# BMW Assist Retrofit and Compensation



## BK1965 (May 20, 2013)

*5 Series MY 2013?*



tim330i said:


> In response to complaints from Bimmerfest.com members and others BMW has developed a retrofit solutions in order to provide continued BMW Assist service. BMW is also offering alternative compensation if owners prefer that option. These options *only* apply to BMW owners with Assist contracts expiring after December 31, 2016 and for vehicles equipped with a 2G GSM telematics device (e.g., COMBOX).
> 
> *Background*
> For GSM vehicles equipped with a 2nd generation (2G) GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) telematics device from the factory, the 2G GSM service will no longer be supported after December 31, 2016. Most of these vehicles were offered with BMW Assist Safety Plan and Convenience Plan, however, some 2014 Model Year and newer vehicles (e.g., E84 X1, E89 Z4, and E71 X6) were also offered with the new ConnectedDrive offering structure. Please refer to the table at the end of this message for a summary of which vehicles are equipped with 2G GSM telematics.
> ...


So what happens if I have a 2013 and my contract expires on December 21st? You're saying I get nothing? That would be ridiculous! I hope that there is an option to obtain the retrofit for me.


----------



## mrblahh (Oct 9, 2006)

so the wifes x5 which we just bought and can't get a contract, also cannot get a retrofit? I hope that I read that wrong I'm only interested in sending destinations to the nav from my phone, so I can stop cutting myself before using idrive, if that wont work none of it matters


----------



## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

BK1965 said:


> So what happens if I have a 2013 and my contract expires on December 21st? You're saying I get nothing? That would be ridiculous! I hope that there is an option to obtain the retrofit for me.





mrblahh said:


> so the wifes x5 which we just bought and can't get a contract, also cannot get a retrofit? I hope that I read that wrong I'm only interested in sending destinations to the nav from my phone, so I can stop cutting myself before using idrive, if that wont work none of it matters


Correct. BMW currently is only taking care of people that would have had their active contracts cancelled. BK1965 your contract will be up and BMW doesn't feel their was any expectation of continuance. mrblahh there is also no option for you currently.

Hopefully BMW will offer the conversion at a reasonable cost for those that want to pay but I won't count on it.


----------



## mrblahh (Oct 9, 2006)

wow that's ****ty!


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

Thanks for the good news!


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

tim330i said:


> _In response to complaints from Bimmerfest.com members and others BMW has developed a retrofit solutions in order to provide continued BMW Assist service. BMW is also offering alternative compensation if owners prefer that option. These options only apply to BMW owners with Assist contracts expiring after December 31, 2016 and for vehicles equipped with a 2G GSM telematics device (e.g., COMBOX)._
> 
> ...Please note: BMW will not be offering any retrofit or compensation for customers whose contract has already expired or whose contract will expire on or before December 31, 2016...


This is completely screwed up. My 2011 F10 had service expire on 01/25/2016. I called BMW Assist to RENEW both my Safety Plan & Convenience Plan as I always do (at a cost of $430.84), only to be told the service was being discontinued and I could not renew.

Now they are saying because I don't have an active contract, which is solely due to them mind you, that I am ineligible for Compensation / Retrofit?

WTF?

Apparently all they care about are people that are still on their original Safety Plan that is included for four years with initial car purchase, as no one else would be able to have a contract that expires after December 31, 2016. So, just cars purchased since Jan 1st 2013 are eligible. I am sure their Lawyers assured them this was the scope of their liability so they rose to the occasion and did the bare minimum accordingly. Bravo BMW...Bravo.

When they were doing nothing about this fiasco, I took it in stride. Now that they came out with this and are doing something about it, albeit only for a limited group of owners, I'm rather irritated about it.


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

great news but is this announcement on BMW's site? can't find the official release of the info


----------



## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

brichi said:


> great news but is this announcement on BMW's site? can't find the official release of the info


This is breaking news. This won't be on BMWs site.


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

ok thank you!

I'm still trying to find when my contract ends, I don't see it on my bmw login or connected drive login


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

mrblahh said:


> wow that's ****ty!


No - BMW is correct.


----------



## mrblahh (Oct 9, 2006)

Gary J said:


> No - BMW is correct.


I have no idea what you are trying to say


----------



## diamon_d (Apr 6, 2008)

Very, very interesting. I bought my 2012 F10 used last September and got a three year subscription to the Safety Plan. It expires 9/17/2018. 
So sounds like I'm eligible for this. 
I do think BMW could've handled this differently, though.


----------



## Yobyot (May 17, 2005)

RIP, Google send-to-car for my pristine, less than 30K miles 2012 F30 335i. It died today. And I guess BMW doesn't give a damn about me for the future. Man, I love my car -- but I hate the way BMW treats customers.


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

Yobyot said:


> RIP, Google send-to-car for my pristine, less than 30K miles 2012 F30 335i. It died today. And I guess BMW doesn't give a damn about me for the future. Man, I love my car -- but I hate the way BMW treats customers.


Get the much better replacement app BMW Connected and say you're sorry.


----------



## MJBrown62 (Jun 15, 2016)

I have a question for participants in this discussion.

If you own a 2013 or older BMW, how many times have you purchased the navigation map updates? Annually? Twice? Never?

As you know, the maps reside on the hard drive, and are usually compiled and loaded in production. If you have a 2012, it likely has 2011 map data and your map is now 5 years old.

I ask as in 95% of the BMWs I see turned in or traded in, the maps are the first set.

We expect BMW to react to a 3rd party's decision to no longer offer 2G service, but we don't update the maps in our own car.

Food for thought.

Michael


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

MJBrown62 said:


> I have a question for participants in this discussion.
> 
> If you own a 2013 or older BMW, how many times have you purchased the navigation map updates? Annually? Twice? Never?
> 
> ...


I have always had annual subscription to both Safety and Convenience plans, and my maps are updated religiously twice per year. The analogy escapes me though. I know many people who simply have no use for in car navigation, yet want a Safety Plan. I don't think their expectations for Telematic services in what is still considered a late model car should be diminished because they don't run the latest map database.

My issue though is not so much that it happened, rather it is the absolute horrible handling of it by BMW AG. They knew it was coming, did nothing to fix it or worse even notify customers, then they dragged their feet on a solution / compensation, and in the end, their solution / compensation is incredibly limited in scope, leaving the vast majority of affected owners ineligible for it.


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

Gary J said:


> Get the much better replacement app BMW Connected and say you're sorry.


what does that have to do with sending maps from my laptop or phone to the BMW message area to start a navigation trip? How would you do this with connected drive and no 2G my access in the bmw?

btw, i update the maps yearly also but i probably won't anymore, twice in the last month it was off by about a 1/2 mile to a mile on where it left me vs where I should've ended up


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

I have a late build, late new car delivery 2011 CPO E90 which has the included Assist subscription until 6/17. I'm assuming I'm eligible since I am still active? I'm about to bring it in for an oil change and brakes, so I'll ask again and advise them of the press release. A few months ago, they had no idea of what I was even talking about.


----------



## Secret Squirrel (Sep 12, 2016)

I just got off of the phone with BMW-USA Customer Relations regarding this issue. I was advised that I have no recourse to have the upgrade done since my 2011 BMW X5 is past the initial 4 year warranty period. I was not allowed to renew my automatically renewed subscription to BMW assist as they already knew that it would go beyond the December 2016 cut off date. When I asked if this would be available as a paid option for those of us who dared to have a BMW older than four years old, but who still want to give BMW the subscription money to have the service, I was told that there is no information on whether that option would be offered as it might not be efficient to do so. I was also told that if there was a change that BMW would be in contact with me.
That is a laugh - BMW has yet to contact me to tell me they were not renewing my BMW assist, I found that out when I could no longer send anything to my GPS (which does have the most current map set, by the way, and the vehicle has the most current programming available) from Google Maps, I was not notified that there may be a solution, I found that out from this forum's post on Facebook, and I STILL have had no information on the status of the airbag recall for my vehicle - you know, the dangerous airbags that may injure a driver of a vehicle that is now without BMW assist...
Over to you, BMW!


----------



## rmjames007 (Jun 21, 2012)

Yes the Send to car feature from google was amazing. this is so disappointing.


----------



## luigi42 (Nov 18, 2006)

Secret Squirrel said:


> I just got off of the phone with BMW-USA Customer Relations regarding this issue. I was advised that I have no recourse to have the upgrade done since my 2011 BMW X5 is past the initial 4 year warranty period. I was not allowed to renew my automatically renewed subscription to BMW assist as they already knew that it would go beyond the December 2016 cut off date. When I asked if this would be available as a paid option for those of us who dared to have a BMW older than four years old, but who still want to give BMW the subscription money to have the service, I was told that there is no information on whether that option would be offered as it might not be efficient to do so. I was also told that if there was a change that BMW would be in contact with me.
> That is a laugh - BMW has yet to contact me to tell me they were not renewing my BMW assist, I found that out when I could no longer send anything to my GPS (which does have the most current map set, by the way, and the vehicle has the most current programming available) from Google Maps, I was not notified that there may be a solution, I found that out from this forum's post on Facebook, and I STILL have had no information on the status of the airbag recall for my vehicle - you know, the dangerous airbags that may injure a driver of a vehicle that is now without BMW assist...
> Over to you, BMW!


When I called in March, it was a similar story. Can't renew for the year and if there was an update they would notify me via mail. Funny, they never had a problem sending me mail when they wanted to take my money for a subscription renewal.


----------



## R ODonnell (Dec 15, 2014)

All I'm asking is a way for me to upgrade my TCU *at my expense* so I can subscribe to the Safety Plan *at my expense*.



> BMW Assist™ Safety Plan
> Your guardian on the road.
> At BMW, the safety and security of the driver is always a top priority. BMW Assist™ provides safety services that connect you with our BMW Assist™ Response Center, any time, day or night. To initiate the service, just push the SOS button from within your vehicle. After a serious accident, a call is initiated automatically. The system then transmits your location and other vehicle data information to a response specialist who will help resolve your situation. BMW Assist™ also includes stolen vehicle recovery services, which could reduce your comprehensive insurance premium while increasing your peace of mind. And if you ever get locked out, door unlock service can be requested with just a toll-free call.


 If Nissan can do it BMW can too. Too many really good players in the luxury market to get fixated on one brand. If BMW leaves me with useless buttons in my top console I certainly will not be rewarding them with my future business.


----------



## stealth98 (Nov 18, 2013)

There are a lot of issues with support on ConnectedDrive, once you own a BMW with a ConnectedDrive subscription you will discover BMW is changing over and over again. From promises to cancellations.

ConnectedDrive is used during sales as an advantage, but BMW is not willing to invest into loyal customers who want to drive their car for more than a few years. In Germany it's normal to change your car every one or two year and German employees don't have understanding how it works in the rest of the world.

The second problem is that the ConnectedDrive department is managed by an employee with the name Susann Poppelreiter, she has a strong marketing background. She has no empathy for existing loyal customers, she is only focussed on selling brand new cars.

It's very surprising that BMW has promised a retrofit for some customers with an active contract that goes beyond the end of life date. Earlier communication regarding a retrofit to change a 2G combox to a 3G TCU was declared impossible by BMW


----------



## Dejablue (Jun 2, 2015)

tim330i said:


> In response to complaints from Bimmerfest.com members and others BMW has developed a retrofit solutions in order to provide continued BMW Assist service. BMW is also offering alternative compensation if owners prefer that option. These options *only* apply to BMW owners with Assist contracts expiring after December 31, 2016 and for vehicles equipped with a 2G GSM telematics device (e.g., COMBOX).
> 
> *Background*
> For GSM vehicles equipped with a 2nd generation (2G) GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) telematics device from the factory, the 2G GSM service will no longer be supported after December 31, 2016. Most of these vehicles were offered with BMW Assist Safety Plan and Convenience Plan, however, some 2014 Model Year and newer vehicles (e.g., E84 X1, E89 Z4, and E71 X6) were also offered with the new ConnectedDrive offering structure. Please refer to the table at the end of this message for a summary of which vehicles are equipped with 2G GSM telematics.
> ...


This is a dangerous way to treat BMW's repeat buyers...like me.
I too had my account deemed "Un-renewable" when I attempted to update my service.
I suppose that greed has them thinking that BMW owners will buy a new BMW.


----------



## Spot2020 (May 16, 2016)

I have a 2013 CPO 528 and my Assist expires May of 2017. May of this year I went to add the convenience plan and I was told that I cannot because it was being discontinued for 2013 and older. I was pretty pissed and spoke to the dealer and they added the convenience plan to my car. I just called assist and was told my services will continue working until May of 2017, but after that I cannot renew. What the hell? I just want a straight answer from BMW. The dealer nor Assist seems to have any idea what's going on. I'm 99% sure 2013 5 and 7 series have 3g, but I'm still told I cannot renew my services.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

Spot2020 said:


> I have a 2013 CPO 528 and my Assist expires May of 2017. May of this year I went to add the convenience plan and I was told that I cannot because it was being discontinued for 2013 and older. I was pretty pissed and spoke to the dealer and they added the convenience plan to my car. I just called assist and was told my services will continue working until May of 2017, but after that I cannot renew. What the hell? I just want a straight answer from BMW. The dealer nor Assist seems to have any idea what's going on. I'm 99% 2013 5 and 7 series have 3g, but I'm still told I cannot renew my services.


