Not solely has BMW electrical architecture modified during the last decade, however so has the equipment to service them. The equipment has modified, the interfaces have changed and in addition the complexity of setup and use.
Early instruments
Back within the 1990’s, the Group Tester One (GT1) was introduced. There have been a few variations, like DIS Plus (stationary setup), however the GT1 is the commonest and is what might be referenced here. The GT1 is a portable system which contained a rechargeable battery. It has a touchscreen show for easy use. It contained software for Diagnosing and also had software called TIS (Technical Info Display) which is the Service & Repair Information. Early versions of Diagnostics additionally contained software called Coding, Programming & Individualization (CIP). So from the same device, you could Diagnose the issue, lookup easy methods to exchange the component and then carry out the wanted initializations for the new part. Two interfaces have been used: EDIC (yellow interface) and the OPS (orange interface). Later versions of the OPS have been called OPPS, since they carried additional diagnostics for the Byteflite system and so they have been also yellow, but much larger than the EDIC. Authentic GT1s are on the portable contactscreen unit. There are many “cloned” models out there, adapted to work on a PC. Either genuine or cloned, the interfaces work the same and connect via an Ethernet port.
Later variations of the GT1 software removed CIP, and moved it to a separate laptop (for storage), but nonetheless accessible from the GT1. This new software was called Progman (short for Program Manager). This new software contained all of the CIP features and added new features like multiple automobile programming and twin channel programming for every automotive (DIAGBUS and MOST bus concurrently).
Third Generation tools
Fast forward to about 2008 when the Third Generation (3G) of equipment was launched: ISIS. The contents of ISIS are so giant, that dedicated servers are installed on the sellership. An online version is available to the aftermarket for a fee, called OSS. It may be discovered at BMW’s tech internetsite. With the introduction of ISIS comes a new interface, called ICOM. Earlier interfaces (EDIC & OPS) will not work with ISIS. ISIS consists of a few parts, because it utterly replaced GT1 & Progman. The primary part of ISIS that is used in the shop is called “ISTA”, which will be additional damaged down into two parts: ISTA/D for Diagnosing vehicles and ISTA/P for Coding, Programming & Individualization.
Comparability
GT1s can be found just about anywhere, together with eBay for very cheap. BMW realized that the tool was easily cloned and sold worldwide. Many levels of safety have been put into the creation of ISIS to forestall this, in both resident servers and on-line versions. This makes it a lot harder for non-supplier shops to work on the newer cars. One would think that since the GT1 was discontinued in 2009, you could possibly just preserve using that for a number of more years till the newer system grew to become more available, nonetheless, BMW MODULE stayed one step ahead! Whenever a automobile is programmed with the new ISTA/P, it upgrades the software beyond the level of what Program can recognize. Meaning, as soon as a car has been up to date with ISTA/P, you’ll be able to NEVER use Progman on it again, rendering the “cloned” variations useless on that specific car. Also, when a new module is put in, the software that is pre-installed on that module can be newer than what Program can acknowledge, which can stop the whole programming process, forcing the automotive to be programmed by ISTA/P.
So what does that imply for the BMW owner? As a result of the newer programs, many BMW homeowners can now not repair the cars themselves. Many aftermarket shops are additionally sending the vehicles to sellerships as a result. Nonetheless, not all aftermarket shops have fallen behind. There are a choose few of BMW specialty shops that keep on prime of manufacturer technology, so that no automotive is turned away! When looking for a spot to service your BMW, ensure that they’ll do ALL facets of restore, including Diagnostics and CIP!