is an electronic reason they re not heated.. more likely its the reason..

mirror heat really works if the car is all clean and not muddy conditions.. then it really helps perfectly to see the mirror better..