Originally Posted by JCL

I agree that the functionality will generally continue operating as designed and built, but I think that history has shown that there are glitches. And the glitches that matter aren't just in the technology (ie Nav, back up sensors, cameras, HUD, etc) but in the integration of the various technologies. That is what has parked vehicles over the past few years. Look at the example of battery charging. Pretty simple concept, you have a storage battery, various devices run off it, and the alternator charges it. Voltage drops to a certain point, and the regulator causes the alternator to charge the battery. This has worked for 80 or so years. But BMW has put all of their computerized modules on a common data bus. They have a sleep mode. If a single module does not enter sleep mode, the vehicle stays 'awake' and you have a flat battery after several days of parking. It is one or more of the various computer modules that cause that. And the more modules you add to the mix, the greater the odds. The E70 has an 'energy management system' that takes a book to describe. And it is that system that has caused factory buybacks, brand dissatisfaction, etc, to the point that dealers started giving out battery tenders and advising owners to plug them in at night. For both gasoline and diesel models.