[951's 330i]

My iDrive has completely shut down with bluetooth and everything else and now there trying to charge me 607.57 to fix it. What can i do??

[Kev]

What does it say on the work order?

[951's 330i]

Originally Posted by Kev

What does it say on the work order?

What do you mean? I have to pick it up in a little because im not going to pay for it yet. Are you talking about the paper they give youback?

[Kev]

Originally Posted by 951's 330i

What do you mean? I have to pick it up in a little because im not going to pay for it yet. Are you talking about the paper they give youback?

Yeah, they have to give you a reason as to why they think that the problem that you experienced is related to the installation of aftermarket part. For all we know, the modules in these cars are so delicate that they can randomly blow up without any provocation.

[Craig@SupremePower]

Yeah they have to give you a stated reason for it, but I will tell you from experience amplifiers can alter the voltage in BMW's causing issues with most anything electrical in your car. Hell in rare instances i've read and heard of BMW blaming issue with steptronic transmissions on aftermarket stereo systems.

[951's 330i]

Originally Posted by Craig@SupremePower

Yeah they have to give you a stated reason for it, but I will tell you from experience amplifiers can alter the voltage in BMW's causing issues with most anything electrical in your car. Hell in rare instances i've read and heard of BMW blaming issue with steptronic transmissions on aftermarket stereo systems.

But could it really effect it after a year of it being installed?? Thats kind of rediculous. Ill write what they said once i get the paper out the car.

[Craig@SupremePower]

Could certainly happen at anytime with a sudden spike in voltage... anything is possible.

Originally Posted by 951's 330i

But could it really effect it after a year of it being installed?? Thats kind of rediculous. Ill write what they said once i get the paper out the car.

[951's 330i]

Originally Posted by Craig@SupremePower

Could certainly happen at anytime with a sudden spike in voltage... anything is possible.

but i didnt even have the radio on or ne thing...ugh thanks though

[Beer Goggles]

Call a lawyer, unless you got some monkey to install your system...then you go after them to pay for the repair.

[ChuckBimmer]

Originally Posted by Beer Goggles

Call a lawyer, unless you got some monkey to install your system...then you go after them to pay for the repair.

It will cost more to get a lawyer and the only one winning will be the blood sucking lawyer.

[ArmyBimmerDude]

Originally Posted by ChuckBimmer

It will cost more to get a lawyer and the only one winning will be the blood sucking lawyer.

+1

When it comes to electrical mods, you leave yourself open to all possibilities when you put a system in your car. Hope the extra bass was worth it.

[uberschnell]

Originally Posted by Beer Goggles

Call a lawyer, unless you got some monkey to install your system...then you go after them to pay for the repair.

spoken like someone who's never had to get a lawyer themselves-

[Beer Goggles]

Originally Posted by Magna3

spoken like someone who's never had to get a lawyer themselves-

You can call or pay a lawyer a $100 for a consultation to see if it's worth going after. Hell my work has a "free consultation" through our HR service we use.

Sometimes a letter from a lawyer is enough to make things happen. Also since there are LAWS to protect the consumer that a manufacturer will ignore because "it cost too much" to protect your rights.

[NaTuReB0Y]

that's not cool...........

they've always been cool to all my 6-7 E90 problems......

[Beer Goggles]

And I'll give you some free legal (I'm not a lawyer but I did stay at a Holiday Inn)

Read This
http://www.sema.org/main/semaorghome.aspx?ID=50096

Then also understand that most companies never said "you can't" so when you do it doesn't make it wrong.

If putting an amp in a car (one can argue they offer a OEM radio upgrade and whats the difference in aftermarket) is going to "blow up the car" then it should be explained in the beginning.

If we believed all the BS dealers give us (honestly most people who work there don't even own a BMW or are into cars) I couldn't change to non-RFTs, but different wheels on, change the radio, change my own oil...and the list goes on.

They do it to BULLY and protect profit...despite the fact that lots of times it's not legal to do what they do.

Educate yourself, and that may require some "legal" help. Spending a few bucks might help you when the next thing goes wrong and they blame it on your BAZOOKA tube.

[742]

I don’t think that we can compare RF tires with electrical system modifications.

The unfortunate truth is that the complexity of electrical systems has increased by orders of magnitude. I have two 1970 era cars in my garage as I write this, and both of them have wiring diagrams that fit on two pages. I have two recent production VWs in the driveway whose wiring diagrams consume a good chunk of their Bentley manuals. And then there is the E90 325 that is my wife’s driver, whose possible electrical problems put fear in my veins.

