The day after the 2024 BMW 530i arrived, the automotive’s pc prompted me to say that it wanted to do an over-the-air replace. The web is filled with horror tales of contemporary automobiles that stopped working after such updates. The automotive promised it could solely take 20 minutes.
The danger of getting stranded meant that once I arrived at my vacation spot, I didn’t dare let it replace then, despite the fact that I’d be there for greater than lengthy sufficient. However once I acquired dwelling, the immediate reappeared, nudging me to do the replace. Did I dare?
It appeared well worth the danger to see what would occur, so I clicked on the approval button, however first I made certain the driving force’s door was open so I might get out. Simply in case.
I returned to the BMW about half an hour later to search out that the replace was full and all the things was in working order. The automotive supplied a report on the content material of the replace. It supplied new software program to improve the 530’s driver help programs, for higher security. This was welcome, although the pc supplied no element on how, precisely, the programs had been reprogrammed.
It additionally upgraded the cooling of the brake management system, although, once more, there was no element supplied on how software program completed this worthwhile objective. The 530’s exterior lighting acquired some practical modifications too.
Replace listing for the 530i. DAN CARNEY
Aside from that, the updates gave the impression to be principally documentation, with modifications to the digital proprietor’s guide, one other lawyer-prescribed disclaimer, and knowledge for hybrid-electric fashions that didn’t apply to this 530.
Carmakers have completely different philosophies concerning the frequency of OTA updates, so I put in a name to the ever-helpful Alexander Schmuck at BMW for some assist. He stories that the corporate sometimes points about three OTA updates a yr for its automobiles, however there isn’t a hard-and-fast schedule.
Stellantis, for comparability, points month-to-month updates for its automobiles. When updates to our computer systems and cellular gadgets so usually appear to wreak havoc, it’s reassuring that BMW’s OTA replace was as snug and easy because the 530 itself. A couple of extra such successes might even lead me to be assured sufficient to let it replace once I’m away from dwelling!
