[jbdennard]

Originally Posted by swissguy

I have the March 2020 version 03/2020.24 I posted a picture in an earlier post. It was installed about 4 weeks ago.

Did the dealer have to do the update or can you do it remotely?

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by Hoosbest

Just came back from my dealer for a routine maintenance. My dealer just told me they won't update the idrive software unless there is an issue. I have the July version - but know they have rolled out November 2019 and March 2020. Has anyone come across that one?

That is the "standard" response from most SA's at dealers. Some dealers may go so far to say that updating the software can possibly hurt the car, damaging ECUs and they won't do it unless there is a verifiable problem. That last excuse is "partial BS". While it is true that 90's era and older BMWs had ECUs that were prone to failure when conducting firmware updates, that is not the case today. The electronic modules/ECUs in modern BMWs are just as robust as a typical cell phone or computer and can be updated fairly quickly without danger of damage. The BMW update process is analogous to plugging in your iPhone to your computer, opening up iTunes, then downloading and updating your phone.

However, if you complain "enough" about iDrive and/or cell phone connectivity and performance issues, even if the dealer can't reproduce the issue, many times their easiest recourse to solve the issue is to upgrade the software. After all, they do want to keep their customers happy and updating the software is literally a plug in, point and click. As an example, I had an issue where the maps were not updating properly on my M3, which was very difficult if not impossible to reproduce. All I thought they were going to do was update the maps manually, but they also updated the car's software (also called I-Step) as well. YMMV of course...

Having a good relationship with your SA also helps with stuff like this...

[Hoosbest]

Originally Posted by jmciver

That is the "standard" response from most SA's at dealers. Some dealers may go so far to say that updating the software can possibly hurt the car, damaging ECUs and they won't do it unless there is a verifiable problem. That last excuse is "partial BS". While it is true that 90's era and older BMWs had ECUs that were prone to failure when conducting firmware updates, that is not the case today. The electronic modules/ECUs in modern BMWs are just as robust as a typical cell phone or computer and can be updated fairly quickly without danger of damage. The BMW update process is analogous to plugging in your iPhone to your computer, opening up iTunes, then downloading and updating your phone.

However, if you complain "enough" about iDrive and/or cell phone connectivity and performance issues, even if the dealer can't reproduce the issue, many times their easiest recourse to solve the issue is to upgrade the software. After all, they do want to keep their customers happy and updating the software is literally a plug in, point and click. As an example, I had an issue where the maps were not updating properly on my M3, which was very difficult if not impossible to reproduce. All I thought they were going to do was update the maps manually, but they also updated the car's software (also called I-Step) as well. YMMV of course...

Having a good relationship with your SA also helps with stuff like this...

Agree. Very disappointing on a customer service side. First time that has happened in all the years going to the same dealer and used the same logic above with them. Why put a remote software update on the Connected Drive app and not enable it and then have your dealer say we won't update it either. Service levels going downhill across the board.

[MB21]

Originally Posted by Hoosbest

Agree. Very disappointing on a customer service side. First time that has happened in all the years going to the same dealer and used the same logic above with them. Why put a remote software update on the Connected Drive app and not enable it and then have your dealer say we won't update it either. Service levels going downhill across the board.

I had my software updated to iDrive March 2020 and all is fine, however the problem I had with 3D view still exist, worked only at dealer....

[exokiss]

Originally Posted by swissguy

I have the March 2020 version 03/2020.24 I posted a picture in an earlier post. It was installed about 4 weeks ago.

Strange. I just picked up mine (April 17th) and the version is 11/2019.55
Should I bother the dealer?

[iconoclast]

I would wait until the break-in service.

[Heimdall]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

I would wait until the break-in service.

May i ask what's the break-in service?

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

I would wait until the break-in service.

As far as I know, non M cars don't get the 1200 mile break in service (or also called run in service) unless BMW has changed this policy. The M cars are the ones that have the M specific engines like the S58 in the new X3M for example. They also usually have upgraded rear differentials as well (also called M Differentials). So that means that none of the X7 variants, including the M50i which shares the same N63 engine with the 50i, will get the break in service from BMW. I know my 40i does not call it out and if you look in the maintenance booklet that comes with the X7, only the M cars are called out for the service (the M50i is not called out).

