What are the L and R on the gauge area for?

[Kurtster]

I have had this M Roadster for a little over a year now and always wondered what the L (on the lower left of the steering area gauge cluster) and R (on the right of the same area). There is a lit green dot in the middle but the L and R never lit up...ever until today.

Today I came to a slow stop and I heard this weird electronic warning buzzer and I noticed the L on the left was flashing red with each buzzing sound!

I have no idea what that is and I can't find my service manual right now so I thought I'd visit here and ask.

If this doesn't ring a bell then it's possible this is somehow part of the fancy radar detection system that a previous owner installed. If that's the case I'm even more confused because the detector works perfectly and sounds and looks nothing like what I saw today.

[Telecomtodd]

Did you leave your headlights (or parking lights) on?

[jersey2.8]

Can you post a pic?

[lokijibber]

I had no clue until you mentioned the radar detector.

[Kurtster]

Good call. I just went and took a pic. Apparently I'm too much of a noob to be allowed to post an image or even a link in my reply so that kind of sucks. I even put arrows in the picture too. Damn.

What's up with that anyway? I've posted 12 things here. My email address has been verified. Is there some special person I need to plead with to be allowed to post pictures, links or to have a signature? My other car is a MINI and there's nothing like this on the North American Motoring (MINI forum) site, which appears to run on the same software as this one.

Try this: motoringtime dot com slash mdash.jpg

[lokijibber]

I think you can link images from an external host (Photobucket, Flikr, etc.) using the [IMG] code.


That said, what you're seeing there is DEFINITELY aftermarket. No BMW ever came like that.

Good call. I just went and took a pic. Apparently I'm too much of a noob to be allowed to post an image or even a link in my reply so that kind of sucks. I even put arrows in the picture too. Damn.

What's up with that anyway? I've posted 12 things here. My email address has been verified. Is there some special person I need to plead with to be allowed to post pictures, links or to have a signature? My other car is a MINI and there's nothing like this on the North American Motoring (MINI forum) site, which appears to run on the same software as this one.

Try this: motoringtime dot com slash mdash.jpg

[Monolith]

[Kurtster]

Thanks for the post. I guess they must be from the radar detector install or the alarm. It's so weird because they never lit up or made a noise until today. I can't find what kind of detector this is. There's no name on the inside but I'll take a second look at the sensor mounted in the grill area and see if I can find the brand.

[vanne]

I doubt it's from a radar detector install...

[Bear Grylls]

turn signals anyone?

[jajou318]

There already are turn signals up top.

[Mach Tuck]

Is that a normal looking redline?

[RacerXTreme7]

I bet it's a radar detector installed and you drove by automatic opening doors from a store front that set it off. You probly have hidden buttons for it somewhere too.

~Mike....

[Telecomtodd]

Is that a normal looking redline?

Yes...

[Mach Tuck]

It must have to do with the year/engine.

2001 S54 Redline.

[khammack]

My 2002 S54 looks like this too. The OPs looks modified.

It must have to do with the year/engine.

2001 S54 Redline.

...

[Kurtster]

The weird thing is that the radar detector works fine and the sound this made was different than the sounds the detector makes. If it were a building I would have heard that before now.

Seeing that higher redline on the 2001 makes me a little sad now. Wish I'd sprang the extra for it but I couldn't at the time.

[2000mroady]

I agree most likely for a radar detector. My car doesn't have these.

My redline is the same

[brad bedell]

Why not go or call to ask the previous owner what it is? I assume you kept their contact information.

Does it have a laser sensor front and rear ? Although,the L & R both look like the work of a custom installer vs a generic display that a radar detector would come equipped. Any clue as to what radar detector it is? Control panel etc?

[Kurtster]

Alright. Thanks for all the ideas. I looked at the front of the car and there are two devices. One is marked K40 Superwide Remote Radar Receiver, the other has a bunch of LEDs in it.

The K40 web site has a section with some old docs on it.

They specialize in custom installs so it's starting to make sense. I think the noise I heard was probably something related to laser, not the normal noises I hear.

[Amuro Ray]

Redline is different because one car is a S52 and another is a S54.

[Blacklane]

So I'm guessing "L & R" stand for "Laser" and "Radar", not "Left" and "Right". That's kind of cool. It sounds like you have a laser detector and a radar detector in the front.

[Gofast]

The L and R definitely aren't stock, I've never seen those before.

Redline is different because one car is a S52 and another is a S54.

Bingo. Also notice that the S52 tach only goes to 8k vs. the s54 with 9k.

[Kurtster]

Heard back from them. It's a K40 2000 radar detector with Laser Diffuser so I guess it screws with laser radar guns or something. Interesting. The original owner must've paid a pretty penny for all that. The L must be Laser and the R must be for Radar.