Quote:
Originally Posted by ben@tirerack
I am not expert in electronic matters the same way I am in tire matters, so just take this as one enthusiast's opinion.
In favor of your dealer:
It is not incredible that there would have to be some sort of electronic hand-shakery between the new 'control unit' and the vehicle. 1.5 hours of labor to remove and install the part and perform whatever electronic rain dance is needed to propitiate the TPMS gods is believable. Probably padded a little bit, but I wouldn't be shocked if that was the by-the-book quote for the job.
Against the dealer:
Re-flashing the whole car sounds overblown. If it sounded to you like he was giving you a line of BS, I would take it to an independent mechanic who is a BMW specialist, and get a second opinion. Even if the dealer is accurate in his description of the time required, you may find that the independent shop gives you a better price.
If you do go the independent route, let me emphasize that it is worth your time and money to seek out a shop that specializes in BMWs. Doesn't have to be exclusively BMW, a shop can usually be expert in several different marques, so if it's Mercedes, Porsche, and BMW for example that's fine. But don't take it to Joe's Gas Station and expect to get an expert opinion on a question like this.
If you're thinking about doing it yourself, get your hands on a Bentley repair manual.
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Thanks for the advice! Replacing the RDC module is very easy. The tech did it in literally 2-3 mins. I think I'm gonna order the part, plug it in and just see if it works. Regardless, even if it doesn't work, I'm going to have to buy it anyhow to have it 'coded'.