[Frogman]

Originally Posted by justinnum1

Here is a question. When i turn the ASS off, it automatically turns on when i put the car in eco mode. But i can still turn it off in eco mode. SO the question is, after i get this update and turn ASS off, will it turn back on in eco mode?

If what BMW is doing is the same thing as coding the ASS memory function on, then yes, switching to ECO PRO mode will turn ASS back on regardless of the current ASS setting.

I've coded the TCM_MSA_MEMORY option to activ. With ASS off, switching to ECO-PRO turns ASS on, but switching back to comfort, ASS gets switched off again. So, it looks like it remembers the setting for comfort and sports mode, but turns ASS on for ECO PRO mode, which kind of makes sense.

But, we really won't know for sure until someone has BMW make the change on their car and see how it behaves. Has anyone done that yet?

[justinnum1]

interesting, i normally drive in eco and would like the ass turned off. will need to ply with it

[boltjames]

Originally Posted by Frogman

But, we really won't know for sure until someone has BMW make the change on their car and see how it behaves. Has anyone done that yet?

I'm go for Wednesday, will have the dealer recode by 5pm EST.

BJ

[ADRQ0811]

Reading this made me so happy way to go BMW

[conradb]

I had the MSA on ONCE. That was when I drove my E92 M3 off the floor at the Welt. When I got down to the doors, the engine shut off. I was like, what the heck? I then remembered the stupid MSA function BMW introduced (which doesn't really save fuel, unless you're stopped for 2min+ period of time). I pressed the button to turn it off, and it's been off since March 2011.

[bobert]

Originally Posted by TrueBlue12

I'm gonna wait until they let us leave the sport/comfort/eco mode in the last default and get it all done together. Pretty sure that's coming.

I wouldn't wait - they may cancel the service bulletin at some point. I can't tolerate waiting anyway, but we did complain this morning (car is getting A.S.S. coding now) about the DDC not remembering the last user mode - if enough of us complain, then maybe BMW will pay for dealers to code that as well.

[monza2t]

I think its just a shift in how we expect cars to operate goes against 100 years of conventional wisdom on cars operation. We have to remember that this is going to end up on EVERY car as we are quickly approaching the absolute max we can get from the ICE in terms of efficiency. Cant avoid it forever.

10% increase over a large population of vechicles is probably the single largest improvement ever.

[monza2t]

I just wish BMW used an oversized alternator to do the starting like a Saturn Vue I had. Re-start was instant and very smooth.

[boltjames]

Originally Posted by monza2t

I think its just a shift in how we expect cars to operate goes against 100 years of conventional wisdom on cars operation. We have to remember that this is going to end up on EVERY car as we are quickly approaching the absolute max we can get from the ICE in terms of efficiency. Cant avoid it forever.

10% increase over a large population of vechicles is probably the single largest improvement ever.

They're going after the wrong people.

Stands to reason that we 1%'ers who can afford a $50,000 German luxury car are also the ones who are the most aware of a green lifestyle. While the US is #2 in worldwide carbon monoxide contribution behind China, only 5% comes from residential vehicles. 95% comes from trucks, buses, trains, ocean freight, planes, chemical plants, and electricity.

Instead of targeting luxury car owners, they should be going after FedEx or GE. Of course "every bit helps", but in the grand scheme of things a single cancelled FedEx flight will have more upside to the environment than all of us reading this thread and our already-quite-green F30's for our lifetimes.

BJ

[bcl0328]

Originally Posted by DoD74

It is likely the constant shuddering and "ignition" feel that people find so annoying. If you are in constant stop and go traffic where you accelerate for a moment, then sit, then move forward, then sit... ( and I do that for about an hour each way twice a day) feeling the car start and stop that often I'd lose my mind. Rush hour traffic is annoying enough without adding any more factors into it.

how can that be good for the engine? constantly turning on and off?

[monza2t]

Originally Posted by boltjames

Th
Stands to reason that we 1%'ers who can afford a $50,000 German luxury car are also the ones who are the most aware of a green lifestyle. While the US is #2 in worldwide carbon monoxide contribution behind China, only 5% comes from residential vehicles. 95% comes from trucks, buses, trains, ocean freight, planes, chemical plants, and electricity.

I certainly wont disagree with you there! Unfortunatly according to our legislators (reglardless of party) us Middle Class have to fix the problem, not BIG business (the ones actually doing most of the CO2 production).

There is also the buying foreign oil issue & utilization of a finite supply of fuel, which I feel is just as important as CO2 output.

and for the record, I dont want this reply to be construed as a political dig at any one party. I think they both suck. Politicians are all liars.

[Frogman]

I don't have a problem with the concept of ASS and actually I think it's a pretty good idea.

The problem I have is in the implementation of it in the F30. It can't be good for the engine, mounts, and drive train to shudder as violently as it does when stopping and restarting. There is no way to tell how much extra wear/damage this is causing that will shorten the life of these components compared to the savings in fuel/emissions.

First, if the stop/restart operation was smooth (like it is in most other cars with ASS), then I'd use it all the time. The F30 does sometimes stop/restart smoothly, but only about 30% of the time.

Second, having the engine stall on ASS restart is not acceptable. Not even once. That scared the hell out of me as I had to scramble to get the car restarted and back into gear to clear the intersection.

