[MARKPRIOR]

So after around 2 weeks of struggling to get my car registered into the connected drive portal finally it shows up.

However i get no options to the left, just status, my data & manage cars

no store, remote services etc..

so the guy on the phone said that the first 3 years service has been used up by previous owner (car is 2010 model) , and that now i need to pay to use the services. However i cant do that as the store is not appearing on my acct so i have to wait till june 1st for it to appear, then if it doesnt appear call back.

Ive had no security code sent to my phone or car, but the status does say activated under my car.

Been fed a line here or does this sound legit ?

located in the UK

Do i really need to pay to use connected drive? I thought it simply connected to your phone
also the remote services app on my phone do i need to pay to use this?

[rebelfocus]

When i bought my car they told me it was their goal to have me sitting in a new car every 3 years so I suppose the expiry of connecteddrive services is a reminder that it's time to trade-in. Personally I think 3 years is bit too short and it looks like their prices for extending the subscriptions are too steep and not a value proposition.

What you get with ConnectedDrive currently in various services

- the car contains a SIM that allows a data connection for BMW Online (News, Weather, Points of Interest, email). This can be useful when travelling on the continent as you don't have to use data roaming on your phone for these kind of things.
- RTTI (real time traffic information) downloaded over this same SIM into the SatNav. Quite useful but not something you would expect to have to pay so much for as an extra service. Considering how much we are charged for SatNav this should really be free of charge for the life of the car. I paid over €3000 for ProNav.
- RemoteServices - whereby you can lock/unlock, sound horn, flash lights from your phone. Could be very useful but on very rare occasions.
- SOS call in case of accident, not sure if this is tied to the connecteddrive subscription. I would hope it isn't and instead always there. This uses the inbuilt sim to make call - not your bluetooth phone
- Concierge Services. I've only used it a couple of times when abroad (it uses the SIM in the car for the call). It was nice to have but I'm not sure if I would be willing to pay a lot for this service. If it were a per-call fee instead of a subscription it would work better.
- Teleservices ... books you car in for a service (I hope this is free as they stand to make money from servicing). Also supports calls to roadside assistance if you break down ... not sure how this works as the free roadside assistance expires after 3 years anyway. After 3 years, they do offer a dealer AA style package (not the BMW one) but it's a silly offering as unlike the BMW roadside assistance you get with the car for 3 years, the follow-on one doesn't cover continental Europe at all (at least the Irish package doesn't).

Would be interested to hear how much you have to pay for each of the services that can be purchased!

[MARKPRIOR]

Thanks, they didnt quote me any costs but will update when i know

[ianF10]

its £120 per year

[gspannu]

Originally Posted by MARKPRIOR

So after around 2 weeks of struggling to get my car registered into the connected drive portal finally it shows up.

However i get no options to the left, just status, my data & manage cars

no store, remote services etc..

so the guy on the phone said that the first 3 years service has been used up by previous owner (car is 2010 model) , and that now i need to pay to use the services. However i cant do that as the store is not appearing on my acct so i have to wait till june 1st for it to appear, then if it doesnt appear call back.

Ive had no security code sent to my phone or car, but the status does say activated under my car.

Been fed a line here or does this sound legit ?

located in the UK

Do i really need to pay to use connected drive? [It will cost around £120 a year for the service.] I thought it simply connected to your phone
also the remote services app on my phone do i need to pay to use this? [The services use the SIM card in the car, and not your phone connection]

Some answers inline.

BMW have re-hashed the entire backend store. I have been using the portal for the past 6 years and have been through these bouts of 'no service' while they upgrade their systems.

I have been using these services in all my BMWs; and paying after the 3 year period. Feel it is worth it; as I use the 'Google Maps Send to Car' function quite a lot and I also use the 'Assist' feature by calling up BMW to send me locations, restaurants, etc... Works for me. It seems a bit expensive at £120/ year, but then an expensive car always comes with expensive care.

[MARKPRIOR]

Originally Posted by gspannu

Some answers inline.

BMW have re-hashed the entire backend store. I have been using the portal for the past 6 years and have been through these bouts of 'no service' while they upgrade their systems.

I have been using these services in all my BMWs; and paying after the 3 year period. Feel it is worth it; as I use the 'Google Maps Send to Car' function quite a lot and I also use the 'Assist' feature by calling up BMW to send me locations, restaurants, etc... Works for me. It seems a bit expensive at £120/ year, but then an expensive car always comes with expensive care.

Thanks explains a few things

[martin mustang]

Originally Posted by rebelfocus

When i bought my car they told me it was
- Teleservices ... books you car in for a service (I hope this is free as they stand to make money from servicing). Also supports calls to roadside assistance if you break down ... not sure how this works as the free roadside assistance expires after 3 years anyway. After 3 years, they do offer a dealer AA style package (not the BMW one) but it's a silly offering as unlike the BMW roadside assistance you get with the car for 3 years, the follow-on one doesn't cover continental Europe at all (at least the Irish package doesn't).

Would be interested to hear how much you have to pay for each of the services that can be purchased!

BMW roadside assistance can be extended after the 3 years! You can re-join the service as long as your car is less than 10 years following a Service at BMW garage, the price is around 90 euros p.a.

[rebelfocus]

Originally Posted by martin mustang

BMW roadside assistance can be extended after the 3 years! You can re-join the service as long as your car is less than 10 years following a Service at BMW garage, the price is around 90 euros p.a.

As I mentioned, this follow-on product does not cover continental Europe only UK and Ireland (unlike the Roadside Assistance that comes with a new car)

This means the aftermarket product is not worth having as those long drives across Europe are when Roadside Assistance is most important to have (for me anyway). Third party companies are a better bet after 3 years as they have EU coverage at least

See here
http://www.bmw.ie/ie/en/owners/maint...ssistance.html