A 2013 F10 has NBT Head Unit with 3G. You should not have any issues with loosing BMW Assist.


----------



## Spot2020 (May 16, 2016)

shawnsheridan said:


> A 2013 F10 has NBT Head Unit with 3G. You should not have any issues with loosing BMW Assist.


I completely agree, but for some reason there is confusion on Assists side whether or not I can renew. I was told unless I get an email or snail mail from Assist about a retrofit, I will not be able to renew. Does anyone have a MY2013 f10 that has been told otherwise? Assist has been kind of rude both times I've inquired about this.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

Spot2020 said:


> I completely agree, but for some reason there is confusion on Assists side whether or not I can renew. I was told unless I get an email or snail mail from Assist about a retrofit, I will not be able to renew. Does anyone have a MY2013 f10 that has been told otherwise? Assist has been kind of rude both times I've inquired about this.


I'd be pushing them as to why, when you have unaffected hardware that you cannot have continued services. They are clearly wrong in your case.


----------



## garpt (Aug 13, 2016)

Spot2020 said:


> I completely agree, but for some reason there is confusion on Assists side whether or not I can renew. I was told unless I get an email or snail mail from Assist about a retrofit, I will not be able to renew. Does anyone have a MY2013 f10 that has been told otherwise? Assist has been kind of rude both times I've inquired about this.


Confusion appears to be the norm with dealers. My partner and I bought 2 BMW's last month, me a 2016 428i Vert. (I'm fine) but my partner a 2014 X1 still under factory warranty. The vehicle(s) were purchased with the assurance that remote services/ assist would be available, and my partner would only need to renew and pay on the Connected Drive site. Of course, the option to renew was not on the website after he signed in. We all know why, BMW NA doesn't want to sell a subscription that runs beyond Jan. 1, 2017. We have gotten the runaround for a month now. Every dept., from the dealer, customer relations, the national Genius line, service mgrs., etc. claim "ignorance" Our local dealer sales manager ultimately gave us the RIGHT ANSWER!!. He received an email from BMW NA that curtly stated " For the 2014 X1, these services will no longer be available after Jan. 1, 2017". THANK YOU FOR THE TRUTH that every BMW employee should have been aware of since the blanket corporate bulletin released in Jan, 2016! I expressed that this was unacceptable to our local dealer sales manager, as we need some of those services, especially "send to maps", as we use that to set up all our appointments from our offices, and we were assured that a renewal would be no problem. 
Based on this, the GM offered us a tradeback at full price paid.. My partner loves the vehicle, so I asked him about the retrofit that appears to be an option. 
Right now, we are stuck here. Does anyone know if a retrofit will be available for the 2014 X1? 
It seems ridiculous that such a recent vehicle should not have this option. And why is BMW still using a 2G system in 2014???


----------



## Spot2020 (May 16, 2016)

shawnsheridan said:


> I'd be pushing them as to why, when you have unaffected hardware that you cannot have continued services. They are clearly wrong in your case.


Thanks for your input. I will call tomorrow and be a little more forceful for an answer. I haven't renewed these services before. How many months before Assist expires could you renew?


----------



## Spot2020 (May 16, 2016)

garpt said:


> Confusion appears to be the norm with dealers. My partner and I bought 2 BMW's last month, me a 2016 428i Vert. (I'm fine) but my partner a 2014 X1 still under factory warranty. The vehicle(s) were purchased with the assurance that remote services/ assist would be available, and my partner would only need to renew and pay on the Connected Drive site. Of course, the option to renew was not on the website after he signed in. We all know why, BMW NA doesn't want to sell a subscription that runs beyond Jan. 1, 2017. We have gotten the runaround for a month now. Every dept., from the dealer, customer relations, the national Genius line, service mgrs., etc. claim "ignorance" Our local dealer sales manager ultimately gave us the RIGHT ANSWER!!. He received an email from BMW NA that curtly stated " For the 2014 X1, these services will no longer be available after Jan. 1, 2017". THANK YOU FOR THE TRUTH that every BMW employee should have been aware of since the blanket corporate bulletin released in Jan, 2016! I expressed that this was unacceptable to our local dealer sales manager, as we need some of those services, especially "send to maps", as we use that to set up all our appointments from our offices, and we were assured that a renewal would be no problem.
> Based on this, the GM offered us a tradeback at full price paid.. My partner loves the vehicle, so I asked him about the retrofit that appears to be an option.
> Right now, we are stuck here. Does anyone know if a retrofit will be available for the 2014 X1?
> It seems ridiculous that such a recent vehicle should not have this option. And why is BMW still using a 2G system in 2014???


My dealer seemed to be completely unaware of the issue or maybe they are playing dumb. Does anyone know if the retrofit will be 3G or LTE?


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

Spot2020 said:


> Thanks for your input. I will call tomorrow and be a little more forceful for an answer. I haven't renewed these services before. How many months before Assist expires could you renew?


I have no idea. I always only renewed a week before it expired.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

garpt said:


> Confusion appears to be the norm with dealers. My partner and I bought 2 BMW's last month, me a 2016 428i Vert. (I'm fine) but my partner a 2014 X1 still under factory warranty. The vehicle(s) were purchased with the assurance that remote services/ assist would be available, and my partner would only need to renew and pay on the Connected Drive site. Of course, the option to renew was not on the website after he signed in. We all know why, BMW NA doesn't want to sell a subscription that runs beyond Jan. 1, 2017. We have gotten the runaround for a month now. Every dept., from the dealer, customer relations, the national Genius line, service mgrs., etc. claim "ignorance" Our local dealer sales manager ultimately gave us the RIGHT ANSWER!!. He received an email from BMW NA that curtly stated " For the 2014 X1, these services will no longer be available after Jan. 1, 2017". THANK YOU FOR THE TRUTH that every BMW employee should have been aware of since the blanket corporate bulletin released in Jan, 2016! I expressed that this was unacceptable to our local dealer sales manager, as we need some of those services, especially "send to maps", as we use that to set up all our appointments from our offices, and we were assured that a renewal would be no problem.
> Based on this, the GM offered us a tradeback at full price paid.. My partner loves the vehicle, so I asked him about the retrofit that appears to be an option.
> Right now, we are stuck here. Does anyone know if a retrofit will be available for the 2014 X1?
> It seems ridiculous that such a recent vehicle should not have this option. And why is BMW still using a 2G system in 2014???


I checked the VIN, and sadly it is true. The 2014 X1 is the final Model Year of the E84, which was first introduced in 2009, As such it has old architecture, including CIC Head Unit and Standalone 2G Telematics Combox. If they are offing a Dealer Buyback, I would get out of the 2014 X1 E84 and into a 2015 X1 F48 in a heartbeat. If your partner likes the current E84, he will like the F48 more I am sure.


----------



## garpt (Aug 13, 2016)

shawnsheridan said:


> I checked the VIN, and sadly it is true. The 2014 X1 is the final Model Year of the E84, which was first introduced in 2009, As such it has old architecture, including CIC Head Unit and Standalone 2G Telematics Combox. If they are offing a Dealer Buyback, I would get out of the 2014 X1 E84 and into a 2015 X1 F48 in a heartbeat. If your partner likes the current E84, he will like the F48 more I am sure.


 Thanks for checking on that shawnsheridan, and clearing it up for some besides myself as well. The 2014X1 is not listed as EOL in the original BMW bulletin. 
Is there (or will there be to your knowledge) a retrofit capability for that model? My partner loves the fairly unique combination the vehicle came with, as well as the fact he is not looking forward to laying out several thousands more.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

garpt said:


> Thanks for checking on that shawnsheridan, and clearing it up for some besides myself as well. The 2014X1 is not listed as EOL in the original BMW bulletin.
> Is there (or will there be to your knowledge) a retrofit capability for that model? My partner loves the fairly unique combination the vehicle came with, as well as the fact he is not looking forward to laying out several thousands more.


We all have the same exact 2G Telematics Combox. BMW AG claims they will have a retrofit. That means everyone of cars technically can have same retrofit. BMW AG though, as a business decision and not due to any technical limitation, has severely limited which cars they will offer retofit / compensation to. This 2014 X1 should most certainly be in the small pool of eligible cars.


----------



## garpt (Aug 13, 2016)

shawnsheridan said:


> We all have the same exact 2G Telematics Combox. BMW AG claims they will have a retrofit. That means everyone of cars technically can have same retrofit. BMW AG though, as a business decision and not due to any technical limitation, has severely limited which cars they will offer retofit / compensation to. This 2014 X1 should most certainly be in the small pool of eligible cars.


Thanks. We are exploring both options, but there are very few 2015 X1's around as the leases on these don't expire until at least later next year. I'm awaiting the answer from the sales manager as to the retrofit, and now you have given me the info I need- that a retrofit should definitely be available. 
Cheers.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

garpt said:


> Thanks. We are exploring both options, but there are very few 2015 X1's around as the leases on these don't expire until at least later next year. I'm awaiting the answer from the sales manager as to the retrofit, and now you have given me the info I need- that a retrofit should definitely be available.
> Cheers.


Good luck with it.


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

I'm really wondering if my CPO 2011 e90 which still has an active working subscription until 2/2018 will be eligible? I find it hard to believe that BMW will send an invitation for retrofit to those who are eligible.


----------



## stealth98 (Nov 18, 2013)

I've read somewhere that the reason to end older assist subscriptions is based upon changing support of the telecomm providers of 2G and 3G.
BMW assist uses M2M technology and in Europe renewal of the mobile networks includes continuous support for 2G and 3G because both are still being used by most phones for voice. 2G is considered as very reliable for M2M above 3G and 4G. Perhaps the situation is different in the US.

There is already a TCU (successor of 2G combox) with CIC and NBT support, so the retrofit is nothing more than changing the module and register new TCU to the car, also in the assist subscription.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

stealth98 said:


> ...There is already a TCU (successor of 2G combox) with CIC and NBT support, so the retrofit is nothing more than changing the module and register new TCU to the car, also in the assist subscription.


Yes, this is not any sort of technical challenge. The only challenge for BMW is commercial ($$$).


----------



## ChasInMN (Jun 28, 2016)

*Update notification via iDrive*

Just an update, because I hadn't heard any news lately, and my dealer was also waiting for updates. I just got a service message this morning that popped up on my iDrive that officially states my car's Assist will be unsupported as of 1/1/2017. It directed me to visit bmwassistoffer.com for details. Visiting that page, it offered four options: 1) a $300 BMW lifestyle/accessories voucher for in-center purchases AND deactivation of existing technology; 2) $200 BMW visa gift card AND deactivation; 3) RETROFIT VEHICLE WITH UPDATED CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY; 4) I no longer own the vehicle. I selected the retrofit option, and it walked me through several pages to send them personal details, and the final page said I'd receive an email with further directions. Not sure what happens next, but at least something is happening. Hope to have this done soon. I've attached screenshots of the pages.


----------



## Yobyot (May 17, 2005)

ChasInMN said:


> Just an update, because I hadn't heard any news lately, and my dealer was also waiting for updates. I just got a service message this morning that popped up on my iDrive that officially states my car's Assist will be unsupported as of 1/1/2017. It directed me to visit bmwassistoffer.com for details. Visiting that page, it offered four options: 1) a $300 BMW lifestyle/accessories voucher for in-center purchases AND deactivation of existing technology; 2) $200 BMW visa gift card AND deactivation; 3) RETROFIT VEHICLE WITH UPDATED CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY; 4) I no longer own the vehicle. I selected the retrofit option, and it walked me through several pages to send them personal details, and the final page said I'd receive an email with further directions. Not sure what happens next, but at least something is happening. Hope to have this done soon. I've attached screenshots of the pages.


As usual with BMW, the slow-moving nature of this disaster means we _still_ don't know if other cars can be retrofitted. I still don't understand the technical reason (other than that BMW doesn't want to) that all cars with 2G cellular systems can't be retrofitted.

One surprise for me in ChasInMN's post: it looks like he has NBT. I'd thought all NBT systems were OK (I have CIC.) But if his is NBT, it's even more shocking that BMW abandoned MY13 cars, as well as MY12s.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

Yobyot said:


> As usual with BMW, the slow-moving nature of this disaster means we _still_ don't know if other cars can be retrofitted. I still don't understand the technical reason (other than that BMW doesn't want to) that all cars with 2G cellular systems can't be retrofitted.
> 
> One surprise for me in ChasInMN's post: it looks like he has NBT. I'd thought all NBT systems were OK (I have CIC.) But if his is NBT, it's even more shocking that BMW abandoned MY13 cars, as well as MY12s.


He has CIC, not NBT.