No amount of fuel/emissions savings is going to convince me to use a system that makes me dread coming to a stop wondering if the engine will shake and lurch or might not restart properly.

[DoD74]

Originally Posted by Frogman

I don't have a problem with the concept of ASS and actually I think it's a pretty good idea.

The problem I have is in the implementation of it in the F30. It can't be good for the engine, mounts, and drive train to shudder as violently as it does when stopping and restarting. There is no way to tell how much extra wear/damage this is causing that will shorten the life of these components compared to the savings in fuel/emissions.

First, if the stop/restart operation was smooth (like it is in most other cars with ASS), then I'd use it all the time. The F30 does sometimes stop/restart smoothly, but only about 30% of the time.

Second, having the engine stall on ASS restart is not acceptable. Not even once. That scared the hell out of me as I had to scramble to get the car restarted and back into gear to clear the intersection.

No amount of fuel/emissions savings is going to convince me to use a system that makes me dread coming to a stop wondering if the engine will shake and lurch or might not restart properly.

I agree with all of those points

[simianspeedster]

This was a smart move for a sometimes stubborn company and, as an early F30 owner, I saw this coming a mile away.

As others have pointed out, there's nothing wrong with stop/start in theory, but the F30 application as a starting point for the NA market is highly questionable. For one thing, the 3 Series is the soul of the BMW brand -- not the car you want to monkey with when you're trying out new technology. And the feeling of stop/start with the N20 really cheapens the car IMO. My co-worker drives a last generation Camry Hybrid and that car hides the impact of its stop/start feature far better than my wife's 328i.

To me, stop/start is like ABS, traction control and electric power steering -- all were valuable additions, but nothing this impactful to the driving experience should be added to a car as a standard feature and forced to be used by default before it's proven under all conditions and it's been run through a real world customer acceptance process (focus groups, etc.). This is doubly true for a premium brand like BMW with a performance pedigree. Get it right, or don't implement it right now.

In short, I think BMW rushed the intro of the stop/start feature in the NA market without working through many customer-facing implementation details and I think they're hearing significant negative feedback about the decision, hence this change. And I can guarantee you that there are relieved BMW salespeople now telling customers who are annoyed by stop/start on their test drives, "don't worry -- the service department can disable that for you."

[bobert]

After 3 hrs, the car is back home and still no coding - dealer claims code(s) new for '13 and had to be downloaded and requires system reboot after hrs, so we get to do it all over again Wed or Thurs. Ridiculous.

[Frankisme]

Recoding complete to the last user mode. Paperwork showed mechanic had to make three attempts to get it to work properly. It does now! Never have to touch the switch again. The orange light is on after every start. If you do happen to switch to ECO Pro Mode the A.S.S. IS enabled again. You must disable it again manually.
By the way, I had to reload all radio settings as those got wiped out during the software reload.

[justinnum1]

Originally Posted by Frankisme

Recoding complete to the last user mode. Paperwork showed mechanic had to make three attempts to get it to work properly. It does now! Never have to touch the switch again. The orange light is on after every start. If you do happen to switch to ECO Pro Mode the A.S.S. IS enabled again. You must disable it again manually.
By the way, I had to reload all radio settings as those got wiped out during the software reload.

That sucks

[bobert]

Originally Posted by Frankisme

Recoding complete to the last user mode. Paperwork showed mechanic had to make three attempts to get it to work properly. It does now! Never have to touch the switch again. The orange light is on after every start. If you do happen to switch to ECO Pro Mode the A.S.S. IS enabled again. You must disable it again manually.
By the way, I had to reload all radio settings as those got wiped out during the software reload.

I don't mind if Eco Pro turns it back on, but was hoping wouldn't lose existing settings like radio presets (and possibly other stuff like seat memory, turn signal option, etc.).

[Frogman]

Originally Posted by bobert

I don't mind if Eco Pro turns it back on, but was hoping wouldn't lose existing settings like radio presets (and possibly other stuff like seat memory, turn signal option, etc.).

That's why you are supposed to save your profile(s) to a USB stick before letting the dealer touch it!

When you get it back, you can just restore your profiles and you are back to the way you were before the update.

[Frogman]

Originally Posted by Frankisme

Recoding complete to the last user mode. Paperwork showed mechanic had to make three attempts to get it to work properly. It does now! Never have to touch the switch again. The orange light is on after every start. If you do happen to switch to ECO Pro Mode the A.S.S. IS enabled again. You must disable it again manually.
By the way, I had to reload all radio settings as those got wiped out during the software reload.

That sounds like it's the exact same behavior as just coding the TCM_MSA_MEMORY option. That only takes about 1 minute to code.

If you switch back to comfort mode, does ASS return to disabled again?

[bobert]

Originally Posted by Frogman

That's why you are supposed to save your profile(s) to a USB stick before letting the dealer touch it!

When you get it back, you can just restore your profiles and you are back to the way you were before the update.

First I've heard of that.

[simianspeedster]

This whole thread is reminding me why I think technology is becoming far too deeply embedded in cars, often to their detriment.

Seriously, having to backup your car's configuration before taking it to the dealer? Don't get me wrong -- it's a helpful suggestion in this instance -- but the customer shouldn't have to self-manage processes like these, especially on a car costing near $50K.

I'm not a technology curmudgeon by any means, but the level of technical integration and complication in some cars today is getting out of hand!