[MikaZ]

Howdy folks, first time posting here, though I've lurked around for a while. I did some searching to see if anyone had run into what I'm about to describe, though without much luck.

I recently took my 2011 35i (w/ M Sport Package) back to the dealer for its first service. I purchased it almost a year ago. To my surprise, they told me that the only required maintenance at the moment was a software update, so I agreed to leave it with them for the day.

I picked it up the following day, and everything about the car felt radically different, from the throttle response to the steering, in all modes (normal/sport/sport+). Overall it feels much "tighter" for lack of a better word, and in general I'm liking it. However the steering at very low speed (such as when parking) is actually kind of annoying now. There's a huge amount of resistance, I'd say it takes 2-3 times the force it used to require to turn the wheel. While this added rigidity is a welcome change at freeway speeds, it's a little obnoxious while delicately maneuvering into my tiny garage.

Just wanted to check and see if anyone here had any thoughts on the matter. Is this to be expected from this software update? Was an error of some sort made? Was my car's previously soft, effortless low speed steering messed up in the first place, and now it's "normal"? I'm taking it back to the dealer soon to get an explanation, but I was hoping the internet could offer some insight into what's going on.