[Flasher]

Originally Posted by PrimeSuspect

What are the benefits and differences of the new programming data? I have ista+ on my laptop and e-net cable. I just used ista+ to reset my high-voltage battery to increase the battery capacity. I'm kinda new in these kinds of things. Btw i have 2014 BMW i3 60ah. Those datas are oke for any i3 and any risk?

which resets did you use for the i3 ?
i did resets DF93 to DF9B-D and -F after upgrading my 20Ah cell packs to 34Ah cell packs - the SME in the i3 and i8 are basically the same but with different programming of the software regarding the battry capacity, number of cell packs and CSC's....
I'm very curious if you did more resets, i did not yet use resets DF85- 7D-7E-7F-78-79-7A and 7B because i was unsure if i would mess up my settings which still work with the first range of resets....

[iRex]

Originally Posted by PrimeSuspect

What are the benefits and differences of the new programming data? I have ista+ on my laptop and e-net cable. I just used ista+ to reset my high-voltage battery to increase the battery capacity. I'm kinda new in these kinds of things. Btw i have 2014 BMW i3 60ah. Those datas are oke for any i3 and any risk?

Hi, I'm also interested in resetting the HV battery, but I have some questions.
Which version of ISTA did you use, because I heard that they removed the option in newer versions.
Did you actually get any capacity back, if yes, how much?
And what is your I-step version? Because I don't know if newer versions already fixed the BMS bug, so it's not necessary to perform a reset for 60Ah version.

[pgp]

Originally Posted by H1GhPwR

Hi all,

My i3 94Ah LCI 2018 is production date march 2018, hence it's integration level I001-18-03-5xx.

I know that there have been quite some updates over the years and just recently, there was a very new release of I001-23-07-530 within data set 4.42.32.

I got hold of ISTA+ 4.39.20 Standalone (ISTA+ App v.4.39.20.24455 & SDP v.4.39.20) which I installed yesterday.

That dataset includes I001-22-11-5xx and connected, for diagnosis purposes first only, instantly via ENET cable to my car and read out all information.

I couldn't try the programming bit yet but it recognizes my programming data in the top left corner.

In addition, I also got a separate full PSdZData 4.42.40 set. That one includes the aforementioned I001-23-07-530.

Therefore my intention is to update all my ECUs with ISTA+ 4.39.20 with SDP 4.42.40 via ENET cable.

Now the funny part is that you barely find any matching information for any such undertaking when looking online.
You always find bits and pieces but no seamless answers.

---

Therefore some important questions first:

1) Can I simply replace my 4.39.20 PSdZData folder with the fully extracted v.4.42.40_PSdZData_Full 7zip file?

When I look into the 4.42.40 7zip file, it holds exactly the same folder structure that could go into the original PSdZData folder that INSTA+ created while installation.

It sounds very easy and probable to do this but I'd like to get assurance that this will reassure coding capabilities without errors.

2) ENET cable is fully supported.

It seems that ENET became more reliable and usable over the years. Diagnostics work and people tend to say that ISTA+ can also program ECUs that way nowadays safely. Is this the case?

3) ISTA+ is said to be more foolproof for beginners (like me).

Advanced users use E-SYS, we all understood that. Nevertheless BMW dealerships use ISTA+ for such tasks; shouldn't it be common sense that this will also work flawlessly at home then as it is intended to be more "bulletproof".

Not every BMW employee is a coding expert and masters E-SYS by nature...

Furthermore, if programming fails at first attempt, you can rerun the measure and fix it in another attempt.

4) The BMW i3 doesn't seem to need a battery pack or charging supply connected to the 12V onboard battery as it has the high voltage battery anyway that can maintain voltage and support programming.

Does that statement hold truth? If I remember well the 12V battery is also very difficult to reach on the i3.

5) What procedures to maintain when daring to program?

Many people say "windows down, seat belts buckled up, doors closed".... There are so many confusing statements everywhere....Is there something like a golden rule that just "makes it work".

---

I understand that more experienced users in coding and using the BMW tools might roll their eyes now, but it would be of great interest for me to get more common knowledge on this task and understand how things play out.

I am sure many other readers think alike.

Thank you if I can get some help. I googled and searched for days but I couldn't get any profound usable results.