----------



## ChasInMN (Jun 28, 2016)

Yobyot - I *THINK* I have CIC as well. (I don't have a touch controller, which I thought is the easy way to tell the difference). However, my dealership shop foreman said that he was 99% certain that my car, as a later 2013 production model, would be covered, particularly since I still had an active assist and convenience plan (he told me at the time that if I wanted to do the retrofit DO NOT cancel my plan), and an active warranty through April 2017. It's all pretty confusing to me. I'll just go through the steps and see where I get.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

ChasInMN said:


> Yobyot - I *THINK* I have CIC as well. (I don't have a touch controller, which I thought is the easy way to tell the difference). However, my dealership shop foreman said that he was 99% certain that my car, as a later 2013 production model, would be covered, particularly since I still had an active assist and convenience plan (he told me at the time that if I wanted to do the retrofit DO NOT cancel my plan), and an active warranty through April 2017. It's all pretty confusing to me. I'll just go through the steps and see where I get.


You have CIC for sure. The GUI tells me that, and all NBT are 3G and are not subject to discontinuation (at least not yet...)

NBT in 2013 F10 has old Controller. Touch Controller did not arrive until the following Production Year.


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

Has anyone received an email after registering on the offer website yet?


----------



## WolfGTI (Feb 4, 2016)

Shawn - We have a 2015 E84 X1 - production date Mar 2015 - so the E84 was still being made in 2015. WE have also gotten the message about the BMW Assist issue (yesterday) and selected the retrofit. We are awaiting the information from BMW.



shawnsheridan said:


> We all have the same exact 2G Telematics Combox. BMW AG claims they will have a retrofit. That means everyone of cars technically can have same retrofit. BMW AG though, as a business decision and not due to any technical limitation, has severely limited which cars they will offer retofit / compensation to. This 2014 X1 should most certainly be in the small pool of eligible cars.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

WolfGTI said:


> Shawn - We have a 2015 E84 X1 - production date Mar 2015 - so the E84 was still being made in 2015. WE have also gotten the message about the BMW Assist issue (yesterday) and selected the retrofit. We are awaiting the information from BMW.


Wow. Ok, so Model Year 2015 was last one for the E84 before switching to the F48 beginning Model Year 2016. It is hard to understand why these cars never received NBT Head Units, which began replacing CIC in F10 beginning 07 2012 production. :dunno:


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

Not to mention, 2016 Z4's are still equipped with CIC.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

shanes said:


> Not to mention, 2016 Z4's are still equipped with CIC.


Right. They are the Last of the Mohicans as there is still no F-Series replacement for the E89.


----------



## ChasInMN (Jun 28, 2016)

shanes said:


> Has anyone received an email after registering on the offer website yet?


shanes -

Yes, I just received my confirmation (~24 hrs after I submitted the form). The instructions for proceeding with the retrofit say to contact my BMW center, and use their online scheduler or contact them directly to make an appointment for the service. It says to print the confirmation, and take it to the appointment, and they will perform the retrofit. It ends with:

"Once completed, you can continue to enjoy the services available with BMW ConnectedDrive / BMW Assist, such as SOS, BMW Assist eCall™, and Concierge Call. Visit the link below to view all available features.
We look forward to seeing you. "

I hope it works out.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

Anyone having this retrofit done, please post a copy of the Repair Work Order. I would like to see the parts list. Thanks.


----------



## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

shawnsheridan said:


> Anyone having this retrofit done, please post a copy of the Repair Work Order. I would like to see the parts list. Thanks.


Here you go -

84 10 2 447 925 COMBOX Telematics E Series without Nav
84 10 2 447 926 COMBOX Telematics E Series with Nav
84 10 2 447 927 COMBOX Telematics F Series without Nav
84 10 2 447 928 COMBOX Telematics F Series with Nav


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

tim330i said:


> Here you go -
> 
> 84 10 2 447 925 COMBOX Telematics E Series without Nav
> 84 10 2 447 926 COMBOX Telematics E Series with Nav
> ...


Thanks. They are not in ETK yet. Too soon I guess.


----------



## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

I added the installation instructions as well if you're interested. It's very simple.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

tim330i said:


> I added the installation instructions as well if you're interested. It's very simple.


Thanks. None of this matters though unless BMW AG allows those of us not being compensated but willing to buy new Combox the ability to have the new SIM card IMEI/ICCID registered to our VIN and BMW Assist profile.


----------



## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

You're correct. Hopefully that is something they will allow for.

Tim


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

I just received my confirmation email litterly 5 minutes ago. I'll be scheduling my appointment tomorrow.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

It would help if jargon acronyms are not used.


----------



## Only_Me (May 22, 2016)

Doug Huffman said:


> It would help if jargon acronyms are not used.


What are you having a hard time understanding?


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

Only_Me said:


> What are you having a hard time understanding?


Do you know what are jargon and acronyms?


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

shanes said:


> I just received my confirmation email litterly 5 minutes ago. I'll be scheduling my appointment tomorrow.


I did also I'm just curious if my dealer even has the needed parts, I would call first before u drop your car off and then have to wait days for parts to be shipped


----------



## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

Rumor has it BMW is considering making the retrofit available as a paid upgrade for those that don't qualify for the free update. Details are limited now but we should know more in 1-2 weeks.

Tim


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

I'm scheduled to get mine done Wednesday, I'll fill you guys in.


----------



## JimmyB3 (Jul 12, 2010)

Beware.

I got the email for my wife's 2013 X5, filled it out for the retrofit, and made the appointment. That was 7 days ago.

My local dealer can't get the retrofit to work. Currently, the SOS button just dials 911. According to my service advisor, they have been back-and-forth with BMW engineers trying to solve this.

Has anyone actually done the retrofit?


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

I actually don't mind having my car sit for a few days if they provide me with a nice 440i convertible for the time being. BMW of Morristown here in North Jersey has some really kick ass loaners... one of the reasons that I go to them for my services. My concern is that I'm a ginea pig, and have issues with my upgrade. I thought about waiting a month, but decided the hell with it.


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

shanes said:


> I'm scheduled to get mine done Wednesday, I'll fill you guys in.


awesome, please let us know also if this means the "send destinations to nav" will still work

I have the Naviks system installed behind my radio (to mirror my phone and for backup cam) I wonder if I should remove that all if they will see its there and give a hard time


----------



## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

If you're having trouble with the send to car feature I suggest resetting your password. In early 2016 BMW changed the password requirements and that may have caused your send to car to stop working without notice. This has helped at least one member so far and I have a feeling is causing problems for a lot of people.

Tim


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

No issue here. Just hoping it still works after the retrofit and new service next year


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

I know what you mean. I've upgraded the hard drive in my CIC to a solid state one, and hope they don't have to swap the CIC out or anything like that.


----------



## Only_Me (May 22, 2016)

Doug Huffman said:


> Do you know what are jargon and acronyms?


Yes I do. I was asking which ones you were having difficulty with.


----------



## ppdavis (Oct 12, 2016)

*BMW assist cancellation WEBSITE*

UGH!
After pulling my hair out and grinding my teeth while on the phone for 20 mins to learn that the assist is going away becasue i have a 2013 model.

The lady directed me to this site for an offer -

https://www.bmwassistoffer.com/sunset/vin.htm

but it gives me an error message when i put the last 7 digits of my vin in! GRRRRRR


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

ppdavis said:


> UGH!
> After pulling my hair out and grinding my teeth while on the phone for 20 mins to learn that the assist is going away becasue i have a 2013 model.
> 
> The lady directed me to this site for an offer -
> ...


Ppdavis, are you supposed to have an active subscription in to 2017, if so.. I'd call into BMW customer service. 
Mines a 2011 E90 and it's a CPO that came with a BMW provided subscription to 2/18, and mines at the dealership as we speak getting the retrofit.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

BMW 2G Sunset worked fine for me. I selected the retrofit option.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

I have my You Must Bring This Notice of acceptance with you, and know that my nearest dealership can provide the service.

Considering the issues with usability and connectivity that I have had, I wonder what warranty comes with the upgrade.


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

ppdavis said:


> UGH!
> After pulling my hair out and grinding my teeth while on the phone for 20 mins to learn that the assist is going away becasue i have a 2013 model.
> 
> The lady directed me to this site for an offer -
> ...


mines a 2013 and they are doing the retrofit so that doesn't make sense, i would call again


----------



## BK1965 (May 20, 2013)

brichi said:


> mines a 2013 and they are doing the retrofit so that doesn't make sense, i would call again


Do you have an active subscription that ends after December 31st? I think they are only offering the upgrade to that group of customers.


----------



## jjrandorin (May 8, 2013)

brichi said:


> mines a 2013 and they are doing the retrofit so that doesn't make sense, i would call again


My understanding is, the year of your car does not matter in the slightest for being able to take advantage of this offer. What matters is (apparently), is when your BMW assist subscription is set to expire. If exipration date on your current BMW assist subscription > jan 2017, and you have a 2g combox, you should be able to get this.

If not, then right now, you wont. If a person has a car that would have qualified but does not have an active subscription, they (likely) wont qualify either. So, your car being a model 2013 doesnt matter, its do you have an active subscription that runs into next year.


----------



## JimmyB3 (Jul 12, 2010)

Update: Took the 2013 X5 in on Monday 10/3 for retrofit. As of today (10/13) they can't get it to work. According to my SA, they are back and forth with BMW daily. Try this, take a screenshot, send it back. 

Does anyone have suggestions on how I should proceed? I have a loaner, but this is getting old.

Thanks,
Jimmy


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

JimmyB3 said:


> Update: Took the 2013 X5 in on Monday 10/3 for retrofit. As of today (10/13) they can't get it to work. According to my SA, they are back and forth with BMW daily. Try this, take a screenshot, send it back. Does anyone have suggestions on how I should proceed? I have a loaner, but this is getting old. Thanks, Jimmy


Tell them that you want a word of mouth recommendation from someone happy with their UPDATE. If that isn't forthcoming then get your car back and let them OJT on someone else's- like their own.


----------



## grbbikracr (Dec 18, 2012)

My 2013 is in getting the update. They have mentioned the first one they did was not smooth at all and lots of back and forth with BMW. I am the second.


----------



## infoteknerd (Sep 13, 2012)

Yea, contacted my service department yesterday morning. They were not even willing to try . They said to wait until early next year and the fix should work.


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

grbbikracr said:


> My 2013 is in getting the update. They have mentioned the first one they did was not smooth at all and lots of back and forth with BMW. I am the second.


do you know or can you ask if they had to get behind the radio or this is a swap out with just the unit in the trunk (I believe thats where the combox is)


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

Well I received my car back from the retrofit install, and so far the SOS button works just fine, also all the normal Bluetooth features and all... except my send to car, vehicle finder, and remote unlock. When I went to test the remote unlock feature, a message in the app said that my account was locked and I would need to go to the ConnectedDrive portal to unlock it.. which I proceeded to do.. both of these features are still not working. One thing I do notice is that the update services function is much faster..it really must be 4G yeah!

Does anybody have any insite on these issues? Maybe it will take a little time for my new combox to be fully registered.. ?

And by the way.. the combox looks identical to the old one.


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

brichi said:


> do you know or can you ask if they had to get behind the radio or this is a swap out with just the unit in the trunk (I believe thats where the combox is)


From what I see they didn't get behind the radio.. there's no marring or fingerprints so the dash, so that's how I know.


----------



## infoteknerd (Sep 13, 2012)

For those that received the retrofit, did you get the option to sign up for the convenience plan, or was it safety only. 

Thanks for the insight.


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

infoteknerd said:


> For those that received the retrofit, did you get the option to sign up for the convenience plan, or was it safety only.
> 
> Thanks for the insight.


No, possibily because I have a free active subscription until 2/18.


----------



## infoteknerd (Sep 13, 2012)

shanes said:


> No, possibily because I have a free active subscription until 2/18.


Thanks, they wouldn't let me upgrade after buying the car due to 2G, guess I'll know better after the retrofit.


----------



## John DTolland (Oct 16, 2016)

I received the card in the mail for my 2011 328xdrive. They gave me the 4 options with the last being pay 199.00 dollars for the retrofit and get the yearly safety plan. I opted for number 4 and they said they will send me an email with further instructions. I will post an update and let you know how it goes.


----------



## Jay_C_NNJ (Oct 17, 2016)

Is there a list of exactly what is affected by not upgraded this unit? The only thing that I think I used was the send to car option for the navigation and that stopped working so I've been thinking of just taking the $200 visa. 

Jay


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

Has anyone had a successful retrofit yet?

I'm waiting on the service advisor to get back to me on my teleservices issue.


----------



## infoteknerd (Sep 13, 2012)

Jay_C_NNJ said:


> Is there a list of exactly what is affected by not upgraded this unit? The only thing that I think I used was the send to car option for the navigation and that stopped working so I've been thinking of just taking the $200 visa.
> 
> Jay


Some of the other losses include

- SOS Button 
- Stolen Car Tracking
- Collision Notification 
- Service Notification 
- Enhanced Roadside Assistance 
- Plus a few other Connected Drive features if you have iDrive. 
- There are probably others that I can't remember right now.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

infoteknerd said:


> Some of the other losses include
> 
> - SOS Button
> - Stolen Car Tracking
> ...