And on top of simple wire counts let there be…. Software.

I am unusual in that I don’t mind chasing wiring, be it my older cars or the airplanes that I used to make my living on. But I am very cautious with regard to undocumented wiring in current production cars. This is not your father’s Oldsmobile, as they say.

Your best bet is to step back and start building documentation. What the guys who did the radio [I mean sound system] work did, diagrams included; and what the dealer feels is the underlying problem. Documentation is your one and only friend in this situation.

And if the guys who did the modification work don't have any documentation, as my paranoid mind suspects, your problem is not the dealer.

Best of luck.

[Beer Goggles]

Originally Posted by 742

I don’t think that we can compare RF tires with electrical system modifications.

The unfortunate truth is that the complexity of electrical systems has increased by orders of magnitude. I have two 1970 era cars in my garage as I write this, and both of them have wiring diagrams that fit on two pages. I have two recent production VWs in the driveway whose wiring diagrams consume a good chunk of their Bentley manuals. And then there is the E90 325 that is my wife’s driver, whose possible electrical problems put fear in my veins.

And on top of simple wire counts let there be…. Software.

I am unusual in that I don’t mind chasing wiring, be it my older cars or the airplanes that I used to make my living on. But I am very cautious with regard to undocumented wiring in current production cars. This is not your father’s Oldsmobile, as they say.

Your best bet is to step back and start building documentation. What the guys who did the radio [I mean sound system] work did, diagrams included; and what the dealer feels is the underlying problem. Documentation is your one and only friend in this situation.

And if the guys who did the modification work don't have any documentation, as my paranoid mind suspects, your problem is not the dealer.

Best of luck.

A member of the forum was told if he changed to NON RFT that it would void his warranty....get what I'm saying? They are using strong-arm tactics to intimidate because it's cheaper.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by Beer Goggles

A member of the forum was told if he changed to NON RFT that it would void his warranty....get what I'm saying? They are using strong-arm tactics to intimidate because it's cheaper.

Depending on what the change is, it could be legitimate to void the warranty... For example, if someone with a 'xi' car changed the tires, did not keep the diameters the same, and ruined the center differential.. then that change to non rft would certainly be grounds for denying a warranty claim on the center diff.

I think the OP's situation is much more of a grey area, because a modification to one part of the electrical system could indeed cause a short which damages something else (especially if the installers were monkeys and hacked up a bunch of wires by accident)

Just IMHO, I am always very very cautions when it comes to electrical mods. Electricals are a potential reliability weak spot, due to the complexity, so why do anything that could make it worse?

[742]

Originally Posted by Beer Goggles

A member of the forum was told if he changed to NON RFT that it would void his warranty....get what I'm saying? They are using strong-arm tactics to intimidate because it's cheaper.

Yes, I "...get what you are saying". Changing tires/wheels could create a warranty question in certain areas, such as subsequent suspension problems, but the “reach” is quite short. A wild tire/wheel setup is not going to cause VANOS problems, for example.

On the other hand butchered electrical work, and I am not saying that is necessarily the case here, can have far reaching ramifications.

The OP needs documentation to show what was done to the car, and then hopefully show that the work is not related to his current problem. However the dealer has a leg to stand on if there is no documentation and the car is full of electrical tape and wire nuts.

"They" do not void the entire warranty, they deny coverage to things that might have been the result of modifcations. And they are going to throw that net as wide as they can.

[sageashton]

I think the big question for the OP is, what system did he have put in? If he is running two 1000 watt amps with the ground being run 5' away, well then yes that is a problem for several reasons. But if he is running a correctly laid out system working with the output of the alternator, correct grounds etc. then it is entirely different. And if he has not checked that out (altenator output, length to ground, doesn't know his fuse ratings, wire gauge etc. etc.) then he won't have a chance in fighting this, with or without an attorney.

[David1]

You know that sticker on the windshield that states if you add or alter anything elctrical to your car that basically says if you have a problem your screwed.

[Beer Goggles]

Originally Posted by David1

You know that sticker on the windshield that states if you add or alter anything elctrical to your car that basically says if you have a problem your screwed.

Slapping a sticker on the car doesn't do anything. It's like saying I wrote in chalk under the car you can't do anything....read SEMA.