Moving house and I having trouble getting up the steep driveway

[Tristan 338]

Hi guys

We're moving house tomorrow and I've been moving some of my stuff over myself but I am having real trouble getting back out of the driveway once I'm down, only gone down twice as a result of this. The driveway is about 20 metres long, but at around a 30 degree angle but curves as well.

The surface are those many little pebbles but they're bound together by cement into tiles of sorts. It seems like only Mum's car can get down and back up as her's is 4WD. Mine gets massive wheel spin and dad's is too low to come out.

My mate suggested waterblasting the driveway as it takes all of the slime and stuff off it, he also said that he thinks there is a chemical you can put on it which provides more friction or something like that?

Are there any suggestions from the board members? There is parking inside the property at the top of the driveway but I would like to keep it in the garage if I could

N.B

Resurfacing the driveway is not possible.

[Guest Simon*]

Do you have switchable ASC?

[Tristan 338]

Do you have switchable ASC?

Sure do. Tried it with ASC on (default) and wheels spin. Tried it with ASC off and wheels SPIN

[Apex 693]

Yea open fail diff BMW sucks.

In my E60 I used to switch ASC off completely (Hold button for 10 seconds) and then pull the hand brake up a few clicks. It should have a snow mode.

[Tristan 338]

Yea open fail diff BMW sucks.

In my E60 I used to switch ASC off completely (Hold button for 10 seconds) and then pull the hand brake up a few clicks. It should have a snow mode.

E39?

[Guest Simon*]

Like he said, hold down ASC button for 10 secs until light goes off. Try it then

Assuming this works on E39 it does on E34

[Tristan 338]

Sorry for my ignorance but when I turn the car on my ASC light is off (it's the little triangle with a arrow or something around it right?) so I turn ASC off so the light comes on.. Then hold it down for 10 seconds?

[Nobimmer 694]

Take some air out of ya tires and try it. My old E39 used to get stuck on the same type of pebble type driveway and I did what Apex said. Works well.

[Guest Simon*]

Not quite.

While it's turned on (and the "hazard" light is OUT) hold the button down for 10 secs. Once you're holding it, the light will come ON. Keep going until the light goes OUT

This is like a "half traction mode" which should allow you a bit of wheelspin without taking power from the wheels.

[Tristan 338]

Ok then to get it back to normal just turn the car off and on?

[Guest Simon*]

Yep, or the switch on and off

[Tristan 338]

Ok, I'll try that later.. sh*t! It's nerve-racking because I don't want to tear the bumper or exhaust off. The sun being out today may help a bit though

[Apex 693]

Holding it for 10 seconds turns kills the traction control completely and pulling the hand brake up a few clicks is a lazy way of locking the rear end. With a bit of throttle modulation you should get it up the hill, if not you will have fun trying..

For some reason BMW’s don’t completely deactivate the driving aids when you hit the ASC button, was ritual when I had them to press and hold that button before any outing.

[Tristan 338]

There are a lot of walls to hit, haha - I'll take some photos when I'm over there later.

[antil33t 90]

got any really fat friends? make them sit in the boot

[Smac01 12]

I assume you're trying to reverse up the hill?

Go down the driveway backwards so you're driving forwards up it!

I used to have to do this on a gravel driveway with my Aristo.

[Tristan 338]

got any really fat friends? make them sit in the boot

If only you knew

[Wom 0]

My mate's driveway is shocking like that too, even in my auto with traction control I still struggle for grip when it has been raining. Luckily it's a wide driveway so you can go on quite an angle to get out ok.

My driveway is on a messed up angle at the top, so if I go faster than 2kph or have a passenger I scrap the bottom of my car real bad (I actually make the mrs get out on the footpath haha)

[kingkarl 136]

I assume you're trying to reverse up the hill?

Go down the driveway backwards so you're driving forwards up it!

I used to have to do this on a gravel driveway with my Aristo.

This.

[Tristan 338]

Nope, plenty of space to turn around at the bottom so I'm going up forwards.

[thorburn 121]

Hand brake on a couple of clicks is important. With friction all ways on both sides your much less likely to find yourself spinning up and not moving. Fat kids and driving up the hill forward will also help.

All else fails tow rope and planks of wood

Good luck

[Tristan 338]

Ok, will try it when I pop round this afternoon.

[richard 384]

get 10 lt of wet-n-forget spray and walk away .

[DRTDVL 0]

[westy 614]

Lay some rubber on it.