And Remote Unlock.


----------



## diamon_d (Apr 6, 2008)

Question... does anyone know if the retrofit will blow out all the coding one has had done to their vehicle?


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

diamon_d said:


> Question... does anyone know if the retrofit will blow out all the coding one has had done to their vehicle?


It didn't effect mine, then again I only have halo rings as DRL's, digital speedo, and 5x one touch blinkers.


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

infoteknerd said:


> Some of the other losses include
> 
> - SOS Button
> - Stolen Car Tracking
> ...


Connected Drive means connected to iDrive, cellular or can it be either?


----------



## infoteknerd (Sep 13, 2012)

Gary J said:


> Connected Drive means connected to iDrive, cellular or can it be either?


I've heard of cases where they have turned on BMW Live, which uses your cell phone bluetooth tethering to perform some of the features such as news, weather and Google POI search.


----------



## Jay_C_NNJ (Oct 17, 2016)

infoteknerd said:


> Some of the other losses include
> 
> - SOS Button
> - Stolen Car Tracking
> ...


thanks for the info!

I'm going on 4 years with my car and I honestly have never used any of those. As long as it doesn't mess with my bluetooth connection to my phone I think I'm good without it.

Jay


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

JimmyB3 said:


> Beware.
> 
> I got the email for my wife's 2013 X5, filled it out for the retrofit, and made the appointment. That was 7 days ago.
> 
> ...


jimmyB3, any resolution with the retrofit yet?

I had the retrofit done and the only thing that is working is the SOS button, no remote unlock from app or phone in request, no send to car.. nothing works except SOS and I was told that the safety plan does not include these features. Here is the transcript of the voicemail...

***8220;Good morning this is Katie calling from BMW Of Morristown service department I'm just giving a call to follow up um there let me know that there was a um a question that you had about the app they be able to be connected Drive app um I had noted with him that you were having issues sending the apps on doing the lock on lock and such after the upgrade to the COM box so I just wanted to let you know that um I called BMW Assist on your behalf to just find out what the um you know what the subscription status was because of Lisa um the reason why it stops working in this case that was that was the case on um October 6 free subscription for BMW Assist services um did um that was actually ended on the day of the expiration date was six um so it was you know very close to the date that you brought the vehicle and I can understand why you would associate one with the other just wanted to let you know that the safety plan for your vehicle is still good through um 20 18th February 28, 2018 seconds you access through the SOS button for roadside assistance and um they can also normally on lock your doors however the app that is on your phone um the use of that app that subscription did expire um and is not available for recent scription and if you want more information about what services you do have three 2018 um I'd be happy to help you with that or you can also contact BMW Assist directly at phone number 888-333-6118 um again you do have the SOS button function malady with zero _***8288;_***8288;_***8288;_***8288;_***8288;_***8288;_***8288;_***8288;_***8288;_***8288;_ and remote door unlock services through the SOS feature um but not through the app so just want to let you know um about that if you wanted to extend the safety plan after 2018 you are able to do that for that***8230;***8221;


----------



## diamon_d (Apr 6, 2008)

shanes said:


> It didn't effect mine, then again I only have halo rings as DRL's, digital speedo, and 5x one touch blinkers.


Thanks shanes. Appreciate the feedback.


----------



## luigi42 (Nov 18, 2006)

diamon_d said:


> Question... does anyone know if the retrofit will blow out all the coding one has had done to their vehicle?


I think it depends on your current software version. Based on the retrofit instructions @tim330i posted (#54 in this thread) if you are not at the correct software version they will update the software. The versions are listed in the PDF file. My experience in the past, whenever the software version was updated I lost all my coding modifications.


----------



## hellosopo (Oct 16, 2009)

Why can't we go in and purchase this retrofit even if we don't have an active subscription? My BMW Assist subscription expired in Jan 2016 and BMW didn't reach out to me at all about renewing it. I think it is worth $200/year, but I couldn't find any easy information on their website at the time in how to renew. Now I see why. This is a very shady way to act towards customers on a safety feature, and it's seriously coloring my thoughts about this brand in a negative way.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

hellosopo said:


> This is a very shady way to act towards customers on a safety feature, and it's seriously coloring my thoughts about this brand in a negative way.


It is in no way a safety feature as it is reactive rather than proactive.


----------



## shawnsheridan (Jan 10, 2009)

hellosopo said:


> Why can't we go in and purchase this retrofit even if we don't have an active subscription? My BMW Assist subscription expired in Jan 2016 and BMW didn't reach out to me at all about renewing it. I think it is worth $200/year, but I couldn't find any easy information on their website at the time in how to renew. Now I see why. This is a very shady way to act towards customers on a safety feature, and it's seriously coloring my thoughts about this brand in a negative way.


You could not have renewed if you wanted to. My 2011 F10 had service expire on 01/25/2016. I called BMW Assist to RENEW both my Safety Plan & Convenience Plan as I always do (at a cost of $430.84), only to be told the service was being discontinued and I could not renew. Then next they tell my I'm ineligible for Retrofit / Compensation because I have no active subscription, which was there own doing.


----------



## hellosopo (Oct 16, 2009)

Doug Huffman said:


> It is in no way a safety feature as it is reactive rather than proactive.


It can call emergency response after a crash automatically. That can help me survive if I can't make that call on my own; in my view that's a safety feature. It also has auto insurance benefits as well.

My car has only been in service for 4.5 years with 54,000 miles, and selling features of the car are already being abandoned by the manufacturer. I am not impressed, and it's not making me too excited in spending $50k+ to replace it with an F30 in a year or two. Those cars have even more technology features for BMW to leave behind.


----------



## ae86pwr (Sep 2, 2004)

Just dropped off my MY15 E89 for retrofit option and annual oil change. 
We'll see how that goes.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

hellosopo said:


> It can call emergency response after a crash automatically. That can help me survive if I can't make that call on my own; in my view that's a safety feature. It also has auto insurance benefits as well.
> 
> My car has only been in service for 4.5 years with 54,000 miles, and selling features of the car are already being abandoned by the manufacturer. I am not impressed, and it's not making me too excited in spending $50k+ to replace it with an F30 in a year or two. Those cars have even more technology features for BMW to leave behind.


Insurance benefits, really? Have you informed your insurance company, and have they increased your premium?

If so, that *may* be a tort that you might recover in a civil action.

But I doubt that your insurance company offers a discount for a connected car. My insurer is VERY proactive and I read the discounts carefully.

Safety is what happens BEFORE an incident, injury mitigation happens after the accident.


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

well they still have my car, going on day 3 tomorrow. At least my car is back on my app, earlier today it only said "add vehicle" and was missing mine but now its back on so I guess its installed and registered. Of course nothing from the app is working though, I can't locate the vehicle or flash the lights, fails every time BUT it could be because its in a BMW garage I'm sure with ****ty service

also, if I have the safety plan, what exactly is the benefit of adding a convenience plan that I now see on the website in my account (havent seen that prior to today)


----------



## hellosopo (Oct 16, 2009)

Doug Huffman said:


> Insurance benefits, really? Have you informed your insurance company, and have they increased your premium?


Yes, insurance companies offer discounts to connected cars because of the benefits for stolen vehicle recovery. One high-profile case of this was after the Boston Marathon bombing, a stolen Mercedes was tracked by law enforcement using the vehicle's telematics system.

I'm not looking to file a civil case against BMW. I simply want the features I bought on my car to work as they were sold to me. My vehicle is only 4,000mi and nine months beyond its factory warranty period. I do not have a car from a decade ago with 150k miles on it that I expect them to be fixing up.

This premature abandonment is not giving me warm and fuzzies about buying an even more tech-laden car from BMW in the future. I don't have the option to purchase a retrofit system. This is not a cellphone or tablet that I can go replace for $400, it is the most expensive car I've ever purchased.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

*I wrote of YOUR insurance company. I am aware of public incidents.*



hellosopo said:


> Yes, insurance companies offer discounts to connected cars because of the benefits for stolen vehicle recovery. One high-profile case of this was after the Boston Marathon bombing, a stolen Mercedes was tracked by law enforcement using the vehicle's telematics system.
> 
> I'm not looking to file a civil case against BMW. I simply want the features I bought on my car to work as they were sold to me. My vehicle is only 4,000mi and nine months beyond its factory warranty period. I do not have a car from a decade ago with 150k miles on it that I expect them to be fixing up.
> 
> This premature abandonment is not giving me warm and fuzzies about buying an even more tech-laden car from BMW in the future. I don't have the option to purchase a retrofit system. This is not a cellphone or tablet that I can go replace for $400, it is the most expensive car I've ever purchased.


.


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

well I'm happy, just got my car back and all works great, send to car all works, maps, app, etc.....

I just need the convenience purchase I guess to get "online" and google search


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

Do you have an E or F series car? I have an e90 and was told that the app won't work anymore. It's back now because none of the phone in services like unlock car doesn't work either.


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

mines an F30, sorry to hear your having issues


----------



## ae86pwr (Sep 2, 2004)

My dealer called yesterday telling me that they are having issues with the GSM retrofit on my E89. They are currently waiting on BMW NA for assistance. Curious if anyone here has successfully retrofitted their E series.


----------



## infoteknerd (Sep 13, 2012)

ae86pwr said:


> My dealer called yesterday telling me that they are having issues with the GSM retrofit on my E89. They are currently waiting on BMW NA for assistance. Curious if anyone here has successfully retrofitted their E series.


Good question, my dealer still won't even try. States that BMW has yet to provide them the software. E84 x1


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

ae86pwr said:


> My dealer called yesterday telling me that they are having issues with the GSM retrofit on my E89. They are currently waiting on BMW NA for assistance. Curious if anyone here has successfully retrofitted their E series.


My 2011 E90 is currently at the dealer again, and they aren't having any luck with anything other than the SOS button. They are waiting for more information.


----------



## diamon_d (Apr 6, 2008)

I'll take the $200 they're offering and call it a day. They only thing I'll miss is send to car, but I can type the addy into iDrive just the same.


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

diamon_d said:


> I'll take the $200 they're offering and call it a day. They only thing I'll miss is send to car, but I can type the addy into iDrive just the same.


Why would you miss that if you plug in?


----------



## diamon_d (Apr 6, 2008)

Gary J said:


> Why would you miss that if you plug in?


I'd rather type the addy in my phone and send to car and have it there when I get in vs. having to type it into iDrive. I find it more convenient. But it's the only service I utilize from BMW Assist. The Safety Plan is what I have (paid subscription by the dealer). Once that was up, I wouldn't have renewed.


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

I am saying when you type it in your phone and plug it in the car USB it should be there in iDrive. Not typing in iDrive necessary.


----------



## diamon_d (Apr 6, 2008)

Gary J said:


> I am saying when you type it in your phone and plug it in the car USB it should be there in iDrive. Not typing in iDrive necessary.


Ah. I gotcha. I haven't done that. How does the Nav bring up the addy you searched for on your phone? Are you inputting the address into a phone book contact?


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

diamon_d said:


> Ah. I gotcha. I haven't done that. How does the Nav bring up the addy you searched for on your phone? Are you inputting the address into a phone book contact?


Send message then in iDrive - Menu/Connected/Messages. I keep mine USB connected for the Spotify/BMW app anyway.


----------



## John DTolland (Oct 16, 2016)

So...the saga continues.. I dropped of my 2011 328xi for the retrofit upgrade. I did a night time key box drop off. I call at 11:30 am to check the status. Car has not been started. They ask me if I had the confirmation page for the appt. Yes I replied. Okay hold on. A BMW service advisor gets on the phone apologizes and says they did not order the new combox for my car but another customer canceled there retrofit so they would give me that persons combox . I stated, I was told it would take 3 hours, the advisor said this. "I apologize again but we are just not sure how long this will take. Everything needs to be transferred to this combox. It might take longer. he said to be honest, BMW really screwed this up. They gave us very little notice on these and things are just not going smoothly when we do these. We will not let the car go until its done right so it might take longer than three hours !!! I asked do you have any idea ? An approximation ? he stated I just don't know Ill get it started and ill give you a call in a couple of hours. Ill send you folks an update later on how long it actually took and what issues there are if there are any.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

Best wishes.

I once had three simple maintenance procedures done at a BMW dealership that took TWENTY-SIX HOURS; oil change, NAV update and injector change.


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

John. Do you have the convenience plan as well as the safety plan? I also have a 2011 328xi and just had the retrofit done. Since then, the only thing that actually works is the SOS button, because the convenience plan just expired two weeks ago. I no longer can call in to unlock, send to car, or unlock from the app. ..



