A method for updating at least one software component of a motor vehicle, comprising at least the following steps: - determining vehicle configuration information, which comprises at least the information regarding which hardware components and/or which software components are provided in the specific motor vehicle, and also identification data of the motor vehicle in question, by means of a status determination device, - providing a wireless telecommunications link between a service interface inside the vehicle and a service facility outside the vehicle, - transmitting the vehicle configuration information and identification data determined by the status determination device from the motor vehicle to the service facility outside the vehicle by means of the telecommunications link, - checking by the service facility outside the vehicle, on the basis of the vehicle configuration information, whether one or more software components should be updated in accordance with an inspection protocol available from the service facility outside the vehicle, - providing a corresponding update specification by means of the service facility outside the vehicle and updating the software component(s) to be updated on the basis of the update specification, wherein - the updating of the software component(s) to be updated is offered to the driver by the service facility outside the vehicle before said updating is executed, - the updating can be released only by the driver of the motor vehicle in response to the offer, characterised in that - the transmission of the vehicle configuration information and also the identification data takes place repeatedly in a time-controlled and/or event-controlled manner without interacting with and/or reporting to the driver, and in that - the motor vehicle, with regard to the period of a periodic time control and/or with regard to a transmission point within the period of a periodic time control, is configured retrospectively from a central service point by means of a wireless link. - determining vehicle configuration information, which comprises at least the information regarding which hardware components and/or which software components are provided in the specific motor vehicle, and also identification data of the motor vehicle in question, by means of a status determination device, - providing a wireless telecommunications link between a service interface inside the vehicle and a service facility outside the vehicle, - transmitting the vehicle configuration information and identification data determined by the status determination device from the motor vehicle to the service facility outside the vehicle by means of the telecommunications link, - checking by the service facility outside the vehicle, on the basis of the vehicle configuration information, whether one or more software components should be updated in accordance with an inspection protocol available from the service facility outside the vehicle, - providing a corresponding update specification by means of the service facility outside the vehicle and updating the software component(s) to be updated on the basis of the update specification, - the updating of the software component(s) to be updated is offered to the driver by the service facility outside the vehicle before said updating is executed, - the updating can be released only by the driver of the motor vehicle in response to the offer, - the transmission of the vehicle configuration information and also the identification data takes place repeatedly in a time-controlled and/or event-controlled manner without interacting with and/or reporting to the driver, and in that - the motor vehicle, with regard to the period of a periodic time control and/or with regard to a transmission point within the period of a periodic time control, is configured retrospectively from a central service point by means of a wireless link.