That said, it doesn't mean you can't do one even though it will be on your dime. I plan to do one at 1200 miles, specifically changing the engine oil. I may even do a DIY oil change. The M car break in service also includes changing the differential oil as well, but I am not sure I will do that on the X7. I need to do a bit more research on the diff on the X7 first to see if it is worth it and how difficult the job is...

[iconoclast]

First service on mine was completed at approximately 1400 miles however at that time I had an open recall and camera was flickering. All of this was resolved along with oil change. I did not pay out of pocket. I was not aware our vehicles were not part of the normal maintenance schedule I have grown accustom to with BMW but in the same vein nothing was mentioned in the manual everything stated to refer to the vehicle.

Originally Posted by Heimdall

May i ask what's the break-in service?

On my other BMW vehicles it consists of oil change and dealer removes component protection to all full use of the vehicle.
As JMciver stated above it does not apply to the X7 however I still had oil change completed along with a recall at about the 1400 mile mark.

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

First service on mine was completed at approximately 1400 miles however at that time I had an open recall and camera was flickering. All of this was resolved along with oil change. I did not pay out of pocket. I was not aware our vehicles were not part of the normal maintenance schedule I have grown accustom to with BMW but in the same vein nothing was mentioned in the manual everything stated to refer to the vehicle.



On my other BMW vehicles it consists of oil change and dealer removes component protection to all full use of the vehicle.
As JMciver stated above it does not apply to the X7 however I still had oil change completed along with a recall at about the 1400 mile mark.

It is interesting that the dealer would replace your oil at that mileage when your X7 was in for a recall. That would indicate that the dealer techs don't understand their own BMW policies and procedures regarding the 1200 mile break in service requirement as it is only applicable to M cars (including the X3M, X4M, X5M and X6M). Maybe they got "confused" that your X7 has the M Sport package - sad but probably true. Or maybe the recall required the oil change for some other reason (but I doubt it).

On M cars, the Condition Based Service (CBS) in iDrive will also tell you when the break in service is due. When your vehicle was in for the recall and the dealer changed the oil, hopefully they did not reset the engine oil reset in iDrive. According to BMW, the oil should be changed every 10k miles or 12 months, and iDrive keeps track of the oil resets as other CBS maintenance items are tied to the oil reset intervals. For the M cars that get the 1200 mile run in service, the procedure specifically states to not reset the oil service indicator for this reason.

For my M3, which also has a CBS oil change requirement of 10k miles or 12 months, I did mid service oil changes every 5k miles. However, when I did them, I did not reset the CBS oil service in iDrive as I wanted to still maintain the proper CBS clock interval that is stored in iDrive. I have not decided yet, but I will probably do mid service intervals for the X7 as well since I intend to keep it for the long haul. As far as the BMW maintenance schedule, it is not included in the manual, but it is a separate booklet that came with your manual. While not as informational with BMW routine maintenance as it used to be with older BMWs, it still provides good info about the current BMW maintenance cycle.

And if you are curious, oil changes on late model BMWs are not expensive either if you would like to do mid interval oil changes, even if you don't want to DIY. Now I wouldn't take my X7 to Jiffy Lube, but most dealers will typically run oil change specials that make it an almost no-brainer from a cost perspective. For example, my local BMW dealer has an oil change special for all 6-cyl BMWs for $50 - and that includes access to a loaner if you need one (and all other BMW service center amenities). M cars are extra, of course, as the infamous BMW "M Tax" is applied. But fortunately, the X7 is not an M car. Even for a DIY guy like myself it is enticing when you take into account the cost of the oil, filter and disposing of the used oil.

[mitch57]

Originally Posted by jmciver

It is interesting that the dealer would replace your oil at that mileage when your X7 was in for a recall. That would indicate that the dealer techs don't understand their own BMW policies and procedures regarding the 1200 mile break in service requirement as it is only applicable to M cars (including the X3M, X4M, X5M and X6M). Maybe they got "confused" that your X7 has the M Sport package - sad but probably true. Or maybe the recall required the oil change for some other reason (but I doubt it).

