Driver Comfort on 2013 C5 Tourer

[Jobeau]

Subject: Driver Comfort on 2013 C5 Tourer

There is a function which slides the electric seat back a few inches when exiting the vehicle and resets it when the engine is started . It is annoying and I would like to disable it but cannot find out how? The manual says select MENU and Driver Comfort but I cannot see that function on Menu.

JOhn B.

[GiveMeABreak]

Hi John, I have moved your post here.

The feature you are referring to is called the 'Welcome' function.

It can easily be disabled if you follow the manual. It cannot be done whilst the car is moving for safety reasons. To turn the feature on or off, press the left hand scrolling wheel button on the steering wheel.

From the menu, and scrolling the wheel, select 'Vehicle Parameters', then select 'Comfort'. From there you should see the option to activate or deactivate the driver's welcome function.

[Paul-R]

It's a feature that at first I thought was useful then realised its implications.

First and foremost was that if the rear seats are down (I have the Tourer/Estate) and the back is loaded then the automatic, and unstoppable, movement backwards of the driver's seat could crush items stacked there.

Then I thought about the extra stain it puts on the battery. I have sounded off before about the stupid design of the electrically folding door mirrors which operate in synch with locking and unlocking the doors. This just wastes battery capacity and they got it right with the Mk1 car where they didn't unfold until the engine was started. Why change something like that? Anyway, stopping the seats from moving is a small attempt to prolong battery life.

[GiveMeABreak]

I expect that having the car (salon or Tourer) fully loaded with rear seats down is an exception and not the norm for most people. The option to turn it on or off though is quick and easy for the occasions where you are carrying full loads with seats down.

I turned mine off a while ago to save seat motor wear and battery power.

As for the mirrors, with ignition on and pulling down on the mirror control it will prevent them from unfolding when unlocking.

The folding and unfolding with the remote fob can be disabled by dealer or with Diagbox if you have it.

[Paul-R]

I don't want to disable the folding and unfolding. I just want it to operate in the best manner possible. Just like they used to do on the Mk1. Before they changed it for a more stupid way of doing it.

[GiveMeABreak]

I just went out and checked mine. If I pull the mirror control down and retract them, they don’t deploy or undeploy when locking or unlocking with key or remote. So that is an option.

[Paul-R]

**sigh** The point is that PSA had a good system with the Mk1 and then f****d it up.

[GiveMeABreak]

**sigh** That's a personal choice of course, but personally, I wouldn't want that older system. There may be occasions in tight spots where you wouldn't want the mirrors automatically deploying when starting the engine. I can can think of a few - but very narrow bays in multi storeys car parks for one, especially with badly parked vehicles either side or those with concrete pillars right near the doors come to mind.

They obviously got shot of it for a reason.

[Paul-R]

Actually, I doubt they had a valid reason at all. I think it was just a case of a new (or different) team with a bad case of NIH (not invented here).

I can't understand why you wouldn't want the older system. The example you give doesn't really explain. Why should it be OK for the mirrors to deploy on turning the key but not after starting the engine?

[GiveMeABreak]

They don't Paul - I don't know where you've got that from?

Getting in the car and either turning the ignition on or starting the engine does NOT deploy the mirrors on the X7 if they have been manually retracted using the internal fold back switch.

So they stay folded unless the manual switch is used again to deploy them. So that would make sense if you wanted them to remain folded regardless.

In my car park example if you are in a narrow bay with a large concrete pillar by the door and it's a tight squeeze, I would not want to unlock the car and have the mirror fold out potentially into the concrete post or part of somebody elses vehicle until it was save to deploy them.

These pillars can come right up to the where the mirrors are and there are worse examples of car parks in some places I have been in.

[wheeler]

The old setup on the folding Mk1 mirrors was way better than the X7 set up & I too cant understand why it was changed & something I find quite annoying on the X7.
On the mk1 the mirrors would still fold in when the car was locked with the remote but when you unlock with the remote the mirrors stay retracted until the ignition is switched on.
My NS door mirror is playing up just now (intermittently not folding/unfolding) & I would say there is a good chance that the extra wear on the motors by unnecessary unfolding probably has a big part to play in that.
For example yesterday I was taking some shopping up to an elderly relative who stays in a flat 2 floors up, I had to make 3 trips up the stairs with the shopping, every time I went up the stairs I locked the car. This meant there was an extra 2 unnecessary fold/unfold cycles of the mirrors. On the mk1 they would have stayed folded in until I was actually going to drive the car.
If you need to go get something out your parked car again thats an extra unnecessary fold/unfold cycle. It just doesn't make any sense for the mirrors to unfold until you are going to drive.

[Paul-R]

Thank you wheeler. Someone who gets what I'm saying.

[Lenny]

Personally I like the fact that I can look at the car and see instantly if it's locked or not.
The system on the X7 allows me to do that.
As have the systems on various other cars I've had with electric folding mirrors.
(With the possible exception of the BMW 1-series whose mirrors seemed to have a mind of their own along with the rest of its electronics. Truly awful car)

[GiveMeABreak]

As an aside, the prices of the replacement mirrors are extortionate - a year ago one of mine which has the reverse indexing was nearly £1200, now they are about £707 each, so not having them opening and folding all the time for simply locking and unlocking the car may well make them last longer. But the folded mirror as a visual locking check is a good point Lenny and one I also use.

[wheeler]

Yes ive seen the prices, if it starts getting worse i will probably just disconnect it. I wouldn’t dream of replacing it with new at that price unless the mirror was actually damaged.
I agree its a good visual indicator that the car is locked but its the only advantage i can think of. If i could choose i would definitely have the mk1 system