Greetings,

I did the update but got one permanent error: 21E0705...
Can you help me ?
Thanks

[ronbot]

Has anyone run across info regarding a retrofit of the 94Ah battery pack into a 60Ah car? I've been told by a guy in the UK (that seems to be a reliable source) that it's a plug-&-play upgrade... but I've also read it requires coding. There is info that says the 60Ah cars already have the 94Ah data in the computers.

94Ah is from a mild accident car with zero airbags deployed.
Both cars were/are equipped with heated seats - supposedly this is a requirement that both vehicles have to match in this regards.

[bagd0003]

Nice write up!
I got ISTA setup with 4.39.20 and the same version of programming data. Able to connect, read data and reset codes. Looks like it's able to do the update. I have a 2014 REX at 17-11-541 i-level. Should be ok to try and update?

[U11sirgawain]

Apparently, I level I001-24-07- xxx (July 2024) has been released.
Anyone updated their i3?
Thanks

[Pepppie]

Yes, no difference in functionality.

[RP67]

Originally Posted by H1GhPwR

After a while, I fiddled with the coding I mentioned in my earlier post.

A friend of mine worked his E-SYS magic and we had everything up and running in no time.

Following coding was applied:

- CarPlay full screen
- Video in motion
- Limiter on "Set" button
- Tail lights on with Daytime Running Lights
- Traffic Jam Assist up to 99 kmh on all roads (no geolock)
- Eco Pro setting at each start up
- Temperature indication next to tyre pressure indication

Maybe time for me to get hold of E-SYS and learn the tool as well. Looks complicated but cannot be so hard anyway.

Next mission: Getting hold of a genuine OEM FSC for map updates that allows USB updates on NBT evo id5/id6

I don't want to use "Feature Installer" or "HU TOOL" that injects random code and weird FSCs in order to unlock features.

Great effort. I'm quite new to i3, or any BMW, but I found Bimmercode pretty useful. In fact I made the same changes (tail light with DRL, drive mode memory, video in motion...) with ease. At the moment I'm trying to "reset the BMS" on my 60Ah rex. It might not going to happen as the i-level software is 22 already, and as far I know it would not work on that. I might looking for a downgrade option...
Changed region and map on my car via USB with lifetime FSC, with the help of a UK company. Sure it wasn't free, but the friction of the cost what BMW would charge for it. Well worth it. Took me 5 minutes.

[kosio86]

Hello,
I also installed ISTA+ 4.39.20, with the same SDP files which got auto installed with the installer.exe. Could you please explain how to install newer SDP pack as I couldn't find this info?

[Brettfcars]

Hi all,
I have a i3 with error codes after local mot garage replaced 12v battery.
Basically I have a non-working car with many fault codes, and want to clear them down to understand issues. Car is stuck at garage. Non-BMW garage and they are not happy to mess with any thing further due to HV.
I have downloaded ista 4.39.20 from further back in the post.
And in have 2 cables 1) k=dcan usb interface. 2) enet ultra obd2
1st attempt leaving ista it to install as is. I was able to read vin but nothing else.
Is other software, or selection of interface require setting up on install or within running program ?
Any help or direction to correct web page appreciated.
Also what are limits of this software just diagnostics or some programming ?
I am new to this software but not a newbie to diagnostic software, electrical and am HV certified.
Thanks
Brett

[Mondomensch]

Several more experienced i3 owners have reported problems after replacing 12v battery that had not been fully charged prior to installation. I believe they charged the 12v battery with an external charger to resolve the situation. Probably need to disconnect HV before doing so for 12v battery in car.

[chrisguay]

I understand that BMW de-tuned the older i3's to prevent the plastic motor mount damage, but if one replaces the plastic mounts with the aluminum mounts, could one reprogram the i3 to get the 'off the line' acceleration back??

[Nihad2013]

Hi everyone,
I tried many times to install ISTA D 4.39 but, during the installation I keep getting this message "MD5 from Hash Globel 4.39 is not correct". Any idea what's the issue plz? I am using external SSD drive.

Thanks

[Mondomensch]

MD5 (message digest type 5) is a checksum run on a downloaded file to verify its integrity. If the MD5 number calculated from the downloaded file does not match the pre-existing published MD5 value, the file has been modified or corrupted.