John DTolland said:


> So...the saga continues.. I dropped of my 2011 328xi for the retrofit upgrade. I did a night time key box drop off. I call at 11:30 am to check the status. Car has not been started. They ask me if I had the confirmation page for the appt. Yes I replied. Okay hold on. A BMW service advisor gets on the phone apologizes and says they did not order the new combox for my car but another customer canceled there retrofit so they would give me that persons combox . I stated, I was told it would take 3 hours, the advisor said this. "I apologize again but we are just not sure how long this will take. Everything needs to be transferred to this combox. It might take longer. he said to be honest, BMW really screwed this up. They gave us very little notice on these and things are just not going smoothly when we do these. We will not let the car go until its done right so it might take longer than three hours !!! I asked do you have any idea ? An approximation ? he stated I just don't know Ill get it started and ill give you a call in a couple of hours. Ill send you folks an update later on how long it actually took and what issues there are if there are any.


----------



## diamon_d (Apr 6, 2008)

shanes said:


> John. Do you have the convenience plan as well as the safety plan? I also have a 2011 328xi and just had the retrofit done. Since then, the only thing that actually works is the SOS button, because the convenience plan just expired two weeks ago. I no longer can call in to unlock, send to car, or unlock from the app.


That's interesting because I only have the safety plan and can use app to unlock, flash lights, honk horn and send to car.

I'm on the fence about getting the retrofit. I want to keep the equipment in my car updated and only care about a couple features. Called the dealer who hadn't done one yet and couldn't give me any details about length of time to complete or how this could affect real time traffic info and Bluetooth. Called Genius who said process should take no longer than three hours. RTTI would go away if retrofit not completed because that uses cell towers But Bluetooth would not be affected either way. 
If I get the retrofit, I'll have to get the car re-coded too. Dang.


----------



## plebian (Apr 28, 2014)

I just got a card in the mail. For the longest I could not figure out how my 2014 F30's BMW assist contract expires on 04/24/2024, but I think it's because of the extended warranty I purchased.

My question is simple. I know some of the newer cars have a 'blue' interface iDrive interface which is much better than my 'orange' one. I don't know how else to describe it. Does this update get me the blue interface? Or just allow me to continue havingthis crap that I never use, also don't want to lose.


----------



## infoteknerd (Sep 13, 2012)

plebian said:


> I just got a card in the mail. For the longest I could not figure out how my 2014 F30's BMW assist contract expires on 04/24/2024, but I think it's because of the extended warranty I purchased.
> 
> My question is simple. I know some of the newer cars have a 'blue' interface iDrive interface which is much better than my 'orange' one. I don't know how else to describe it. Does this update get me the blue interface? Or just allow me to continue havingthis crap that I never use, also don't want to lose.


That "blue interface" sounds like NBT, which unfortunately is outside the scope of this retrofit. This update will allow you to continue to keep the service that you have good through 2024. The 2014 year models were provided with 10 years of BMW Assist, a major extension from what we received in the older models.


----------



## plebian (Apr 28, 2014)

infoteknerd said:


> That "blue interface" sounds like NBT, which unfortunately is outside the scope of this retrofit. This update will allow you to continue to keep the service that you have good through 2024. The 2014 year models were provided with 10 years of BMW Assist, a major extension from what we received in the older models.


Excellent. Well, not excellent but thanks for the quick response.


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

Is getting the upgrade likely to affect resale value or is taking the money the better option financially?


----------



## John DTolland (Oct 16, 2016)

I'm picking it up this morning ..ill let you know what or if anything changed with the retro fit


----------



## bymer321 (Oct 29, 2012)

Hey John, Please update us on how your retrofit went and what are changes/losses of doing so. I am on the fence on what I should do with my car.

Thanks!


----------



## ChasInMN (Jun 28, 2016)

Just got my car (2013 F30) back from the retrofit done at my dealership. Just picked up the car, everything seems to have gone smoothly - took about 6 hrs for the combox replacement. Interestingly, my service advisor said it was a 4G combox they put in. Not sure if that's accurate, but the speeds with BMW Online are SOOOO much faster now. I tested the Assist/SOS function by calling them while I was still at the dealership, and they confirmed everything looked good on their end, and they confirmed my location was accurate. Also tested the send-to-car feature, blink lights, unlock doors, etc. All seem to work fine. The only thing was that they must've had to reprogram, as my cell phone, and many of the settings were removed/reset. For instance, the lane departure warning was off, light color was reset to 'Modern' even though I typically keep it to 'Classic,' pathway light duration was defaulted, etc. However, the Harmon Kardon settings and equalizer are all as I left/set them. Also, the software update that I performed via the USB stick (updating the multimedia/telephone) was removed, so I'll have to do that when I get home tonight. The main thing is that as far as I can tell, the retrofit seemingly went well for me. The dealer said that they had done several before mine, with no issues. However, interestingly, they said most people were taking the cash option and running.


----------



## la-law (Feb 1, 2005)

I just received my notice for my 2013 750i and find this news very disappointing. Is there a retrofit that can be accomplished? It is a BMW.... are they going to set the standard for repeat customers or possible loss of a consumer.


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

John DTolland said:


> I'm picking it up this morning ..ill let you know what or if anything changed with the retro fit


..


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

ChasInMN said:


> The only thing was that they must've had to reprogram, as my cell phone, and many of the settings were removed/reset.


The cellphone information is stored in the Subscriber Identity Module - SIM - that had to be changed if I understand the technology correctly.

Hmm, interestingly 4G LTE OFDMA is not voice capable except through fallback to 3G UMTS (3GSM) W-CDMA. That is a lot of standards to maneuver through.


----------



## John DTolland (Oct 16, 2016)

So got the car back. Everything works fine however when I asked who do I give the 199.00 dollars to so I can renew the bmw assist the service writer said I'll find out and call you ? I called bmw assist from my car using the system itself. She said the dealer should have done that. So they installed the new combos took 7 hours to reprogram it. I don't really notice anything different in the screens . I had to reprogram /pair the phone . the phone works faster and the signal seems stronger . My Bmw assist expires on 1/21/2017 so I will call the dealership Tommorow and find out how I actually renew it. The card I gave them was pretty clear , option 4 was 199.99 for the retrofit but I guess the box is just free for me and it's up to me to renew the service which makes no sense. I call them Tommorow and give you folks an update.


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

You will call them why?


----------



## John DTolland (Oct 16, 2016)

Because my Safety plan will expire on 1/21/2017 if I don't renew it.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

.


----------



## shanes (Sep 29, 2011)

So John, looks like you have a 2011 328 like I do.. did you test the send to car and remote unlock features yet?
Mine doesn't work since the retrofit.



John DTolland said:


> So got the car back. Everything works fine however when I asked who do I give the 199.00 dollars to so I can renew the bmw assist the service writer said I'll find out and call you ? I called bmw assist from my car using the system itself. She said the dealer should have done that. So they installed the new combos took 7 hours to reprogram it. I don't really notice anything different in the screens . I had to reprogram /pair the phone . the phone works faster and the signal seems stronger . My Bmw assist expires on 1/21/2017 so I will call the dealership Tommorow and find out how I actually renew it. The card I gave them was pretty clear , option 4 was 199.99 for the retrofit but I guess the box is just free for me and it's up to me to renew the service which makes no sense. I call them Tommorow and give you folks an update.


----------



## flegma3124 (Oct 8, 2014)

hold up, quick question. If i select the retrofit option, theyre not going to replace my CIC with a NBT system are they? thatd be so dope....


----------



## ChasInMN (Jun 28, 2016)

flegma3124 said:


> hold up, quick question. If i select the retrofit option, theyre not going to replace my CIC with a NBT system are they? thatd be so dope....


For my retrofit, they installed what they called a "Combox NEXT," but did not do anything to the head unit or anything else - so it doesn't change the navigation version or interface. On my service invoice, it also shows a "KISU Update" performed. Not sure what that is. It does seem to have boosted the speed of ConnectedDrive features like BMW Online. Map movements seem to be smoother and more responsive, but that's likely my imagination. So no, at least on my 2013 F30, it's not a NBT system install - just a Next Generation Combox (3G/4G) retrofit, and reprogramming to work with the current head unit - as I understand it.


----------



## theturtle (May 28, 2012)

Excuse my idiocy as obviously I don't know much about these services but if I never used connected drive (I believe that's an additional cost, right?), I don't even have the tech package. The only thing I have is Navi + bluetooth phone.

Would I lose any features that I use day to day? I never did the SOS either but I do want to be thorough before choosing my option.

I read all 6 pages but all of you guys like you know this tech. jargon so I still don't know what this is going to effect other than:
- SOS Button 
- Stolen Car Tracking
- Collision Notification 
- Service Notification 
- Enhanced Roadside Assistance 
- Plus a few other Connected Drive features if you have iDrive. 
- There are probably others that I can't remember right now.

Arent all those options, options that you needed to pay additional for?


----------



## theturtle (May 28, 2012)

Excuse my idiocy as obviously I don't know much about these services but if I never used connected drive (I believe that's an additional cost, right?), I don't even have the tech package. The only thing I have is Navi + bluetooth phone.

Would I lose any features that I use day to day? I never did the SOS either but I do want to be thorough before choosing my option.

I read all 6 pages but all of you guys like you know this tech. jargon so I still don't know what this is going to effect other than:
- SOS Button 
- Stolen Car Tracking
- Collision Notification 
- Service Notification 
- Enhanced Roadside Assistance 
- Plus a few other Connected Drive features if you have iDrive. 
- There are probably others that I can't remember right now.

Arent all those options, options that you needed to pay additional for?


----------



## ChasInMN (Jun 28, 2016)

theturtle said:


> Excuse my idiocy as obviously I don't know much about these services but if I never used connected drive (I believe that's an additional cost, right?), I don't even have the tech package. The only thing I have is Navi + bluetooth phone.
> 
> Would I lose any features that I use day to day? I never did the SOS either but I do want to be thorough before choosing my option.
> 
> ...


So here's what I know - Yes, I think these are all options for purchase through Assist/Convenience Plans. I think the retrofit is aimed narrowly at people with cars that still have a balance of their plans intact, and factory warranty intact. Like my service guy said, most people are taking the cash options rather than the retrofit.

Aside from the items you listed, not much more will be lost, but my dealership service advisor did say if I chose to not retrofit, and instead deactivated or did nothing, the navigation would not get traffic information and therefore the "dynamic routing" option in your navigation wouldn't work anymore. The bluetooth would be unaffected. However, if you use satellite services like Send-to-Car from Google maps, then you would lose this ability without the retrofit.

Nothing changed after my retrofit on my 2013 F30, which has a factory warranty through April 2017, and an active Assist Safety Package and Convenience Package through the end of January 2017. All the features of the car, including all the iDrive menus are intact, and unchanged, as far as I can tell. The only difference is the speed of page loading is much, much faster for features like "BMW Online" and other ConnectedDrive tasks (checking email, Yelp, weather, etc). I can still use the BMW remote app to lock/flash lights/sound horn remotely. I can still use the SOS feature for contacting BMW Assist for emergencies (hope to not have to use this). I also am able to still use Concierge services (though I've only ever used this a handful of times).

I'm still a bit confused as to how they're going to charge for these services once my Assist Safety Package and Convenience Package are expired - not sure if they're going to consolidate, or just charge as it is now. My dealership was also unsure, as they said there's still a lot of confusion about it all on their end. What they did know was that I would likely still have to call BMW Assist at the end of January if I wanted the services to continue, to repurchase a plan, as this is when mine expires.


----------



## Tallen234 (Feb 13, 2006)

I'm in the process of figuring out what option I should pick. I have a 2013 X5 that I purchased about a year ago. My original warranty expires in December, however I have a two year CPO which begins at that time. I was given all of the various options except the free retrofit. I would have to pay for the $200/year for the BMW Safety plan. 

However, as I did buy the car with a CPO, they were supposed to provide me with BMW Roadside assistance and the BMW Assist™ Emergency Call feature throughout the CPO period. Are they attempting to compensate me with the $200/$300 offer to waive these features?

Is anyone else in this situation? 

Thanks!


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

Tallen234 said:


> [ ... ]However, as I did buy the car with a CPO, they were supposed to provide me with BMW Roadside assistance and the BMW Assist™ Emergency Call feature throughout the CPO period. Are they attempting to compensate me with the $200/$300 offer to waive these features?
> 
> Is anyone else in this situation?
> 
> Thanks!


I'm not sure of your question. I bought a CPO 2012 X5 04/2015 and have tested the emergency call feature whenever I leave my home for a long trip. My paper work indicates the subscription expires in 2018. I have opted for the retro-fit. If the 3G/4G TCU works at my remote home then I will likely purchase more features.


----------



## SundayWar (Dec 28, 2014)

Just got the letter described in the OP. I was very pissed since we just bought our 2016 F25/X3 this year. But upon closer look the VIN in the letter doesn't match so it must be for the 2015 X1 we sold earlier. 

Can we still claim the gift card? I sold the X1 to a car dealer, so I have no idea who the new owner is anyway.


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

sure fraud should be no prob.


----------



## glynhilton (Oct 24, 2015)

What is involved and how long does bmw assist retrofit take?


