[delvek]

Originally Posted by MrDit

I thought I read on the forum that these were not available until week 9, you may have missed by a week.

Yes, thats what I have been told by my dealer, week 9. I wonder if he got HUD if he is expecting speed limit signs?

[MrDit]

Just returned from my dealer here in Canada and he actually showed me the BMW Canada bulletin stating that the new black panel display and color HUD will be available from week 9 March builds for Canadian customers.

[13entley]

The one reason I love Audi. Their instrument panel is beautiful.

[BMW269]

Nice, extended black panel display and color HUD. What is now lacking is Bang & Olufsen soundsystem and full LED headlights as in the 6 Series Coupé F12.

[JesperGustavsson]

Originally Posted by 1970Jon

Not possible to configure 6WA as an option on the BMW uk car configurator....thats not to say it cannot be ordered but I could not when I confirmed my order in January?

In Sweden 6WA is 1500 SEK (approx 160 Euro or 225 US Dollar) on its own, but you cannot chose it in the on-line configurator...

[1230vani]

Originally Posted by crazybimmer

I contacted my dealership and suprise suprise its like a friking spy story, all the secrecy and suddenly one day a bulletin comes out with all this crap, and the worse part was, you cannot upgrade, you are stuck with what you have.

This is so true.

[Titanflux]

Originally Posted by stephen3rd

Can somebody please confirm either way please?

Is 6WA full black panel display available as an option in the UK WITHOUT HUD?

I am about to start the ordering process and would like the extended black panel but do not require the HUD at a cost of almost £1000.

Thanks

No, it's not. In the UK you only get full black panel with 610 HUD option. there is no 6WA option available according to my dealer - they couldn't spec this on an order but could add 6NR for me.

[Z4C_luvver]

I'd like to get to the bottom of this.

I saw on the online spec page that the 520D has the inclusion as standard of a "Black panel display, partial".

I contacted MY dealer and he described something like a 6WA. Now I'm confuzzed.

Can anyone clear this up?

[Needsdecaf]

Originally Posted by 5er_luvver

I'd like to get to the bottom of this.

I saw on the online spec page that the 520D has the inclusion as standard of a "Black panel display, partial".

I contacted MY dealer and he described something like a 6WA. Now I'm confuzzed.

Can anyone clear this up?

Look at the first page, bottom set of pictures. The difference between the full and partial displays is very evident.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by crazybimmer

So john doe who spent the SAME amount of money for the same model year and spec car got a better car. To me its some european bavarian german bullsh!t which if a company in the US did sh!t like this would be all over the news. Lets have Apple release mac book air with the old C2D CPU (which is the case now) and then let them try to suddenly upgrade week x production to sandy bridge without actually having them officially release a new model. Let them do that and then you can see the entire world coming to their doorstep
.

Bad example! Apple did just that......but with the iPhone. Don't you remember the commotion that it caused?

[dagobertsmurf]

Originally Posted by crazybimmer

Cheap move BMW. Again, you are lucky you can do stuff like this in europe (which is known to be the most unequal and unfair place for stuff like this, believe me I grew up there so I know wth I am talking about), had you have been a US factory, supreme court would have shut you down. Equality and equal opportunity are like bread and butter of american mentality, everything happens by the book and rules and transparent.

I rarely comment on here, but this is the funniest thing I've read online in a very long time.

The announcement about the new black panel being introduced for 5er starting with March production was made way back in December or early January. It was no secret.

You must really hold a grudge against BMW. You sound like a Luddite, but with that whole American apple pie goodness talk you sound like you have been drinking Rush Limbaugh cool-aid but the talk of shutting factories down makes me think you are a left-wing communist.

Somebody should call BMW NA legal counsel and tell them to man their defense posts outside of Spartanburg because David Souter is coming back from retirement & coalescing with the Supreme Court to shut the BMW factory down because some dude convinced him BMW is a sham corporation for not offering a bluetooth upgrade in the 3 series.

Maybe you should pick up the pitchfork and head on over to your local dealer that he didn't inform you about production changes and upgrades to future models. I'm sure it is in any car dealers’ interests due to their American mentality that espouses the ideals of equality, fairness, transparency & doing things by the book to inform customers about future car updates & upgrades. The dealers are so well informed and they don't care about getting rid their inventory that is sitting on the lot and aging by the hour.

[delvek]

Originally Posted by dagobertsmurf

Somebody should call BMW NA legal counsel and tell them to man their defense posts outside of Spartanburg because David Souter is coming back from retirement & coalescing with the Supreme Court to shut the BMW factory down because some dude convinced him BMW is a sham corporation for not offering a bluetooth upgrade in the 3 series.

