BMW'S new TeleService technology detects car wear & tear automatically

Making use of BMW ConnectedDrive - a system that allows drivers to access a number of services in their car - BMW TeleService is the most dramatic leap forward into the future of diagnostic technology. Using a built-in SIM card, it is now possible to transmit wear and tear data from the vehicle computer, direct to the BMW service department. This enables the service centre to gain an accurate overview of the Service Data and parts required before the car physically enters the service centre.

The On-board Computers checks various systems of the vehicle, providing the basis for Condition Based Services (CBS), which determines automatically and exactly the required service for the vehicle. In this way, vehicle components such as Break Pads, Microfilters, Spark Plugs and fluids such as Engine Oil, Coolant and Brake Oil are permanently monitored and the required service is precisely calculated.

When a CBS requirement is recognized, a BMW TeleService call is automatically triggered by the vehicle's electronic system and a message is sent, utilizing the pre-fit SIM, to the designate BMW Workshop. As soon as the Automatic Service Call is received by the chosen workshop; the Service Advisor will alert the driver if action needs to be taken, allowing plenty of time to arrange a visit to the service department. This ensures that individual parts are not driven beyond their service limit.

BMW TeleService is available on all BMW 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 Series as of September 2005 production cars, which should be equipped with the relevant options. The pre-fit SIM card will allow the transmission of the Service Call with no extra airtime costs to the customer.

"BMW is again pioneering the way with intelligent diagnosis based servicing. Experience gained from using on-board computers to relay technical data in Formula 1 has been applied directly to the new BMW cars, to ensure that more time is spent on the road and less in the 'pit-stop'," said Guenther Seemann, Managing Director, BMW Group Middle East.

"The interaction of electronic and mechanical systems provides a standard of driver support which would have been inconceivable just a few years ago. Today, the driver assistance systems, pioneered by BMW and made real in BMW ConnectedDrive, allow a forward-looking style of motoring with utmost convenience, reducing handling requirements to the minimum."

BMW Group launched for the first time BMW ConnectedDrive in the UAE in January 2004. Two key products and their services were introduced: BMW Online and BMW Assist.

BMW Online allows customers to access their address book and read and reply to their E-mails. This service is accessed via the iDrive controller, fitted to all new 5, 6 and 7 Series cars as standard, and on the 1 and 3 Series with the relevant car options. Customers log on to their personal, unique password-protected BMW Online email account and address book. E-mails from other business or private E-mail accounts, such as Yahoo or Hotmail, can be forwarded to the users' BMW Online mailbox for reading and answering.

BMW Assist emergency service provides a direct voice link to the Police Operation Room when something unforeseen happens. Pressing the SOS button, located above the central iDrive controller, or selecting Emergency Service via the on-board monitor, creates the direct voice-link with the Police Operation Room, enabling the situation to be explained. If the worst happens, the 'Emergency SOS Call' facility is automatically activated in a crash via the airbag sensor, ensuring that action can be taken quickly - even if the driver is unable to make a voice connection.

"BMW Assist helps in crucial situations," said Arno Husselmann, General Manager, Abu Dhabi Motors, the exclusive importer of BMW cars in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. "The 'Emergency Call' button, with 'Automatic Vehicle Location' saves time when you need help quickly. It's great if things never get that far, but it's much better if you have BMW Assist's 'Emergency Call' at your disposal, not just for your own safety but also for the security of your passengers.

"The service can also be activated by a BMW driver who witnesses a major accident. He can stop at the accident scene, press the SOS button and inform the Emergency Call Centre, via the established SMS and voice link, about the accident and its precise location."

Regardless of whether activation of the SOS call is manual or automatic the vehicle's data and GPS position is forwarded to the Police Operation Room by SMS. An SMS receive-station, designed by Dubai Police engineers, translates the information contained in the SMS to geographical information and illustrates the accurate position of the vehicle on a satellite map of the UAE. The relevant local rescue services can then be alerted.

In the event of an 'Emergency SOS Call' being made in Dubai, the Dubai Police Information Reception System automatically locates the police patrol responsible for the area in which the emergency has taken place. If the emergency occurs outside Dubai in another Emirate, Dubai Police will forward the details of the emergency and the vehicle's location to the Operations Room of the relevant police force.

"We wish to bring the driver out of his isolation, giving him access to all the information he finds important or desirable," said Stathis I Stathis, General Manager, AGMC, the exclusive importer of BMW cars in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates.

"BMW ConnectedDrive, bringing all the necessary systems and features together, is the key to reaching this goal. You might, therefore, say that BMW ConnectedDrive is a kind of virtual co-driver giving the driver the right information, rightly processed at the right time."