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

they change out the combox and do some programming, norm seems to be 2-3 days


----------



## glynhilton (Oct 24, 2015)

Thanks for the quick response. Hope to get it done next week.


----------



## Hangman4358 (Nov 26, 2013)

I have a quick question about this. Today I noticed I received a message in my car from BMW assist saying that my assist will become inactive starting 1/1/17. But I have a MY14 car. Built Jan 14.

Now I don't have nav in my car so only cic and not NBT. Was this just sent to me in error? I have been following this for a while and I thought it was only MY 13 or older. I thought the f30 from MY14 on had new hardware, even for just the CIC which was why I was able to code enhanced BT, and by me I mean my son was able to do it for me


----------



## infoteknerd (Sep 13, 2012)

Just completed my retrofit. Process was completed within 1 day. SOS button worked immediately and was able to sign up for the convenience plan. 

Only thing noticed is possible issues with Bluetooth call quality as well as data issues with connected drive. Will know more as I drive the car though.


----------



## Shon528 (Oct 3, 2003)

Hangman4358 said:


> I have a quick question about this. Today I noticed I received a message in my car from BMW assist saying that my assist will become inactive starting 1/1/17. But I have a MY14 car. Built Jan 14.
> 
> Now I don't have nav in my car so only cic and not NBT. Was this just sent to me in error? I have been following this for a while and I thought it was only MY 13 or older. I thought the f30 from MY14 on had new hardware, even for just the CIC which was why I was able to code enhanced BT, and by me I mean my son was able to do it for me


Same here, no nav, '14 F30 built 3/14. I received the notice as well. I went in yesterday, was done in a few hours. I chose to have it deactivated and took the $200 Visa card. They also have you sign a waiver.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

Shon528 said:


> They also have you sign a waiver.


That is interesting. Will you quote it to us, please?


----------



## Lumpydog (Feb 16, 2013)

Brought my 2013 X5 in for the retrofit. Mine was the first one done by the dealer and it took them a week and a day to complete. They ran into several complications:

- Installed and tested. SOS button dialed 911 by default (they said many other dealers were running into the same issue). Took a few days to resolve.
- Told me I had to pay $200 to subscribe for another year (my Assist service was set to expire 3/17/2017). I refused/argued that I should not have to renew now to qualify for the retrofit and it took them a day or two of back and forth with corporate - ultimately I agreed to subscribe for another year to get the retrofit. I like the service and would have subscribed in March. I believe they are wrong that I had to pay the $200 subscription to qualify for the retrofit.
- When they sent in my retrofit form/agreement the manager accidentally submitted that I agreed to forgo the retrofit and had my service disabled/discontinued. This took the dealer 3 days to resolve because once discontinued, BMW could not activate my new retrofitted unit without a lot of footwork to reinstate it.

The unit is installed in the rear cargo area - pull away the left side hatch and you can see the comm boxes/equipment there. So it is NOT invasive surgery that causes collateral damage. The dealer told me it was a $2800 part - which is likely the reason they are being stodgy about upgrading all comers.

I had some coding done on my vehicle. Some of it was wiped out during the retrofit (headlamp washer cancel, unlock after shutoff, foot on break to start and a few others) but other coding remained (disable legal disclaimers, add weather band and more). I know how to code myself so I'll have to brush up and re-do some of what had been perviously coded (It's been a while and I'll need to find a laptop that will work). Some of my vehicle settings also reset like the door lock setting, and a few other odd/ends but my presets remained and the stereo equalizer remained. I needed to re-pair my phone. So the dealer must reset or update some vehicle's coding. Note that the Multimedia and Phone software versions remained the same and I did not need to re-upgrade.

I tested the SOS button, remote unlock, vehicle locator, bluetooth, etc and all worked as they did before.

All-in-all, I think it was worth it. Resale it may help as well.


----------



## ChasInMN (Jun 28, 2016)

That's interesting about the subscription up front cost.

My dealership had said that was a requirement as well, but when I took it in, they said there was nothing in the system to require that payment. My subscription ends 1/31/17, so they said since it's still active, I didn't have to renew until it's up. So I completed the retrofit without having to pay a dime.

HOWEVER, I was in the dealership recently, and when I was chatting with the BMW Genius guys at the same dealership, they were surprised by this story because they had been told that the $200 subscription was indeed an absolute requirement for the retrofit.

BUT then when the Genius called Assist (when I was standing there at the dealership), they (Assist) said that I just renew when it's up. 
Also found out that you have to renew the Assist package first ($200), only then does the Convenience Package become available ($200) - FYI. Can't renew them together. (I didn't know this - some of you might already).

I'm expecting some January surprise when I actually try to renew. Might just go ahead and do it now via the ConnectedDrive site to be safe.

Clearly there is some confusion between BMW, the dealerships, the service depts, the Geniuses, and Assist. Regardless, I've been very happy with the retrofit so far. Good enough for now I guess.



Lumpydog said:


> Brought my 2013 X5 in for the retrofit. Mine was the first one done by the dealer and it took them a week and a day to complete. They ran into several complications:
> 
> - Installed and tested. SOS button dialed 911 by default (they said many other dealers were running into the same issue). Took a few days to resolve.
> - Told me I had to pay $200 to subscribe for another year (my Assist service was set to expire 3/17/2017). I refused/argued that I should not have to renew now to qualify for the retrofit and it took them a day or two of back and forth with corporate - ultimately I agreed to subscribe for another year to get the retrofit. I like the service and would have subscribed in March. I believe they are wrong that I had to pay the $200 subscription to qualify for the retrofit.
> ...


----------



## bcsan (Apr 11, 2014)

This is very confusing. I went to the dealer for the retrofit, but come to realize if I proceed there is a $200 renewal fee per year even though my service contract expires 2024. Is this correct? I opt for the gift card.


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

my retrofit was done and i didn't have to renew anything or pay for anything, mine expires 8/2017 and i guess i renew before then


----------



## infoteknerd (Sep 13, 2012)

You would pay for renewal after it expires. So you should be good until '24


----------



## bcsan (Apr 11, 2014)

Grr... just confirmed that I could've continue service without the renewal fee since my contract doesn't expire till 2024. So now I'm stuck cause I want to continue my service. Hopefully they can fix it, if not I will be upset. BMW corporate really needs to get their act together and provide clear instructions.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

bcsan said:


> Grr... just confirmed that I could've continue service without the renewal fee since my contract doesn't expire till 2024. So now I'm stuck cause I want to continue my service. Hopefully they can fix it, if not I will be upset. BMW corporate really needs to get their act together and provide clear instructions.


Since there have been apparently successful retrofits, it would seem that clear instructions have been provided.

It may be that some dealerships' hired chickens - rather than mechanics - that are coming home to roost. That we are dependent on them for technical information is due to their closely held information - rice bowl business model.


----------



## happyinky (Nov 15, 2016)

*Can anyone confirm if real time navigation will work without upgrade*

Hi,

I am trying to decide on the upgrade, as I plan to sell my 2011 3 series mid/late next year and only have the CPO assist coverage. The only feature I have a concern about losing is real time nav updates -- I've read in some forums that the upgrade is required for this, but my local SA did not think so. Anyone have a definitive answer?


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

Yes, it is required.


----------



## happyinky (Nov 15, 2016)

Doug,

many thanks!



Doug Huffman said:


> Yes, it is required.


----------



## gatrjeny (Nov 17, 2016)

I drive a 2013 X5 diesel, active until 7/2017, and finally took it in for the retrofit. They took a day and a half, and after I got my vehicle back the bluetooth functionality stopped working, and all my menu features within ConnectedDrive menu sited "contract error. Please see service center". Has anyone seen these issues? So not I have to take it back in for probably another day or two. I'm surprised these basic things weren't tested. And i didn't even think yet to test the SOS button, which I'll do tonight now that folks have brought it up on this forum.

I think perhaps BMW sat on this issue too long. It appears they knew a long time ago that 2G was a thing of the past and unsupported for most current technologies, as they built in 3G starting in vehicles as early as 2011, I believe, just not the E70 since it was due to be redesigned for 2014 model year. They were probably hoping that they they could keep it on life support for a bit, and were now forced to sunset it officially due to lack of compatibility to newer technologies. And then they had to scramble to find a solution. They released this late without the proper development and now have only 2 months to make everyone whom they feel could sue, whole again. But they didn't test this right and didn't provide the right notification and training to their center staff. It took 2 months for me to even be able to get the poor retrofit! Between having to tell them what I was trying to schedule, and them not understanding, and having me bring the car in to then have to order the part because apparently it has to be specific to my vehicle, to then installing it poorly. I'm disappointed and frustrated at all the time this is consuming. I hope they get their act together!


----------



## Crosbo (Oct 14, 2016)

happyinky said:


> Doug,
> 
> many thanks!


Doug, are you sure?

I recently updated the Map software on my '11 535iX, then early this morning completed a trip from the DC area to my home in San Antonio. BMW wouldn't activate the Connect for me, providing limited feedback and no work arounds...the call center person essentially saying I am SOL and my new2me replacement vehicle is simply outdated.

Never-the-less, the real-time updates worked very well on my trip...updating the traffic conditions and adapting my routes as required.

Or have I simply misunderstood Happy's question?


----------



## JagerPgh (Oct 13, 2015)

*COMBOX Retrofit Fail*

So, I dropped my 2013 328i F30 off at the dealer on Wednesday (11/16) to have the 2G COMBOX replaced with the retrofit. The dealer told me the replacement unit had to be ordered specific to my VIN, so it would take a day to order the part and a day to do the install. (Since I made the appointment well in advance I was a little annoyed they didn't have the part waiting for me, but I as I got a loaner I thought NBD.)

Yesterday, I was told that the required programming had failed and they would need to keep the car another day. I picked up the car today and was told that they had difficulty getting the car programmed and they had to have the shop foreman get involved. The invoice says, "installed new combox and programmed car, programming failed 3 times, performed battery reset and then programmed car again."

Well, not only does the SOS button not work (literally, nothing happens when I press it), my iPod is not being recognized in the USB port and Bluetooth for handsfree calling and playing music doesn't work. The BMW Assist menu says, "Network currently not available. Please try again later."

I tried loading the updated .bin file from the BMW website to at least get Bluetooth working again, but the USB stick drive that I insert is not recognized. It will flash when I put it into the slot, but I get, "No USB device with software connected to the USB audio interface."

So, back to the dealer I must go. At this point, I'm thinking I maybe should have just taken the deactivation compensation money and run. On the bright side, the dealer didn't try to charge me $200 to extend my service. On the not so bright side, I am usually stuck with an X1 or X3 for a loaner.


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

JagerPgh said:


> So, I dropped my 2013 328i F30 off at the dealer on Wednesday (11/16) to have the 2G COMBOX replaced with the retrofit. The dealer told me the replacement unit had to be ordered specific to my VIN, so it would take a day to order the part and a day to do the install. (Since I made the appointment well in advance I was a little annoyed they didn't have the part waiting for me, but I as I got a loaner I thought NBD.)
> 
> Yesterday, I was told that the required programming had failed and they would need to keep the car another day. I picked up the car today and was told that they had difficulty getting the car programmed and they had to have the shop foreman get involved. The invoice says, "installed new combox and programmed car, programming failed 3 times, performed battery reset and then programmed car again."
> 
> ...


Exactly.


----------



## Allisonh (Nov 24, 2016)

I received the offer for my X3 and decided to deactivate. This took three days as I was told they were having software reset issues. When I picked up my car I was told I needed a new head unit on my three year old car because it was shorting out. It kept turning on and off. Not being as technical as most of you I drove off thinking this was nothing. I immediately turned around and returned to the dealer. They stated the car came in this way which was totally untrue. Eventually they agreed to replace the head unit. I then picked up my car and the sunroof would not open (nor would the panel close). I was told it needed a new motor. My car was fine with no issues before bringing it in for deactivating. I am waiting in what they will do with the sunroof motor. It sure seems like the deactivation caused these issues as it is way too much of a coincidence that these would break at the same time in a newer model. Any thoughts? Thank you.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

Best wishes. We owners have no protection from consequent damages by unscrupulous or untrained mechanics and their dealerships.

I have made the appointment to have my TCU updated, but with great trepidation. The dealership told me that they had replaced ten TCU. Wish me luck.

I will ask for a printout of all errors and condition indications found on arrival, and again when the work is complete. I will inquire of the significance of the two years parts and labor warranty. I will request an BMW NA contact to which I can appeal the dealer's errors and mistakes in work and billing.


----------



## Lumpydog (Feb 16, 2013)

Doug Huffman said:


> Best wishes. We owners have no protection from consequent damages by unscrupulous or untrained mechanics and their dealerships.
> 
> I have made the appointment to have my TCU updated, but with great trepidation. The dealership told me that they had replaced ten TCU. Wish me luck.
> 
> I will ask for a printout of all errors and condition indications found on arrival, and again when the work is complete. I will inquire of the significance of the two years parts and labor warranty. I will request an BMW NA contact to which I can appeal the dealer's errors and mistakes in work and billing.


