BMW Phoned Me Today...................

[watrob]

This is a bit of a rant:-

Finally got a call back to today after some 2 weeks from Head Office BMW Australia. I enquired why Europe, England and the States get Smartphone Intergration (6NF) in there BMW range of cars (a $150 option) and we in Australia don't get it.

Sent them emails on it also but they never answer the email enquiries, don't understand why they bother putting the contact details on there website.

We not only own a M3 but also a current 3 series sedan diesel but I have also ordered another E70 X5 35d M-Sport (my 3rd X5 in 18 months), I delayed the X5 order from Mar 09 production to April 09 so to get the minor upgraded version. Anyway I have been asking why we cannot get this simple option (6NF), they finally made contact and say we are looking into it and that the new April 09 X5 production won't have it, its comimg but there not sure when!

Its a simply option and other countries have had it for nearly 12 months, here is a fully optioned X5 worth close to $180k AUD and you cannot get smartphone intergration, a $150 wiring loom option. The problem is these head office dorks still play pacman on green screen monitors and would not know what a smartphone was in Melbourne.

$500,000 of BMW's in my garage and I have to carry around a iPod and a iPhone in my pockets out to the garage looking like a Broe with the crack of my arse showing because my pants are falling down from all the weight and then sit in the car for 5 mins hooking up all that s**t. Then when you get to work pull it all out again and hook it up to a computer to keep it charged just to put it all back in again when you want to go home.

And to top it off my wife's complaining because see has to do the same thing with her new BMW, man I should sue BMW for all the grief my wife is giving me over it and then there's my daughter with her BMW as well!

Damn, a $150 option, BMW get your act together and push a button on your ordering computer and add the option, its not rocket science, how many executives does it take in Melbourne to make a decision? apparently you don't have enough because they cannot make a decision, if you like I will fly down and make the decision for you!

"We at BMW have some of most advance and technologically driven cars built on our own platform" yeh sure but you cannot hook a smartphone up to it.

Wake up BMW and get your act together, is it not us that buy your cars as you execs don't because you get one for free with your salary?

[Technic]

Originally Posted by watrob

...man I should sue BMW for all the grief my wife is giving me over it and then there's my daughter with her BMW as well!

Any possible sympathy to be given due to your particular situation was thrown out of the window by that absurd comment...

[watrob]

Originally Posted by Technic

Any possible sympathy to be given due to your particular situation was thrown out of the window by that absurd comment...

Not absurd at all. Both my wife and daughter have iPhones, iPods and new BMW's and if we lived in any other country in the world we could have smartphone intergration.

The X5 is made in the State in both lefthand & righthand drive, shiped all over the world, how come everyone else gets it except us, its a minor cost option that is already being fitted to righthand drive X5's for England & SA.

Oh, I showed your statement to my wife, yeh would not be a good idea to come around here for dinner for awhile, did not go down very well I'm afraid, she said something about buying a Merc! and sticking something up your a**e, I think it might have been one of her old iPods!

[AwesomeM3]

Originally Posted by watrob

We not only own a M3 but also a current 3 series sedan diesel but I have also ordered another E70 X5 35d M-Sport (my 3rd X5 in 18 months), I delayed the X5 order from Mar 09 production to April 09 so to get the minor upgraded version. Anyway I have been asking why we cannot get this simple option (6NF), they finally made contact and say we are looking into it and that the new April 09 X5 production won't have it, its comimg but there not sure when!

OT, the facelifted X5 will be available in Australia in April 09? I read that the facelift won't occur in the states until the 2010 model year (Oct 2010). Any idea what will be changed? I read that the 2010 X5 will have the new iDrive (currently available in the 3 series) and the front/rear bumpers will have cosmetic changes.

[Reedomn]

Originally Posted by watrob

This is a bit of a rant:-

Finally got a call back to today after some 2 weeks from Head Office BMW Australia. I enquired why Europe, England and the States get Smartphone Intergration (6NF) in there BMW range of cars (a $150 option) and we in Australia don't get it.

Sent them emails on it also but they never answer the email enquiries, don't understand why they bother putting the contact details on there website.

We not only own a M3 but also a current 3 series sedan diesel but I have also ordered another E70 X5 35d M-Sport (my 3rd X5 in 18 months), I delayed the X5 order from Mar 09 production to April 09 so to get the minor upgraded version. Anyway I have been asking why we cannot get this simple option (6NF), they finally made contact and say we are looking into it and that the new April 09 X5 production won't have it, its comimg but there not sure when!