I dont have a pole long enough to touch that post but I have to ask, based on your reply to it (which was excellent), if you are Dennis Miller, lol. I havent seem him in a while but that paragraph sounded like something that would come from his comical critical assessment of a situation.

[Z4C_luvver]

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

Look at the first page, bottom set of pictures. The difference between the full and partial displays is very evident.

Sure, that's a partial display, but the way it was described to me was that it was a new type of black display. Time will tell I guess....

[delvek]

I see what your saying. From what I have been told, this isnt something that BMW traditionally does, although my first hand experience is limited. For instance, from what I understand, the M sport is something that is released 2 years into a model to breathe new interest into it. The fact that it was released like 8 months after official release is odd. I think as far as the tech stuff, its nice that they are being more dynamic but I understand your points.

[Bamsha]

Originally Posted by crazybimmer

I seriously dont think car manufacturers should make major changes in car specs mid MY at random intervals which are unfair in nature such that a previous buyer of the same year/model/option for the same price gets an outdated version of software/hardware.

I'm a realist, It doesnt make sense to expect them to not to add anything new to the car for a whole year. If they want to add a new option, fine, go do it at an additional price of XYZ as a SEPARATE option. Look, they did it this year for example for the new M exhaust for the E9X which is an extra 4k. That's perfectly fine. But when they go and modify an existing option for the same MY, they cross the boundary in my opinion. If I'm going thru the trouble of custom ordering a BRAND NEW BMW for a model year of 2012, I want every single feature I bought to be current and same thru model year 2012. If I bought say idrive for $2100, I want to make sure if you buy the same for the same car for the same model year, you get the same idrive. If they come out with an upgraded version for idrive for $400 which lets you watch movies, so be it! No problem (would be nice to upgrade, but thats too much for the greedy people)! Its unfair and totally cheap though when out of nowhere the same idrive for the same price gets bunch of new features!

When I go and buy mac book pro, I know damn well for at least 12 months every single mac book pro that apple produces will be the SAME. They wont suddenly give the 15" version a higher resolution screen in week XY. They have a yearly cycle, like other companies when they want to add "new" features to their product, they do so properly.

Its total BS what BMW does. They need to be very open about their production dates and cycles. Its fine if they are going to make changes in week 35 for example if they announce this BEFORE so that the guy who gets the week 34, doesnt get ripped off. Or, have it so that say every year at fixed intervals they do this so we know when to order!

So basically you dont want them to do any improvements because you already bought your car and noone else should have the improvements if you cant.

There will always be something bigger and better around the corner, its how the world works, does it really matter at what intervals that is allowed to happen?

[Smedley Butler]

His ultimate point isn't crazy. He has no issue with the upgrades, just that they are coming at no additional cost. When it comes time to sell, assuming the price is exactly the same, who would choose to buy the car with fewer or outdated options?

Meanwhile, I ordered mine (with HUD) in March, so I'm feeling pretty good about this inequity, lol.

[acsoup123]

Originally Posted by crazybimmer

I seriously dont think car manufacturers should make major changes in car specs mid MY at random intervals which are unfair in nature such that a previous buyer of the same year/model/option for the same price gets an outdated version of software/hardware.

I'm a realist, It doesnt make sense to expect them to not to add anything new to the car for a whole year. If they want to add a new option, fine, go do it at an additional price of XYZ as a SEPARATE option. Look, they did it this year for example for the new M exhaust for the E9X which is an extra 4k. That's perfectly fine. But when they go and modify an existing option for the same MY, they cross the boundary in my opinion. If I'm going thru the trouble of custom ordering a BRAND NEW BMW for a model year of 2012, I want every single feature I bought to be current and same thru model year 2012. If I bought say idrive for $2100, I want to make sure if you buy the same for the same car for the same model year, you get the same idrive. If they come out with an upgraded version for idrive for $400 which lets you watch movies, so be it! No problem (would be nice to upgrade, but thats too much for the greedy people)! Its unfair and totally cheap though when out of nowhere the same idrive for the same price gets bunch of new features!

When I go and buy mac book pro, I know damn well for at least 12 months every single mac book pro that apple produces will be the SAME. They wont suddenly give the 15" version a higher resolution screen in week XY. They have a yearly cycle, like other companies when they want to add "new" features to their product, they do so properly.

