schwim

My 2004 545i is in for a little love. While its in there, I'd like to name a few "problems" that can be addressed by software upgrades, and the like while under warranty. I have about 8 months left on the coverage, so I think now is the time to start shopping for everything I can out of the warranty while I have it.

Any suggestions on what I should ask to be enabled/upgraded/fixed/adjusted/modified/tampered with/etc, etc, ad nauseum, while it is still on BMW's dime? I'm a fairly new owner (just got it yesterday), so I could use a little guidance on what I should have done.

I see from a recent post CIP 26* is out. Is that even applicable?

Rudy

Probably the easiest problem to complain about is the CD player continuing to play while the car is off. In other words, start listening to a song on the CD player then turn the car off. Wait about 20 or 30 minutes (not less that 20) and turn the car back on. If the playback starts somewhere else on the disc (as if it wasn't "paused") then you should be able to use that as your complaint...

schwim

Actually, I think that has happened, but I'm impatient and still playing with my new toy.

So, I have a complaint (along with static on the radio - saw that one, actually have it). What am I looking for out of that complaint?

BTW - I'm looking for any excuse to get them to enable bluetooth, which I believe the car has but isn't enabled. What other things should I have on my shopping list? MP3s? Other?

I guess what I'm asking for is "what things would you ask to have done given the knowledge and experience you've had with the E60"?

Rudy

Do you happen to know what month your car was built? If you have no idea, look at the sticker on the driver's door jamb. It should indicate the month and year. If it's well after 3/2004, then you should be able to get Bluetooth with just a software upgrade and a "retrofit tel bluetooth" procedure. Also, they can retrofit MP3 playback functionality at the same time. Usually, since they're probably going to be doing a warranty software upgrade anyway, they won't charge you for the retrofits of BT and MP3 since I think it's simply an extra click or two to check the proper boxes. If they try to charge you, it shouldn't be too much though...

schwim

Heh... Of course, just to keep it interesting, I'm in 3/04. Someone had posted a VIN decrypter, and it confirmed it. However, I have with the car some bluetooth documentation (key, procedure, etc, with serial #s or whatever) at least indicating there should be support.

I plan on asking for MP3 and bluetooth at the very least. I have no idea what else might be available, so any suggestions are most welcome.

Rudy

If you're a 3/04 production (based on the door jamb sticker, not any VIN decoder) then you're best bet is to call BMWNA and give them your VIN. They'll confirm whether or not you have the updated TCU that's required for BT functionality with only a software update. Forget whatever documentation you got with the car, all of them came with a BT passkey card, etc. but it means absolutely nothing.

JayDee427

Hey Rudy, the production month for my e60 is 07/2004 (B114146) and I don't have BT or MP3 playback ability. So are these things something that I should ask my SA to look into?

Rudy

A 7/2004 production car only needs a software upgrade to have Bluetooth and MP3 capability.

Although it's been posted dozens of times here, the following service bulletin explains the BT retrofit issue:
BT_TSB_6_2005.pdf
And the following will explain the MP3 retrofit issue -- keep in mind that this is only for cars with navigation:
SI_B65_30_05___updated__MP3_.pdf

schwim

OK, my SA told me they looked at the vehicle and that it was just to the wrong side of the 03/2004 cutoff, so the TCU does not support bluetooth. So I decided to call BMWNA for confirmation.

This is where it gets odd...

BMWNA told me they cannot find an actual build date for my VIN! The rep I spoke with said the best he could do was give an estimate, and that the car was *likely* built in 03/2004. He said the best thing I could do was have the SA check the computer to see if it is possible to turn on BT.

This is truly odd! As far as I can tell, the previous owner acquired the car on European Delivery. Maybe that is the reason BMWNA couldn't tell for sure?

That said, any suggested "complaints" I can share with my SA that might cause him to have to replace the TCU with a newer model? I told him of the static on the radio already, but I'm not sure this is a TCU replacement effort to fix.

Rudy

At this point, you could always look at the TCU part number to see which version it is...