650i like a new car after ISTA+ session

hugo_nz · 02-25-2019, 01:25 AM

So, my S.O was in an accident beginning of Feb, and the insurance has declared the car a total loss (considerable, given that it's only 1.5 years old, and was purchased brand new). So we have been car hunting. We test drove a slew of new cars on the weekend (Grand Cherokee, Jag E-Pace, BMW X3) and overall the Jeep was the most comfortable, the BMW the most engaging, and the Jag the most...well...generic.

Not the topic of this post though. Today I test drove two pre-owned cars...a 2011 550i GT and a 2015 X5 50i. Both use the same N63 engine as my 6-er, albeit the N63TU in the X5. I was rather unhappy with the drives because BOTH drove BETTER than my 6-er. It's like the 5 and x5 we running on double-cream, and my 6-er was running on water with metal beads. Not great at all.

This evening I hooked her up to ISTA+ and began a 2-hour long diagnostic session. I tested the engine for misfires, rough running, fuel mix, injector performance, fuel pressure, air intake, ignition coil functioning...the works. Finished off with a reset and relearn all adaption*functions related to the DME. I also re-calibrated the EDC with new measurements and re-learned the dynamic drive defaults. Waited 15 minutes and took her for a test drive.

Holy hell...the difference is night and day. Acceleration is smooth, linear and with zero hesitation. No shaking, no juddering, smooth idle and the ride is considerably more comfortable. Even the exhaust note is improved, from Eco Pro all the way through Sport+. Incredible result, and can't wait to take her on the motorway tomorrow to do some higher-speed testing.

Moral of the story, if you have an F series BMW that's not running quite right...get an ESYS cable and run some tests. There's pretty much nothing you can break using ISTA+.*

( I have a spare cable and software discs available if anyone is interested. $50+pp)

MARKPRIOR · 02-25-2019, 03:21 AM

Nice, quick Q.. would this reset all affect Mapped ECUs?

hugo_nz · 02-25-2019, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MARKPRIOR

Nice, quick Q.. would this reset all affect Mapped ECUs?

Hi Mark. Good question. I am not certain, but since mapping is a software function I would imagine that the ISTA+ might overwrite the custom mapping. Might be wrong, also depends on what specifically was mapped and to which ECUs.

Cincinnatus · 02-25-2019, 08:45 PM

I've been wanting to 'reset' my 2013 M6 to 'factory defaults'. Kind of like you would with a cell phone. There are a couple of oddities that I'd like to cure

Specifically, the sport display (suspension, power, shift, etc) and hp/tq gauges display but are not functional. Since I'm not the originalowner , there's no telling for sure what might have been done to the car.

I was told re-flashing the firmware would set everything back to factory. However, I was also told there's a risk to other ecu's in the car which could lead to a couple of thousand if things go bad.

So, would ISTA get me where I want to be? What might be the risks?

TIA!

MARKPRIOR · 02-26-2019, 03:14 AM

Thanks Hugo, think i will leave alone

FBMWWINS · 02-26-2019, 01:06 PM

If you perform a full update of the DME ECU your custom mapping will be erased and you will have to RE-program it to the previous state. I am not an expert in tuning so I am not sure if there is a way (somewhere....) to lock it, but when you do a full update of the DME ECU it is clear that in order to be updated any custom tune will be automatically erased. Normally dealers do not perform software updates unless there are some issues which demand for it.
On the other hand, if you know what you are doing, simply resetting one or more adaptation functions via ISTA+ will not erase the tune. It's flashing the ECU firmware that will.

hugo_nz · 02-26-2019, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by F06WINS

If you perform a full update of the DME ECU your custom mapping will be erased and you will have to RE-program it to the previous state. I am not an expert in tuning so I am not sure if there is a way (somewhere....) to lock it, but when you do a full update of the DME ECU it is clear that in order to be updated any custom tune will be automatically erased. Normally dealers do not perform software updates unless there are some issues which demand for it.
On the other hand, if you know what you are doing, simply resetting one or more adaptation functions via ISTA+ will not erase the tune. It's flashing the ECU firmware that will.

+1 on this. The ISTA service plan only works on specific bits of info, relevant to the test program that it deemed necessary OR the sequence requested by the user. Firmware remains 100% untouched.

doggboy · 01-07-2020, 05:04 PM

Old thread bump as a thanks to hugo_nz!!

