[DaIceCreaMan]

has anyone taken there 14 i3 in and received a software update? my coworker just did and one of the features is a battery status showing the percentage of charge left.

I will stop by the dealer on Monday to confirm and ask my coworker for a picture of his service paper showing the update.

[jadnashuanh]

That s/w came out in March, but unless you car needs new software to fix a problem, it isn't considered a big enough or safety issue, and you may have to wait until the accumulated changes reach a tipping point where BMW will pay to update your vehicle. This is the same thing with pretty much all of their vehicles...they won't arbitrarily update your firmware unless it's needed to fix a problem you're having, or if it is safety related. FWIW, an i3 firmware update can take nearly a full business day, and if they run into a problem, longer. The car is updated via server from Germany...the dealer can't do it without corporate blessings.

[tiburonh]

Originally Posted by DaIceCreaMan

has anyone taken there 14 i3 in and received a software update? my coworker just did and one of the features is a battery status showing the percentage of charge left.

I will stop by the dealer on Monday to confirm and ask my coworker for a picture of his service paper showing the update.

There is now an even newer software update - version I001-15-07-001. I had my dealer install it on my 2014 BEV a couple weeks ago when I finally got around to getting my KLE replaced. There was no charge for this update. Any dealer that tries to charge for the update is bs'ing you.

[jadnashuanh]

Originally Posted by tiburonh

There is now an even newer software update - version I001-15-07-001. I had my dealer install it on my 2014 BEV a couple weeks ago when I finally got around to getting my KLE replaced. There was no charge for this update. Any dealer that tries to charge for the update is bs'ing you.

While under warranty, you should not have to pay for any s/w update...but, they may refuse to install any incremental ones unless needed to solve a safety or operational issue. Replacing the KLE requires new software, so while they are at it, your vehicle will get the latest accumulated software that is available.

Taking your car in and just asking for them to install the latest is not the dealer's call...BMW corporate makes the decision on if a vehicle qualifies for that. If not, it would be a rare dealership that would pay his tech to update the vehicle without passing that cost on to you, even IF BMW would allow it. THe software does not reside in the local dealers system...it is pushed from BMW corporate by VIN, specific for your vehicle. IOW, the dealer can't do it without corporate's approval.

[Kiwi]

Originally Posted by jadnashuanh

While under warranty, you should not have to pay for any s/w update...but, they may refuse to install any incremental ones unless needed to solve a safety or operational issue. Replacing the KLE requires new software, so while they are at it, your vehicle will get the latest accumulated software that is available.

Taking your car in and just asking for them to install the latest is not the dealer's call...BMW corporate makes the decision on if a vehicle qualifies for that. If not, it would be a rare dealership that would pay his tech to update the vehicle without passing that cost on to you, even IF BMW would allow it. THe software does not reside in the local dealers system...it is pushed from BMW corporate by VIN, specific for your vehicle. IOW, the dealer can't do it without corporate's approval.

Yes he can if the car has an update on the computer for his car.

BMW Germany owns BMW New Zealand and is always willing to help any way they can through our dealers.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by DaIceCreaMan

has anyone taken there 14 i3 in and received a software update? my coworker just did and one of the features is a battery status showing the percentage of charge left.

I had a similar update (version pic below) installed last week.


The battery % charge is available, though I don't find it all that informative and normally do not display it. The regenerative braking behavior seams to have changed towards less aggressive and non-linear engagement side of things. I am re-learning when and how much to rely on regen braking.

FWIW, dealer (medium-large volume establishment) claimed that coding took them around 6 hours to complete. I don't know if that's due to tech's lack of familiarity with working on i3's, or if that's the minimum time it takes to reprogram i3's. If it's the latter, I would understand dealer's reluctance to volunteer this service for incremental updates.

a

[jadnashuanh]

FWIW, anyone with the VIN, a computer, and a USB drive can update their own maps, telephone, or entertainment firmware on the car. The latter two are free, the maps will cost you for a license. The dealership does NOT have the firmware for the vehicle locally...they connect the car to their computer and network into Germany, and Germany pushes the proper software for your specific car directly into it. Depending on the quality and reliability of their ISP, this can take awhile. The servers in Germany can get pretty busy dumping lots of code for simultaneously connected i3's or any vehicle BMW sells, and depending on what's going on at the time, things can slow down. If there's a hiccup, a module may need to be reprogrammed. There's a special code in every module that is unique to that car, and all of the check sums and values must be right or the car won't run...the program to create those exists in Germany, and they do not give it to the dealerships. This way, they don't have to worry about maintaining multiple databases and ensuring they all have the latest versions of everything...it all comes out of one master location.