You’ll have to re-download the file or get a non corrupted version somewhere else.

[H1GhPwR]

Since the i3 is so much fun, we just bought a second one for my wife. An i3 120Ah from 12/2020. Obviously I had to update the i-level once again as it was running version I001-20-11-5xx and we absolutely want Carplay to run in Fullscreen for example.

I took the same data set with i-level I001-22-11-510 that comes with my initial ISTA+ 4.39.20 Standalone installation and updated flawlessly as applied back in 2023 to my 2018 i3 94Ah.

Just after doing so, i noticed the latest SDP files available which seem to be "4.52.40_PSdZData". I see that this one carries an i-level I001-24-11-520 for the i3.

I downloaded that one and dared to simply replace my existing 4.39.20 PSdZData data set with the fully extracted 4.52.40_PSdZData 7zip file which holds the same data structure that goes into the "C:\EC-APPS\ISTA\PSdZ\data_swi" folder.

When starting up ISTA+ 4.39.20, it then uses automatically the new 4.52.40_PSdZData set for coding.

Does anyone know exactly what has changed since 2022 up to the latest i-level available (2024-11) ?

1) ISTA+ says there are 4 modules to be updated compared to I001-22-11-510 within the i3 120Ah, namely EME / HU-H / LIM / TCB.

I dared and updated flawlessly to I001-24-11-520 for the i3 120Ah but I just don't see any visual difference. Coding will be applied later for this car as I am still willing to add a OEM reverse / rear camera retrofit (first).

2) For my i3 94Ah, ISTA+ says there are 3 modules to be updated compared to I001-22-11-510, namely HU-H / LIM / TCB.

Before I do that, i am wondering if all the coding that was done in the meantime will be gone and lost?

My logic would say "Yes" as it will flash standard configs going with the module software i assume. Maybe ISTA+ saves the config upfront and reinjects what was coded before but I doubt that.

[BMWM4CX]

Originally Posted by H1GhPwR

Since the i3 is so much fun, we just bought a second one for my wife. An i3 120Ah from 12/2020. Obviously I had to update the i-level once again as it was running version I001-20-11-5xx and we absolutely want Carplay to run in Fullscreen for example.

I took the same data set with i-level I001-22-11-510 that comes with my initial ISTA+ 4.39.20 Standalone installation and updated flawlessly as applied back in 2023 to my 2018 i3 94Ah.

Just after doing so, i noticed the latest SDP files available which seem to be "4.52.40_PSdZData". I see that this one carries an i-level I001-24-11-520 for the i3.

I downloaded that one and dared to simply replace my existing 4.39.20 PSdZData data set with the fully extracted 4.52.40_PSdZData 7zip file which holds the same data structure that goes into the "C:\EC-APPS\ISTA\PSdZ\data_swi" folder.

When starting up ISTA+ 4.39.20, it then uses automatically the new 4.52.40_PSdZData set for coding.

Does anyone know exactly what has changed since 2022 up to the latest i-level available (2024-11) ?

1) ISTA+ says there are 4 modules to be updated compared to I001-22-11-510 within the i3 120Ah, namely EME / HU-H / LIM / TCB.

I dared and updated flawlessly to I001-24-11-520 for the i3 120Ah but I just don't see any visual difference. Coding will be applied later for this car as I am still willing to add a OEM reverse / rear camera retrofit (first).

2) For my i3 94Ah, ISTA+ says there are 3 modules to be updated compared to I001-22-11-510, namely HU-H / LIM / TCB.

Before I do that, i am wondering if all the coding that was done in the meantime will be gone and lost?

My logic would say "Yes" as it will flash standard configs going with the module software i assume. Maybe ISTA+ saves the config upfront and reinjects what was coded before but I doubt that.

Hi mate. Can I just clarify that you’re still not using a power supply of any sorts when you’re updating?
Also, what HV battery percentage are you running with when you start programming?
Cheers.

[H1GhPwR]

Originally Posted by BMWM4CX

Hi mate. Can I just clarify that you’re still not using a power supply of any sorts when you’re updating?
Also, what HV battery percentage are you running with when you start programming?
Cheers.

