lovinthe545

I just got a call from my SA. He said that they turned on the bluetooth!!! Nice! I asked him what version of software and he said the latest and greatest but told me he didn't know what version. YEA RIGHT! What is up with dealerships lying... Also, he said that my idling is normal and that the V8 doesn't idle as smoothly as the V6. Another BS story from BMW. The car should idle without even feeling it in the driver's seat. I can feel it ever so slightly. Not a big deal but for a car that expensive I am going to be super picky.

On top of it all for a loaner they give me a 325xi that had Run Flats on it but i don't think they were balanced. It was very loud while driving. And the loaner was showing it was low in coolant and it needed serviced. It also had regular plates on it. I hope i wasn't driving someone elses car that was in for service!!!

Rudy

Glad the BT issue is finally resolved. To be fair, most SA's have no idea what version of software they are using so it's very possible he's telling the truth. Most customers never ask for the specific version (except E60.netters) so the safe answer is "the latest and greatest" because that's what they are usually installing (but it changes so often that it's hard to keep track.) If you ask the SA to have the tech check the version, I'm sure you'll be able to get a better answer.

My 545 has a rough idle too -- nothing much to worry about if it's only a slight one.

As far as the loaners, the ones my dealer uses don't have dealer plates on them either. They are cars that the dealer buys (or leases) from BMW but I think they get a substantial discount if the cars are used as service loaners. As far as it's condition, these cars are probably used heavily with little downtime to take care of service issues. Also, because there's not one person always driving the car, it's possible that nobody is complaining about the issues and/or the condition of the car. Do your dealer a favor and let him know about the coolant warning and service indicator. At least you did the right thing by telling them about it...

amd20

just called BMWNA (800-831-1117) only to find out that my production date is 01/04. Ouch- missed it by 2 months! This is after I spoke to the dealer and he told me 3/04 (which is the cutoff for BT TCU). But BMWNA told me that's the sale service date NOT production. So, just because of that- I gotta shell out another $500-1000 for another TCU!? Anyone know of anywhere I can buy a remanufactured/used TCU? Hopefully to save some money...

jkb

Hi!
Can you please let me know some detail of what to ask the dealer for in order to get the BT going? Mine is a May 2004 produced E60 (530i). I've been to the dealer multiple times and the parts guys keeps swearing that there's no way I can get BT working in my car. He, infact, tells me that my car does not even have a TCU (because it has the SOS button by the rearview mirror) ... which I find hard to believe!!

cap217

I had my car checked at one dealer and said that b/c of the date I could not have BT.... then my other dealer checked and said yes, even after everyone else n the dealership said no. It took an hour to upgrade to software but was free. And now it works! So I am going to say yes you can have it, I have the sos button by the mirror and lights. Ans its an 04'.

Rudy

Your dealer is clueless -- all E60's have a TCU (and the presence of the SOS button only confirms that!)

You really need to find another dealer -- I'm not sure I'd trust this one with much!!

Either way, show them the following service bulletin. It clealy (or not so clearly) states that 3/4 production cars only need a software fix to get BT working. (Older cars need a new TCU.)

BT_TSB_6_2005.pdf

jkb

Thanks! I will try this and let you know what happens.
Btw, would you happen to have any idea of approximately how much it should cost to get that software update? I just bought this car 3 days ago ... and it's a CPO.

ademitt

You should only be getting BT services enabled provided your software is relatively up to date. This should take an hour or so unless the TCU does not take the programming.

It's difficult to predict the programming time as problems can occur. I would suggest 1 to 2 hours would be reasonable.

lovinthe545

I started this thread. I have the March 04 545 and bluetooth is now working great! It cost me $105. I had the transmission slam problem too so they did the software upgrade. when doing the software upgrade they turned on the bluetooth. GOOD LUCK!