What’s the latest “I” update?

Dealership did a software update that cleared the coded mods I set. They didn’t really know what the latest “I” update included. Anyone know?

Mamaci3 said:

Dealership did a software update that cleared the coded mods I set. They didn’t really know what the latest “I” update included. Anyone know?

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You can learn the system software version by backing up your driver profile to a USB drive using iDrive. Mount the drive on a computer file system and open the profile data file in a text editor. The value of the <i-step> tag is the system software version.

System software updates have typically been released in March, July, and November. Our 2014 U.S. BEV had its software updated on 1 November 2018 to version I001-18-11-520. "18-11" indicates that it is the November, 2018, version which is the current version. I've not read an explanation of the last 3 digits which could be a subversion number, a number associated with a BEV or REx, a number associated with a particular market, or maybe some combination.

Does BMW alert you when a software update is out & needed - to go in and have it loaded? Or does the dealer just do it whenever you go in for service (which could be a year after the update was released). Both close local BMW Dealers have very low-rated service departments, so I normally take my i3 to a local (highly rated) independent service garage that specializes in BMWs.

I wasn’t alerted. They did the update during the service

MKH said:

Does BMW alert you when a software update is out & needed - to go in and have it loaded? Or does the dealer just do it whenever you go in for service (which could be a year after the update was released).

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BMW dealers don't install updated software at no cost unless an i3 owner complains about a problem that is solved by updated software or an official maintenance campaign requires updated software (e.g., the defective KLE replacement, the motor mount bolt replacement, and the driver's airbag reprogramming). BMW doesn't publish a list of the changes or improvements implemented in each system software version, so it's not easy to learn what system software version might be worth installing.

Installing updated software seems to be a pretty archaic process with an update failure rate that is higher than it would be for a technically excellent company. This might be partially due to the fact that much of the software that runs an i3 was written by 3rd-party suppliers of various computer modules used in an i3. This is in contrast to Tesla vehicles much of whose software is apparently written by Tesla. With most software written in-house, updates are almost certainly easier to write and less error-prone to install which may be why Tesla is able to install software updates wirelessly.

I've also read that BMW dealers don't have on a local server the many software versions for the many different BMW models. If this is true, every software update must be streamed over the Internet from a BMW corporate server. This would make the process slower and more error-prone which is probably one of the reasons that i3 software updates are not installed wirelessly over an i3's rather slow 3G mobile data connection.

Any new software is built for a specific VIN, and comes direct from Germany so if there's an internet hiccup, things can fail. Depending on when and where it fails, on occasion, it will tank a module and it needs to be replaced. As noted, unless there's a safety or otherwise critical issue, they do not update software in the vehicle for free. It's been years since even the dealers got a list of what functions change in any particular software. They report the problem, and if there's a fix, you get the whole shebang, which may tweak other things as well. Up until recently, the cellular connection was 3G, and not very fast. This is one reason why map and vehicle s/w updates are not done OTA.

BMW does have a site where you can supposedly check for software updates for mobile devices, which can be downloaded to a USB for installation.

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

However, when I enter in car info, it doesn't recognize my i3 as being a "BMW"
But then lists it as a BMW in the error message. :x

The VIN you have entered can not be assigned to a BMW vehicle.
BMWI I3 +REX, 2015
Please contact your manufacturer or BMW service partner.,

THere are a few things you, personally, can update, but none of them are core vehicle functions. The ones you can access are related to the audio, phone, and navigation. Everything else requires a visit to the dealership.

DO not confuse what we call coding, which just changes already available options in the software, with a software update. They are two different things. New software may offer new options when coding, or eliminate some, but the factory default is what will be loaded for all 'coding' options, based on the country of use and the hardware available in your vehicle.