alohalc

gdavis, glad yours is fixed and hope it won't happen again .

jdn, sorry to hear yours is still sitting in the dealer :'(. i think it's almost time for you to give them a phone call.

Aaron

This VIN issue is not new or specific to BMW. It has been around for some time now, but each critical ECU on the vehicle that communicates pertinent information has the VIN stored in its memory. Often times, the ECU must send the VIN number to the master node (in this case probably the CAS, in some others, probably the body control module) to verify that everything is correct and that the hardware and software have not been modified. If they don't have a way to reprogram or reflash a CAS at the dealership, then they probably have some approved reflash method that has to take place in Germany. Remember the manner in which they flash the CAS will also determine how long that flash memory will last in an automotive environment and they more than like have a process that at least guarantees that the CAS will "keep" that information for at least 10 years.

I know it gets frustrating and unbearable at times, but keep in mind, most delays are happening for a good reason. They should communicate these issues better, but in the meantime, enjoy your X3s and hopefully your baby will be ready and error free soon.

gdavis

JDN, sorry to hear about your CAS delay!!!! It sounds strange to me, since I took my car in to the dealer (actually the tow truck did) on Sunday night, and I got the car back on Wednesday afternoon. It could be the same module for 530s and 545s, so why are you still waiting????

If you want to call my service advisor, I can send you his name and number....

gdavis

The CAS module was US$1600 for part and labor.

JDN

That's a good offer, gdavis, that I may accept sometime next week. According to Rudy's info, the CAS has to be custom made for my VIN and options. The dealership appears to have screwed mine when they decided to update. I had no serious problems, but BMW Assist did not work, nor RDS, nor the steering wheel entry adjustment, and I had one window that on one occasion had reversed itself during raising, absolutely nothing that I considered a big issue. Funny thing is that I still do not know what the noise was that I heard around the fan when idling, nor do I know if it was fixed yet. It also was my first trip back to the dealer other than for the fuel clip recall. Is there a lesson here?