(Solution) BMW 325xi RAD2 failure caused by mechanic replacement

Car model and mileage:
Used 2006 325xi, 37,000 miles

Symptoms:
it started occasionally going into transmission limp mode. I put it into the local BMW dealer shop, who loaned me a brand new 328i courtesy car. The dealer diagnosed the issue to be a faulty mechatronic and fought for weeks, and got CARS Inc. to agree to pay $3500 of the $5000 tag. I was impressed. 6 weeks to get to this point, all while driving a brand new 328i loaner and I authorized them to order the part. A week later, yesterday, I get a call from the dealer saying the transmission issue was fixed, however, somehow in the reprogramming of all the computers in the car, so I was told, the RAD2 crashed and I needed to replace that, which controls the radio. They don’t know what else besides the clock function might not be working if I don’t replace the RAD2. They gave me some discounts to get the price of replacing that down to $830. CARS Inc said that was not covered. The dealership is waiting for me to authorize ordering this part and committing to the additional $830. I’ll have the loaner car for another week. I’ve already put over 3,000 miles on it, so I can’t complain too much but….

Question:
Do I have any choice other than to bend over and take it?

Solution:
It’s very common for radio modules to brick during programming.

Cheapest route would be to find a used RAD2 off eBay or junkyard, etc and swap it in. Depending on how the donor car was optioned, the radio may not need coding.

Coding is DIFFERENT than programming. Don’t risk updating the module at the dealer via programming. Find someone local and have them default the coding. Takes less than 5 minutes.

Look in the coding section on this website or the regional section on bmwcoding.com

Alternatively, you can have a local coder try and force software onto the RAD2 module via NFS. The dealership does not have this capability. The coder will need a BMW ICOM unit. Don’t even bother if he tries over DCAN.

BMW ICOM unit for example, $549 +shipping:
http://www.obdii365.com/wholesale/new-bmw-icom-a2-b-c-diagnostic-programming-tool.html

bmw icom a2+b+c

OBDII365