[DaWhole9]

Just bought a used M550i from the BMW dealer and they were a "no haggle" dealer so the price was what they advertised and it was fair. During the process the salesman pulled the original window sticker out to show me how well optioned it was. I got the car and started reading up on all the tech and features and the remote parking function would come in handy as my garage is narrow and I scraped my 535i a few times going in and out. In order to use that function it requires the display key. I didnt get one. I asked the salesperson yesterday about the key and he said it was his day off, but he thought int would be my responsibility to pay for a new one, and the sales manager at the time said he would look into it and call me back.

My question, how hard should I push for it? They used the options of the car listed to sell the car...that was listed...they didnt say that the remote parking feature which is an option on the car can't be used unless I buy a $600 key, so I think the car was a tad misrepresented and they should provide the key free of charge. Or they should adjust the price of the car to reflect that it isn't as optioned as they represented...thoughts? And if so how hard should I push? I do have a few days to back out of the deal...should that be my approach?

[Mach550]

you probably lost your ability to push for it when you signed the papers and drove away.

[eric_gm]

Originally Posted by Mach550

you probably lost your ability to push for it when you signed the papers and drove away.

Yup. I doubt they will freely program another key for a used car.

In any case, the display key is a gimmick. I have it and it's only a party trick, nothing else. I much prefer using the regular key.

Even the remote parking (which not every G30 supports) is stupid. You have to stay within ~5 feet of the car, use two hands at all times to operate the key (one holding the forward of backward button, the other the remote parking button. If the car is not perfectly straight before moving into the parking spot, it won't turn the steering, it just stops in the middle of wherever it ended up. When you reverse and want to get in, as soon as you let go off the remote parking button the engine will stop, so you have to turn the engine on again after getting in, it's all so convoluted and nonsensical.

This is all much, much worse in public parking lots with you leaving your car in the middle of the way, making sure it's perfectly straight, then turning it off, getting out and standing right next to it looking dumb and suspicious, turning it on the engine again via the key, waiting like 2 minutes for it to move at less than 1mph, with both your hands glued to the key, until it parks itself and then you notice the 20 cars waiting for you to end your dumb maneuver so they can go on with their lives.

If the feature had control over the steering it would be a bit better, I don't know why remote parking was implemented so half-assedly. In contrast, the parking assist feature that you operate from inside the car works great because the car moves a lot faster and turns the steering wheel on its own.

[AP]

Yeh I wouldn’t bother with it. Had it with my previous 2017 540.( back then you got 2 normal keys and a display key)
Never even got to peel off the protective film on the display, ended up in the cupboard until I sold the car.

Remote parking is probably the only reason for it and you can see above ithoighta on that

[Gautam]

I was in the same situation though I didn't buy my car from a BMW dealer. I ponied up for a new key. Expensive key, but not much relative to the price of the car. I wanted the remote park function, and I'm a shameless gadget junkie. Let's face it, in many ways the car is a giant toy as it is. It's been a lifesaver in a few very rare scenarios.

How to haggle and to what end is your call, I can say I'm no good at it. Every case I've played hardball, I ended up walking. This doesn't seem to be how dealers look at things, but I'd say it's in their best financial interest to take care of you. They could potentially make 10x back over the next few years if you regularly service your car with them.

[Joe-BMW33]

FWIU, there nothing you can’t do with the Display Key that you can’t do work the app. It’s almost the size of a phone, so it’s a piece of hardware you have to lug around.

There’s a reason why they discontinued it. Because the app can do the same thing and everyone carries a phone.

Now all that said, if they want to get you one on them, why not. Something for the junk drawer.

I’ve always been able to locate the proior owner of my cars. You could also try that route and see if they have it or the dealer can.

[DaWhole9]

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

FWIU, there nothing you can’t do with the Display Key that you can’t do work the app. It’s almost the size of a phone, so it’s a piece of hardware you have to lug around.

So the BMW app can do the remote parking with the 2018 M550i? My manual implies the Display Key is required.

[DaWhole9]

Originally Posted by Mach550

you probably lost your ability to push for it when you signed the papers and drove away.

Not in California...I have 2 days to return the car and cancel the transaction. Thats today...lol....

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by DaWhole9

So the BMW app can do the remote parking with the 2018 M550i? My manual implies the Display Key is required.

It can’t, not until much newer models (23?)

Remote control parking is only possible with the display key pre-LCI. It’s basically the sole feature that makes it worth anything.

[BlueSander]

Give it a try. $600 to you, their cost is significantly less.

Anyhow, I have mine. Played with it once when I first got the car. Haven't touched it since. The key is huge so no chance I'm carrying that daily. You can remotely move the car forward and backward. That's rather pointless. Everything else that it shows, I can do the same in the app and more.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by Gautam

It can’t, not until much newer models (23?)

Remote control parking is only possible with the display key pre-LCI. It’s basically the sole feature that makes it worth anything.

I stand corrected, carry on.

[Gautam]

Originally Posted by DaWhole9

. I got the car and started reading up on all the tech and features and the remote parking function would come in handy as my garage is narrow and I scraped my 535i a few times going in and out.

Rcp is a feature that could’ve used a bit of polish to go from close to useless to pretty convenient. To a lesser degree, gesture control and even acc/lane keep sort of fit this category. The pre-LCI g30 was a car ahead of its time and had the first iterations of some of these features.

It’s unfortunately unwieldy to use for the use case of regularly getting the car in and out of your garage because it requires the car to be off before starting, and shuts it (including the engine) off again when it’s done. So you can’t just pull the car out and get back in it. You also can’t just get out of the car and pull it in. You have to go through a cycle of shutting it off, using the remote to move it, and then shutting it back off again in order to be able to enter the car. It also takes around 30 seconds both to shut the car on and off. I don’t know why it was designed this way, probably for safety considerations but it makes it impractical.

That said, I still don’t regret getting it. It’s at its best during surprise situations like someone parking within a couple of inches of you, or being able to take a spot in a crowded parking garage that’d be unwieldy otherwise. I use it once every couple of months in these sorts of scenarios.

[eric_gm]

The problem with narrow public parking spots is that you wouldn't want to park there in the first place, so it's solving a problem but creating another.

If you watch basically all of BMW's remote parking videos that's the scenario they use to justify it, but besides everything I said before, if you do manage to park there, you're either blocking people from opening the doors right next to your car (because nobody else has remote parking) or risking getting door dings.

If I see a narrow space I'm never parking there, I'm just going to go and find another one or wait.

[Gautam]

I’ve used it to park next to walls. In one case, there was no other option, so it was still a net win. On other occasions, someone else parked close to me, once so close that I’d have had to climb in through the passenger door otherwise.