Coding question...did wife get it right?

Try locking the car with the key, not the remote. My E36 does not start when I lock it with the key. This is my second E36, and they both behave this way. My daughter has an E46 that I'm pretty sure behaves this way, but I can't say for certain.

I would want my car to disable the starter circuit whether it was locked by the key or the remote, but if it disabled the starter by locking and not by the remote, then I'd not be happy with the way the remote works. We know that Factory Fitment has the car disable the starter when locked with the key. That's a standard feature. If you have a remote that does not disable the starter, then I don''t know where to do from here, but I _think_ something is amiss.

Put the window down and lock the car using the key in the door lock, then reach in through the open window and see what happens when you try to start the car.

Originally Posted by jdstrickland

The car has firmware that's in the computer. This firmware says a sensor should have a reading within a range of 1 to 5 (for example), but a properly reading sensor reads 4.5 as the nominal input to the computer. The dealer can update the firmware so the expected input is in the range of 3 to 7 instead of 1 to 5. This new firmware prevents false positives -- errant malfunction displays.

Among systems with errant messages is the SRS (airbag system), there are others, but this one comes to mind as an example.

NOBODY will know what firmware your car is running with without doing a data dump to see. Getting the car reflashed is usually a good idea, but I'm thinking the price is rather high. This is a job that should take Shop Rate for one hour -- the actual job takes about 5 minutes. They can code the alarm at the same time.

If you're talking of the DME, the two DME updates I did took about 45minutes.

Originally Posted by E46Mango

If you're talking of the DME, the two DME updates I did took about 45minutes.

Thanks for the info.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Bimmer App

as far as i remember, if the clown nose blinks when the car is armed and the lights blink with lock and unlock, the WHOLE alarm is activated.

Originally Posted by afstud

as far as i remember, if the clown nose blinks when the car is armed and the lights blink with lock and unlock, the WHOLE alarm is activated.

That's what I expect as well, that's how it is on my e39.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Bimmer App

All you need to do to test the alarm is open the hood with the alarm armed. It will go off.

Originally Posted by jdstrickland

The car has firmware that's in the computer. This firmware says a sensor should have a reading within a range of 1 to 5 (for example), but a properly reading sensor reads 4.5 as the nominal input to the computer. The dealer can update the firmware so the expected input is in the range of 3 to 7 instead of 1 to 5. This new firmware prevents false positives -- errant malfunction displays.

Among systems with errant messages is the SRS (airbag system), there are others, but this one comes to mind as an example.

NOBODY will know what firmware your car is running with without doing a data dump to see. Getting the car reflashed is usually a good idea, but I'm thinking the price is rather high. This is a job that should take Shop Rate for one hour -- the actual job takes about 5 minutes. They can code the alarm at the same time.

The only modules on the e46 that can have the actual "firmware" updated are the DME and EGS. Everything else is on fixed software -- only the configuration can be changed. Airbag module, LSZ, DSC, GM5, etc. are all stuck on the software they came with from the factory.

As mango said, a DME update would take about 45 mins. Possibly longer for an MS45 car

OP: Just buy a VAG 409.1 interface and the Ediabas suite, and do the coding yourself. It's quite easy, a lot cheaper than what the dealer wants, and allows you to do so much more

Originally Posted by afstud

as far as i remember, if the clown nose blinks when the car is armed and the lights blink with lock and unlock, the WHOLE alarm is activated.

This is not necessarily true. In fact I would say its more likely the alarm isn't enabled of the retrofit was never done

Originally Posted by TerraPhantm

The only modules on the e46 that can have the actual "firmware" updated are the DME and EGS. Everything else is on fixed software -- only the configuration can be changed. Airbag module, LSZ, DSC, GM5, etc. are all stuck on the software they came with from the factory.

As mango said, a DME update would take about 45 mins. Possibly longer for an MS45 car

OP: Just buy a VAG 409.1 interface and the Ediabas suite, and do the coding yourself. It's quite easy, a lot cheaper than what the dealer wants, and allows you to do so much more

Thanks for clarifying the update info, TerraPhantom.

When I was researching coding, for some reason I only initially found the threads talking about the "BMW 1.4 scanner" options...Based on some posts I saw, similar to these two (http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showpos...0&postcount=11, and http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showpos...5&postcount=14) I decided to try the "Scanner 1.4" option. I didn't run into the Eiabas side of things until later, after I had ordered.

So I'd like to wait for the one I've ordered to come in before I order more stuff, and in the meantime my wife has decided she just doesn't want to wait any longer - she's gotten it into her head that we can't park her car anywhere but at her parking garage work or at home until she has the alarm enabled. (I've shown her that the car is immobilized when she locks it, but she wants a the noise maker going if someone messes with it.) Her money, and she brings home just a little more than I do annually (bless her!), so her decision.

I am interested in the Ediabas option, and have been looking at this thread (http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...hlight=ediabas) and this connector that it suggests (http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-USB-OBD-...9&cmd=ViewItem) which appears to come w/everything that I would need to go that route.

What's considered the best thread (here or other forums) to figure out coding e46 using the Ediabas suite/vag interface?

Originally Posted by Redflea

Thanks for clarifying the update info, TerraPhantom.

When I was researching coding, for some reason I only initially found the threads talking about the "BMW 1.4 scanner" options...Based on some posts I saw, similar to these two (http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showpos...0&postcount=11, and http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showpos...5&postcount=14) I decided to try the "Scanner 1.4" option. I didn't run into the Eiabas side of things until later, after I had ordered.

