[jmciver]

Originally Posted by mitch57

Actually, this is not entirely true. My dealer has voiced his frustrations with many updates that have taken hours to perform due to unforeseen issues. Obviously, this is not the case for every update on every vehicle. However, I believe many dealers refuse to eat the cost unless their customer demands it.

In my dealer's case, they have been great at obliging me with updates. They always add a statement in the work order identifying a customer issue on a known Service Information Bulletin (SIB)/Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) in order to justify the update under a warranty claim.

I also review all the SIBs before service if I want an update that addresses a need or want that the update addresses.

Fair enough, but my experience over the years has been different. One other variable that comes into play, and what many customers may take for granted, is the relationship with the Service Advisor and/or the Service Manager - this is huge. As I have moved around quite a bit over the years due to my job, I have worked with several dealers. In all cases I have been able to develop a very good customer relationship with the SAs and in some cases, the SMs. Even with changes in policy with regards to what dealers can do, I have always been treated well. Karma works here IMHO. Also, as you mentioned, coming to the dealer armed with accurate info about the problem is always a good thing too as it helps to build a good relationship - I do this as well.

With regards to software updates in particular, I have always had very good success with getting the updates done. But then, I also had a valid reason/problem to justify it as well. In one instance I offered to pay for one as I did not think I had a valid reason, but the dealer still took care of me. As far as "issues" with software updates, I am not sure your dealer is being as transparent with you as he could be - at least not based on what I have been told by experienced BMW techs (and not all SAs are that knowledgeable either). The computers/ECUs in the older E-series BMWs were very problematic and it was not uncommon for ECUs to become "bricked" even when performing a factory software update. It was for that reason software updates were somewhat discouraged by dealers and done as more of a last resort. Also, the software updates on the older BMWs did take hours to complete as well. According to what a master tech told me once, when things usually go wrong (or long) is when the tech does not follow the troubleshooting procedures correctly. Or in some cases, the procedures themselves can take you down several "rabbit holes" before getting to the root cause of the problem. Having seen these procedures, as I have used the BMW diagnostic/technical software before (I own it), I can see how this could happen occasionally, even for a factory trained tech.

However since the F-series cars came on the scene, that is no longer the case. The ECUs are much more robust and are designed to be updated frequently, just like your cell phone. Depending on the size of the update, they don't take nearly as long either. In fact, in almost all trouble shooting procedures on modern BMWs, the first step is to update the software (I have seen this with my M3 and X7 several times).

Can things go wrong with a software update? Sure it can, and we have already seen some OTA updates that have gone horribly wrong leaving owners stranded. But if a dealer tech follows the factory procedures, a BMW software update is no more difficult than updating your cell phone (and it doesn't need to take up a bay in the shop).