Independent Ventilation Feature, Info and Questions.

[328 Power 04]

Ok, I've been doing some research on BMW's Independent Ventilation (also known as Park Ventilation).

-For those of you that don't know what it is:

Page 87 of the 96+ 318,323,328 Manual:

Independent ventilation*

This ventilates the vehicle's interior and
lowers its temperature using the heater
or the air conditioner fan.
The system is operated by the onboard
computer, refer to page 77.
You can set the time for the system to
start; it will remain active for 30 minutes.
You can also turn it on and off
directly.
As the system uses a substantial
amount of electric current, you should
refrain from activating it twice in succession
without allowing the battery to
be recharged in normal operation
between use.
The independent ventilation is available
for use when the outside temperature is
above 60 5F (166), but not when driving.
The air comes out through the vents for
the upper body area. The vents must
therefore be open for the system to
operate.

Another words, this system is a programmable function to blow outside air to the inside of the car at a certain time of the day, in order to bring the interior temperature down before going into the car. It is useful for areas of hot climates, especially in conjunction with a dark colored car.

-This is apparently found on many Euro E36, all E36's that can have it are on the list HERE
-It is activated by using the "TIMER" button on the OBC; while the cars equipped with Independent Ventilation don't have the Stopwatch function.
-It runs outside air to the inside for up to 30 minutes before the time set to enter the car.


I have been curious about this function a very long time. Today I have done some research, and found out that it is NOT just the OBC computer that controls this function. It is a whole system that helps. I was about to buy a Euro E36 OBC when I found out that there is a retrofit kit for it. RealOEM has part number 82309408732 as RETROFIT KIT, INDEPENDENT VENTILATION HERE

Anybody know where to get this system? Price?
I'd like to know what's included in it, and how it is hooked up.

If anyone else has some more valuable information, I'm sure we'd all love to read.

Thank you.

[328 Power 04]

Well I think I found the parts needed for a retrofit... does anyone know any other information? All these parts are from Ebay in Germany. I can pick them up, since I'm in Europe now.

If it goes through, I'll make a diagram of the wiring and such. The only thing would be needed is a relay.

[eLegg]

do it and provide a DIY walkthrough

[djsomi]

Hey Guys,

I Know it's an old topic, but does anyone done this upgrade?
I've done it but my automatic climate control unit does not turns on the blower motor. Maybe it has to be recoded, but unfortunately there is very very few material for this topic on the INTERNET.

If somebody has got it OEM in his car please share us your experiences.

Many Thanks,
Zoltan

[MParallel]

OP is wrong

"RealOEM has part number 82309408732 as RETROFIT KIT, INDEPENDENT VENTILATION HERE"

That is not the OBC's park ventilation feature but a complete pre-heater system that can warm up the interior when it's freezing for example. It uses a small petrol driven motor that you need to hook up to the fuel lines and it heats up the coolant as well.

It's a totally different system.

[johnf]

We retrofitted that kit to my car. As mparallel writes, it adds the complete auxiliary heating system.

As I noted in the earlier thread Zoltan started on this topic, we needed to program the IHKA to enable auxiliary heating and park ventilation.

Did that not work? Or is programming the IHKA impractical, and you need to find another solution?

EDIT: An IHKA coded for a U.S. market car may not support one or both. I came up with a work around to add park ventilation some years back, and just found some pictures a fellow sent me -- from Houston, Texas, of all places -- who added it to his car. I'll see if I can find my notes.