My 650 just wasn't feeling right. A couple of 0-60 runs confirmed it wasn't as quick as it should be. I had been looking for a way to reset to factory, and found this thread. I downloaded Rheingold, bought an enet cable on Amazon, found this tutorial https://bimmerprofs.com/re-adaptatio...-using-ista-d/ , and let er rip.

The difference is quite noticeable. After letting her idle for 5 min I pulled out and took off with a bit of gas and it was much more responsive. I noticed I had forgotten to put it in sport like I normally do, but comfort mode felt as quick or quicker than sport used to. I am not sure if the previous owner ran 87oct in it or just drove like a little old lady, but I couldn't be happier that i did the reset!

Thanks again Hugo!

DRock3d · 01-08-2020, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doggboy

Old thread bump as a thanks to hugo_nz!!

My 650 just wasn't feeling right. A couple of 0-60 runs confirmed it wasn't as quick as it should be. I had been looking for a way to reset to factory, and found this thread. I downloaded Rheingold, bought an enet cable on Amazon, found this tutorial https://bimmerprofs.com/re-adaptatio...-using-ista-d/ , and let er rip.

The difference is quite noticeable. After letting her idle for 5 min I pulled out and took off with a bit of gas and it was much more responsive. I noticed I had forgotten to put it in sport like I normally do, but comfort mode felt as quick or quicker than sport used to. I am not sure if the previous owner ran 87oct in it or just drove like a little old lady, but I couldn't be happier that i did the reset!

Thanks again Hugo!

Holy fuck those guys are geniuses

itzjoker · 05-27-2020, 12:53 PM

Bump for a valuable thread.

I am purchasing a tune soon (BM3). Would it be advisable to do a re-adaptation before tuning? Or would it not make a difference after a flash tune?

hugo_nz · 05-27-2020, 01:27 PM

I've never done any tunes but I'd imaging it couldn't hurt having the car free of any bad habits it may have adapted to or learned over the course of regular driving.

AccordTR · 05-27-2020, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itzjoker

Bump for a valuable thread.

I am purchasing a tune soon (BM3). Would it be advisable to do a re-adaptation before tuning? Or would it not make a difference after a flash tune?

Bm3 resets adaptations automatically after each flash now.

