Is my local BMW shop manager an idiot??

[Budarooski]

I took my '07 X4 4.8i premium/sport in for an a/c repair and while I had it in I told them I don't feel ANY difference when the Sport suspension is activated (green light is on). I read in the manual the suspension should tighten up and the steering should change as well.

His reply? "The button doesn't do anything except on the M model." Seriously, that's what he said. So I said that's weird because the M model X5 wasn't available in '07, and I paid for the SPORT option, so shouldn't it work? Why would they put a button in the car, with a light to signify it's ON if it doesn't do anything?

Anyone have any information or advice on how to respond to the service manager when I call them again? They're going to have my X5 for 4-6 weeks because the A/C compressor comes out of Germany and is on back-order, so that's plenty of time to look/fix the sport suspension.

[s2kmugen]

great question, i'd like to know myself

[ShantF1]

thats stupid! goes to show that they are trained to sell rather than to fix. Tell a lemon law attorney to write a letter to BMW regarding this issue. I did this on my 2003 X5 back in 2005.

[JCL]

Just explain to your service manager that you aren't expecting more power from the sport button (as per the M model), just that you are personally not able to detect changes in the shock absorber damping with the sport button on or off and you would like them to check for proper operation of the variable damping.

Presumably this has just started, and hasn't been this way for the past four years of your ownership of the vehicle. It is also possible that it is working fine but that you just can't feel the difference.

[barbja]

Sometimes its hard to tell the difference with normal driving.

The best way that I can tell that its 'working' is to go over a successive set of speed bumps in a parking lot at a 'reasonable' speed (ie, faster than most people go over speed bumps). Turn the sport on and off between each bump. With it off, it will be pretty bouncy, with it off, it'll be stiff (and if you're going fast enough, you can bounce things in the cargo area off the roof!)