I do nto know exactly how to describe this, but I will try

Under the service area in the i drive menu there is a function for having BMW track your car - you see the long and latittude - but you can turn this off

Does it cost anything to have this on?

Does it need to be on for BMW to notify you when service is needed?

 

I think the tracking comes as part of a BMWAssist subscription (which is free for the first year but renewable for a fee after that.)

The service notification is automatic and free -- whenever one of the condition-based or scheduled services (CBS) shows up as due (about 30 days before the due date), the car will place a call (on it's own internal phone) to the service network and your dealer will most likely call you to schedule an appointment...

 

Interesting, I'll have to ask about this on Thursday when I bring my car in. The iDrive/OBC started warning me three weeks ago that I was due to change my brake fluid. No call from the dealer based on a phone call form the car. Either my system is not functioning correctly or the fact that I have let BMW Assist lapse means I am no longer getting that service. I'll ask the service folks on Thursday.

 

I don't think all dealers are as "up-to-date" on procedures, etc. for calling the customer back. As you know, the dealer network is independently operated so it's probably up to the individual establishments as to what they do when a service request is received...

 

Good point Rudy! Knowing my dealer they get the notification and choose not to call... :thumbsdown:

 

My car, through the I-Drive, has notified me twice that service is due and that a message has been sent to my dealer. Each time I waited one week for the dealer to call and then finally called them on my own to schedule service. The first time they claimed they never received the info. The second time they blamed the SA.

This is a good concept but the dealer has to follow-up for it to work.

 

My dealer called me right on schedule -- 30 days prior to the expiration of my state inspection expiry. They said the car placed the call and I verified that it did by looking in the service menu.

Clearly, some dealers are better than others at this high-tech stuff...

 

My service call went off also during the new years holiday I think on Dec 30th or so. Dealer called me I believe this past Wednesday or Thursday. I'm scheduled for Jan 16th with a whole long list of stuff ... maybe a 2nd set of runflats too, who knows.

 

I am glad that BMW is contacting some people. My question for those of you that have been contacted - if you go into the i drive menu, then to service, then did you enable this so thet can track your car - or not - or it does not matter

 

Car tracking is not the same as service notification, as far as I know.

If you are still under your first year of BMWAssist, why not give them a call and have them explain things to you?