02-25-2019, 01:25 AM	#1
hugo_nz Lieutenant Colonel 3166 Rep 1,820 Posts Drives: BMW iX Xdrive40 MSport Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Auckland, New Zealand iTrader: (0) Garage List 2022 BMW IX [0.00]	650i like a new car after ISTA+ session So, my S.O was in an accident beginning of Feb, and the insurance has declared the car a total loss (considerable, given that it's only 1.5 years old, and was purchased brand new). So we have been car hunting. We test drove a slew of new cars on the weekend (Grand Cherokee, Jag E-Pace, BMW X3) and overall the Jeep was the most comfortable, the BMW the most engaging, and the Jag the most...well...generic. Not the topic of this post though. Today I test drove two pre-owned cars...a 2011 550i GT and a 2015 X5 50i. Both use the same N63 engine as my 6-er, albeit the N63TU in the X5. I was rather unhappy with the drives because BOTH drove BETTER than my 6-er. It's like the 5 and x5 we running on double-cream, and my 6-er was running on water with metal beads. Not great at all. This evening I hooked her up to ISTA+ and began a 2-hour long diagnostic session. I tested the engine for misfires, rough running, fuel mix, injector performance, fuel pressure, air intake, ignition coil functioning...the works. Finished off with a reset and relearn all adaptionfunctions related to the DME. I also re-calibrated the EDC with new measurements and re-learned the dynamic drive defaults. Waited 15 minutes and took her for a test drive. Holy hell...the difference is night and day. Acceleration is smooth, linear and with zero hesitation. No shaking, no juddering, smooth idle and the ride is considerably more comfortable. Even the exhaust note is improved, from Eco Pro all the way through Sport+. Incredible result, and can't wait to take her on the motorway tomorrow to do some higher-speed testing. Moral of the story, if you have an F series BMW that's not running quite right...get an ESYS cable and run some tests. There's pretty much nothing you can break using ISTA+. ( I have a spare cable and software discs available if anyone is interested. $50+pp)
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02-25-2019, 03:21 AM	#2
MARKPRIOR Captain 156 Rep 659 Posts Drives: 2017 M6 GC Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Newcastle iTrader: (0)	Nice, quick Q.. would this reset all affect Mapped ECUs? __________________ Current: 2017 M6 Gran Coupe Previous:2014 640D GC 383BHP + 733NM, F10 2010 530d 520i (2000), E36 comact 318i, E46 M3, E46 318Ci, X5, Non BMW: 5x Skyline / GTRs, 5x Supras, 2x Nissan 200sx s14a, lots of other stuff
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02-25-2019, 08:45 PM	#4
Cincinnatus First Lieutenant 123 Rep 396 Posts Drives: 2013 M6 Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Northeast PA iTrader: (0)	I've been wanting to 'reset' my 2013 M6 to 'factory defaults'. Kind of like you would with a cell phone. There are a couple of oddities that I'd like to cure Specifically, the sport display (suspension, power, shift, etc) and hp/tq gauges display but are not functional. Since I'm not the originalowner , there's no telling for sure what might have been done to the car. I was told re-flashing the firmware would set everything back to factory. However, I was also told there's a risk to other ecu's in the car which could lead to a couple of thousand if things go bad. So, would ISTA get me where I want to be? What might be the risks? TIA!
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02-26-2019, 03:14 AM	#5
MARKPRIOR Captain 156 Rep 659 Posts Drives: 2017 M6 GC Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Newcastle iTrader: (0)	Thanks Hugo, think i will leave alone __________________ Current: 2017 M6 Gran Coupe Previous:2014 640D GC 383BHP + 733NM, F10 2010 530d 520i (2000), E36 comact 318i, E46 M3, E46 318Ci, X5, Non BMW: 5x Skyline / GTRs, 5x Supras, 2x Nissan 200sx s14a, lots of other stuff
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02-26-2019, 01:06 PM	#6
FBMWWINS Captain 604 Rep 909 Posts Drives: M8C Coupé & M240i Coupé Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Europe iTrader: (0)	If you perform a full update of the DME ECU your custom mapping will be erased and you will have to RE-program it to the previous state. I am not an expert in tuning so I am not sure if there is a way (somewhere....) to lock it, but when you do a full update of the DME ECU it is clear that in order to be updated any custom tune will be automatically erased. Normally dealers do not perform software updates unless there are some issues which demand for it. On the other hand, if you know what you are doing, simply resetting one or more adaptation functions via ISTA+ will not erase the tune. It's flashing the ECU firmware that will.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-07-2020, 05:04 PM	#8
doggboy Lieutenant 878 Rep 404 Posts Drives: BMW 650i Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: san diego iTrader: (1)	Old thread bump as a thanks to hugo_nz!! My 650 just wasn't feeling right. A couple of 0-60 runs confirmed it wasn't as quick as it should be. I had been looking for a way to reset to factory, and found this thread. I downloaded Rheingold, bought an enet cable on Amazon, found this tutorial https://bimmerprofs.com/re-adaptatio...-using-ista-d/ , and let er rip. The difference is quite noticeable. After letting her idle for 5 min I pulled out and took off with a bit of gas and it was much more responsive. I noticed I had forgotten to put it in sport like I normally do, but comfort mode felt as quick or quicker than sport used to. I am not sure if the previous owner ran 87oct in it or just drove like a little old lady, but I couldn't be happier that i did the reset! Thanks again Hugo!
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05-27-2020, 12:53 PM	#10
itzjoker Second Lieutenant 150 Rep 289 Posts Drives: 2013 BMW 650i Gran Coupe Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Columbus, OH iTrader: (0)	Bump for a valuable thread. I am purchasing a tune soon (BM3). Would it be advisable to do a re-adaptation before tuning? Or would it not make a difference after a flash tune?
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05-27-2020, 01:27 PM	#11
hugo_nz Lieutenant Colonel 3166 Rep 1,820 Posts Drives: BMW iX Xdrive40 MSport Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Auckland, New Zealand iTrader: (0) Garage List 2022 BMW IX [0.00]	I've never done any tunes but I'd imaging it couldn't hurt having the car free of any bad habits it may have adapted to or learned over the course of regular driving.
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