Going to the dealer for Airbag Recall

[Arith2]

They should not flash the car for an airbag recall. Its a simple R&R. If they said the flashed the car or updated the software, ask for the ISTA test plan which will have the step by step instructions. They need to print it for the warranty payment from BMW so they have it.

Dealers will do recall campaigns to get cars in to do a multi-point inspection and find stuff. They will also sell you stuff like the 3 year oil change plan which is mostly a waste for non-turbo cars. BUT...the dealer might have value service. If they do, the brakes are usually a really good deal - parts at cost and discounted labor.

I can confirm the $225 3 year service is absolutely not available for anything that takes 10W60. I had an advisor at my dealer check because I wanted to buy it. Dealers giving them out are unable to submit to BMW for the warranty.

[usdmej]

It was mentioned that they put out a “do not drive” notice… meaning they don’t want to be liable for people to drive to the dealer for the recall. Now that’s a great tip to demand a mobile service!!

my local dealership didn't do mobile service, so to be in compliance with the "do not drive" notice, they required that my vehicle be towed in. in order for the tow to be comp'd it had to be scheduled through the takata airbag recall (i ended up telling them it would be towed and just drove it in myself).
dealing with the service advisors was every bit as aggravating as expected, but the actual work done was excellent, driver airbag actually came back slightly better aligned than i had it (springs had been mangled from years of removal/replacement) and the passenger side airbag was just as i dropped it off.

[x X Cloud X x]

Dam every car fanatics worse nightmare bringing in the car for a simple air bag recall and having them fuck shit up like reflashing a new update.... Its why I still haven't bought mine in and I don't know how but they even left a big sticker recall on my windshield when I travelled to another state to visit family

[inline.6]

Dam every car fanatics worse nightmare bringing in the car for a simple air bag recall and having them fuck shit up like reflashing a new update.... Its why I still haven't bought mine in and I don't know how but they even left a big sticker recall on my windshield when I travelled to another state to visit family

I get a letter or postcard every couple months, but someone went out and physically tagged up your car!? Woah

[bigjae46]

I can confirm the $225 3 year service is absolutely not available for anything that takes 10W60. I had an advisor at my dealer check because I wanted to buy it. Dealers giving them out are unable to submit to BMW for the warranty.

Is that a recent change?

[BMW_QAS]

I had my '03 done last year. I removed all the dash trim, the passenger side air vent and airbag clip under it. I believe there was a Y-Tube video that I used. I did tell the service advisor that I neither wanted nor required any other service and to not perform any software updates or maintenance to the car other than what was mandated by the airbag recall. After that I made sure I got a copy of the paperwork before they started. Of course they did the typical inspection and recommendation for service. I declined collected my car and went on my way.

Remove everything in their way unless you want it broken. Take pictures before and after. Be clear and specific with the Service Advisor. If they seem unsure try to talk to the tech or the techs supervisor that will perform everything.

[Arith2]

Is that a recent change?

No, it was never a thing from what they said. They found it a bit funny other dealerships are selling this for M cars. They think they are just doing it to keep their customer base. The idea is spend $140 and maybe up sell something.

[bigjae46]

No, it was never a thing from what they said. They found it a bit funny other dealerships are selling this for M cars. They think they are just doing it to keep their customer base. The idea is spend $140 and maybe up sell something.

The place I used work at said it included 10w-60 but I’d never sell it. Most of those cars are not DD’s so they’d never really get the value out of it. And your stuck coming to the stealer.

[Arith2]

The place I used work at said it included 10w-60 but I’d never sell it. Most of those cars are not DD’s so they’d never really get the value out of it. And your stuck coming to the stealer.

Well there's an SIB stating regardless of mileage, you can get it done at the one year mark. If you don't do it on the exact day, you can only get two oil changes though.

[bigjae46]

Well there's an SIB stating regardless of mileage, you can get it done at the one year mark. If you don't do it on the exact day, you can only get two oil changes though.

There's some calculator that you plug the mileage and date into. I also factored in the inconvenience of taking 2+ hours to do a stupid oil change and washing the car. Also the dealership was in a bad neighborhood. Literally...hookers walking on the sidewalk of the stealership. I'd cross the street and pass by a hooker. Yeah, the stealership was a hot mess.

[Arith2]

There's some calculator that you plug the mileage and date into. I also factored in the inconvenience of taking 2+ hours to do a stupid oil change and washing the car. Also the dealership was in a bad neighborhood. Literally...hookers walking on the sidewalk of the stealership. I'd cross the street and pass by a hooker. Yeah, the stealership was a hot mess.

I know a flat earther that works at Houston's dealership 😂

[bigjae46]

I know a flat earther that works at Houston's dealership 😂

There's a couple of them no doubt.

[Arith2]

There's a couple of them no doubt.

The good news is if he did get your car, he wasn't a bad tech when he worked next to me here. He did some decent work on E46s that actually impressed for his newness to the industry at the time. I will say about the oil change, it's almost impossible to see anything other than the time it takes for an oil change but there are so many factors at play for a simple service. Dealers are in this whole do a bunch of extra stuff for free to provide better service. That takes time. I'm not sure how it was or how long it's been since you've been a tech but over the past couple years, it takes me another 10 to 15 minutes on average for an oil change. We also don't have hourly kids a lube techs. To me this is preferred because those are typically the idiots that blow up engines.

[bigjae46]

The good news is if he did get your car, he wasn't a bad tech when he worked next to me here. He did some decent work on E46s that actually impressed for his newness to the industry at the time. I will say about the oil change, it's almost impossible to see anything other than the time it takes for an oil change but there are so many factors at play for a simple service. Dealers are in this whole do a bunch of extra stuff for free to provide better service. That takes time. I'm not sure how it was or how long it's been since you've been a tech but over the past couple years, it takes me another 10 to 15 minutes on average for an oil change. We also don't have hourly kids a lube techs. To me this is preferred because those are typically the idiots that blow up engines.

I was an advisor. There was fast lane which was the slow lane. I prayed a tech got my maintenance tickets. The fast lane techs were former porters. Some turned out good but most were terrible. I could mount and balance 4 tires faster and better than all but 1.

God help you if you brought an M car in for service. I'd have to walk back there and tell the fast lane boob the specific fluids that they needed to use. I caught a fast lane tech putting 0w-30 from the gun into a E90 M3 CRT that was imported (I think its the only one in the US)...I mean holy sh1t!

And how many times on the S65 - customer picks up the car and the oil is overfilled. I had to tell them that too. Oh, that's what the extra crush washer is for...WTF!

[Halftim3]

Just to update, i just had both my airbags replaced with the newest updated version. I requested the mobile repair and it was quick and i was observing him the whole 20 minutes. No issues and I'm glad its done. He said there were 2 versions and i got the latest ones. I hope you folks get yours replaced soon. Drive safe.