Its total BS what BMW does. They need to be very open about their production dates and cycles. Its fine if they are going to make changes in week 35 for example if they announce this BEFORE so that the guy who gets the week 34, doesnt get ripped off. Or, have it so that say every year at fixed intervals they do this so we know when to order!

To be fair, in the U.S. they raised the base MSRP of all F10's by $500 at the beginning of the year...

[Bamsha]

Originally Posted by Smedley Butler

His ultimate point isn't crazy. He has no issue with the upgrades, just that they are coming at no additional cost. When it comes time to sell, assuming the price is exactly the same, who would choose to buy the car with fewer or outdated options?

Meanwhile, I ordered mine (with HUD) in March, so I'm feeling pretty good about this inequity, lol.

He said he is fine with it as long as it is between Model Years. Thats really splitting hairs. The Model years-thing is getting more and more blurred anyway, And in my experience one option wont affect the used-car price much if at all.

[Breach]

>When I go and buy mac book pro, I know damn well for at least 12 months every single mac book pro that apple produces will be the SAME. They wont suddenly give the 15" version a higher resolution screen in week XY. They have a yearly cycle, like other companies when they want to add "new" features to their product, they do so properly.

Though I am one of the victims (my car was produced 7 Feb 2011 so I won't be getting the colour HUD most probably), I cannot agree with such kind of thinking. Would it be better if BMW did not upgrade technology as it became available? Would it be better if everyone was stuck with the same dashboard/HUD for the next 5 or so years? BMW cannot afford this (in order to stay competitive) and consumers won't appreciate that. Now, regarding release schedule, well, consider this. Did Apple ever announce months and years ahead what their next iPhone would be like? Sure, people would get advance notice from rumor web sites etc but so did we - the new technology was mentioned as early as Nov/Dec 2010 if memory serves right.

Let's take the MacBook argument - just because a company follows some product lifecycle it doesn't mean a company is obliged to stick with it. There are plenty of companies which evolve their products on the basis of 'when technology becomes available'. And that's fine. And that's why all products out there feature a 'specs subject to change without notice' disclaimer. So sorry - can't relate.

[nlk10010]

OK, new here (evident by my post count); I am in the process of negotiating a price for a 550ix and spied this thread. I never would have ordered the HUD but when I saw the images on this thread (and when I sat in a 5GT, which apparently already has the black panel display, even without the HUD) I decided to tick the option, contingent on the display being correct.

My CA just forwarded to me a message he received from BMW on this: they say that for SOP 3/11 or later a color HUD is included but warned that the images appearing on "blogs" of the European dash are not accurate. They are going to be preparing a bulletin/brochure to show what it actually looks like, but that the speed limit detection will definitely NOT be included in the US. The message really wasn't clear if the blackout will be in the US cars so I asked my CA to try again to confirm or deny. If the blackout and gradual lighting up won't be included then I don't need the HUD.

In case anyone wants another source of information, I'll post when I hear back.

Thanks again to the posters who brought this info to light ().

[RH512]

Originally Posted by nlk10010

OK, new here (evident by my post count); I am in the process of negotiating a price for a 550ix and spied this thread. I never would have ordered the HUD but when I saw the images on this thread (and when I sat in a 5GT, which apparently already has the black panel display, even without the HUD) I decided to tick the option, contingent on the display being correct.

My CA just forwarded to me a message he received from BMW on this: they say that for SOP 3/11 or later a color HUD is included but warned that the images appearing on "blogs" of the European dash are not accurate. They are going to be preparing a bulletin/brochure to show what it actually looks like, but that the speed limit detection will definitely NOT be included in the US. The message really wasn't clear if the blackout will be in the US cars so I asked my CA to try again to confirm or deny. If the blackout and gradual lighting up won't be included then I don't need the HUD.

In case anyone wants another source of information, I'll post when I hear back.

Thanks again to the posters who brought this info to light ().

Thanks for posting. I really don't understand why BMWNA can't get in front of these changes and get the information out, unless they are at the mercy of the parent providing the info and simply don't know.

I made so many calls and sent emails just to find out anything about this week 9 change for the US. My car (with 610 and 6WA) is in the paint shop today so maybe in a few weeks I can post photos although have to think others may have cars before.

[nlk10010]

They don't get in front of it because, probably, they don't think it's that important. We on the forums look at the specs in agonizing detail because of our affinity for these cars; I would guess BMW simply sees it as a "minor" running production change that might help it sell some more cars once it's out in the wild and people have a chance to see it, but not much more.

Of course it could also be that BMW has the same idiots who work in CS working in the engineering marketing group, in which case this doesn't surprise me.