Baiko

I just called BMW to turn on BMW Assist service for my 2004 BMW 530i. The operator took my VIN and told me my TCU has been off since 2004. That i need to go to a dealer to get it turned back on.

Now i don't understand this. Can someone help me explain? Can I turn it back on myself without going to the dealer?

Thanks,

Baiko

kscarrol

Wow, not familiar with this one. Did you buy the carused/CPO? Back in 2004 when I bought my car, you got the BMW assist for 1 year then had to pay. I know I let mine lapse because the TCU and BMW Assist was unable to track stolen cars. That functionality was added later and is now part of the service but older cars could not be retrofitted to make this work. If you bought the 530 used, the prior owner may have let the service lapse. Now as for the TCU being off, never heard of that. Maybe once the BMW Assist service is discontinued, the device shuts down. Another option is that there was a recall for older TCU's as it may fail and make the BMW Assist inoperative. Try a search here or ask the dealer...

Edit: Did a search here and can't find it on the forum but I know I got a letter maybe 5-6 months ago about the tcu/BMW assist issue. Since I had let my assist expire years ago, I threw the letter away...

Bedford530i

I have a 2004 530i and my TCU got turned off this year because it actually caused static noise in my sound system. This "static noise" has been an ongoing problem in my car since I bought it new. Instead of fixing the TCU, BMWNA decided that since it wasn't being used, they could just disable it and call it a day.

I have been told that if I want the TCU replaced, I just need to subscribe to BMW Assist and my dealership will replace it... I plan on doing this before my warranty runs out next year.

Thinking back now, I should have called BMW Assist to activate it when I first got the car (I didn't because I wasn't particularly interested in the service).

scottsalisbury

You have a good opportunity to get a new TCU under warranty if you hurry up. Go to BMW and ask to have the BMW Assist feature activated. They may ask you for a credit card for the $200 annual fee. Agree and give them the credit card number. Then they may pass you over to the sales department who may ask you for your credit card again. If you have the same result as I did they WILL NOT be able to activate the BMW assist and will need to replace your TCU at no charge ($1800 value) and update your software to the most recent version. Then you will have Bluetooth etc.