OK. After a full day of hope... I got a call from the service advisor at Stevens Creek BMW letting me know that the service guys cannot install the BlueTooth kit in my car and that they've lined me up for a refund!
The head advisor said the service guy who ordered the parts for me "should" have known better, and that the only car in the 3-series lineup that is incompatible with the device is the convertible. He went on to say that the reason it's incompatible is because of an "ambient noise situation" they're trying to resolve. He said a part would be available in about ONE YEAR to resolve the issue. I got a bit pissed (both at myself for circumventing what the first dealer advised... and at THIS dealer for not knowing enough to save me the time and trouble). I asked why the "ambient noise" situation doesn't exist when using the BMW Assist feature, and he just scratched his head and said he didn't know.
So, here's the deal -- I think the kit will work just fine with a convertible. They just don't want to perform the install and disable BMW Assist which is a subscription-based revenue generator for BMW NA. There may also be something to the noise issue, and I'm betting they don't want unhappy customers on their hands (like me) who were expecting a better experience.
So, there you have it. I got my refund this afternoon after work. Unless I want to do this job myself (which I don't) I won't be using bluetooth in my convertible. Big bummer.
The head advisor said the service guy who ordered the parts for me "should" have known better, and that the only car in the 3-series lineup that is incompatible with the device is the convertible. He went on to say that the reason it's incompatible is because of an "ambient noise situation" they're trying to resolve. He said a part would be available in about ONE YEAR to resolve the issue. I got a bit pissed (both at myself for circumventing what the first dealer advised... and at THIS dealer for not knowing enough to save me the time and trouble). I asked why the "ambient noise" situation doesn't exist when using the BMW Assist feature, and he just scratched his head and said he didn't know.
So, here's the deal -- I think the kit will work just fine with a convertible. They just don't want to perform the install and disable BMW Assist which is a subscription-based revenue generator for BMW NA. There may also be something to the noise issue, and I'm betting they don't want unhappy customers on their hands (like me) who were expecting a better experience.
So, there you have it. I got my refund this afternoon after work. Unless I want to do this job myself (which I don't) I won't be using bluetooth in my convertible. Big bummer.