Self-parking: useful or gimmick?

[WoodlandHills]

I have the self-parking system, but have never been able to get it to work. That is probably my own fault, but I wonder if there are drivers who use this on a routine basis?

Does anyone use self-parking as more than a trick to show off to others?

 

[Sparky]

I tried it once just to experience it. Worked perfectly. I have not used it since. Just haven't had the situation arise where I needed it.

 

[NikNik]

I use mine quite frequently. I am a real estate appraiser so drive around an park for several hours a day. It parks way better than I do (very close to the curb) but is a rather slow process. I've also found that it doesn't always recognize spots that I know I can get into. If I have traffic waiting on my I generally don't feel as comfortable using it but use it as much as I can otherwise. My daughter gets a kick out of it.

I also love the manual parking gadgetry on the i3 including the tilt mirrors and front and rear sensors. I watched a car take 10 minutes to get out of a tight spot bumping the car behind repeatedly. When they were gone, I parked was in the spot in 30 seconds with only one extra reverse and forward (manually parking).

 

[FrancisJeffries]

Have a look at this:
http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2346

 

[Boatguy]

Definitely useful. It has put me into some parking spaces that I'm not sure I would have gotten otherwise. It does an amazing job if squeezing in, turning so much sharper than I would ever turn.

The initiation of the process is too cumbersome, and I find I usually need to back up a bit to center the car when finished, but it's a great feature.

 

[stumbledotcom]

Consistently use it two to three times a week.

 

[justanotherdrunk]

gimmick

 

[Boatguy]

gimmick

The last few comments could highlight the differences in city parking (myself and stumble) and suburbia (justanotherdrunk).

 

[MikeS]

I have to parellel park in UK city areas frequently often in fairly tight spaces. Except for a single use to prove it worked I have never used it again. Its fine if you are parking in places that are obviously large enough with little traffic - otherwise its a slow waste of time and I can park in tighter spaces!

 

[mjk]

Before I tried it, I made the BMW Genius take me out a passenger and demo it; I figured if he crashed it the dealership would have to fix it. 8>)

Since then I've made "practice" parks using the feature and it works well. But the few times I've had an actual need to use it, it just didn't seem to want to engage or I was in a traffic situation where the time it wants to take is impractical.

 

[drb]

I too have used it a couple of times--more for novelty's sake than because I needed it. One of the great advantages of the i3 is its size. It parks easily even in tight quarters. So, I typically find it a lot easier just to park the vehicle myself rather than engaging the self-park.

 

[GeorgeJ]

I have only had my car a week so I've only tried it twice. The first time it was halfway into the space and some idiot jay walked and walked right into the path the car was going. The car was smarter than her and stopped itself. The second time it went perfectly and put each wheel an inch from the curb. I'd have crunched the wheels if attempting to get that close. Time will tell how much I use it though I imagine if I do the procedure will become more second nature.

 

[pastyboy]

I too have used it a couple of times--more for novelty's sake than because I needed it. One of the great advantages of the i3 is its size. It parks easily even in tight quarters. So, I typically find it a lot easier just to park the vehicle myself rather than engaging the self-park.

The turning circle does make it a doddle to park. The auto park function is a complete gimmick for me. It will not park close enough to the kerb and takes an age to get into the space and so unless there is absolutely no traffic behind me I do not even demonstrate it. We parallel park every day at the office and NEVER use it. We only had it because my wife wanted the front sensor and (to a lesser degree) the rear camera, which I also find fairly useless unless you can get used to how far away the next vehicle looks when it is actually almost touching. Personally I don't find the front sensor that necessary because once you have got used to the very short nose and the turning circle it is better to ignore the bing from the sensor because you are still inches away even when it is going mad and I just find it makes me nervous for no reason. Everyone should learn to park and save their money.