Two part question; software and Navi update

[boilator]

I have a 2018 650XI GC. I asked my service advisor this today, “ Good morning Heather. I have a question about software updates for my vehicle. First would be for the vehicle itself and second would be navigation. Is there any way to tell if my vehicle has software updates available: ISTA or ISTEP?”

Her reply, “ OKay the current nav in the car is 2017 and software update is available looks like 2017 software is also in there. I checked the history no programming has been done to the car. Programming and nav update would be $425.00”.

The question is; would $425 for the Navi update and the software update be worth the price and what is actually being changed/added within each update?

Lator

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by boilator

I have a 2018 650XI GC. I asked my service advisor this today, “ Good morning Heather. I have a question about software updates for my vehicle. First would be for the vehicle itself and second would be navigation. Is there any way to tell if my vehicle has software updates available: ISTA or ISTEP?”

Her reply, “ OKay the current nav in the car is 2017 and software update is available looks like 2017 software is also in there. I checked the history no programming has been done to the car. Programming and nav update would be $425.00”.

The question is; would $425 for the Navi update and the software update be worth the price and what is actually being changed/added within each update?

Lator

Nav update may be worth it, but software update won't yield any new features. They tend to address under-the-hood issues and often times remove functions rather than add new ones.

[boilator]

Thx Hugo. I read in the X3 forum that they had a software update and it added some beneficial updates. See the thread here:

https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showt...&highlight=Bm3

Lator

[Frupal]

Please don’t spend hundreds of $$$ at the dealer for a Nav update. This place charges like $50 and they send you a thumb drive that you just plug in.

https://bimmernavupdates.com/

[Derekz4]

Originally Posted by Frupal

Please don’t spend hundreds of $$$ at the dealer for a Nav update. This place charges like $50 and they send you a thumb drive that you just plug in.

https://bimmernavupdates.com/

Correct and you can update the car yourself too.

https://www.bmw.com/en/footer/software-updates.html

[itzjoker]

Originally Posted by Derekz4

Correct and you can update the car yourself too.

https://www.bmw.com/en/footer/software-updates.html

Shows no updates for my vehicle. Is there any way I can update the interface on my 2013 650i without changing the unit? It's starting to look very outdated.

[boilator]

Originally Posted by Frupal

Please don’t spend hundreds of $$$ at the dealer for a Nav update. This place charges like $50 and they send you a thumb drive that you just plug in.

https://bimmernavupdates.com/

Thank you Frupal.

Lator

[boilator]

Originally Posted by Derekz4

Correct and you can update the car yourself too.

https://www.bmw.com/en/footer/software-updates.html

Thank you Derek

Lator

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by boilator

Thx Hugo. I read in the X3 forum that they had a software update and it added some beneficial updates. See the thread here:

https://x3.xbimmers.com/forums/showt...&highlight=Bm3

Lator

All good. That OPs X3 is a G01 generation which is bult on a modified version of the 5-series G30 CLAR platform. Comparing it to the Fxx 6-series is like comparing an iPhone 3g to iPhone 12. It’s a much newer, technologically advanced platform. BMW almost always will only do a i-level (software) update on F-series and older BMWs when replacing control modules. It’s also worth considering the age of the platform. The Fxx 6-series is based on the F10 platform that was conceived in 2009. There were no OTA updates or functions on demand back then and built their cars with a specific feature set and that was, kind of, it. You can do retrofits to add hardware or to enable locked features (like BMW Apps) but BMW never intended for the system to scale and update with the times. That whole concept is a fairly new one and to date only Tesla has really nailed it.

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by boilator

Thank you Derek

Lator

To be clear that update is a surface level update only to ensure compatibility between the bluetooth module and/or USB Hub and newer mobile phones.

[boilator]

Originally Posted by hugo_nz

To be clear that update is a surface level update only to ensure compatibility between the bluetooth module and/or USB Hub and newer mobile phones.

Ok, so in the last few weeks I did perform the available update from that link.

So based on that update and Hugo’s detailed explanation there should not be any other software update that can be applied for my vehicles current configuration. That means my SA was going to allow me to pay $260.00 for an update that I can do from the BMW website for free.

Lator

[buildermindz]

Originally Posted by Frupal

Please don’t spend hundreds of $$$ at the dealer for a Nav update. This place charges like $50 and they send you a thumb drive that you just plug in.

https://bimmernavupdates.com/

Second this. I updated my Nav and it's well worth it for the price you pay.