Turn signal death spiral...

This is lunacy.

Regardless of how lightly you touch the stalk, almost all current European cars give you three flashes. This infuriates me. In Los Angeles, where the turn signal is viewed as a sign of weakness, three flashes is simply one too many. Flashing three times is asking for someone to close the door on the tiny gap you've spotted.
 
Josh, you guys at Edmunds need to RTM: Page 49. You can disable the triple flash or change the number of flashes.
 
Also when the turn signal is in the ON mode, tap in the same direction to turn it off.
 
It took me some time to get used to the silly turn signals but now I'm pretty happy with the triple flash. I don't tap it until right before I make my move anyway. Position, correct gear, tap the button, hit the gas and move into the lane...

Our LT 330i has an owner's manual, but it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't even occur to Josh to look for it--most of the cars we drive don't have them.

you don't even need the owner's manual. you can just spin the dial and go to the vehicle settings page and see what setting options are available. turn signal is there.
but hey, that's figuring stuff out what a drag..... better to just complain.
really people, you are meant to be professional testers. not exactly impressive.

Josh, Euro cars appear to be just that: Euro cars imported to USA with as few changes as possible to perserve "that euro feel".
That seems to be what most enthusasists expect, and demand.
 
We bloggers can't do anything about it. We just buy the cars.
 
Why not write your friendly Euro importer and tell them __you__ think ?

Why did BMW feel the need to reinvent the turn signal in the first place is what I want to know.

ts, once you get the hang of it, the turn signal is nice. It takes some time to change how you use signals but once that's done, you find when you're switching lanes that you just tap it the instant before you make your move.

Maybe it's great that you can change the number of flashes and maybe it's purely a waste of my time. Honestly, I know most BMW owners are in love with their cars and themselves for buying one but I'm not trying to make automobile ownership, especially turn signals, a new hobby.
 
I "Read the owner's manual? REALLY to work the TURN SIGNALS - listen to what you're saying. I suppose you'll accept anything the blue and white logo throws at you.
 
 "SMACK!!" "Thank you sir, may I have another."

Maybe it's great that you can change the number of flashes and maybe it's purely a waste of my time. Honestly, I know most BMW owners are in love with their cars and themselves for buying one but I'm not trying to make automobile ownership, especially turn signals, a new hobby.
 
"Read the owner's manual?" REALLY, to work the TURN SIGNALS - listen to what you're saying. I suppose you'll accept anything the blue and white logo throws at you.
 
 "SMACK!!" "Thank you sir, may I have another."

So you're endorsing ignorance? just last week one of the Edmunds editors posted that he had no idea the car had a cooling cupholder.
 
That blog post and this one could have been avoided if the driver had done what EVERY owner should do when they buy a car: RTFM.
 
RTM is the easy solution to most software, hardware and electronics issues.
 
But you go ahead and push people to be ignorant. That's the cool thing...

The turn signals take some time to get use to (as w/ many other annoying features on cars these days), but away from that feature,
  
Is there way to turn off the head light washers or at least program the system not to respond every three window cleans? This option comes w/ the 330i cold weather package, and every 3rd time you clean your windows w/ the window washer fluid it also sprays/cleans the headlights.
  
The car also remember how many times you sprayed, meaning if i clean the windows twice, and then shut the engine off, remove the key let is sit for two days. it will still remembers the count, and when back in the car I hit the window clean and the headlight are also getting sprayed...this is most annoying after I've just washed and polished the car, or doing 120mph on the autobahn.

I agree with Josh, brian and ts - why reinvent a function that that is universally known and intuitive to all drivers? I'd never driven a BMW before, but I recently had to drive my boss's and was confounded by the @#%&*! turn signals. Why does one need to read the Owner's Manual before operating primary controls? I can understand consulting the Owner's Manual to learn how secondary functions like stereo or climate controls work. What basic functions will they tinker with next?

I came from the automaker side of this business. Like it or not, most people don't read their owner's manuals. Saying RTM, even with the added F for emphasis, isn't going to change that.
 
Most automakers know and expect this, and design accordingly. The ability to operate a control without consulting the manual, is the goal for most. Intuitive is the mantra.
 
As a result, we evaluate features partly on their ease-of use. The need to RTM in order to operate something simple is a red-flag indicator of an over-complicated design.
 
And we are talking about something very basic here: a turn signal. We WANT to make it easy for people to use them, right? OK, some folks like the three-flash thing. I get that. It might even be the norm in Germany. But it's not usual in this market.
 
What could BMW have done to offer the feature and still make things more intuitive for North American consumers? For starters, they could make one-flash the default, and make it necessary to go into the menu to select three. That way, RTM fans get to discover a secret "easter-egg" feature, while the average Joe gets the intuitive performance he expects. Everyone is happy.
 
So while it's nice that BMW has this great feature, the sacrifice of intuitiveness on the altar of feature-content, left un-checked, can lead to... I-drive?

Never had a problem with I-drive. Five minutes into a drive of a 7 series I had the basics down. It WAS intuitive. I feel the hyperbole surrounding MMI, Idrive, MMC, etc is ridiculous and points to obtuse people who can't learn new things quickly - especially magazine writers. They harp on imagined problems. I-drvie is an imagined problem. It's no more difficult than navigating a new cell phone for the first time. Then again, my job revolves around learning new software and passing it on to people; I get paid to figure stuff out quickly.
 
And because of my job, I'm not opposed to reading a manual on every product I buy. I wanted to know how to make little adjustments to my car's settings, so I read the manual and set things that were a bit more complicated: like which door unlock when I get near the car, how long the lights stay on after turning off the car, how many blinks to go with a soft-touch on a turn signal stalk, etc.
 
