Favorite Electronic "Quirks"

"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion) 09/29/2015 at 11:10 • Filed to: lists, quirks, oqotd

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Inspired by !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I thought I’d ask Oppo about one of my favorite personal car quirks: programming / adjusting / resetting things with crazy sequences of buttons. Much like unlocking a cheat mode in a video game (up-down-up-down-left-right-... you know), many cars have funky ways of resetting the service reminder, or changing a particular setting, like intermittent wiper timing.

My favorites: My 2001 Suburban had automatic headlights, and to turn them off you could either just hit the switch, OR you could press the dome light kill button 4 times consecutively. I discovered this on the highway one night, as I am a fiddler. I was just pressing the dome light kill button now and then, and I eventually hit it 4 times in a row fast enough that I hear a nice GM “BONG” and my headlights shut off. I quickly hit the main switch off and back on, but I was a little confused, you might say.

The ‘01 Suburban had a fun way to reset the oil counter too, something like hitting the gas pedal to the floor 5 times before starting it.

Lastly, my BMW has a programmable rear wiper, here’s the procedure: Turn on rear wiper and immediately turn off. Count the number of seconds, from 1 to 25, to set the interval. At the appropriate number of seconds, turn wiper back on and leave it. Your interval is now set. Until you shut off the car, that is. I mean, I appreciate the ability, but what’s wrong with the standard dial-type setting like any other adjustable intermittent wiper I’ve used.

I know that car also has a way to access all kinds of info through the OBC display in the dash, like a secret door... I can’t remember how to access it but it’s a treasure trove of information. One thing you can’t get, though? OBDII codes.

So oppo, what are your favorite electronic quirks, procedures, easter eggs, or cheat codes?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > functionoverfashion 09/29/2015 at 11:16

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The BRZ pedal dance.

- Turn on the car. The car must be FULLY warmed up. You must do the entire sequence within 30 seconds of starting the car.
- Pull the e-brake 3 times. Hold/lock the e-brake on the 3rd pull.
- Press the brake pedal 3 times. Hold it down the third time.
- Pull the hand brake 3 more times. Hold/lock the hand brake on the 3rd pull
- Press the brake pedal 2 more times.
- On the last press of the brake pedal, two yellow lights should have come on.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > functionoverfashion 09/29/2015 at 11:19

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In the Pontiac Montana, there was a feature where you could change the auto door lock settings (Lock in drive, unlock in park, lock at speed, no auto lock), remote feedback (honk/flash, flash, honk), and one other that I can't remember. To do this you removed a specific fuse and turned the key in a specific sequence. something like Accessory for one setting, run for another and run then back to Acc? I can't remember.

functionoverfashion > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 09/29/2015 at 11:20

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I remember my father getting furious when rental cars would auto-lock every time, and I would always look in the manual to see if you could disable it. This is before the Googlez could have answered my question in .00032345 seconds.

functionoverfashion > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 09/29/2015 at 11:21

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LOL. WTF does that do?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > functionoverfashion 09/29/2015 at 11:22

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Kills every driver aid including brake force redistribution and ABS.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > functionoverfashion 09/29/2015 at 11:25

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My old Neon had a key dance that would disable/enable the horn chirp when you locked it with the remote. I don’t remember specifics but it was something like cycling the key to ON a few times and then holding the lock button on the remote.

My 528i has all sorts of neat tricks, there’s combinations of ways to press the trip reset button to bring up stuff like a gauge test or to display things like the ecu version and whatnot.

Jayhawk Jake > functionoverfashion 09/29/2015 at 12:53

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My car has a setting so that if the wipers are on and I put it in reverse it activates the rear wiper.

The honda accord I used to have would roll down all the windows if you held the unlock button on the remote. All cars should do this.

functionoverfashion > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 09/29/2015 at 13:27

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oh wow, that’s fantastic.

functionoverfashion > Jayhawk Jake 09/29/2015 at 13:29

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ha! My rear wiper doesn’t go from off to on, but if it’s on intermittent, it will run full-time while in reverse.

The windows-down thing I *think* started with Audi/VW in the 90’s... and yeah my car will do it now, too.

functionoverfashion > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/29/2015 at 13:32

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Is that 528 an E39? If so, it shares a lot with my E46, and yeah that ECU/OBC hidden functions thing is pretty neat.

That beep-on-lock thing is often a dealer-programmed option, it’s nice when you can change it yourself. Very polarizing, I think - I hate the horn chirp, but some people “need” it so they know for sure the car is locked. I like a simple light flash. My old E46 did none of the above; my new one does the light flash.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > functionoverfashion 09/29/2015 at 14:03

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It’s an E39. If you have access to a REALLY nice scantool (we’re talking $4-5k pricetag) you get access to even more dealer-only stuff, like a sunroof cycle test or a headlight actuation test (it jiggles the self adjusting headlights around to make sure all the actuators work)

functionoverfashion > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 09/29/2015 at 14:49

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Yes, an indy shop that I’m friendly with (as a family we’ve bought many cars from them) has one of these tools - I’ve never had a particular thing I needed, but they would no doubt set me up.

for Michigan > functionoverfashion 09/29/2015 at 15:46

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My Mazda3 is a Sport model, so it doesn’t have the Driver Info Center that you get in the Touring trim. But to enable the DIC, all you have to do is hold down the right buttons while you turn the key on, then turn it off and back on and it’s enabled.

Now I can see average and real time MPGs, average speed, and miles to empty.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > functionoverfashion 09/29/2015 at 15:47

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Cheap scanners that you buy at the parts store can only pull engine codes. A good scanner can show you hidden codes from other modules that aren’t causing a CEL. It’s good to at least have access to a real scantool. If there’s some function that doesn’t work chances are there’s a code somewhere.

The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123 > functionoverfashion 09/29/2015 at 16:47

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey > functionoverfashion 09/29/2015 at 18:21

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I can think of one of the top of my head: The procedure on new Ford vehicles to set them into TPMS program mode.

Key off-Brake-Key on-key off-key on-key off-key on-brake-key off-key on-key off-key on-key off-key on.

If you do it right the horn will honk and you then use the training tool on all four wheels, starting at LF and going clockwise. Usually it’s used to diag a sensor fault or train a new sensor. I found another procedure to start TPMS train mode once on accident, but I don’t remember what it was. I think I hit the hazard lights a few times and it opened the train mode.

Another code: On some Fords, the oil life resetting procedure is to turn the key on, and hold in both the brake and gas until the message center tells you life is reset.

functionoverfashion > Dingers Ghost, Champion Jockey 09/30/2015 at 10:50

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haha, wow. I love these programming quirks. Can you imagine the discussion that goes into these? Or do you think it’s just one guy sitting at a desk, muah ha ha...

And yet this is partly why I like my 1972 Ford so much. There are no electronics, period. The fanciest electrical device is probably a relay, or I guess the AM only radio.