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computer gremlins

Discuss the problems with your BMW X5 (E70).
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dltb1978
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computer gremlins

Post by dltb1978 » Sun Oct 02, 2016 9:05 pm

Hi folks,
I bought my 07 e70 in June 15.  My first BMW.  Lovely car to drive. It ran fine for a while with no warning lights or nothing unsolvable.  The first sign of problems was when the dashboard clock needed resetting regularly.  Internet research pointed to a dying battery.  I took it to my local independent garage who fitted the battery but when he plugged in his diagnostics to update the car's computer of the new battery, he was unable to connect to the cars network at all.  He tried several diagnostic tools but to no avail.

I have an ongoing self levelling suspension issue which I couldn't get in to diagnose but the air springs were changed and the car is performing fine in that regard so I haven't been panicking about it.Now though, my electric handbrake actuator has packed up.  If I insert a new one, it'll need coded which I can't do without computer access into the system.

I've been speaking to a local BMW specialist who reckons that I'm looking for a needle in a haystack.  He tells me that he dealership will charge me £130 per hour for diagnostic work with no guarantee of success. 
So, before I take out a mortgage to pay for daylight robbery,  I'm open to ideas.....

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X5Sport
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Re: computer gremlins

Post by X5Sport » Sun Oct 02, 2016 9:35 pm

Has your Indy actually got the right software?  These cars use MOST bus based systems which are different from the previous system used on the E53.

You might want to invest in the Carly App and adapter - plugs directly into the OBD2 port.  Both bits will cost you about 30-mins of dealer time so worth a punt.  You can also code the battery yourself via the App.

Several members on here use it.  I currently only have the 'Lite' version rather than the full (paid for) and have used it successfully on my E46.
:ant: Never anthropomorphise computers. They hate that.

dltb1978
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Re: computer gremlins

Post by dltb1978 » Mon Oct 03, 2016 3:51 pm

I'm confident that my indy has the right software. 

I had the car with the bmw specialist also and he couldn't get in either.  There is power coming to the head of the car (where you plug in) but the software can't read the VIN.  When you select the vehicle manually it will let you as far as the diagnostic home screen but that's as far as we've got.  Trying to select any of the modules from there eg. engine management results in failure.

I'd be happy enough to buy the app and adaptor if I thought that I could get into the system.  As it stands, I'm fairly sure I'd be wasting my money!

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