Software update has ruined my car

[Powerflex]

I have owned the car for 11months and just had an air bag fault that the dealer fixed.

On return the car drives horribly and when queried I was told it has had a software update to improve throttle drivability.

It now has very little regen and coasts much more. It now means I have to use the brakes more and the one pedal driving has gone.

The car has completely changed.

The current software is mn002.052.001 and I would advise anyone who has a choice not to allow the car to be updated unless you can drive a car that is done and you experience it and like the way that it drives.

I have asked the dealer to return the car to me they way it was before the air bag fault and they have said that they can't.

 

[Sparky]

Where are you located?

 

[Powerflex]

London

 

[peteinlongbeach]

Try driving in eco-pro or eco-pro + mode... see if the regen is stronger in those modes.

 

[WoodlandHills]

To lower the Regen by such a significant amount as has been reported here is a profound change in the driving characteristics of the car akin to the removal of a gear from a transmission. One pedal driving is one of the major attractions of the i3 and to diminish or remove that without consulting the owner or leaseholder is a serious matter. If this is true, BMW can expect a loud and long outcry followed by legal action wherever possible for Bait and Switch! Certainly, at very least, there should be financial compensation for the diminished utility compared to the cars we all bought....

Now that so much of a cars driving and handling characteristics are controlled by software and given that more and more software updating will be done remotely like Tesla, how much can your car be altered w/o your permission? Is there an obligation to maintain the way the car drove when you bought it, or can they just fiddle around and change things any way they want now that they can......?

 

[getakey]

wonder if it is a brake light issue - always wondering when brake light comes on during regen

 

[SSi3]

Lots of discussion about the regen here:
http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2389

Seems the consensus was it hasn't been reduced...? So maybe it has? what's going on here?

 

[DerfSdrawd]

My BEV had a software update along with an upgraded KLE a couple of weeks ago. I can't say I've noticed any change in braking level so can drive on one pedal as before. The regen level has always been sensitive to road conditions and rate of turn, ie reduces on a bumpy road for example.

The most noticeable effect of the update, apart from the faster rate of charge, is the increase in estimated range.

 

[Powerflex]

Having owned the car for quite some time, I can assure this has really changed the car. The car coasts significantly on low throttle pedal angles. This means you don't slow down so you move your foot from throttle to brake because you are simply not slowing, then you get maximum regen plus you've now started braking.

It's truly horrible.

The dealer who did the update (without asking, because the car was in for an airbag fault) has told me today there is nothing to be done. "It's like a PC, when you've done the update you can't go back and BMW technical say it's an improvement therefore it's better" they say.

I have booked it in with the dealer next week, who I bought it from saying I don't want it back if the update is not removed or the regen mapping is not rectified.

We will see.

 

[uktechie]

How long did they have your car and was you told about this software update?

I have read elsewhere that the regen was only meant to be reduced at higher speeds.

 

[Bunter]

My BEV had a software update along with an upgraded KLE a couple of weeks ago. I can't say I've noticed any change in braking level so can drive on one pedal as before. The regen level has always been sensitive to road conditions and rate of turn, ie reduces on a bumpy road for example.

The most noticeable effect of the update, apart from the faster rate of charge, is the increase in estimated range.

Is that the first software update you've had since new Derf?

Bill

 

[Powerflex]

Yes it is.

I have posted the version that is currently in the car.

I assume it's the latest.

 

[DerfSdrawd]

Is that the first software update you've had since new Derf?

Bill

No - it had an update last August which downgraded the charge rate to 5kW max. The recent update followed a reading of the key by the dealer, which said that the car was due a "quality upgrade" ( BMW speak for recall); the KLE change and software update.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Some have said that the actual maximum regen did not change, but the way it was applied did to aid in driving smoothly. It's my view that the regen before the update had a much higher attack rate, but that the actual maximum amount did not change. IOW, it gets ramped up rather than coming on like a switch, depending on how fast you remove your foot from the go pedal. While I did not have any problems driving smoothly, some have, and I think that prompted the change. You need to anticipate better and let off sooner...I rarely have to use the brake pedal and I do have the latest software after the KLE replacement.

 

[Bunter]

No - it had an update last August which downgraded the charge rate to 5kW max. The recent update followed a reading of the key by the dealer, which said that the car was due a "quality upgrade" ( BMW speak for recall); the KLE change and software update.

That's interesting. Mine was delivered almost exactly a year ago and I had an update in October 2014. But it didn't change my charging rate and I still got/get7 kw. I wonder if there is an update on the way for me.

Bill

 

[DerfSdrawd]

That's interesting. Mine was delivered almost exactly a year ago and I had an update in October 2014. But it didn't change my charging rate and I still got/get7 kw. I wonder if there is an update on the way for me.

Bill

May be worth taking the car to a dealer for a key reading(!) Elsewhere on this forum there was information that cars supplied after last July had an upgraded KLE and that existing cars would have their charge rate reduced until a KLE retrofit was available. Maybe you had a new KLE in October too?

 

[jadnashuanh]

I've said it multiple times...given my driving pattern and weather, I did NOT see any degradation in the maximum charging rate on my i3 after the 'save the KLE' software was installed. That mod was designed to avoid getting the KLE too hot, but if your driving pattern and ambient temperature was cool enough, you may never notice, as was my case. IOW, it does not appear to have been a flat reduced charging rate, but was tied into the temperature monitoring, and it lowered the rate when and if required based on the updated logic. Subsequent to that, I did have the new KLE installed and the requisite software to 'restore' that, but again, I never ran into that limit in my car. I do not, in general, drive the thing very far, so as a result, probably never gets the batteries very hot. THen, consider that at a max of 32A, if your input voltage is 220vac, that's still less than the max the i3 can handle (32*220=7040W), and that's peak, continuous, is typically 30A on those EVSE's, which is only 6600W. My nominal input voltage is more like 246vac, so times 30A = 7380W, or, effectively, the max recharging rate of the i3.

 

[RJSATLBA]

For me the feathering of regen without reducing the max regen available is a much needed improvement. I use cruise a lot, just the standard version, because I find it much more difficult to maintain speed accurately in speed limits than it was in previous cars, which I put down to a combination of not having an analogue speedo and having no engine noise to give an aural clue of speed trend. The new accelerator profile makes it much easier to hit the coasting sweet spot or take manual control every time I disengage cruise.

I should also imagine that those with ACC feel less nervous about the risk of being rear-ended at speed when ACC disengages autonomously due to the camera/software being unable to resolve the traffic image in poor visibility or challenging light conditions.

I'd say the change is well within the bounds of what could be considered a (very reasonable and justified) refinement and not even remotely enough to constitute a fundamental change. Surely there must be something else going on with the OP's car.

 

[SSi3]

For me the feathering of regen without reducing the max regen available is a much needed improvement. I use cruise a lot, just the standard version, because I find it much more difficult to maintain speed accurately in speed limits than it was in previous cars, which I put down to a combination of not having an analogue speedo and having no engine noise to give an aural clue of speed trend. The new accelerator profile makes it much easier to hit the coasting sweet spot or take manual control every time I disengage cruise.

I should also imagine that those with ACC feel less nervous about the risk of being rear-ended at speed when ACC disengages autonomously due to the camera/software being unable to resolve the traffic image in poor visibility or challenging light conditions.

I'd say the change is well within the bounds of what could be considered a (very reasonable and justified) refinement and not even remotely enough to constitute a fundamental change. Surely there must be something else going on with the OP's car.

Great feedback, thank you!

 

[NormanF]

It might not be from the software update. Maybe the throttle sensor or something else.