On M cars, the Condition Based Service (CBS) in iDrive will also tell you when the break in service is due. When your vehicle was in for the recall and the dealer changed the oil, hopefully they did not reset the engine oil reset in iDrive. According to BMW, the oil should be changed every 10k miles or 12 months, and iDrive keeps track of the oil resets as other CBS maintenance items are tied to the oil reset intervals. For the M cars that get the 1200 mile run in service, the procedure specifically states to not reset the oil service indicator for this reason.

For my M3, which also has a CBS oil change requirement of 10k miles or 12 months, I did mid service oil changes every 5k miles. However, when I did them, I did not reset the CBS oil service in iDrive as I wanted to still maintain the proper CBS clock interval that is stored in iDrive. I have not decided yet, but I will probably do mid service intervals for the X7 as well since I intend to keep it for the long haul. As far as the BMW maintenance schedule, it is not included in the manual, but it is a separate booklet that came with your manual. While not as informational with BMW routine maintenance as it used to be with older BMWs, it still provides good info about the current BMW maintenance cycle.

And if you are curious, oil changes on late model BMWs are not expensive either if you would like to do mid interval oil changes, even if you don't want to DIY. Now I wouldn't take my X7 to Jiffy Lube, but most dealers will typically run oil change specials that make it an almost no-brainer from a cost perspective. For example, my local BMW dealer has an oil change special for all 6-cyl BMWs for $50 - and that includes access to a loaner if you need one (and all other BMW service center amenities). M cars are extra, of course, as the infamous BMW "M Tax" is applied. But fortunately, the X7 is not an M car. Even for a DIY guy like myself it is enticing when you take into account the cost of the oil, filter and disposing of the used oil.

So what do you do about the nagging "Service Due" warnings that will continue to pop up because you changed the oil at 7500 miles and now your vehicle doesn't need the oil to be changed again until17500 miles. That's 7500 miles of iDrive nagging you to change your oil.

That would be extremely annoying to me.

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by mitch57

So what do you do about the nagging "Service Due" warnings that will continue to pop up because you changed the oil at 7500 miles and now your vehicle doesn't need the oil to be changed again until17500 miles. That's 7500 miles of iDrive nagging you to change your oil.

That would be extremely annoying to me.

I won't get any nagging "service due" warnings because the only time the oil service indicator will be reset will be when I take it to the dealer for one of the included BMW oil changes, the first one being at 10k miles as read on the odometer or 1 year (but I usually hit the milage limit based on how much I drive). What I did with my M3 is as follows:

1. Brought it to the dealer for the 1200 mile break in service (CBS told me it was due) - mine was done a little early at ~1000 miles or so, but close enough for me. After service was complete, CBS in iDrive says next oil change is due in ~8800 miles.

2. At 5k miles on the odometer, I performed a DIY mid interval oil change. I did not reset the oil service indicator. CBS still says next oil change is due in ~5k miles.

3. At 10k miles on the odometer, I brought it to the dealer for the first BMW included oil service. The dealer resets the oil service indicator, which now says next oil change is due in 10k miles.

4. Rinse and repeat in 5k miles for my next mid interval oil change...

So I basically did short cycle the first mid interval oil change since the oil was only 3800 miles old. But I wanted to keep my oil changes in line with the actual mileage on the odometer, having them done every 5k miles. This is how I would do it on my X7 as well.

[iconoclast]

Originally Posted by mitch57

So what do you do about the nagging "Service Due" warnings that will continue to pop up because you changed the oil at 7500 miles and now your vehicle doesn't need the oil to be changed again until17500 miles. That's 7500 miles of iDrive nagging you to change your oil.

You pay for one and get the scheduled one as planned with the dealer. I have done it like this since my very first BMW and now with these "extended life" changes I am definitely not stopping. No way would I go 12-15k miles without an oil change in-between. 5000-7500 miles is the sweet spot for me.

[mitch57]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

You pay for one and get the scheduled one as planned with the dealer. I have done it like this since my very first BMW and now with these "extended life" changes I am definitely not stopping. No way would I go 12-15k miles without an oil change in-between. 5000-7500 miles is the sweet spot for me.

