1250gs SOS emergency call failure message on TFT

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pbbanks

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I keep getting this emergency call failure message on my 1250gs . I cancel the msg and it clears after switching off\on the bike. I've had the bike since last Oct and it may be half a dozen trips or more between it coming on again. I haven't been trying to do anything with the emergency call when it comes on.
I will obviously contact the dealer and take the bike in but since it doesn't affect the running of the bike I'm waiting till it's convenient (don't want to be without it, enjoying riding it so much!)

Has anyone else had the same msg and know what the cause\fix is? --- just so I know what to expect.
 

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Yes, had that a couple of times, dealer told me it was caused by poor signal coverege, the sos gizmo tries to connect, (check-up I supose) and if that fails display that messege
 
Yep, when I had a GS it popped up twice when signal coverage dropped. Not a very well-worded message is it!
 
Thanks everyone for the responses.
That does make sense; I could have been in poor reception area when it came on today (valleys on the Yorks wolds).
It crossed my mind about poor reception but I assumed the system would have coped with poor reception areas without giving this message. It's bound to keep happening then; how often have we all picked up the mobile and found there was no signal in remote country areas!.
I guess BMW may tweak the software sometime for it to not be so confusing.
I will mention it to the dealer when I'm there next.
 
This happened to my friends 1250 a couple of weeks ago on the day he picked his new bike up from the dealer. Dont quote me here but i think the old notion that its out of signal is absolute bollox!! Reason i say this is because our other friend who was with us who also picked up his brand new 1250 on the same day and same dealer had no problems at all...and we were all together in the same places.

Not affected the bike in anyway but still something you dont want on your brand spanker...Bloody electronics meh!! :anger
 
Brilliant programming. Flashing up error messages that doesn’t tell you what the problem is, you don’t need, and can’t do anything about.:blast
 
This happened to my friends 1250 a couple of weeks ago on the day he picked his new bike up from the dealer. Dont quote me here but i think the old notion that its out of signal is absolute bollox!! Reason i say this is because our other friend who was with us who also picked up his brand new 1250 on the same day and same dealer had no problems at all...and we were all together in the same places.

Not affected the bike in anyway but still something you dont want on your brand spanker...Bloody electronics meh!! :anger

You could be right about it being bollox. :) . The only possibility why it didn't affect both bikes when you were out is that the system only checks now and again on some variable algorithm basis (like I think someone else suggested earlier). For example it may be that it checks once at a random interval from starting off and if it doesn't get a signal it waits until 5 miles have been traveled checks again and then if it hasn't connected waits 10 miles and then thinks it has a fault and brings the error up ??. All this is purely my speculation to explain why the two bikes you were out with didn't both do the same thing :) . Sounds a good theory to me anyway :) .
If it is something like that I guess BMW will just "tune" the software to be less critical to the amount of dropouts it can accept before flagging the fault.

I've now emailed my dealer with the fault and asked him to advise on what I should do. So if\when I get a resolution I'll post it here.
 
Brilliant programming. Flashing up error messages that doesn’t tell you what the problem is, you don’t need, and can’t do anything about.:blast

Yes, it's a bit of a strange message isn't it . " Make an appointment at a specialist workshop" My interpretation of that is -- "There might be something wrong with the SOS system --we don;t know what it is but rather than tell you to ask your dealer we suggest you find a specialist workshop who knows what they are doing" :) :) . ---
Maybe it was from a standard list of answers in whatever software was used to write the programme .
 
I've had the message pop up a few times on my 1200 GS and it seems a bit random as it's done it in a couple of places locally on just 1 occasion when I've been there before and since without any problem so I just ignore it now
 
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I get that message regularly on my 2018 TFT equipped 1200 GSA and yes it was a bit alarming until I twigged what was going on. It is definitely related to poor signal coverage and a flick of the wonder wheel gets rid of it
 
Does it not operate of GPS ? Supposing you had a bad spill in an area with a bad signal ? Not one of BMWs great ideas this little thing .
 
I picked up my new 1250 last week and I had the msg and the warning triangle, I was told it would go when I had my phone linked to the system.
I’ve done a couple of rides with the phone and it hasn’t reoccurred (yet) ��
Fingers crossed ..
I’d like to know if anyone has used the panic button yet? And what happens?
 
I picked up my new 1250 last week and I had the msg and the warning triangle, I was told it would go when I had my phone linked to the system.
I’ve done a couple of rides with the phone and it hasn’t reoccurred (yet) ��
Fingers crossed ..
I’d like to know if anyone has used the panic button yet? And what happens?

Pretty sure it doesn't need a separate mobile phone, it has it's own sim card built in and should have been activated and registered by your dealer.
My dealer said that one of their salesman had tested the SOS and it was remarkably clear and loud to hear from the little built in speaker on the handlebar. Someone at the monitoring centre answered the call and they just said they were testing the system. I've never tested it but feel tempted :) --- Could always say I had the error and wondered if it worked , erm , dare I. ?? Knowing my luck an ambulance and cop car will turn up :) .
 
I get that message regularly on my 2018 TFT equipped 1200 GSA and yes it was a bit alarming until I twigged what was going on. It is definitely related to poor signal coverage and a flick of the wonder wheel gets rid of it

Same on my 2018 GSA. Was told it signal coverage - not totally convinced, but as message has always ‘turned itself off’ after a while, tend to not worry / take much notice now....
 
Does it not operate of GPS ? Supposing you had a bad spill in an area with a bad signal ? Not one of BMWs great ideas this little thing .

Think it uses both GPS and mobile signal location. Understand that it uses the emergency phone signal , i.e. it's not tied to one network but will use any mobile phone network that is available . Same as your mobile phone -- you can phone 999 even if you don't have a connection to your own network. Think even if you don't have a sim in your mobile phone you get the msg "emergency calls only" ??.
You'll still get blackspots though where there is NO mobile signal at all.
It's not a bad idea , maybe just needs a software update hopefully to iron out the error msgs.
 
My 1250 had this message when I first collected it.
It sorted itself out after a few days - best guess is it was not registered straight away by the dealer.
Hubby’s 1200 GSA occasionally gets this message too - when out of signal range
 
dealer has offered to update sofware

My dealer has got back to me and says it might be a problem if the mobile signal is weak. Also says it may be fixed by a software update and will do that if I take the bike in.
I have said that I will wait and arrange to take it in a month or two.
My thinking is that there is no need to rush and there may be other tweaks to the software as more 1250's are used on the road etc.
The service guy didn't know what the actual latest version of the TFT software is, and I'm not sure that the only software on the bike involved with the SOS system is what is on the TFT??. Presume the bikes have other software that can be updated as cars do. e.g. the main ECU will have it's own software, does the ABS have its' own software controller??; does the SOS have it's own software controller ?? I know cars do.

Life gets too complicated :) :) , Just ride :)


I can live with the intermittent SOS error msg now that I know it's not a known hardware failure . Still not convinced about the "weak signal" reasoning though , as has been mentioned, if that was the cause, every time you went to the same place (with no mobile signal) the error msg would appear -- and it doesn't !.
 
My 2018 GSA throws this sometimes when I suspect the signal drops in an area.

Just don't crash or fall off where there's little or no signal...
 
My 2018 GSA throws this sometimes when I suspect the signal drops in an area.

Just don't crash or fall off where there's little or no signal...

We''ll have to pick our ditches carefully :) .
 
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