Yeah indeed, no power supply hooked up as the HV battery continuously charges the standard battery. I assume even a slight drop in voltage during programming is not essentially a killer.

Last time i flashed the ECUs with a 80% HV battery load.

[MrPanini]

Originally Posted by H1GhPwR

Yeah indeed, no power supply hooked up as the HV battery continuously charges the standard battery. I assume even a slight drop in voltage during programming is not essentially a killer.

Last time i flashed the ECUs with a 80% HV battery load.

Last time I flashed by HU_NBT with E-Sys I measured the battery voltage, before flashing it was first maintained by the HV battery at around 14V but during flashing I am sure this dropped to 12V (Meter kept timing out and switching off and was behind the windscreen so test was not definitive), when I run ISTA + 4.39.20 Programing data 4.51.21 it refuses to do any programming with a message that no battery charger is attached. Even BMW's own procedure in ISTA (61 00 730) specifies that a battery charger needs to be attached for programming, it also states that the there is no need to disconnect the HV system as this is done automatically during programming, exception to this is
BMW I01 PuMA measure 55716388, I suspect this exception might mean that you must disconnect the HV battery on the I3 before programming, as I had a lot of HV battery faults (Were easily cleared with ISTA) after flashing the HU_NBT, this was also mentioned as a requirement by someone on the i3 Engineers group on Discord, person appeared to be very knowledgeable. So really need to know what the BMW I01 PuMA measure 55716388 is for a definitive answer. I for one don't plan on flashing control units again until I know for certain. If I did I would definitely use a battery charger/maintainer to be on the safe side as programming can take some time and the i3 12V battery is not that big, if you go under the required voltage (13V is mentioned but this will have a safety margin) while flashing you could kill the control modules.

[Pollock73]

H1GhPwR

When you updated you software version using ISTA+, did you follow any instructions because i would like to update my systems but would not know where to start.
My current version is 23-07-530

[H1GhPwR]

I just recently updated my i3 94Ah again, this time also to I001-24-11-520. Reapplied all the necessary coding with Bimmercode app this time. It was easier and quicker and gave me all the things i needed. Some initial codings that demanded E-SYS were not necessary or useful anymore to me.


Following coding became redundant for example:

- Limiter on "Set" button
- Traffic Jam Assist up to 99 kmh on all roads (no geolock)

Pollock73
ISTA+ tells you exactly what to do. It's straight forward. You just need a working version and the latest data set. (i used 4.52.40_PSdZData).

[Sat888]

Hi there @H1GhPwR,

I am completely new to this coding world and to the i3 in particular. I have a 2017 model 94Ah with NBTEvo-M and I really want to get Carplay enabled in it and also ensure that I am on the latest i level I can get to.

Where would I start? Did you ever record your steps?, are you happy to PM and maybe exchange some notes please. Thanks in advance

Originally Posted by H1GhPwR

I just recently updated my i3 94Ah again, this time also to I001-24-11-520. Reapplied all the necessary coding with Bimmercode app this time. It was easier and quicker and gave me all the things i needed. Some initial codings that demanded E-SYS were not necessary or useful anymore to me.


Following coding became redundant for example:

- Limiter on "Set" button
- Traffic Jam Assist up to 99 kmh on all roads (no geolock)

Pollock73
ISTA+ tells you exactly what to do. It's straight forward. You just need a working version and the latest data set. (i used 4.52.40_PSdZData).

[jamvont]

Did you wind up trying it?

Originally Posted by MagicCarpet

Thanks for telling us how it worked out for you.
I have tried to use ISTA+ however I think the -P part of the download failed.

I have been using Esys, confirming no need to put a 70amp power supply on the 12V battery because the car keeps the HV battery on and charging the 12V.

Sometimes my session on Esys takes so long the PC looses ENET connection but every time it has finished or I connect again without problem.



I have not been able to find a good guide for Esys - or ISTA+
especially setting up NAVI when the original country is Japan and the area needs changing to EU or Australia.

Any way to discover the run time hours for the Rex? I have never found it using the cars service menu, wonder if this data is kept somewhere that can be read by Esys or ISTA-d?

Any guides appreciated as some of the coding is different with i3 compared to the E and F series mostly discussed in main forums.