As I posted earlier - while mine took just over a week to swap (I was the first at my dealer), it works as advertised. I've tested the BMW assist features and it all runs as it is supposed to. Bluetooth still works as well.

I mentioned I lost some coding that had been done because the dealer had to recode some modules. I've had my coding re-done and all BMW assist features still run just fine.

I'm back to where I was prior to the retrofit and everything works well.

I guess I'm saying - the retrofit works when the dealer knows what they are doing. If you've had your car re-coded, expect to have to re-do some of it.

You should be OK at this point Doug


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

Lumpydog said:


> As I posted earlier - while mine took just over a week to swap ... You should be OK at this point Doug


Thanks for the good wishes. I can't afford a week in a motel away from my home; I mean that I can but shouldn't have to, and I'll die of boredom, or Milady Wife will kill me.


----------



## D1A3 (Jan 13, 2016)

Just had the retrofit completed on my 2012 X5 35d with mixed results...

Upon completion (first time), i drove away from the dealer and within 30 seconds (or less) had all numerous warning lights come on the dash. Mostly indicating my skid control and a rollover sensor (?) was malfunctioning. Turned around and after a second reprogramming was told that the steering wheel must not have been centered. OK, hmmm... Dealer told me they needed to do a drive cycle after the reprogramming. Seemed odd.

All seemed fine until I tried sending a POI to the vehicle via google and it did not come through. I then noticed that text messages received while driving were not coming through. This led me to uncover a host of other issues...

1. Under Connected Drive, I no longer have anything in the menu other than BMW Assist and Service Status. My other options like BMW Concierge, Roadside Assistance, etc are all gone.
2. Sending POI via the Connected Drive website no longer works.
3. The www.bwm.com/update website no longer recognizes my VIN
4. I frequently experience an issue where my iPhone 6 running 10.1.1 auto connects to the vehicle over Bluetooth (expected) but immediately connects as if making a call to itself and locks up the Bluetooth. I cannot disconnect by hanging up and am forced to disconnect Bluetooth at the phone to recover. I then turn Bluetooth back on via the phone and things seems to work.

My SW versions shown in the car are:

- Multimedia: MX-003-.005.004
- Telephone: TX-003.005.008

I called BMW Assist and was told they have my contract valid through 12/17 and all Connected Services under the Safety Plan are in place and they believe to be working. I asked if they could send a signal to the vehicle to confirm they can "see" it and they said that they show it in the system (not exactly what I asked them to do) and suggested i contact the Genius "800" number tomorrow.

Is it possible that the Dealer used the wrong programming when the retrofit was done?
Why would my VIN no longer be recognized by BMW.com/Update?

Appreciate any feedback ahead of me going back tot he dealer so I have a bit more information or know what to specifically ask.


----------



## D1A3 (Jan 13, 2016)

Just had the retrofit completed on my 2012 X5 35d with mixed results...

Upon completion (first time), i drove away from the dealer and within 30 seconds (or less) had all numerous warning lights come on the dash. Mostly indicating my skid control and a rollover sensor (?) was malfunctioning. Turned around and after a second reprogramming was told that the steering wheel must not have been centered. OK, hmmm... Dealer told me they needed to do a drive cycle after the reprogramming. Seemed odd.

All seemed fine until I tried sending a POI to the vehicle via google and it did not come through. I then noticed that text messages received while driving were not coming through. This led me to uncover a host of other issues...

1. Under Connected Drive, I no longer have anything in the menu other than BMW Assist and Service Status. My other options like BMW Concierge, Roadside Assistance, etc are all gone.
2. Sending POI via the Connected Drive website no longer works.
3. The www.bwm.com/update website no longer recognizes my VIN
4. I frequently experience an issue where my iPhone 6 running 10.1.1 auto connects to the vehicle over Bluetooth (expected) but immediately connects as if making a call to itself and locks up the Bluetooth. I cannot disconnect by hanging up and am forced to disconnect Bluetooth at the phone to recover. I then turn Bluetooth back on via the phone and things seems to work.

My SW versions shown in the car (are these the latest?):

- Multimedia: MX-003-.005.004
- Telephone: TX-003.005.008

I called BMW Assist and was told they have my contract valid through 12/17 and all Connected Services under the Safety Plan are in place and they believe to be working. I asked if they could send a signal to the vehicle to confirm they can "see" it and they said that they show it in the system (not exactly what I asked them to do) and suggested i contact the Genius "800" number tomorrow.

Is it possible that the Dealer used the wrong programming when the retrofit was done?
Why would my VIN no longer be recognized by BMW.com/Update?

Appreciate any feedback ahead of me going back tot he dealer so I have a bit more information or know what to specifically ask.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

ConnectedDrive options are listen on and after page 237 of our owners manual.
Your item 2. Is the reason for upgrading the TCU is it not?
I hope you wrote out the bmw.com URL because that is not BMW's address that I recall.
iPhone OS 10 issues are commonly reported. (My 5SE works perfectly that I can tell.)

I hope your problems are exceptional. My upgrade appointment is 0800 Tuesday.


----------



## D1A3 (Jan 13, 2016)

Yes, I have reviewed the features that are in the manual and am also familiar with the menus enough to know that "office" should include more than "Contacts" and that "Connected Drive" should include more than "BMW Online" and "Service Status."

The reason for updating the retrofit is to continue to have the BMW Assist function. I did verify that by pushing the SOS button that this function works, but why are all the menu options now gone?

The link BMW.com/update is correct and takes you to the page that you enter your last 7 of the VIN and you can update your SW. I've done that already a couple of times before. I verified the link is valid, but since the retrofit it does not recognize my VIN. Strange coincidence or something else?

With regards to the phone and Bluetooth, are the SW versions I have the latest? I cannot tell because of the website/VIN issue.

Just trying to get others feedback before challenging the dealer as I suspect I will get the "works as designed" response, which I totally disagree with.

Thanks!



Doug Huffman said:


> ConnectedDrive options are listen on and after page 237 of our owners manual.
> Your item 2. Is the reason for upgrading the TCU is it not?
> I hope you wrote out the bmw.com URL because that is not BMW's address that I recall.
> iPhone OS 10 issues are commonly reported. (My 5SE works perfectly that I can tell.)
> ...


----------



## joe555 (Nov 27, 2016)

Hi,
I have 2014 320i and the Bmw Assist contract Expiration in 04/2024. My car no Navigation, just the basic bluetooth for the phone. Please help me choose which option should I take. I plan to sell my car in a few years from now.
1. $300 BMW Lifestyle and Accessories voucher for in-Center purchases + Deactivation of existing technology
2. $200 Visa Pre-Paid Debit Card + Deactivation of existing technology
3. Retorfit of new cellular tech.
Thanks.


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

joe555 said:


> Hi,
> I have 2014 320i and the Bmw Assist contract Expiration in 04/2024. My car no Navigation, just the basic bluetooth for the phone. Please help me choose which option should I take. I plan to sell my car in a few years from now.
> 1. $300 BMW Lifestyle and Accessories voucher for in-Center purchases + Deactivation of existing technology
> 2. $200 Visa Pre-Paid Debit Card + Deactivation of existing technology
> ...


Door #2. Especially if you have a cell phone.


----------



## SkiScubaSailDud (Mar 6, 2004)

Be sure to clear out any BMW Assist messages (like Google Map sends) before you deactivate, or you could be left with a non-removable envelope icon...


----------



## diamon_d (Apr 6, 2008)

I've chosen the retrofit. My appointment with the dealer is this Monday. Then Monday evening with Octopump to re-code.


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

I would change the Monday eventing appt, a lot of shops are taking a few days to finish the retrofit


----------



## diamon_d (Apr 6, 2008)

That's what I've heard. And I asked my dealer a lot of questions beforehand. They've performed a half dozen retrofits and have completed them all within a business day. 
Of course, I'll be odd man out...


----------



## brichi (Aug 1, 2016)

hahaha of course,,, good luck man, hope it all times out for ya!


----------



## diamon_d (Apr 6, 2008)

Thanks! I'll follow up with all the details.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

My TCU was changed at BE BMW in Appleton, WI, and troublefree that I can tell so far.

Just came in from the trip and found an SMS that "Car is near home." My mobile carrier here on my Island home has not previously allowed the car to connect.


----------



## diamon_d (Apr 6, 2008)

So that's good then.


----------



## diamon_d (Apr 6, 2008)

Combox retrofit completed on my 535. No issues, just took several hours to program. Everything works as before. Send to car is super quick. 17 seconds to send an address compared to over 15 minutes before. Traffic updating is fast as well. No problems with any of the ConnectedDrive features. No Bluetooth issues. 
The retrofit did not wipe out the 7 button presets, but I did have to re-pair my phone. Seat memory, and all coding was lost. 
Set to re-code with the ultra-amazing Octopump this evening. Crazy to think how much these little things add to the enjoyment of the car. 
Onward and upward.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

diamon_d said:


> Seat memory, ... was lost.


Could'a sworn that was in the key Personal Profile.


----------



## diamon_d (Apr 6, 2008)

Oh, it might've been. I got right in, repositioned seat and mirrors and saved to M1. 
Car successfully re-coded tonight by Octopump. Even got a couple extra things coded I didn't before. It was great catching up with Rich. Now I'm up-to-date and back in business!


----------



## siraitbimmer (Dec 10, 2016)

I'm a newbie here and about to have my combox retrofit for my F30 MY 2014 (built on 09/2013); appointment will be in the next 2 weeks here in Indianapolis area. But beforehand, I want to ask couple questions:
- My combox currently can only support Bluetooth for my phone but not BT streaming for audio; will the new combox give the new feature that enables BT Audio streaming or even Office support?
- Will the dealership update the data within VIN database so in the future the VIN decoder reflects the correct information?
- I plan to purchase Satellite coding from Bimmer-Tech in a year or so, will the new combox be able to support the coding from Bimmer-Tech?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

My 2012 BTs audio and Office.


----------



## garpt (Aug 13, 2016)

Yes, you should definitely get BT for audio, you may not get Office however (emails, etc.) unless you already have it as an optional code. It can be coded, however.


----------



## JagerPgh (Oct 13, 2015)

*Second Times the Charm*

Here's an update to my reprogramming experience with my '13 328i MSport from earlier in this thread. I was originally left with a new COMBOX in the trunk, but the SOS button, Bluetooth audio, handsfree calling, and the USB port in the car did not work.

On Tuesday (12/6), I took my baby back in to the dealer for reprogramming. My SA called near the end of the day to say they didn't get a chance to get the car into the shop because, "A few things came up" and they would need to keep it overnight. (Grr!) The next day I got a call just after lunch saying the car was ready to be picked up.

I was a little hesitant to believe that they could have solved the problems that quickly, given how many times the programming failed on they first attempt. Much to my surprise, they seemed to have nailed it.

I've tested the SOS button myself as well as reconnected my iPhone for BT music and handsfree calling. Likewise, my iPod plays through the USB port like before. I was holding my breath as I went through setting everything back up, but all seems ok now.

My invoice reads, "reprogrammed combos and performed complete car encoding. cleared faults"

My car reads, "Software support for external devices:

Multimedia: MX-003.004.031
Telephone: TX-004.003.031"

When I was on the SOS test-call with BMW Assist, they still show my listed dealer as the one I bought the car from as a CPO, not my local dealership. Previously, when I had a drivetrain malfunction and tried to send telematics data to BMW it went to the old dealer and that is also who called me to set up the service appointment. I asked the BMW Assist operator how to update this information. He didn't seem to have any idea what I was talking about.

Oh, well, good enough for me right now!


----------



## madbim (May 19, 2014)

Anyone take the $300 voucher? They told me I'd receive it via email, its been a week or so and nothing yet.


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

madbim said:


> Anyone take the $300 voucher? They told me I'd receive it via email, its been a week or so and nothing yet.


LOL. Post-modern check's in the e-mail. HO ho ho.


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

Doug Huffman said:


> LOL. Post-modern check's in the e-mail. HO ho ho.


What check? You sound confused.


----------



## siraitbimmer (Dec 10, 2016)

*BMW Genius said there won't be BT audio with retrofit*



garpt said:


> Yes, you should definitely get BT for audio, you may not get Office however (emails, etc.) unless you already have it as an optional code. It can be coded, however.


Can you be little bit clear here?

Today, I just called BMW Genius and the rep asked if my car have Navigation and I said no, it only has CIC/radio professional on it; then the BMW Genius said so replacing the combox (retrofit) will not enable the BT Audio streaming, it only come at the production level. So can someone here at the forum if it can be enabled by coding after the new combox or would the combox have it enabled already?
Just for note, I called some bimmer coder, they said if it has combox installed that means it has BT audio option under telephone option menu. I checked mine it only has: Bluetooth phone and Bluetooth info on option menu. Please help me, if there is any work around. 
So far, I've been using Tune2Air but I'd like something more OEM then extra device.

Thanks for the reply.


