[Brendon]

I just became the new owner of a 2019 X7 xDrive40i. The car is a bit unique in the sense that it only has 4,000 miles on it, and has been in storage the last two years. As a result, it's never been to a dealership before. It's pretty loaded options-wise, and I picked it up fairly cheap.

It's a May 2019 build. I know there's an array of software modules that are out of date on the vehicle, the first of which being iDrive. It's due to have the rear camera module updated on account of a recall, and looking through BMW TIS I also see a number of bulletins for updates that apply to my vehicle including:

• Transmission update to fix battery drain issue
• Update to improve the motorized behavior of the second and third row folding seats
• A possible transfer case software update discussed on here to prevent premature failure
• An iDrive Software Quality Update (SIB 65 19 19) that not only updates the multimedia interface but seems to improve several other aspects of the vehicle as well, including the Lane Keep Assist behavior. I noticed that the bulletin states "The programming procedure automatically reprograms and encodes all vehicle control modules which do not have the latest software i-level."

In short, rather than having the dealer tackle these individually, I'm thinking of asking them to just update all modules across the board. Is this something that is reasonably feasible? I know many dealerships (and BMW) tend to have an attitude of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" when it comes to updating software.

The iDrive bulletin language listed above seems interesting that it seems to allude to the fact that it updates "all modules". I find that hard to belive though.

Also worth mentioning that I'm out of warranty, so the dealer has less liability, and I'm willing to pay out of pocket.

[Orient330iNYC]

Originally Posted by Brendon

I just became the new owner of a 2019 X7 xDrive40i. The car is a bit unique in the sense that it only has 4,000 miles on it, and has been in storage the last two years. As a result, it's never been to a dealership before. It's pretty loaded options-wise, and I picked it up fairly cheap.

It's a May 2019 build. I know there's an array of software modules that are out of date on the vehicle, the first of which being iDrive. It's due to have the rear camera module updated on account of a recall, and looking through BMW TIS I also see a number of bulletins for updates that apply to my vehicle including:

• Transmission update to fix battery drain issue
• Update to improve the motorized behavior of the second and third row folding seats
• A possible transfer case software update discussed on here to prevent premature failure
• An iDrive Software Quality Update (SIB 65 19 19) that not only updates the multimedia interface but seems to improve several other aspects of the vehicle as well, including the Lane Keep Assist behavior. I noticed that the bulletin states "The programming procedure automatically reprograms and encodes all vehicle control modules which do not have the latest software i-level."

In short, rather than having the dealer tackle these individually, I'm thinking of asking them to just update all modules across the board. Is this something that is reasonably feasible? I know many dealerships (and BMW) tend to have an attitude of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" when it comes to updating software.

The iDrive bulletin language listed above seems interesting that it seems to allude to the fact that it updates "all modules". I find that hard to belive though.

Also worth mentioning that I'm out of warranty, so the dealer has less liability, and I'm willing to pay out of pocket.

the updates are for the entire car, so when the dealer does an update, it updates all modules in the car to the latest. when they do the programming for the recall, they will update the entire car


if the oil hasnt been changed, that should be done now, as well as brake fluid, those tick by time vs mileage. syn oil should be changed once a year regardless of mileage. brake fluid initially after 3 years and then every 2 after that.

[Brendon]

Originally Posted by Orient330iNYC

the updates are for the entire car, so when the dealer does an update, it updates all modules in the car to the latest. when they do the programming for the recall, they will update the entire car


if the oil hasnt been changed, that should be done now, as well as brake fluid, those tick by time vs mileage. syn oil should be changed once a year regardless of mileage. brake fluid initially after 3 years and then every 2 after that.

Appreciate the confirmation. Impressive that their default is to update all modules across the vehicle; very different from other manufacturers.

And yep, already lined up for an oil change, brake flush, and new battery.

[Orient330iNYC]

Originally Posted by Brendon

Appreciate the confirmation. Impressive that their default is to update all modules across the vehicle; very different from other manufacturers.

And yep, already lined up for an oil change, brake flush, and new battery.

all the modules talk to each other so code changes on one will affect others. they release updates, at least for the G0x series 3 times a year, when the car gets the update, all the current code updates for all the modules are done at the same time.