If you’ve bought a new BMW in the last few years, you have likely looked at the myriad buttons and iDrive options and found a few that you aren’t quite sure what they do. The technology in vehicles has evolved rapidly, and mastering the increasingly complex options can require a bit of help.
Since 2020, BMW, and currently only BMW, answers those questions for owners via a free video call. From explaining a symbol to how to charge a new electric vehicle, BMW’s Remote Visual Guidance service lets users point their phone’s camera at the mystery or challenge and receive live, personal guidance.
Consumer Reports recently gave BMW’s Remote Visual Guidance service a thorough test to see how effectively it can answer BMW owner questions. Author Keith Barry reported, “Every car company has its own specific language to describe functions and buttons—Bobby cut through all of it to solve my issue and make the car act the way I wanted.”
Barry reports that while specialists are often most effective with BMW models produced over the last five years, the service is free to BMW owners as part of the BMW Genius programs.
Read the full article at Consumer Reports.