Boo had to use BMW Mobile assistance

[AZURES3 107]

Half way on a 45 mins trip to friends and the car started steeming up badly. Tried all the obvious things but the climate control fan is not working. Climate control fully active with lights and temp dispaly etc but no fan despite any setting. Had to do the last 20 mins with the windows down about an inch.

Not impressed but hopefully something minor as wife and you get child weren't too happy with journey here with windows down it was a tad chilly lol.

Guy arrived in 1 hour and diagnosed the rear stat in the compartment under the dashboard which will need to be ordered. So no fan/heat for a few days.

I was offered the take to local dealer and hire car but the drive home with 1cm open each side and jackets on with guaranteed fix by mobile BMW technician at 6pm on Wednesday was more attractive than it sitting at a dealership until after xmas. BMW guy was superb but was also realistic that part would arrive Wednesday/Thursday and suspected post xmas resolution with busy lower staffed dealers aroud xmas period.

I am working from home next few days so fortunate. If I had journeys to do the. I would have taken the take to dealer and hire car option

 

 

 

 

[CarMad 742]

Thats a shame, I guess these things can happen. 

Having used the BMW assist for various reasons they have been incredibly good for us and a reason why I will be staying with BMW for the time being as a result.

[Soulboy 461]

I will be getting my first ever BMW this week......so that's reassuring to hear.

 

[NewNiceMrMe 3,155]

I wouldn't worry too much.  Since 1999 and 9 BMW's, we've used BMW Assist twice.

Once was a battery fault, fixed on the spot.

The other was the most bizarre and unfortunate set of circumstances.

645Ci Convertible, Alnwick, I went to shut the boot lid and, just as I did, I dropped my car keys.  They bounced off my knee and into a gap about 2" high between the boot lip and the moving boot lid as it closed.  Into the boot they went, locking the car in the process.

[E-bmw 1,333]

Try doing that again.

[NewNiceMrMe 3,155]

38 minutes ago, E-bmw said:

Try doing that again.

I could practice for a lifetime and probably never do it again.  The guy that came out couldn't believe it.  He just presumed I'd locked the car with the boot open and then left the keys in the boot before closing it.  I'm pretty sure he left still thinking that too.

[Mort 283]

I had one recently with my A8. At a race meeting we had the boot open all day to access stuff which I think meant the boot interior light was on all day. This flattened the already suspect battery. At the end of the day, we packed up. Shut the boot & got in the car to go. Car was dead. It has keyless start normally so then tried inserting the key in to the ignition...nothing... but also I couldnt then remove the key... like there is some sort of solenoid which allows the key to be released.

OK... so the battery is flat. Nothing works. Time to access the battery. I have a jump start pack for the bike so will use that to get the car going. But the start pack and the car's battery is in the boot and the boot catch is electronic. It has a hidden key hole also but the key is locked in the ignition lock. There is no other access to the boot and no way to  jump start from anything in the engine compartment.

After an hour we were the last car left in the car park. I happen to try the boot catch again and with the last volts in the battery the catch opens and I can access the boot. The battery pack didnt have the grunt to start the car but a kindly chap with a big 4x4 helped also.... it was still a swine to start with both.

What should have been a simple jump start turned in to a nightmare caused by electronic security/luxury "features" that are useless without power.

 

[cruiser647 1,493]

I am sure the A8 has jump points under the bonnet.....

[NewNiceMrMe 3,155]

I saw something recently that I've just been scouring the web for and can't find it again.

It is a mini-battery that has terminal points and attaches, supposedly, to almost any car.  The idea is that it provides sufficient power to get a car up and running, rather like a booster pack for a mobile phone.  It struck me as a very neat idea as it is no bigger than a decent sized book and the idea is that you keep it in the car and give it an annual maintenance boost (or maybe it was 6 months, I can't remember).

 

[Daz 440]

Something like this then?

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-clippjs-multifunction-jumpstartportable/

[AZURES3 107]

On 18/12/2016 at 7:53 PM, NewNiceMrMe said:

I was a bit disappointed with it.  I think there's an element of it being exhausted now.

 

On 19/12/2016 at 6:10 AM, Soulboy said:

I will be getting my first ever BMW this week......so that's reassuring to hear.

 

Very impressed the mobile technician arrived at 6pm as agreed and it took him 1 hour to replace the module and run the full diagnostic checks after. 

[CarMad 742]

Things go wrong, but when they have and we have had to use the BMW assist the problem ended up into a positive on how it was dealt with, nothing was too much trouble and that makes a big difference when you look at repeat business.