VirtualRain

Hi, I just picked up my car yesterday from the dealer who reprogrammed it with the latest software version which the manager said was 31.2.

Looking at the three pages of programming that had to be done, I would guess there are some 30+ modules that had to be programmed and I would guess that half a dozen or so didn't take the upgrade (big "X" on the sheet next to them vs. a check-mark for those modules that successfully upgraded). The modules are all referenced by 3 letter acronyms making it completely greek to me as to what updated and what didn't.

The last time my car was reprogrammed was by the previous owner for an emissions recall in 2007.

I haven't noticed much different so far... I'll update this post with differences I find over the next couple of days as I use it more.

The strangest issue is that none of my confirmation options for locking/unlocking stick. As you know, under car settings, there are options for flashing the lights and chirping the alarm whenever you lock or unlock the car. I can see these settings in the iDrive but if I check any of them, they immediately uncheck on their own?!?! Needless to say, I'll be taking this up with the SA next time I'm in.

Things I noticed: (to be updated as I find more)
- iDrive is more responsive moving between screens
- iDrive scrolls better - especially through multipage lists where I use to get a lot of resistance when the selector hit the bottom of the screen, now that's not so harsh and although there is some resisitance, it's not a much and the list scrolls a lot quicker and more smoothly beyond that point.
- All of my car settings (except for confirmation as noted above) were saved during the upgrade except for Vent settings and radio presets. However, the vent settings could have been messed with by the techs. I can't be sure. The radio presets were definitely wiped out. Nav address book was preserved. Bluetooth pairing was maintained.
- Some of my sat radio channels were no longer available. They appeared in the list of "All Channels" but did not have check marks so I could select them but would get the message to call Sirius. I called and they resent a signal to my radio correcting that.
- Oil level is showing that it's more than 1L down. They did drain the oil so I'm not sure if it's actually 1L down or the indicator is slow to update (which has been reported as an issue here elsewhere).
- TPS or whatever it's called in 2006 needs to be reset. I need to check the tire inflation and reset the computer.

More to come.

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scoopz

My car is going in tomorrow for an oil service and I've asked them to update me to the latest iDrive software so I'm hoping I'll get the same version as you. If they've improved the force-feedback when scrolling to the bottom of the list that'd be a big help, it's almost like playing a game to try and scroll to the right track in a long list of MP3 tracks.

Did you specifically ask them to upgrade the software or as it done to try and eliminate other problems you were having?

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VirtualRain

I specifically asked for it after sitting in a more recent e60 and noticing how much more responsive the iDrive was. I simply complained that my iDrive seemed slower compared to current models and they agreed to program it.

Clyde

Recent updates have disabled force-feedback.

VirtualRain

I still have more resistance for long lists... at least in my case with 31.2, scrolling beyond what a single screen can display still results in resistance but it's not as harsh as it use to be. Previously, it really felt like you were going to break the idrive knob if you scrolled beyond the end of the screen... it's not that bad now.

avi8tir

how do you know what version your car has? is there a way to see through idrive?

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doug_999

Most probably due to the merging of the stations last week?

The 2007 e60s got the 3rd gen iDrive - that is why they seemed so much faster than yours. Nothing has really been done for performance between 25 and 31.2.

Same thing here - 3rd Gen iDrive does not have force feedback. Is not from the software.

Here is some info on the various changes to iDrive over the years (thanks Jonathan!)
BMW iDrive 6 years in: The world’s best cockpit controller? - BMW CCA

handdoc

do they automatically update the software when the car is serviced if there is a software update?

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VirtualRain

No. It's a fairly involved proceedure that takes more time than you would guess. They must have learned from Microsoft on how to apply service packs!

VirtualRain

Update: I also got my hands on the 2009.1 Nav DVD... it appears there is a software update for the NAV system on the map disks. Perhaps this is common knowledge but it was new to me. Anyway, after letting it load for 5min, the only thing I noticed immediately is that the nav guidance voice no longer cuts the music completely to provide directions but instead attenuates it significantly... you can still hear your entertainment in the background of the nav voice. A nice touch.