DYI _Coding the E63-E64 *Updated 02-21-2011

[Mike Benvo]

Originally Posted by zerocks1

To your second paragraph. Yes is the answer, as long as the CAS and LM modules have not lost the master codes as we call them. A blank .MAN file should restore any module to it's factory state. However... There is base SW code in these modules that are analogous to the operating system in a PC or MAC. If that becomes corrupt a trip to the dealer, or new module may become the only remedy. Now there is a way to restore that SW using a different program with the right files (daten files)

Another DIY for another time using a different interface with the car

Benvo here... haven't been on this thread in months - looks like its gaining speed.

Just to clairfy - DO NOT process car if it is not necessary. This will not cause any "programming errors" and should not cause modules to fry, but may cause "coding" errors. Remember, every module has coding data, and a separate "program" data. It would be difficult with simple coding to corrupt the program data. If it in fact does become corrupt, not working, etc - you should be able to re flash the program area using WinKFP and then recode it properly using NCS. The only reason to process car is if a retrofit is completed which requires changes in multiple modules. However, it's a safer bet to ask yourself what modules may be affected by that retrofit, and code them on an individual basis.

The files that you restore that SW with are not daten files. Daten files are sort of like definitions for the coding functions, but they are not directly related to flashing the program areas of these modules. These are the "data" files.

Allan, still need to reach out to you one of these days. I still want to do that CF key

Good luck!

[zerocks1]

Thanks for checking in Mike. We appreciate the tips from the Guru of Guru's. Hanging on to plenty of CF for your fob, laptop, and anything else you want to cover. Maybe for

[Mike Benvo]

Originally Posted by zerocks1

Thanks for checking in Mike. We appreciate the tips from the Guru of Guru's. Hanging on to plenty of CF for your fob, laptop, and anything else you want to cover. Maybe for

My pleasure, I like to see people take initiative. We are of the same breed

PM me your phone # so I have it, will try to link up with you sometime in the next couple of weeks. Want to show you the 7 series restoration.

[zerocks1]

email sent.

[princevick]

Hi All,

Thought I would share some thing here since I had learnt a fair bit from everyone here, esp Zerocks!

OK. I know a lot of you would like to disable the seat belt reminder (I for one did not do it cause I think it is one of the saftey features that better be left ON)... Well, there are many ways that others have tried (in other sites) but one way which has definitely worked for me is as the following:

1) Fire up NCS Expert.
2) Load "Expert Mode" (remember this.. cause we are NOT going to use FSW PSW profile!)
3) F1, and F3 (as you would normally do) [You would be selecting "CAS"]
4) Then click on F2 (Write FA)
5) Click "OK" when screen shows your Chasis number (the last alphanumeric character there is the checksum)
6) Then you will be shown a list of FAs (or VOs as we call it in English).
7) Add the following to your VO:
+OI11
+OI12
8) Click "OK"
9) Click "Back"
10) Click on "Process ECU"
11) Select "CAS"
12) Click on "Change Job" and select "FA WRITE"
13) Click on 'Execute Job" (<- It takes only a couple of seconds and you are done)
14) Click on "Process ECU" again.
15) Select "LMA" (the 2nd module that holds the VO for our cars
16) Ensure Job is set to "FA WRITE"
17) Click on "Execute Job"

Now you should be done... Please check if the seat belt gong sound disappears. I didn't stop and check at this point here as I went a step further with my friend's car (his car had plenitude of problems, so he didn't care if erroneous coding mucked up his settings!). So you might want to see if the seat belt reminder gong was removed after executing the steps above and need not proceed with the steps below:

On my friend's 5-er, after executing the above 17 steps (also I added a few other Option codes to his VO: +KMP3, +NAUX), I did the following:
18) Clicked on 'Back to Main Function"
19) Select "F1" and then "F3" (Select "CAS")
20) Clicked on "Back"
21) Clicked on "Process Car" [<- many have warned me against this and I already relayed this msg to my friend but my daredevil friend asked me to proceed.. ]
22) Clicked on "Code Car"

Then it took about a minute or 2 and NCS was coding each modules individually and you will get a lot of different errors on your IDrive! But just hang on and keep letting it do its magic. Then it should be done. Once it is done, shut off your car and let it rest for about 15 minutes. I let my friend's car rest for about 1/2hour. Then I went back and started the car. I was only shown 3 errors on the Check Control Messages:
- Time / Date not set (small matter - you can set this in the settings)
- Active Steering Faulty - Inactive etc etc (You just need to turn steering fully to the left and then to right. DO this 3 times and it should go off. Else just start driving and it will go off. So I did the latter and it went off).
- Sun roof anti trap faulty [or something like that] - To reset this error, it is quite easy. Just keep pressing the sunroof button for 20seconds. Don't let go. The sun roof will move by itself front-back and readjust itself and VOILA! Error disappears.