Again, I see no defense for ignorance. Laziness is not a defense, it's a symptom of many problems. And it's very common...

Amazing, I'm in full agreement with bluedot..
Ok, forgot about the owner's manual for the moment. This is how the amazingly comlicated turnsignal works:
 
Tap it, it flashes 3 times
Push it passed the easily felt detent, it is on.
Tap it, it turns off.
 
That's it people! How on earth do the editors figure out how to use their computers when they write articles? Or do they all dictate to interns?....
;)

I'll admit it, I don't read the entire manual before I drive every car in our fleet. Nor do I explore every option on every menu in every car. That's not how I use cars. Or any technology for that matter.
  
Given more space, time and interest I'd go into a huge Don Norman-inspired rant about how, by being forced to tune the turn signal, I'm now serving technology instead of being served by it, about how technology can enslave us -- taking our attention from more productive pursuits -- and, bottom line, wasting our valuable time.
  
Honestly, I'm not terribly impressed with the ability to tune a turn signal. It's a perfect example of how technology is letting us down -- creating artificial complexity where simple, proven user interface is better for the job at hand. Just because technology gives us ability to change something doesn't mean we should. Or at least we shouldn't leave it as the default after tweaking a longstanding industry standard.
  
Certainly this is a feature some will find alluring. I find it annoying. Perhaps if I were enthralled with the Bavarian perfection of the 330i, or if I owned one, this feature would be of greater value. As is, it's a feature which will absorb more time than I care to spend simply to improve its performance to the level of the industry standard.
  
Anyway, I'll just have to thank the many 330 owners on this blog for enlightening me on the ways of turn signal tuning. And don't worry, I'll be sure to read every letter in the manual before my next blog post.

Again, you don't have to read anything.
Tap, 3 flashes
Push - it's on
Tap - it turns off.
You think this is complicated? Jeez....
 
But what is sadder is:
"I'll admit it, I don't read the entire manual before I drive every car in our fleet. Nor do I explore every option on every menu in every car. That's not how I use cars. Or any technology for that matter."
What's your job at Edmunds? Oh I see, Senior Road Test Editor. So it's your job, you get paid, to know how a car works. It's in and outs so to speak. But as Senior Road Test Editor for some reason this is not necessary. You've just lost a whole heap load of credibility.

In any case I like the setup on the new GM900 SUVs better (probably on the upcoming trucks as well, and hopefully trickles down to other non-truck/SUVs).
 
My turn signal works in the "standard" way. Anyone getting behind the wheel immediately will be able to use it without having to pop open the manual. That includes the *normal* pull / push past the detent 'click' point to turn on and once the turn is completed (assuming a turn) the steering wheel's rotation back in the other direction will cancel it. Alternatively you can push / pull in the opposite direction to cancel it manually if you desire / need to. It also still has the push / pull lightly and hold feature, for temporarily flashing (while held) that most Americans are probably used to for normal highway passing scenarios. And finally, there's a quick push / pull in the direction you want to go for the pass maneuver (but don't hold or pass the detent) and it will flash 3 times and then stop. Hold too long and it stops with your release (and that's doesn't have to be long enough for 3 flashes either).
 
Much more intuitive, and as pointed out above, is actually an easter egg to be found either by accident, or, for some among us, when we read the manuals. Note that I fully endorse reading the manual after purchasing a vehicle. However, most of us get familiar with the basic controls and drive it off the lot, taking it home, before we get to the manual. This is also why most salepeople now do the "acclimation" thing once all the paperwork is done.
 
I personally can't see sitting in the dealership's parking lot for at least an hour (way more if you honestly read everything in the Owner's Manuals nowadays!) just to make sure I know all the easter eggs on my vehicle. As stated above, all the standard *required* stuff should operate using standard conventions for the region of the world the vehicle is being used in when the car is first handed over. What you choose to change it to after you get home and discover the easter eggs in the manual would then be your business. At least your surprises wouldn't come at a bad time, possibly for you *and* other commuters.

It would be acceptable if the 330i's turn signal actually functioned as simply as desmolicious describes. I experienced similar frustration with the 330i's soft detent and counterintuitive 'cancel' function detailed in Josh's original blog. The latter situation is not unique to the 330i, either, as our R-Class will leave you in a left-right blinkery tailchase, too. At least it did for me the last time I drove it.
  
The GM900's system is indeed a more intuitive execution, and consequently a better design. I've driven one and the turn signal was transparent and forgettable in a second-nature kind of way--exactly as a turn signal should be.

A/ amazing that a turnsignal blog had 20 comments!
2/ no matter, this blog feature that edmunds offers really is fantastic, and I appreciate the editors' involvement with the readers. I read this site more than all the auto magazines combined! I look at those when I'm food shopping, flip through them, and put them back...

Agreed desmolicious. The only other auto places I frequent (besides dealerships :-P) are forums. Edmunds is where I go for the news, and first discussions on it. :o)

Obviously, Editor Jacquot has touched a nerve. And maybe it's just me, but I took his comments to be a bit of comic relief over one of the more controversial (albeit trivial) features of the new 330. It is, after all, part of his job to attract readers to the site. Based on the number of responses, and his hilarious description of the turn signal death spiral (which i hate to admit reminded me of my own initial experiences) I think he's accomplished that.

For those of you who do not like the turn signal, you can program it to blink just once......FYI

I have done this before, getting on the freeway which lanes were merging. I thought i had tapped it, but I had pushed it, then I flicked it to turn it off and tapped it the other way so it went on 3 flashes for the other way. I felt embarrassed, but I wasn't in a BMW, I was in a Charger. DamlierChrysler calls it FLASH TO PASS!!