Its a simply option and other countries have had it for nearly 12 months, here is a fully optioned X5 worth close to $180k AUD and you cannot get smartphone intergration, a $150 wiring loom option. The problem is these head office dorks still play pacman on green screen monitors and would not know what a smartphone was in Melbourne.

$500,000 of BMW's in my garage and I have to carry around a iPod and a iPhone in my pockets out to the garage looking like a Broe with the crack of my arse showing because my pants are falling down from all the weight and then sit in the car for 5 mins hooking up all that s**t. Then when you get to work pull it all out again and hook it up to a computer to keep it charged just to put it all back in again when you want to go home.

And to top it off my wife's complaining because see has to do the same thing with her new BMW, man I should sue BMW for all the grief my wife is giving me over it and then there's my daughter with her BMW as well!

Damn, a $150 option, BMW get your act together and push a button on your ordering computer and add the option, its not rocket science, how many executives does it take in Melbourne to make a decision? apparently you don't have enough because they cannot make a decision, if you like I will fly down and make the decision for you!

"We at BMW have some of most advance and technologically driven cars built on our own platform" yeh sure but you cannot hook a smartphone up to it.

Wake up BMW and get your act together, is it not us that buy your cars as you execs don't because you get one for free with your salary?

Did they call you in the car???

[SlammedR8]

Not really sure what you mean by Smartphone Integration? YOu mean you can hook up your phone or ipod to the car? I dont get which option your talking about

[AwesomeM3]

Originally Posted by slammedm3

Not really sure what you mean by Smartphone Integration? YOu mean you can hook up your phone or ipod to the car? I dont get which option your talking about

.

BMW Adds Smartphone Integration

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BMW, the first automaker to provide Apple iPod integration and factory Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity, announced it will add Smartphone Integration (option 6NF) starting with October 2008 production. The new option will be available in the X5, X6,1er, 3er, and 6er Series.

Owners of a variety of smartphones, such as the Apple iPhone 3G, will benefit from Smartphone Integration. The smartphone option not only charges the phone but allows access to any music or MP3 files stored on the phone. It also improves telephone reception by reducing radio wave interference. It does not conflict with BMW's iPod/USB (6FL) option but rather is complementary.

Smartphone Integration means that the driver doesn't have to connect his mobile phone with integrated MP3 player to the USB audio interface. It can remain in the special snap-in adapter in the center console. Previously, in order to play music from a smartphone, the driver would have to remove the phone from the standard snap-in adapter - if in use - and plug the phone into the car's USB audio interface (6FL option).

In addition, you can have a separate MP3 player plugged into the USB audio interface and listen to music from that. If both are plugged in, the device attached to the USB connection will take priority but unplugging the USB device will return control to the smartphone.

A separate snap-in adapter is required. BMW said it will announce smartphone support shortly. It's likely we'll see the original iPhone and the new iPhone 3G on the list.

[SlammedR8]

Originally Posted by AwesomeM3

.

Gotcha, thanks!

[Technic]

Originally Posted by watrob

Not absurd at all. Both my wife and daughter have iPhones, iPods and new BMW's and if we lived in any other country in the world we could have smartphone intergration.

The X5 is made in the State in both lefthand & righthand drive, shiped all over the world, how come everyone else gets it except us, its a minor cost option that is already being fitted to righthand drive X5's for England & SA.

Oh, I showed your statement to my wife, yeh would not be a good idea to come around here for dinner for awhile, did not go down very well I'm afraid, she said something about buying a Merc! and sticking something up your a**e, I think it might have been one of her old iPods!

I could play the game of internet-smack-talk a little better than you foul mouth wife/husband/whatever rock you boat, but I rather say that it is still absurd to sue BMW for equipment that they do not offer in your country in particular...

[volinder]

Originally Posted by Technic

Any possible sympathy to be given due to your particular situation was thrown out of the window by that absurd comment...