Right. That's my point. They are going to change the oil now at 7500 miles but aren't going to reset the oil change CBS. So, at 10K miles this thing is going to start nagging me to change the oil. I won't be changing it again for another 7500 to 10K miles since I just changed it at 7500K miles. So, starting at 10K miles it's going to start nagging me to change the oil and won't stop until it's reset which won't be until at least 15500K miles.

What am I missing?

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by mitch57

Right. That's my point. They are going to change the oil now at 7500 miles but aren't going to reset the oil change CBS. So, at 10K miles this thing is going to start nagging me to change the oil. I won't be changing it again for another 7500 to 10K miles since I just changed it at 7500K miles. So, starting at 10K miles it's going to start nagging me to change the oil and won't stop until it's reset which won't be until at least 15500K miles.

What am I missing?

Ok, I think I see what you are saying.... You are correct, iDrive will "nag" you if you wait another 7500 miles, blowing past the 10k mile mark, before you actually change your oil. That is one of the reasons I like to change my oil every 5k miles. It keeps the "mileage math" simple AND keeps the milage timing in line with CBS.

[iconoclast]

Originally Posted by mitch57

What am I missing?

You do it half way point if you want to avoid the "nagging" or you do it at the dealer and have them reset it with each visit but still follow the recommended schedule. You don't need the reminder if you have your own schedule. I have the reminder on as we speak because I can't get into the shop have to the "free" one done because they're not open until May 1st or 4th and then it is prioritize by urgency. It is annoying but not as annoying as sludge filled motor or carbon build up.

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

You do it half way point if you want to avoid the "nagging" or you do it at the dealer and have them reset it with each visit but still follow the recommended schedule. You don't need the reminder if you have your own schedule. I have the reminder on as we speak because I can't get into the shop have to the "free" one done because they're not open until May 1st or 4th and then it is prioritize by urgency. It is annoying but not as annoying as sludge filled motor or carbon build up.

Or you could take it one step further and code the car to change the oil service intervals to every 15k miles. But not sure it is worth doing that....

[iconoclast]

I didn't know it was an option but probably would not bother. This is the only time I had an issue and it's only because the dealer has been closed for an unusually long amount of time.

[Resjudicata]

I'm sure there is an easy way to reset the reminder or alter it. can't be that hard.

I found this in 30 seconds, I'm guessing it works?

[mitch57]

Originally Posted by Resjudicata

I'm sure there is an easy way to reset the reminder or alter it. can't be that hard.

I found this in 30 seconds, I'm guessing it works?

I know how to reset it. However, the dealer said not to reset it because it would alter the information in the car in relationship to the key fob.

Apparently the key fob also shows service information. Therefore, if I reset it at 7500K miles iDrive will be on the right schedule but the key fob will be on the original service interval schedule.

I'm probably just going to reset it. It's idiotic that iDrive and the key fob don't communicate. I should be able to reset the oil change reminder based on when I changed the oil last and it should update the key fob as well since they're both communicating with the car, the app, and the connected drive portal.

I'm not going to deal with that dumb ass reminder for 10K miles of driving.

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by mitch57

I know how to reset it. However, the dealer said not to reset it because it would alter the information in the car in relationship to the key fob.

Apparently the key fob also shows service information. Therefore, if I reset it at 7500K miles iDrive will be on the right schedule but the key fob will be on the original service interval schedule.

I'm probably just going to reset it. It's idiotic that iDrive and the key fob don't communicate. I should be able to reset the oil change reminder based on when I changed the oil last and it should update the key fob as well since they're both communicating with the car, the app, and the connected drive portal.

I'm not going to deal with that dumb ass reminder for 10K miles of driving.

What the dealer told you about the key fob is not exactly true, at least not how I understand it. Each time you drive the car, the car "syncs" with your key fob. So if you reset your oil service reminder, using the process in this video, when you start your car the car and key should sync (if not that drive cycle then the next one).

In fact, my current SA told me it is a good practice to alternate key fobs periodically so that both key fobs stay current with the car's info.

[jmciver]

Originally Posted by iconoclast

I didn't know it was an option but probably would not bother. This is the only time I had an issue and it's only because the dealer has been closed for an unusually long amount of time.

It is not a user selectable option, not even in the "hidden" menu in the cluster as far as I know. You need a coding tool like E-sys or Bimmercode to change it..