BMW ASSIST and Bluetooth in 2005

[seh]

I read recently in a thread at bimmerfest that in 2005 BMW ASSIST will include the Bluetooth mobile phone facility. I'm both excited and confused with this news, so I'd like to pose a few questions.

My goal is to be able to use my own Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone through a hands-free microphone in a 2005 330Ci, perhaps controlling some phone functions through buttons on the steering wheel. Reading about BMW ASSIST , it sounds like in addition to whatever hardware is installed in the car, one is also purchasing a mobile phone (a rebadged Motorola v60) and a mobile phone plan with a dedicated phone number for calls to and from the car. Given that, it made sense to me that the Bluetooth package and BMW ASSIST were mutually exclusive, apparently until now.

If BMW ASSIST comes with its own mobile phone, how does the Bluetooth facility interact with some other phone that the driver may want to use? If I bought a car that came with BMW ASSIST (by way of the Premium Package), and I did not renew the service after the first year, would I still be able to use my own mobile phone with the Bluetooth facility?

I'm loath to pay for something I don't want or need. From what I'v read, buying the Bluetooth package separately can cost quite a bit. If I can get all the same features by getting BMW ASSIST, that would be great, but I want to make sure that I'm not getting stuck with another phone and another phone service plan that I don't need.

Please correct, clarify, and advise. If I can get this figured out, I can move on to choosing a leather color.

 

[MrElussive]

Yeah, I think you're just confused. That rebadged Motorolva V60 phone that BMW sells is NOT Bluetooth. You actually do plug it into the car (usually you just "connect" or "place" the phone in the center console and connect the wire to it) and the car automatically downloads the phonebook and you use the steering wheel buttons and a separate number pad (part of the car) to make and receive phone calls and shit. BMW sells you the phone and installs the kit for you, your only job is to take the phone to Verizon or AT&T or whatever provider you wish to use and have it activated (you just transfer your plan onto the new phone or setup a new plan).

The Bluetooth Module works with ANY Bluetooth phone and works with the car WIRELESSLY. Meaning you just hop into your car with your phone in your pocket and the car detects the phone's presence (or vice versa). Nothing to plug in or connect, the car uses Bluetooth (wireless technology) to communicate with the phone and back. You use the steering wheel buttons to answer and hang up phone calls, although I'm not sure if the car syncs up with the phone's phonebook.

Don't kill yourself trying to figure out this wireless bullshit....it's something that BMW has not yet worked out and they should be doing the "figuring", not the customers. If you plan on ordering a 2005 3-Series, just make sure to get it with Bluetooth and BMW Assist.

 

[theBMWenthusiast]

that'd be a cool change...can you use your own phone now, if im understanding this right

 

[seh]

Yeah, I think you're just confused. That rebadged Motorolva V60 phone that BMW sells is NOT Bluetooth. You actually do plug it into the car

Yes, I understand that. My point is that I didn't want to have to pay for this new phone that I'm not going to use. Assume I have my own Bluetooth-capable phone, and I just want to be able to use it through the car's speaker and microphone system.

your only job is to take the phone to Verizon or AT&T or whatever provider you wish to use and have it activated (you just transfer your plan onto the new phone or setup a new plan).

I'm not sure it's so easy to add another phone to an existing plan. From what I had read, BMW ASSIST requires that the car have its own phone number. The phone, establishment of an account, and one year of service are included with BMW ASSIST. After the first year, it's $240 annually. Much of that $240 is probably going toward paying for an occasional-use mobile phone plan.

The Bluetooth Module works with ANY Bluetooth phone and works with the car WIRELESSLY.

That's what I want, and it's definitely not the same thing as BMW ASSIST. So I'm confused as to why BMW is combining these two features. If I have my own phone that works wirelessly through the car, why do I also want to pay for a separate phone dedicated to the car, extreme safety considerations aside?

Don't kill yourself trying to figure out this wireless bullshit....it's something that BMW has not yet worked out and they should be doing the "figuring", not the customers.

I think I understand the goals and necessary features; it's BMW's approach that confuses me. Acura, by contrast, simply offers Bluetooth connectivity as a standard feature with the TL, including voice-activated control. It's not conflated with emergency communication and concierge services.

If you plan on ordering a 2005 3-Series, just make sure to get it with Bluetooth and BMW Assist.

I certainly do plan on ordering one. I'd like to swap the Alacantra/cloth interior for leather. The price difference between leather a la carte and the Premium Package, which includes the leather, is about $700. The lumbar support in the seats sounds nice, the auto-dimming mirror superfluous, and BMW ASSIST with Bluetooth both annoying and alluring. The question comes down to how much the Bluetooth option costs on its own, and whether getting it in conjunction with BMW ASSIST is an asset or liability.

 

[MrElussive]

Okay we're on the same page now.
BMW Assist costs $240 per year but you are paying for services. This BMW Assist yearly plan works like this. Inside every new BMW with BMW Assist is a built-in "phone" that is completely integrated into the car. This BMW Assist phone is extremely limited because you just push a button (or something along those lines) and it calls a BMW Assist center automatically and puts you straight through to a representative. You would use this to tell tlhe representative if you have a medical emergency (such as a bad car accident) or if you need roadside assistance. It is more of like a dispatch system, but this BMW Assist "phone" is completely integrated into the car and only allows you to have a two-way hands-free conversation with the BMW Assist center. The car does have its own actual phone number (which is how the BMW Assist center calls your car), but it is a number that only BMW Assist knows and there is no actual setup or activation for this....or at least BMW takes care of all that before you take delivery of the car, assuming you paid the $240 yearly bill. But this is only part of the services you get for the $240 per year service. You have to use an actual telephone to take advantage of the BMW Concierge service (hotel reservations, send flowers, etc.) which is part of that $240 service.
Now you said you have a Bluetooth enabled phone, right? Well basically assuming BMW gets their shit working right, you just order your BMW with Bluetooth Module and when you get your car, you just use your current phone with the car. No change of phone, no change of plan or activation or anything like that. The only thing you probably have to do is some kind of like "setup" for the car and the phone to initialize each other and work together. But once you have that setup, everything essentially works through your phone. When you wanna dial a number or answer a call, you use the car to perform these tasks, but the car is actually controlling your phone while you're doing this. For example, if you dial a phone number and hit send through the car, the car wirelessly tells the phone to dial that number and make the call (and the call is hands-free through Bluetooth). So basically the car is like your handy dandy middleman between you and your phone.

Now based on what I just stated (disregard my original response), ask me whatever questions you still may have. This post should have addressed all of your previous questions.

 

[drkeng]

Wonder if there's any chance of a retro fit to an 04 330. I'm looking at the soon to be released Motorola RAZR v3 Bluetooth phone--it's extremely thin, some fancy etched keypad, internal antenna, camera, speakerphone,...If you like toys, this one looks cool; check this link (http://www.mobile-review.com/review/motorola-v3-en.shtml ). I'll probably just get a wireless bluetooth earpiece for the car and walking around--I think you can answer calls and voice dial with buttons on the earpiece, so you can just leave the phone in your pocket.

 

[MrElussive]

Damn, ANOTHER hot phone for the GSM network. Verizon easily has by the far the WORST selection of phones!!!

 

[xLibelle]

Bluetooth has been a joke ever since it came of thought.
Granted its a great idea, if all the issues were ironed out, i would buy it in a heart beat. But first premiere at a tech fest, the whole system crapped out. Now, there are already issues with virus.