So I'd like to wait for the one I've ordered to come in before I order more stuff, and in the meantime my wife has decided she just doesn't want to wait any longer - she's gotten it into her head that we can't park her car anywhere but at her parking garage work or at home until she has the alarm enabled. (I've shown her that the car is immobilized when she locks it, but she wants a the noise maker going if someone messes with it.) Her money, and she brings home just a little more than I do annually (bless her!), so her decision.

I am interested in the Ediabas option, and have been looking at this thread (http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthr...hlight=ediabas) and this connector that it suggests (http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-USB-OBD-...9&cmd=ViewItem) which appears to come w/everything that I would need to go that route.

What's considered the best thread (here or other forums) to figure out coding e46 using the Ediabas suite/vag interface?

bimmerforums probably

What's considered the best thread (here or other forums) to figure out coding e46 using the Ediabas suite/vag interface?

I would actually check out http://www.bmwcoding.com/forum.php

Originally Posted by E46Mango

bimmerforums probably

Yeah, I've been over there, but they are very E-SYS/F-series centric.

Dont take it to the dealer....you should be able to do everything with your BMW Scanner...I own one and enabled all the features myself. As far as the updating the ecm goes its BS. Thats something they throw in there to seal the deal and it usually works. How do they know if your wife has already had the update? They dont...so they just throw that in there to justify the high price to activate the alarm which literally takes 10 minutes to do.

Just some advice from myself and others who had this happen to. When you take your car to activate the alarm they will in purpose deactivate a feature you already had enabled in order to get you back in and charge you some more. I had my windows opening with remote feature deactivated when I took my car and others had other features deactivated like unlocking passenger door with remote. They are notorious for doing this and its sad that they are getting away with it. First time I took my car to the dealer and they ripped me off. After that I purchased the BMW scanner and did everything myself.


BMW updates to software dont do **** anyways...

Originally Posted by Custom3

Dont take it to the dealer....you should be able to do everything with your BMW Scanner...I own one and enabled all the features myself. As far as the updating the ecm goes its BS. Thats something they throw in there to seal the deal and it usually works. How do they know if your wife has already had the update? They dont...so they just throw that in there to justify the high price to activate the alarm which literally takes 10 minutes to do.

Just some advice from myself and others who had this happen to. When you take your car to activate the alarm they will in purpose deactivate a feature you already had enabled in order to get you back in and charge you some more. I had my windows opening with remote feature deactivated when I took my car and others had other features deactivated like unlocking passenger door with remote. They are notorious for doing this and its sad that they are getting away with it. First time I took my car to the dealer and they ripped me off. After that I purchased the BMW scanner and did everything myself.


BMW updates to software dont do **** anyways...

They don't deliberately disable those features. It's just how the BMW software works. When you change one option, the software sets every single option in that module to how it's "supposed" to be configured. Every feature you want is supposed to be set at the same time. For unofficial modifications like windows closing via remote, the dealer software will always end up disabling that.

Also BMW scanner is somewhat dangerous. Way too easy to screw up a module with it. INPA and NCS Expert are better for 99% of the things you can do. They give you much finer control and it's easy to recover from any mistake. The only thing I use BMW scanner for is changing VINs on certain modules. The average owner shouldn't need to do that.

DME and transmission updates absolutely do help if one is available. On MS45 cars for example, the more recent updates largely diminished the 4000RPM dip and 2800RPM stutter. It's not worth $180 when you can do it yourself for free, but to say it doesn't do **** is misleading.

I don't recall my '00 323 taking 45 minutes to update, but whatever. If you can acquire the software and hardware (connectors and such) to update the car for anywhere near what the dealer charges for the procedure, then you are money ahead if you buy the stuff it takes. Why rent for an hour when you can own for life?

I paid to have my car updated because I was new to the E46, and didn't know I could have done this myself. I was having a host or troubles with a used car that I got for a song and repaired with an $80-dollar solenoid and the diagnostic charge, so I came away okay. Knowing what I know now, I would have bought the diagnostic package.

Originally Posted by NukeMiller

What's considered the best thread (here or other forums) to figure out coding e46 using the Ediabas suite/vag interface?

I would actually check out http://www.bmwcoding.com/forum.php

Thanks, just found that as well.

They seem to require registration to just view posts, which is kind of annoying. Going to register now and look around there.

Originally Posted by TerraPhantm

Also BMW scanner is somewhat dangerous. Way too easy to screw up a module with it. INPA and NCS Expert are better for 99% of the things you can do. They give you much finer control and it's easy to recover from any mistake. The only thing I use BMW scanner for is changing VINs on certain modules. The average owner shouldn't need to do that.

Thanks for the info in your post...curious about the statement above. What makes the BMW scanner more dangerous than INPA/NCS? Thanks.

So my $40 bmw scanner lets me change options without defaulting the other settings but their 4k scanner doesnt?

If this is true and they know it then why don't they just enable everything that was enabled before when you came in? Instead they leave it that way and charge you again to take a look at the problem?

Either way it happens...deliberately or not.

Originally Posted by TerraPhantm

They don't deliberately disable those features. It's just how the BMW software works. When you change one option, the software sets every single option in that module to how it's "supposed" to be configured. Every feature you want is supposed to be set at the same time. For unofficial modifications like windows closing via remote, the dealer software will always end up disabling that.

Also BMW scanner is somewhat dangerous. Way too easy to screw up a module with it. INPA and NCS Expert are better for 99% of the things you can do. They give you much finer control and it's easy to recover from any mistake. The only thing I use BMW scanner for is changing VINs on certain modules. The average owner shouldn't need to do that.

DME and transmission updates absolutely do help if one is available. On MS45 cars for example, the more recent updates largely diminished the 4000RPM dip and 2800RPM stutter. It's not worth $180 when you can do it yourself for free, but to say it doesn't do **** is misleading.