DISCLAIMER Do this at your own risk, I am not responsible for anything that goes wrong. You can damage your car if you are not careful, you have been warned. ALSO BE SURE TO SAVE THE OLD CODING BEFORE PUTTING IN NEW CODING!
Having said that, here we go.
What you need.
A laptop or very accessible computer (to reach the car) running windows XP (you can use VM ware to run a virtual version of XP Like I did since I run windows 7 64 bit on my laptop)
Soldering iron
Solder
BMW Scanner 1.4.0 plus software (link below)
I recently purchased the BMW Scanner 1.4.0 online at a huge steal. The real deal scanners can cost several hundreds to several thousand dollars, but there are a few companies that make knock offs that work just the same.... Sort of.
What does the scanner do exactly? It allows you to read and erase error messages. When your check engine light goes off codes are stored in the cars computer, this will allow you to read the actual errors (not just code numbers that you need to look up) and even erase them. The scanner will also code features in your car i.e. one touch window roll down and up with the use of the key, no more day time running lights, or reactivate them, flashing lights when you lock/unlock the car, even tell the car that you now have HID's and also deactivate some of the OBC (on board computer) checks if you run LED lights and dont want error messages etc...
Please note, in order to do the recoding you will have to have access to a soldering iron to connect two leads, I found this out the hard way, now you know so you can do this quicker and easier than me.
Where to buy the BMW Scanner 1.4.0 I bought mine from here, it was the cheapest I found it with free shipping from China. Be warned that it will take aprox 2 1/2 weeks to arrive since it needs to clear customs.
If you want it faster and don't mind spending more you can buy it here.
Now once you buy it you can already read and clear basic error messages, if you want to do coding you will need a small (very small) phillips head screw driver, soldering iron and solder.
Remove the 4 screws and open up the OBD scanner to reveal the circuit board.
Turn it upside down (red and green LED lights are now facing down and locate pins 7 and 8 as shown here
Solder them together as so. Please note, that I have never soldered in my life, this was the first time and I was successful so don't be afraid, just take it slow.
Once cool put it back together.
Run the software disc that comes with it (must be used with windows XP or older) Unzip the installer tool
Run the installer program and save it to your desk top.
Plug in the scanner using the provided USB cable into your computer
Your computer will recognize new hardware and search for drivers, it will not find any.
On your computer go to My computer then to the C drive then click on the folder marked BMW Scanner. Inside will be a folder marked drivers with a PDF telling you how to install them.
Once that is done you are ready to rock. Open the file on your desk top and it should say that the drivers are installed and give you the option to continue (dont click it continue yet).
Under the dash on the driver side is the access port. Open the latch and plug the scanner in.
Turn your car key to position 1
Click continue, it will tell you to turn the key (you already did that, no need to go past position 1) then press continue, click continue.
It will do a quick scan then it will tell you what car you drive and every single option that came with the car (neat huh?).
Next you will be greeted by this screen.
On the left click scan, it will run through every diagnostic and report back all errors. NOTE, it will not be able to connect to every singe one listed on all 3 pages, I have no idea why. But honestly I dont need to access them all so I didnt care.
Once it is done scanning it will tell you of any and all errors that have been stored. Double click on the line with the errors and it will let you access that section to see what is wrong and even erase the errors if they no longer exist.
Now, to change your features.
Double click on the ZKE line and a new window will pop up.
On the left will be a button marked coding. Click that, then click recoding. The window will change to another that will give you access to windows roll up and down, auto door locks and all sorts of other features.
Once you have selected what you want to enable and disable click WRITE on the lower right.
It works the same for any of the lines you double click in the main window, as long as the scanner can access them you can check them out and change certain features. BE CAREFUL NOT TO MESS WITH ANYTHING YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT, YOU CAN CAUSE DAMAGE.
Having said all that, was it worth the money and the wait? Hell yes it was. I can now use the remote to close all my windows (a feature not available in the usa), I disabled my sunroof from opening with the one touch feature but will still close, my doors no longer auto lock at 5mph, however they will auto lock if I unlock the doors but never open them after 2 min, and when I install HID's into my car I can now program the LCM (Light control module) to tell it I have HID's and not get error messages and if I want the Bi-xenon feature it will activate that as well.
So there you have it, again DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK, DON'T CRY TO ME IF YOU BREAK YOUR CAR.
I am still learning this system my self (PaSoft) so I am not sure if I can answer every question but I will do my best, my advice, research it using google and learn like I am
Last edited by spoonerDee; 05-23-2012 at 08:12 AM.
Very cool writeup.
Coming to Houston anytime soon?
I need some coding done lol.
Very cool. I really want to change a few features on my car and read codes at home.
Very nice, and for fitty bucks it's REALLY tempting.
If you're a novice at soldering, or just incompetent at electrical soldering like I am, might I suggest electrically conductive glue instead:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/b70c/
Thank you !
For whatever it's worth, I think the EDIABAS suite (INPA, NCS Expert, WinKFP) + DIS is a better setup to have. I have both, and while PASoft can be useful, it's got issues too. Even the legit version isn't the safest tool out there. BMW's software has more indepth diagnostics, better and safer coding (NCS Expert can change the Vehicle Order/Central coding key, and has the ability to reset any module to its default settings without a backup).
Thanks spoonerDee. The unit I bought actually came with your soldering connection already made - even better.
You own an e46, with stock key fob?
Can you use this to cycle the ABS system when flushing brakes?
Hey what's the purpose of soldering those wires together? Thanx
I believe I read somewhere that all the modules sold now already have the "modification" done already (as in they are manufactured as such), but don't quote me on that.
Has this system been tried on anything newer than a e46 yet?
if it works on e46 then all cars up till 2006 shoud be covered but what about e90?
thanks
Level 1 Certified BMW tech.
The e90 needs bmw scanner 2.0 I believe. 1.4.0 will not work any anything newer
http://www.bmw-scanner.com/
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