In a world where people are losing jobs, and we're facing uncertain economic times, I have to agree with Technic. I'm sure your wife and your daughter will live to see another day

[volinder]

Next time your daughter and your wife bitch and complain about missing a $150 option, tell them to look at these pictures. Maybe life isn't so rough after all for them

The global recession - in photos



Hotel property manager Paul Martinez kicks in a tenant's door after no one answered the knock during an eviction February 26, 2009 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The tenant said that he was laid off from his job in a retail store two months ago and had fallen behind on his rent payments at the low-budget hotel. (John Moore/Getty Images)




Thousands of job-seekers flock to a job fair in Hefei, Anhui province, China on March 1, 2009. At least 20 million of China's 130 million migrant workers have become jobless after tens of thousands of labor-intensive export-oriented factories closed due to the global financial crisis, and job training schemes for migrant workers are springing up around China, Xinhua News Agency reported. (REUTERS/Jianan Yu)




People attend the REDC Foreclosure Home Auction in New York, in this photo taken March 8, 2009. About 1,400 people crowded into New York's first foreclosure auction over the weekend. One family bought a 2,062-square foot home in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York for just $12, 500 or $6 per square foot, according to the New York Post. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)




Brittney Nance holds her head as she works on her laptop in her motel room at the Old Town Inn March 5, 2009 in West Sacramento, California. Brittney and her family were evicted from the house they were renting after her husband, Steve Nance, lost his job. The couple and their three children are living in a budget motel while they save enough money for deposit on a new rental home, but are finding it difficult as they pay nearly $1200 a month for the motel room. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)



Dodge SUVs sit parked in the Atlantic Marine Terminal at the port of Baltimore February 18, 2009 in Baltimore, Maryland. As the worldwide economic downturn persists and automobile sales continue to slow, more than 57,000 new automobiles sit idle in the port of Maryland. The state of Maryland recently paid $5.26 million for almost 15 acres of additional car storage space near the port, freeing space for more cargo.



Weeds have taken over a row of vacant, unfinished new homes Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009 in Gilbert, Arizona. (AP Photo/Matt York)


The global recession - in photos [/QUOTE]

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by watrob

$500,000 of BMW's in my garage and I have to carry around a iPod and a iPhone in my pockets out to the garage looking like a Broe with the crack of my arse showing because my pants are falling down from all the weight and then sit in the car for 5 mins hooking up all that s**t. Then when you get to work pull it all out again and hook it up to a computer to keep it charged just to put it all back in again when you want to go home.

Watrob, buddy, I don't really understand your rant at all here. You aren't making much sense.

How is 6NF magically going to free you from any of the above issues, and solve all of your gadget connectivity issues? And how is the fact that you have to keep them all charged any of BMW's fault?

6NF is merely a convergence of two previously available features. It allows you to use both 6FL and the smartphone snap-in cradle at the same time. That is it.

To elaborate:

Do you have 6FL in your car? No? Well, then you should have ordered it. Yes? Great, plug your iPod in there. Leave it there as long as you wish. Or take it out every time you leave the car if you want to do that too.

Do you have the smartphone snapin cradle in your car? No? Then order it. You can get them online if they are not available from BMW AUS. Yes? Then plug your iPhone in there and leave it there as long as you wish. Or take it out and bring it with you.

Problem solved. All 6NF would give you here is the ability to play songs from either the iPod or the iPhone without unplugging the phone from the cradle and plugging it into the 6FL cable. But note, even if you did have 6NF, you'd still have to unplug the iPod to play music from the iPhone (due to BMW's hack-y implementation). So either way there is unplugging involed. 6NF is nice, but it is not going to save you from any of the issues you are ranting about.

[URBAN LEGEND]

Originally Posted by watrob

iPhone in my pockets out to the garage looking like a Broe with the crack of my arse showing because my pants are falling down

What does this mean?

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by URBAN LEGEND

What does this mean?

[M3FTW]

OP's complaint is overly dramatic, check

Volinder's picture montage, overly dramatic, check

So, because we're in a recession I can't complain anymore? Some of my workers were complaining about having to work late the other day, should I scold them for complaining because other people don't have jobs anymore?

My point, the OP needs to make sure he knows exactly what the smartphone integration actually does before he lambasts BMW.

[volinder]

Originally Posted by M3FTW

OP's complaint is overly dramatic, check

Volinder's picture montage, overly dramatic, check

So, because we're in a recession I can't complain anymore? Some of my workers were complaining about having to work late the other day, should I scold them for complaining because other people don't have jobs anymore?

My point, the OP needs to make sure he knows exactly what the smartphone integration actually does before he lambasts BMW.

Actually I saw this post in another forum and found it fitting. Don't worry I didn't take the time to put it together, but touche!!!!