So now all errors are cleared. Seatbelt reminder gongs are removed. Audio Aux in option is available on I-Drive but the car can't play MP3 (cause it has a M-ASK module which is quite old. I need to update the software with Winkfp... I will try to do a write up on this once I get a voltage regulator to do programming - with his car!!! ).

However, just be reminded that when you perform a "Process Car", NCS defaults the car codes based on your VOs. So some of my custom coding (digital speedometer, side mirror auto fold) were gone. So I had to redo them.

For the above contribution, I have my friend (and his loyal E60) to thank for the experience gained!

[Mike Benvo]

Originally Posted by princevick

Hi All,

Thought I would share some thing here since I had learnt a fair bit from everyone here, esp Zerocks!

OK. I know a lot of you would like to disable the seat belt reminder (I for one did not do it cause I think it is one of the saftey features that better be left ON)... Well, there are many ways that others have tried (in other sites) but one way which has definitely worked for me is as the following:

1) Fire up NCS Expert.
2) Load "Expert Mode" (remember this.. cause we are NOT going to use FSW PSW profile!)
3) F1, and F3 (as you would normally do) [You would be selecting "CAS"]
4) Then click on F2 (Write FA)
5) Click "OK" when screen shows your Chasis number (the last alphanumeric character there is the checksum)
6) Then you will be shown a list of FAs (or VOs as we call it in English).
7) Add the following to your VO:
+OI11
+OI12
8) Click "OK"
9) Click "Back"
10) Click on "Process ECU"
11) Select "CAS"
12) Click on "Change Job" and select "FA WRITE"
13) Click on 'Execute Job" (<- It takes only a couple of seconds and you are done)
14) Click on "Process ECU" again.
15) Select "LMA" (the 2nd module that holds the VO for our cars
16) Ensure Job is set to "FA WRITE"
17) Click on "Execute Job"

Now you should be done... Please check if the seat belt gong sound disappears. I didn't stop and check at this point here as I went a step further with my friend's car (his car had plenitude of problems, so he didn't care if erroneous coding mucked up his settings!). So you might want to see if the seat belt reminder gong was removed after executing the steps above and need not proceed with the steps below:

On my friend's 5-er, after executing the above 17 steps (also I added a few other Option codes to his VO: +KMP3, +NAUX), I did the following:
18) Clicked on 'Back to Main Function"
19) Select "F1" and then "F3" (Select "CAS")
20) Clicked on "Back"
21) Clicked on "Process Car" [<- many have warned me against this and I already relayed this msg to my friend but my daredevil friend asked me to proceed.. ]
22) Clicked on "Code Car"

Then it took about a minute or 2 and NCS was coding each modules individually and you will get a lot of different errors on your IDrive! But just hang on and keep letting it do its magic. Then it should be done. Once it is done, shut off your car and let it rest for about 15 minutes. I let my friend's car rest for about 1/2hour. Then I went back and started the car. I was only shown 3 errors on the Check Control Messages:
- Time / Date not set (small matter - you can set this in the settings)
- Active Steering Faulty - Inactive etc etc (You just need to turn steering fully to the left and then to right. DO this 3 times and it should go off. Else just start driving and it will go off. So I did the latter and it went off).
- Sun roof anti trap faulty [or something like that] - To reset this error, it is quite easy. Just keep pressing the sunroof button for 20seconds. Don't let go. The sun roof will move by itself front-back and readjust itself and VOILA! Error disappears.

So now all errors are cleared. Seatbelt reminder gongs are removed. Audio Aux in option is available on I-Drive but the car can't play MP3 (cause it has a M-ASK module which is quite old. I need to update the software with Winkfp... I will try to do a write up on this once I get a voltage regulator to do programming - with his car!!! ).

However, just be reminded that when you perform a "Process Car", NCS defaults the car codes based on your VOs. So some of my custom coding (digital speedometer, side mirror auto fold) were gone. So I had to redo them.