----------



## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

BMW is now offering the retrofit on a paid basis to those that did not qualify for the no cost retrofit. It is pricy, but if you must have your car connected you now can. I've added the details to the frist post -http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=927752

Tim


----------



## Yobyot (May 17, 2005)

So there might be news here. 

After hounding BMW on Twitter and indirectly through the WSJ article of last week on this issue, BMW is now offering a "customer-pay" retrofit for approx. $800. It's oh-so-secretive and when asked the dealer can't or won't tell me what functions are available on my MY2012 F30 with CIC. But at least they are offering a combox upgrade now.


----------



## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

I mentioned this in the post above yours and have the pricing details in the first post - http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=927752

Happy holidays,
Tim


----------



## nillan (May 8, 2014)

*Term of BMW assist at purchase.*

Hello, I purchased a 2015 model X1 in December 2014. I just noticed, as a sidenote to the retrofit that my original duration for BMW assist was only 3 years to 2017 not 4 years as I have gotten on an earlier purchase for a different car. Did the terms change between 2013 and 2014?
Thx


----------



## es (Jun 30, 2003)

ConnecetdDrive services just stopped working on my 2014 X5 . I checked that web page but it says my VIN is not valid. My car is in dealership now but it looks like they do not have a clue ( Advantage BMW Houston Downtown) as they want to replace idrive module.

Is my car affected with this somehow 2014 X5 and how do I know what technology GSM is used in my car.


----------



## Anon Ymous (Feb 3, 2017)

User deleted.


----------



## Krattz (Jan 21, 2017)

tim330i said:


> In response to complaints from Bimmerfest.com members and others BMW has developed a retrofit solutions in order to provide continued BMW Assist service. BMW is also offering alternative compensation if owners prefer that option. These options *only* apply to BMW owners with Assist contracts expiring after December 31, 2016 and for vehicles equipped with a 2G GSM telematics device (e.g., COMBOX).
> 
> *NEW* If your BMW Assist contract expired before December 31, 2016 you're not eligible for the no cost retrofit or compensation. However, BMW is now offering the upgrade COMBOX on a paid basis. This means you can pony up at the parts counter for the new parts, which have an MSRP of around $550. The box requires installation, programing which will run $350. Activation is another $199 putting your total cost at $1,100. That is a steep price to pay for the feature set, but if having the connected car features is a priority to you it can now be done.
> 
> ...


I got the offer for my 2014 320i xDrive and it says sun ended 01/01/17? They are still allowing me to pick the three options, Visa, Parts, or Retro. Question I have is can I still use Bluetooth for my cell? I don't care about the Assist since I don't have Nav, nor Music Storage. Just want to make sure I can still use cell via Bluetooth. Thanks in advance for your help, Kratz

Sent from my iPad using Bimmerfest mobile app


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

BT, NAV still work. Use cell for emergencies and take the Visa and run.


----------



## gkr778 (Feb 8, 2013)

Gary J said:


> BT, NAV still work. Use cell for emergencies and take the Visa and run.


+1
I just received the $200 Visa gift card in the mail this week. The gift card has an expiration date of July 2017.


----------



## Krattz (Jan 21, 2017)

Have the option but BMW decided to have dealers turn off before selling CPO now they lost opportunity for upsell and less safe car [emoji594] BMW NA screwed this up for many people.

Sent from my iPad using Bimmerfest mobile app


----------



## grbbikracr (Dec 18, 2012)

I just reactivated my assist with the retrofit after the one that came with the car expired. Doesn't work. Now I have to go back to the dealer, car is out of warranty so hopefully things go "smoothly"


----------



## Krattz (Jan 21, 2017)

grbbikracr said:


> I just reactivated my assist with the retrofit after the one that came with the car expired. Doesn't work. Now I have to go back to the dealer, car is out of warranty so hopefully things go "smoothly"


BMW NA had me print out a voucher. Went to the dealer, made the appt then turned away. Not even offered a discount on a retro for the run around that ensued. A real mess and now no protection but ability to have it exists.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Bimmerfest mobile app


----------



## Krattz (Jan 21, 2017)

My CPO was shut off Jan 2017 which is after the shut off dates BMW is publishing. The DA feature was never explained and I had to learn about it by the car telling me to visit BMW NA website, enter in last 7 of my VIN and it gave me a choice off the three options. I'm a retired Nurse, Navy Corpsman, and know how fragile life is so of course I would have opted for the retro. Alfter a few weeks of batttle, it's now installed at no charge and the email says good u till June of 2024. Since the car is 2014 that's ten years I understand but we shall see if that date really means if u get my drift. BMW did the right thing but I should not have had to fight for it. All effected should be treated equally IMO.


----------



## SirVilhelm (Apr 4, 2017)

Hello,

I just picked up a 2014 CPO F30 and the dealer had put a black sticker over the SOS button, they tell me this feature doesn't work anymore. I didn't think anything of it until I found this thread. So I go to the website and put in my VIN, I am eligible for the swap. My question is, should I swap out the combox with the new one or take the $200 and run? My concerns are two fold, first I had to code enhanced bluetooth to get streaming (after the sales guy lied and said I already had it) and car resale value. 

If I take the $200 and run will the dealership remove the combox or otherwise make it impossible for me to have enhanced bluetooth? If I swap it out with the new combox same thing, will that somehow prevent me from having bluetooth streaming?

The money would be nice but I think I would rather have the assist feature turned on for the resale value. What has been everyone's experience?


----------



## JarrodS (May 27, 2016)

If you take the $200, you lose the ability to subscribe to the BMW Assist services. I was also told by BMW that if you have and use the Apps feature, some of the apps won't work (did not get details on that - I'm dubious about it but that is what I was told). I don't know for sure about bluetooth streaming but I don't see why that would be affected. It's essentially just a wireless local area network inside the car - don't see how it would depend on the car having a cellular connection to the outside world.

I honestly don't think it will affect resale value that much, to the average person. I don't believe the demand for BMW Assist (SOS, Concierge, send to car) etc. is very big in the aftermarket. But in my view $200 is a pittance of an incentive to permanently deactivate the feature with no opportunity to change your mind later (without paying full price for the upgrade out-of-pocket at $1000+, which would be ridiculous). Mostly for that reason, but also because I use my Apps feature and didn't want to risk losing any of that functionality, I chose to have my combox swapped. It went very smoothly. It did require them to re-code the car and I got a new version of the iDrive software as a bonus. It also required me to have to re-code my Carly modifications which was slightly annoying but no big deal.


----------



## SirVilhelm (Apr 4, 2017)

I guess my question is how they "deactivate the technology" as they say on their site. My concern would be they remove hardware that is required for bluetooth streaming. I don't know, just being cautious as that is the most used feature of my car.


----------



## JarrodS (May 27, 2016)

SirVilhelm said:


> I guess my question is how they "deactivate the technology" as they say on their site. My concern would be they remove hardware that is required for bluetooth streaming. I don't know, just being cautious as that is the most used feature of my car.


You can and should call them to verify, but my understanding is that they simply remove your car from their Assist customer database and put the sticker on the SOS button...and of course mark that your car was taken care of per the "recall" so that you can't come back later and have it swapped.


----------



## siraitbimmer (Dec 10, 2016)

SirVilhelm said:


> I guess my question is how they "deactivate the technology" as they say on their site. My concern would be they remove hardware that is required for bluetooth streaming. I don't know, just being cautious as that is the most used feature of my car.


The dealership will not take out the combox but instead the car won't be able to make call since BMW move their cell service to 4G infrastructure based. I did mine last December. I called BMW assist once the process completed and they said if your car is still under warranty of CPO then it's better to have 4G retrofit because without new device the car will not be able to update BMW database with your bimmer service history.
As far as BT streaming, if you have base headunit with the new combox, you can still code it. If you have NBT headunit, all BT streaming is part of your headunit. My car is equipped with basic headunit with new combox. I hope this helps.


----------



## SirVilhelm (Apr 4, 2017)

It does, thank you.


----------



## Gluhwein (Aug 21, 2011)

Had mine disconnected back in January. Asked for the Visa credit card compensation. 4 months later I'm still waiting. BMW NA tells me it was processed recently and I should get it "in a few weeks". Are they kidding? I'll never convince the spousal unit to buy another BMW with all the BS they put their customers through.


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

Gluhwein said:


> Had mine disconnected back in January. Asked for the Visa credit card compensation. 4 months later I'm still waiting. BMW NA tells me it was processed recently and I should get it "in a few weeks". Are they kidding? I'll never convince the spousal unit to buy another BMW with all the BS they put their customers through.


Yes pathetic that the phone carriers change technology and BMW has to come up with 3 options for you.


----------



## stealth98 (Nov 18, 2013)

diamon_d said:


> Traffic updating is fast as well. No problems with any of the ConnectedDrive features.


,

Do you have ARTTI and did you go from 3G to 4G then?


----------



## Gluhwein (Aug 21, 2011)

Gary J said:


> Yes pathetic that the phone carriers change technology and BMW has to come up with 3 options for you.


And I am *still* waiting for my money. Is this how long they wait to refund your MSDs as well?


----------



## edspilot (Jan 23, 2007)

*Upgrade Completed - Today*

06-01-2017, 7:30pm ET

I completed the selection on Tuesday, received my confirmation email, and called my dealer Bobby Rahal in Pittsburgh and scheduled it for today.

Arrived today at 7:30am. They were ready with the new Combox and started. Once the Combox was opened and ready for install, the dealer had to call BMW for a code, then could start.

Removal and replace with the new one went smooth. The main car system software update was done and it completed in the first attempt. Took about 2 hours for the software to upload.

They tested the system and then test drove and tested the system. All good.

They returned my car and I was on my way. No cost to me.

The only negative is that all of my "coding" I had done will now have to be redone. For me, that is little bother vs. getting the new Combox and updated system software.

Just my experience, your mileage may vary....

edspilot


----------



## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

BMW has released an update to the COMBOX paid retrofit option. If you're stuck without BMW ConnectedDrive this is is your best/only option - http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=984158

Tim


----------



## arnoldwf (Apr 12, 2017)

*Map Update*



MJBrown62 said:


> I have a question for participants in this discussion.
> 
> If you own a 2013 or older BMW, how many times have you purchased the navigation map updates? Annually? Twice? Never?
> 
> ...


Michael, for most, if you don't travel beyond your state, updating the map on the 2013 and older systems is a hefty price. I updated the maps this year on my 2012 528i because there were major road changes in my area and the new map seemed essential (although still they were still a year behind). The cost to obtain the disc for the older vehicles is way more than the cost of the USBs for the new systems so yeah I took my time in upgrading my maps as I knew the general areas I travel in.

However, I do see your point why complain about updating features when a simple map upgrade is not being done. :eeps:


----------



## Anon Ymous (Feb 3, 2017)

*Purchased a Used BMW So I Paid for Navigation Update*

Purchased car this year. Someone had leased the 2014 car before. The map version was the original 2013 so you know it's a 2012 map. I paid for the 2017 map update. My car is currently in the BMW Service Center. BMW and I didn't know the last driver/leaser had a body shop replaced a non-BMW external driver side mirror so power folding feature didn't work or never did when I purchased it. Made sense that the other side folded in and made the folding electric sound and not the other. BMW is replacing it for free.


----------



## silveral (Nov 7, 2015)

*BMW Assist Sunsetting for older models?*

Sorry to restart this older thread. Trying to verify (or alert) what I'm discovering from BMW regarding BMW Assist. Like some of you, I updated the combox to the next generation model when it was offered in late-2016. I've renewed every year, and my renewal was coming up on 3/1/2021. After 3 calls to BMW assist and 1 call to BMW NA Customer Service to renew, they are not renewing any future BMW Assist plans for older BMW's (supposedly 2016 and older). Three people told me it was because the new combox was 3G. After clearing that up that it was a 4G box, the last person told me that it actually was because BMW Assist just won't be offering any services compatible to older models (no clear reason given). I only had the Safety Plan. 

Anyone else know of this issue or can offer more information? 

Thanks,
Alan
2012 BMW X5d


----------



## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

I have had no error notifications and I updated in 2016. We both have BMW Assist 1-800 toll free and it is in the iDrive Telephone Phone Book.


----------



## silveral (Nov 7, 2015)

I'm having no errors -- it works fine. I've already called BMW Assist. It's expiring in 10 days, and BMW Assist will not renew my plan based on my previous explanation. They are all saying that this is a new way-forward with BMW Assist as of 2/1/2021. So if your subscription does not run out for another 11 months or less, your good until then -- but no renewals after that. Mine runs out 3/1/2021. At least that's what BMW is telling me.


----------



## Gary J (Dec 18, 2013)

In my older models like 2013 X5 Assist worked well after when they said it would not.


----------



## silveral (Nov 7, 2015)

Just a follow-up. My subscription to BMW Assist expired 3/1/21, as stated by BMW that it would (verbally and on website), even though I had the next gen combox installed. They just simply will not renew my subscription to my 2012 X5d, saying older models will not have a viable plan going forward. Very disappointing, and perplexing knowing that the vehicle can receive the 4g signal.


----------

