ANY MEMBERS FROM EUROPE with side bolsters?

I am reposting this here for European fellas,

any european forum members who have their side bolsters seats (i.e.: multi contour seats with 20 DOF)
and not 18.
can you give as your last 7 of your VIN?

PLEAAAAAZZZZZZ!!!?

Sent PM

You must really want those bolsters because ordering a seat is going to be SPENDY.

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

You must really want those bolsters because ordering a seat is going to be SPENDY.

not more than getting hit hard when I trade for another car...

Originally Posted by BimmerUKF10

Sent PM

Ok Great thanks,
I will be locating the part No. and post it here for the people who are interested.
I wonder how much$ the whole driver seat costs!

Are you doing this just for fun or are you still undecided if you will get rid of the F10?

Originally Posted by solstice

Are you doing this just for fun or are you still undecided if you will get rid of the F10?

The question is whether or not I am happy if I keep 550i as a second car.
(M3 is already on the way)
For me to be happy with what I paid,
I need to have side bolsters and capitalize my hope on Dinan
that they will offer suspension and steering programming at some point.
If I get those I am happy.
I haven't had any other issues.

If Dinan doesn't come up with anything serious this car will be traded next year or something..
in that way the money I'd get hit if I trade now will be similar with that time of next year
if I keep low miles.

Got it, there was another reader here who handed the F10 to his wife and bought himself an E60.

Originally Posted by solstice

Got it, there was another reader here who handed the F10 to his wife and bought himself an E60.

problem is she doesn't do manual...+she claims she is hard-wired not to learn it

Originally Posted by bmw_enthusiasm

The question is whether or not I am happy if I keep 550i as a second car.
(M3 is already on the way)
For me to be happy with what I paid,
I need to have side bolsters and capitalize my hope on Dinan
that they will offer suspension and steering programming at some point.
If I get those I am happy.
I haven't had any other issues.

If Dinan doesn't come up with anything serious this car will be traded next year or something..
in that way the money I'd get hit if I trade now will be similar with that time of next year
if I keep low miles.

You should hold on till March and trade for an M5. You can use ED to minimize the hit.

Originally Posted by Stealth.Pilot

You should hold on till March and trade for an M5. You can use ED to minimize the hit.

Or instead of "minimizing" the hit to ~$40k out of pocket to an M5 you could let your wife choose something in a range that would inflict zero out of pocket $$$ since once you get your M3 you will likely not want to drive anything else.

Originally Posted by bmw_enthusiasm

not more than getting hit hard when I trade for another car...

Since the seat is a part number that the computer will not recognize, I think this is a futile effort.

I was told by the Shop Foreman at my local dealer that pretty much every electronic part that has any kind of connection to the CAN (not sure if they have CAN in this car or some other system) has a part number that's registered with the computer. If the computer does not recognize the part number, it will indicate a fault and the part will not work.

The key here is that the part number is specifically coded to the software load on your particular VIN. In other words, the total "build" knows what options you have on your car and which you not. So just because a part is specific to the F10 does not make it able to be plug and play. It has to be specific to your car.

Because the seat is very integrated into the system for airbag deployment (both from the front airbag deployment rate as well as whether or not to trigger the seat-mounted side airbag), the system very much is looking for the part number of that seat. If you swap it out, you will probably at the very least get errors and may not even get the seat to power up and move.

If I am understanding what he is saying, you would essentially have to have a custom software load build for your car that indicated the "new" part number was to be found in the system. That software is written by BMW, not the shop. So purchasing a Euro seat means you'd probably end up with a very expensive office chair.

Originally Posted by solstice

Or instead of "minimizing" the hit to ~$40k out of pocket to an M5 you could let your wife choose something in a range that would inflict zero out of pocket $$$ since once you get your M3 you will likely not want to drive anything else.

hmm..you so confident about it huh... you sound like a prophet or something

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

The key here is that the part number is specifically coded to the software load on your particular VIN. In other words, the total "build" knows what options you have on your car and which you not. So just because a part is specific to the F10 does not make it able to be plug and play. It has to be specific to your car.
.

you probably right but I heard a similar story from the dealer before when I inquire about
another car's shifter.
but then I was able to get the shifter that was not part of my car config. by giving him
the last 7 of the other car -- not mine.

The key is to 'pretend' that your last seven digits are the ones who have adj. side bolsters
for real. Then you order and install. It comes from Germany and take many weeks sometimes. It is also non-refundable...

Now the issue with the software maybe a real challenge though...

Originally Posted by bmw_enthusiasm

you probably right but I heard a similar story from the dealer before when I inquire about
another car's shifter.
but then I was able to get the shifter that was not part of my car config. by giving him
the last 7 of the other car -- not mine.

The key is to 'pretend' that your last seven digits are the ones who have adj. side bolsters
for real. Then you order and install. It comes from Germany and take many weeks sometimes. It is also non-refundable...

Now the issue with the software maybe a real challenge though...

Yes, my point was not about obtaining said seats, but having them function as something more than a fixed throne in your car. Which might negate the whole point of active bolsters in the first place...

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

a fixed throne in your car...

I love the term 'throne' they do actually look like that