Car companies have an infuriating software problem

In December, my car went into the shop for its third software-related recall in six months. Once again the friendly guys at the dealership were unable to install the necessary update on their own. Instead, our now-undriveable sport utility vehicle sat on their lot, awaiting its turn with experts at BMW headquarters. The queue took four days.

That delay was both painful and pointless. Automakers learnt long ago to have the necessary parts and labour on hand before calling in a vehicle for a physical recall. Surely a company that claims to have nine million fully upgradeable cars on the road already can set up an equivalent process for software.