[Mjbmw1]

Originally Posted by Wibbles

Yes, I realise that - I have the software that generates those codes for Feature Installer

Feature Installer won't undo the full screen patch as far as I know.

Is it possible to obtain this software. I want to help a my buddy code his carplay but every one wants to charge. Car should have carplay but cannot get connected drive on US spec g01 in Europe.

[Papster1]

I had a major transmission fault 2 years ago on my old car that had a Race chip fitted by the previous owner. Before it went in whilst on the side of the road waiting for the tow truck I decided to remove it there and then and with success thinking it was that that was at fault, I turned the car back on and still no joy.

BMW said the day later that they checked for any modifications to the ECU and said there was none, it may have been that they didn't ask Germany and did it locally.
The DME was toast and cost me 3k to repair, however I will never know if it was the Race chip or age and mileage of the car.....so for me leave well alone going forward.

This thread is very powerful and a reminder of the issues when changing standard spec without BMWs knowledge whilst it's under warranty...

[BMW Fanboy]

Being new to the Forum I have not seen this thread before. From a purely business point of view you can understand BMW's attitude. If you change the car's factory specification by altering performance parameters then why should they continue to be "on risk" of honouring a warranty claim. I have come from the Porsche marque where to extend the warranty a car is subject to a multi point check system. It's so strict that a car will fail the check if a none Porsche battery is installed or wiper blades fitted! These have to be replaced at extortionate dealer prices for the car to pass then you can pay the £1200 for the warranty. All main stream water cooled 911 & Boxster/Cayman models are prone to stone damage to air conditioning condensers & radiators as they are unprotected in the front bumper. Lots of owners fit protective grills (Zunsport being a respected brand) but fitting these is an inspection fail as they are none standard part despite benefiting the car & GT cars having then fitted from the factory.

[Wibbles]

Originally Posted by Mjbmw1

Is it possible to obtain this software. I want to help a my buddy code his carplay but every one wants to charge. Car should have carplay but cannot get connected drive on US spec g01 in Europe.

The software to generate the codes is worthless without an active licence to the use it - this is tied to an account.

The software is very expensive, circa 3-5k Euros

So I can't give you the software, sorry.

[Two-tone525]

Being in the market for an F31 340i at present and reading this thread is pretty concerning.

A massive case of having to have ones wits about them and treat all BMW AUC's as if they're being purchased at auction i.e. caveat emptor applies and gather all the details from BMW until you're satisfied.

Walk away if you're not. Used BMW sales teams seem to love to hind behind GDPR and not want to share data. Expecting you to trust their 120 point checks. Hmm.

[g9icy]

Having just bought a used 4 series from AUC, I'm a bit concerned about the previous owner having made engine mods. Perhaps its too late, but do you think I could ask them to check it over? Is this risky?

[Two-tone525]

Originally Posted by g9icy

Having just bought a used 4 series from AUC, I'm a bit concerned about the previous owner having made engine mods. Perhaps its too late, but do you think I could ask them to check it over? Is this risky?

I suspect there are a few ways to look at it.

Are you still within any cooling off period where you can return the car? Some BMW dealers are now matching the online players like Cinch and Cazoo's offer of full money back within 30 days no questions asked. If you're within that period you could have it checked and return it without a problem.

If you're out of that period/never had the option, you'll have to figure out/guess what the dealership would do if they did find evidence of it previously being mapped.

They may, like has occurred before according to the thread, accuse you of doing it and wash their hands of it/you.

Do you think honesty is the best policy in that regard i.e. are you willing to trust that BMW will be honest? As much as they are BMW, they are selling used cars at low-ish margin and want them gone ASAP not to return. Them admitting fault is a massive can of worms for them. After all, all AUC are supposed to be put through meticulous checks...honest.

Best case scenario, BMW check it, all fine, you can sleep again. Worst case, they check it, find something they don't like, hide behind their AUC checks, accuse you and you lose your warranty.

