BMW and Audi disconnected Russian dealers from the software

BMW and Audi, following Mercedes-Benz, disconnected Russian dealers from software, Izvestia found out. Maintenance history and item updates are no longer available to owners of vehicles of these brands

The German automakers BMW and Audi, following Mercedes-Benz, have disconnected Russian dealers from software, Izvestia writes. Maintenance history and item updates are no longer available to owners of vehicles of these brands.

BorisHof, Russia's largest BMW dealership, told the newspaper that now the owners of these cars will not be able to make a duplicate of the keys, but "there are other difficulties." For example, an employee of the maintenance department noted that it is not known whether dealers will be able to diagnose cars.

Another major center, Avtodom, said that access to online services for BMW is carried out through “additional backup channels”.

Messages about turning off the software from BMW began to come to the owners of the cars, the newspaper notes. “I came for a scheduled inspection , and the master said that they were blocked from accessing BMW online systems, but he managed to print out the entire history of my car’s MOT,” the BMW owner told the newspaper. - It turns out that we are switching to paper service books. If before the blocking I could come to any official dealer center in RUSSIA and the manager could see the mileage, the last repair, and so on by the key, now there is no such possibility.”

According to her, the representative of the service warned that one should also wait for the limitations of the functionality of the official BMW ConnectedDrive application, through which remote ignition, warming up the car, tracking fuel levels and information about updates and recall campaigns were available.

Similar problems arose and the owners of Audi, the newspaper writes. In one of the official dealerships of this brand, the manager, on condition of anonymity, told the newspaper that access to the software for owners was limited two months ago. “In addition to the problems with programming duplicate keys, it is impossible to install parts where programming is required - control units, gearbox, parking sensors and so on,” he added.

Read PIONERPRODUKT .by “It's just crazy”: what is driving US tech stocks to record highs Three years at risk of a criminal case: what troubles parallel imports promise Which of those who left the country can keep tax benefits Not to refuse, but to postpone: how to save money without changing Lifestyle

A week earlier, the German concern Mercedes-Benz turned off the dealer software. As the newspaper was told at the time by the press service of the distributor of MB Rus, access, among other things, was limited to online systems that are used for maintenance and troubleshooting. “Indeed, dealers are disconnected from the manufacturer's online software systems. In some cases, the lack of access to online systems will lead to an increase in repair times,” the distributor said, promising that service and repair of machines will continue based on “accumulated experience and knowledge.”

A source familiar with the situation told the publication that now the key problem is the increased time for car repairs, and this applies not only to Mercedes, but also to BMW. Dealers make every effort to honor customer warranties; Third-party software and equipment sold on marketplaces help to circumvent the restrictions, but “in fact, the term“ official dealer ”is losing its meaning,” the source of the newspaper summed up.

There are workarounds: for example, some dealers connect to services through European IP addresses or contact other firms, since third-party companies most often develop online services, said Jan Haytseer, vice president of the National Automobile Union (NAU). In his opinion, part of the diagnostics will go offline, and disabling the software may create risks of problems with the alarm and coding of car keys.

The Mercedes-Benz concern announced the decision to suspend production in Russia and deliveries of cars to the country in March last year, shortly after the start of the military operation in Ukraine . In autumn, he decided to leave the Russian market. The assets of Mercedes-Benz were subsequently acquired by Avtodom. After February 2022, Audi, BMW and other Western concerns also stopped delivering cars to Russia.