[watrob]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

Watrob, buddy, I don't really understand your rant at all here. You aren't making much sense.

How is 6NF magically going to free you from any of the above issues, and solve all of your gadget connectivity issues? And how is the fact that you have to keep them all charged any of BMW's fault?

6NF is merely a convergence of two previously available features. It allows you to use both 6FL and the smartphone snap-in cradle at the same time. That is it.

To elaborate:

Do you have 6FL in your car? No? Well, then you should have ordered it. Yes? Great, plug your iPod in there. Leave it there as long as you wish. Or take it out every time you leave the car if you want to do that too.

Do you have the smartphone snapin cradle in your car? No? Then order it. You can get them online if they are not available from BMW AUS. Yes? Then plug your iPhone in there and leave it there as long as you wish. Or take it out and bring it with you.

Problem solved. All 6NF would give you here is the ability to play songs from either the iPod or the iPhone without unplugging the phone from the cradle and plugging it into the 6FL cable. But note, even if you did have 6NF, you'd still have to unplug the iPod to play music from the iPhone (due to BMW's hack-y implementation). So either way there is unplugging involed. 6NF is nice, but it is not going to save you from any of the issues you are ranting about.

I have 6FL and if I had 6NF I could then plug my iPhone into my "new" BMW cradle and have the use of the external aerial, charge the iphone, use Bluetooth and play the iPod part of the iPhone all at the same time through this BMW cradle and not have to use a iPod and the Y-Cable in the USB port!

Now thats what I want to do, just like they can do in Europe, England and the States?

Now I don't know what planet you are from but don't see the sense in having a iPod in my left pocket & a iPhone in my right and havng to buy all the extra cables so to have a set at home & work, mutiplied 3 times for the whole family when my iPhone can do it all!

So yes, magically 6NF will solve all my problems, just as magically JailBreak solved my iPhone problems with a better SMS program and a MMS program as well, also the iphone needs charging more often due me recieving my emails via Exchange & Data conectivity.

And to finish up I do 600klm a week so I am in & out of my vehicle a lot, hence this is my 3rd X5 in 18mths and in the 18 months of having E70 X5's with 6FL, not one have I been able to get 6NF. 18 f***ing months and still no 6NF.

You are missing the point, 6NF is not a option that is dictated my the rules or regulation from one country to another, it is also not dictated by the car being a righthand or lefthand drive car, the vehicles comes out of the same factory and share all the same iDrive & computer systems and finally the BMW cradle & iPhone are the same all over the world just like the iPod is. So tell me why is 6NF available in every corner of the world except Australia.

Why, because BMW are slack, 18 mths and still no 6NF, slack, piss poor call it anything you like, the fact remains the same they cannot answer the question when put to them, or its coming, what a joke! so is f***ing Christmas!

[NewM3driver]

Tell your wife AND your daughter to go build themselves a bridge and get over it. If that's all you have to worry about, you should consider yourself very fortunate.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by watrob

I have 6FL and if I had 6NF I could then plug my iPhone into my "new" BMW cradle and have the use of the external aerial, charge the iphone, use Bluetooth and play the iPod part of the iPhone all at the same time through this BMW cradle and not have to use a iPod and the Y-Cable in the USB port!

You still haven't explained why you cannot just leave the iPod in the car. Just plug the iPod into the 6FL cable and leave it there. DONE.

You only have to carry one device with you - the iPhone. If you had 6NF you would instead be playing music from the iPhone while it was docked in the car, yes. Great. But who cares? It is not like it will sound any better than the iPod. They will play the same songs and sound identical. And in fact, with the iPod (if it is a classic or a touch 32Gb) can hold a lot more songs.

Now I don't know what planet you are from but don't see the sense in having a iPod in my left pocket & a iPhone in my right and havng to buy all the extra cables so to have a set at home & work, mutiplied 3 times for the whole family when my iPhone can do it all!

The only extra cable you need is the 6FL for each car. Just keep an iPod in each car with everyone's music and playlists on it. It is a simple solution.

And by the way, your M3 is a 2008, so there was never any chance for 6NF there since it was a new option for 2009. What year is your 3 series? Pre-2009 also, right? There too, no chance it could have been built with 6NF anyway. So, you'd still need to use the simple solution I outline above for those two vehicles regarless of whether you could have ordered it on your new X5.