BMW Assist Held Me Hostage

[JBHorner]

I just had an issue with BMW Assist that I want to post, with the hope that others can search and get some insight. I'd searched before trying to fix the problem, but didn't see anything that was helpful for this type of issue.

I'd made a call using the SOS button. After I was through talking with the representative, she told me that she'd "disconnect the call for [me] now." Well, she went away, but the data screen on the display stayed on (showing the information about the BMW Assist session), and the green LED next to the SOS button continued to blink.

This lasted for about five minutes. When I turned off the car and exited, the problem persisted. I waited a big longer, which did not yield any results. (The screen stayed on, the LED continued to blink.) I finally called the BMW Assist number from my cell phone, and told them that my vehicle appeared to be "stuck" on their service.

The representative was very helpful. She told me she would force a manual disconnect. This solved the issue. I was please, as I was afraid I was going to have to pull a fuse or something.

So, if there are issues with the BMW Assist, the first call should be---BMW Assist.

Joel

[PersonaNonGrata]

Wow. Imagine if you didn't have a cellphone or couldn't get through to them. You would be totally stuck.

I just got my renewal notice for my second year of BMW Assist and I will skip the $199 "service". It ticks me off that the way it works is that they will bill you unless you opt out. Nice.

[JBHorner]

Yeah, I was pretty surprised at the problem. It wouldn't let me do anything with audio or iDrive--it was just frozen on the BMW Assist screen.

I think the '07 has a different interface for BMW Assist than the prior generation. As I recall, on my '04, utilizing BMW Assist meant having to call them from my cell phone for any concierge service. With the '07, it can be done through iDrive.

I'm going to try it out--I hope it isn't another money drain.

Joel