I got my car back today. The dealer had it for two days for:

1. Replace cracked windshield
2. Replace stock steering wheel with heated wheel. No heat, but much thicker wheel with better feel.
3. Upgrade software. Now v 13.3 - no v 14 here yet.
4. Fix creaky doors - carbaflowed
5. Fix stitching in driver's seat. Some stitching was failing - you'd never know now.

These guys did an amazing job. The car is flawless, everything I complained about in the software is fixed, I love the new steering wheel, I love the Bluetooth connectivity and voice command phone.

My phone is a Cingular Motorola V551. Works fine, address book synced, etc. It was my dealer's first time, and they had no problem. My car is a May 2004 build.

It's like getting a new car. I honestly don't notice that much steering change. I expected a big difference. If it changed, which folks are saying, it's subtle, or there's a setting that they didn't set for me.

I love those guys.

 

Congrats on the "new" ride. It's nice to hear about a good dealer - which one is this? Also, do you have Nav?

 

No nav.

I use East Bay BMW in Pleasanton. They're the best.

 

It's beautiful thing! Your car now has the same feature set as a MY2005. next year you will go throught this again and then MY2006. We bitch and moan about the software, but it in long run we will all be happier.

 

Yeah, it's a killer for the manufacturer and dealers, but a benefit for us, as we get the new stuff. Too bad we have to deal with bugs along the way.

 

Also, when I called my wife, she heard an echo until I turned down my volume. Pretty standard issue for this type of system, but it's still present in v. 13.3 FWIW.

 

I have tested this quite extensively. The key is to turn the volume down and also speak softly. This is difficult as its only natural to raise your voice when there is ambient sound. But you will find that will make a difference.

 

And, they're looking into getting a cradle for my phone. The part number on the X5 sire was not matching anything, but they're calling BMW tech support on Monday to see if they can find a cradle that'll work with teh V551. That would be nice. For now, it's in the glove box, plugged into the 12V adaptor underneath.

 

i have a 04/04 production but my dealer couldn't do the bt for me . what did you tell them ? any magic words you can teach my clueless dealer?

 

That is great to hear John. I have a service appointment with East Bay next week to do BlueTooth (Sony T637) and upgrade my software as part of a previous DME recall campaign. I'm also going to have them activate the rear airbags and do a couple other things as well. They are a center of excellence (three years running), so they're really working to keep the ratings up and customers happy. What kind of loaner did you get? I was in there a couple weeks ago getting my X5 CPO'd for a family member and got a X3, hoping for a Z4 next time

As far as the cradle goes, one of the parts guys at Allison supposedly has the inside line on some cradles, not sure about the one you mention. I think the guy's name is Mike, but it has been awhile since I spoke with him. Parts is about the only thing I go to Allison for, which is a shame given that they are 5 minutes from my office. I'll drive the extra 30 minutes from my home in Fremont for better service every time.