For the above contribution, I have my friend (and his loyal E60) to thank for the experience gained!

Not a good way to do it. You can amend the VO and it will change the coding in the ABG module, but it's a dead giveaway to the dealership.

Much better to avoid changing the VO if possible, unless you are adding factory approved and available equipment.

The plus side of changing the VO is that if the dealer recodes your car, the seatbelt gongs will not come back. Other than that, best to stay away from it.

[princevick]

Hi Mike,

OK. Then how about when we add +KMP3 or +NAUX to the VO? These are needed for some cars which can't play MP3 or would like the Audio Aux In option enabled.

I believe we can change the following in:

CAPPL: mp3_ccc (to play mp3)

and
(to enable audio aux in)
CAPPL: aux_config
CAUDI: input_signal

But I had read that we need to supplement the +NAUX to the VO before enabling aux in for it to work. Is this true? Also, another question that I have is, do we need to process Car if we add an Option to the VO? Or just performing an FA_WRITE to the CAS And LMA would do?

Btw, my E63 and my friend's E60 are both way over their warranty period. So that's why we are experimenting with all possibilities

[Mike Benvo]

Originally Posted by princevick

Hi Mike,

OK. Then how about when we add +KMP3 or +NAUX to the VO? These are needed for some cars which can't play MP3 or would like the Audio Aux In option enabled.

I believe we can change the following in:

CAPPL: mp3_ccc (to play mp3)

and
(to enable audio aux in)
CAPPL: aux_config
CAUDI: input_signal

But I had read that we need to supplement the +NAUX to the VO before enabling aux in for it to work. Is this true? Also, another question that I have is, do we need to process Car if we add an Option to the VO? Or just performing an FA_WRITE to the CAS And LMA would do?

Btw, my E63 and my friend's E60 are both way over their warranty period. So that's why we are experimenting with all possibilities

I would first change the options in CAPPL and CADI and see if you achieve the desired result. If not, then add the proper sequence to the VO, and code CAS and LMA with the new VO. This won't do anything but change the VO - it won't add functionality, or anything else. After the VO is added, then you can code the respective modules and at this point they the changes will be made in the individual module coding settings. A change in VO in some cases will cause more modules to show up in the listing, such as when retrofitting an alarm. So in specific cases such as that, you will need to change the VO before you have any hope of getting it to work. For the AUX in, there is no additional module to my knowledge, so this doesn't pertain to your particular situation.

It's not the VO itself that determines what works or doesn't work on a car, it's the coding of the modules that coincide with that particular VO. In your case (out of warranty), I would add it to the VO, code CAS and LMA with the new VO, and then program CAAPL and CAUDI + any other modules you think might be affected by the change in VO. The reason why there were errors (in the post a couple up), is because process car was used.

Good luck.

[princevick]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the tips! I will try to stay away from Process Car in the future then..

One last question. If say we had a faulty part like the SZL which needs replacement. I purchased a new SZL and replaced it with the faulty one. How do I code this new unit to my car? (I have heard my friend's mechanic tell him that he needs to use AutoLogic to code the SZL to the car) as the car's VIN number need to be stored in the SZL. Can we do this with NCS?

Cheers.

Originally Posted by Mike@Powerchip

I would first change the options in CAPPL and CADI and see if you achieve the desired result. If not, then add the proper sequence to the VO, and code CAS and LMA with the new VO. This won't do anything but change the VO - it won't add functionality, or anything else. After the VO is added, then you can code the respective modules and at this point they the changes will be made in the individual module coding settings. A change in VO in some cases will cause more modules to show up in the listing, such as when retrofitting an alarm. So in specific cases such as that, you will need to change the VO before you have any hope of getting it to work. For the AUX in, there is no additional module to my knowledge, so this doesn't pertain to your particular situation.

It's not the VO itself that determines what works or doesn't work on a car, it's the coding of the modules that coincide with that particular VO. In your case (out of warranty), I would add it to the VO, code CAS and LMA with the new VO, and then program CAAPL and CAUDI + any other modules you think might be affected by the change in VO. The reason why there were errors (in the post a couple up), is because process car was used.

Good luck.

[bishopdablack]

Has anyone made a checklist of what needs to be coded for both the cic and combox? Yes there's a 30 something page thread but a checklist?