[g9icy]

If there was evidence of a remap, surely they'd know from the data logging that the date was prior to my owning the car. They might *say* otherwise.

Even if outside of the 30 days, I still have consumer rights on my side if they didn't properly prepare a car for sale.

I'm going to chance it. Ignorance is bliss. It's only got 6k miles on it, so even if it was mapped I doubt it would have had chance to cause too much damage.

[Two-tone525]

Originally Posted by g9icy

If there was evidence of a remap, surely they'd know from the data logging that the date was prior to my owning the car. They might *say* otherwise.

Even if outside of the 30 days, I still have consumer rights on my side if they didn't properly prepare a car for sale.

I'm going to chance it. Ignorance is bliss. It's only got 6k miles on it, so even if it was mapped I doubt it would have had chance to cause too much damage.

You'd think they would know wouldn't you. However, it seems some BMW dealers do like to say otherwise. If you'd not seen it, have a read of this thread:

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1800900

It also covers some consumer rights elements.

I don't know enough about mapping, so I can't tell you how much damage a map would do in 6,000 miles.

Was it a private owner that was the first owner? Or did BMW own it and it was used as a demonstrator and courtesy car?

If BMW owned I don't think you'd have a mapping issue. You might have an every hooligan that used it did traffic light burnouts issue though.

I'm sure it will be a good one and fine.

[g9icy]

It had 1 previous owner.

[crisu64]

Hello people, I was planning on buying bimmercode for my f31.

Besides warranty troubles, are there any issues that can be caused by coding with bimmercode? Talking about simple stuff like disabling start/stop by default.

Is ISTA a better option for codding?

[g9icy]

Originally Posted by crisu64

Hello people, I was planning on buying bimmercode for my f31.

Besides warranty troubles, are there any issues that can be caused by coding with bimmercode? Talking about simple stuff like disabling start/stop by default.

Is ISTA a better option for codding?

Only the usual risks of something going wrong while coding is taking place. If you're comfortable with the risk, then it's fine, I used it on my previous car to retrofit folding mirrors and some other things.

[crisu64]

I see. Thanks for the info.
What would be the worst that can go wrong when coding ?

[g9icy]

In theory it could completely "brick" (make unresponsive) one or more of the ECUs in the car if, say, the write process was interrupted and it produced corrupted data. *However* I've coded many, many times, and had no issues whatsoever. Even if corruption did happen there are still ways to get everything back, at worst it might cost money, at best you just try again and it might work the next time!

Also, it will void your manufacturer warranty if you have one, so keep that in mind.

[Lemikson]

Can "bricked" ECU be unfrozen?

[NanasBack]

I guess, that depends on how lucky you are.

[g9icy]

Originally Posted by Lemikson

Can "bricked" ECU be unfrozen?

It really depends. Ultimately anything can be fixed with the right amount of money. I'm sure an indy shop would be able to take the ECU out and flash it on a bench, or maybe just via a laptop and the OBD port. If it comes to it, a new ECU is always possible.

The reality is that I'm making it sound more risky than it really is. The risks are there, but the chance of them ocurring is very low...

Maybe do some searches in forums to see if anyone's actually managed to brick an ECU using a coding app. I think the % chance of it happening is small.

IIRC coding with BimmerCode on my 435d failed once halfway through and I just did it again, the car was absolutely fine.

[Watsey]

The first time I used Carly I tried to code multiple options at once. That was clearly a bad idea as it completely bricked the ECUs - nothing would work; engine wouldn't start; etc.

Carly tech support was still available at 7pm UK time on that Friday evening and, after several attempts, we managed to flash the backup files successfully and achieve a working car once more.

I'm now more careful !

Bimmercode seems to be a lot more reliable - I've successfully flashed several options at the same time in several occasions, without any issues.

Carly is also proving to be very unreliable in terms of connecting to the Carly OBD dongle and to the car. I don't bother with it any more.

[Fliplegend]

Originally Posted by RoryD

I don’t understand why the dealers don’t offer coding services. Easy money for them surely?

Cheers
Rory

Liability.