Bovine Scatology or what?

[pdisher]

I brought the car to the dealer expecting the usual process of making an appointment for service

This time SA takes the key to a reader that was not on his desk.
Comes back in a few moments and tells me the service indicator is displaying because the car is in need of a “state inspection”.

Sounds like BS to me, he says it’s set at the factory.

I bought the car from a used car dealer in my state, previously the car was registered in Connecticut. I put a Massachusetts sticker on it in July of 2011. Sticker expires in July 2012 and this dealer did not do the inspection.

Whatdyathink?

[Ihave1]

I'm pretty sure you can set that date to anything you want with the BC button on the turn signal stalk. Its just a reminder to get your yearly state inspection. Go to the service info screen then hold the BC button for a few seconds and I think you can change the date from there.

[pdisher]

Got it!

Thanks a bunch....

[Tom K.]

Yep, it's a common issue when buying a used BMW that was registered in another state. Apparently the selling dealer rarely re-programs the state/local inspection dates for the new state.

In my case, my E91 called for a VA periodic safety inspection which is required in MD only at initial registration. I simply reset the date to 2040.

Tom

[Bimmer-Bob]

Yeah, the car doesn't know what state it's in. If you're in a state that requires inspection and it's current, you should have the BC updated accordingly. I'm actually surprised that your dealer wouldn't put 2 and 2 together...

[Sylon]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Yeah, the car doesn't know what state it's in. If you're in a state that requires inspection and it's current, you should have the BC updated accordingly. I'm actually surprised that your dealer wouldn't put 2 and 2 together...

I'm actually surprised that the car itself keeps track of that sort of thing. What about people like me who bought their overseas and brought them here?

[KingOfJericho]

If you have iDrive, you can just set the date to like 2031 and forget it.

[dorkdog]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

Yeah, the car doesn't know what state it's in...

It does if you have NAV...

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by Sylon

I'm actually surprised that the car itself keeps track of that sort of thing. What about people like me who bought their overseas and brought them here?

I bought my car when I was stationed in Spain, and then had it shipped back to the US when I PCS'ed to TX. When I titled and registered the car here, I had to have the state inspection done so I just took it to the dealer (the state sets the price at $14.95 no matter where you go, so I'd rather get it done by the dealer than JiffyLube). Anyway, I guess they programmed the date into the BC because it's counting down until July when I need to get it renewed.

[GotM]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

If you have iDrive, you can just set the date to like 2031 and forget it.

I don't have iDrive, but this is what I did.