What is my software/firmware version?

I just picked up my i3 rex last night and was wondering how can I check if I have the Nov update applied. The car has a prod date of 8/31/2015, and just arrived at the dealer yesterday and I picked up the car before they even had a chance to charge it. Did they possibly flash the firmware during PDI? Any talltale signs that it has the update?

Thanks!

To see the version, grab a usb stick and import your profile to it, then open the file on it with Notepad.

The quickest way to see if you have the latest Nov software is to leave the charge flap open and start the car/put in D.

SSi3 said:

The quickest way to see if you have the latest Nov software is to leave the charge flap open and start the car/put in D.

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Cool, i'll go try that in a bit, what is the car supposed to do?

guess i should have mentioned that

It will pop up a warning at the bottom of the small screen.

SSi3 said:

guess i should have mentioned that

It will pop up a warning at the bottom of the small screen.

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Got nothing guess I'll head to the dealer soon to get it flashed before i start coding!

wait, so my usb profile shows "I001-15-11-504"

is that the latest version?

The software on my U.S. i3 BEV was updated to I001-15-11-502 on 17 November. I have always assumed that "I001" is the i3's model designation, "15" is the year of the update, and "11" is the month of the update. I don't know what "502" means. The original software on my i3 was I001-14-07-503, so the last series of digits is different. Maybe the last series of digits differs for BEV and REx versions, or maybe i3's sold in different markets.

If that's true, your update would be a November 2015 update, but I don't know why the last series of digits differs from mine. I did the open charging flap test and do see a warning message.

alohart said:

The software on my U.S. i3 BEV was updated to I001-15-11-502 on 17 November. I have always assumed that "I001" is the i3's model designation, "15" is the year of the update, and "11" is the month of the update. I don't know what "502" means. The original software on my i3 was I001-14-07-503, so the last series of digits is different. Maybe the last series of digits differs for BEV and REx versions, or maybe i3's sold in different markets.

If that's true, your update would be a November 2015 update, but I don't know why the last series of digits differs from mine. I did the open charging flap test and do see a warning message.

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Ah I see it now. I do have the rEX model so that may be it. I did a bit of googling and thought it might've been a regional thing. I shall try driving with the charge flap open again and see if anything happens.

eneka said:

I shall try driving with the charge flap open again and see if anything happens.

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Although I wouldn't think that it would matter, I had just finished charging, unplugged the EVSE, left the charging port door open, put the car in Ready state, and was presented a message about the charge port door being open along the bottom of the small screen.

Just leased a 2015 bev last week and checked my firmware with a profile on a usb stick. I001-15-07-502

I suppose this means I don't have the current version?

sotagear said:

Just leased a 2015 bev last week and checked my firmware with a profile on a usb stick. I001-15-07-502

I suppose this means I don't have the current version?

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That's correct. Your i3 has the previous version, July 2015.

correct. current version (US) is I001-15-11-50x

I tried updating the audio software with a usb thumb drive and it said the file I downloaded after entering my VIN on BMW's site was incompatible. I guess I'll forget about that little update and just have the entire firmware updated at the dealership.

I had a similar situation on my audio/phone s/w...my existing stuff had 003.xxx and the new stuff downloaded was 002.xxx. Not sure how they keep track of things, but I would have expected newer stuff to have a higher number. Regardless, I just periodically check what's on their website and since it's not all that large, it's easy to download and then see if the car can take it.

With the other stuff on the car, you don't really have a choice if you wish to remain up to date with the latest tweaks and features.

Is there a list of the software versions that have been released for the i3 along with the items fixed/patched? I have the REx model with the March 2015 software. Just curious if I am 1 or 2 releases behind and what was addressed with the July 2015 software, if it's relevant for the REx model. I've seen details about the November 2015 firmware update but nothing about the July 2015 firmware.

Exactly what is in each software release isn't readily available to the end user. The components are often tweaks, enhancements, and bug fixes, some of which, people may never have run into so do not realize that there's a bug. One of those in the Nov 2015 release for the USA allows earlier build vehicles charging plug to unlock once the car has reached 100% charge. That was initiated in an earlier release, but it only worked on newer i3's, not the original release. THat's been resolved along with a warning message if the charge port door is not closed when you drive away. Lots of little things. Some EVSE's ended up having their power contactor (relay) cycling on/off frequently near the end of the charge or during preconditioning...supposedly, that's resolved.

Often, between the forum and the Facebook group, you can find out what's there. Just like with your WIN computer...it's not a bad idea to get the latest s/w to keep up. If it's a critical thing, BMW will call you to bring it in, otherwise, it will happen when you either ask for it, or the vehicle is in for some other service and they detect it needs to be updated.

I still feel very uncomfortable getting a software update for my car when I know very little about the changes. I can except that some are of a technical nature but any change that affects what the driver sees or experiences should be declared. A simple example is the Nov update which changed the way the fan operates so now it stays on or off depending on its previous setting - I like this but if conversely I preferred the old behaviour I would have no knowledge of the change beforehand to enable me to make a choice.

As time goes on, should you not update, the existing bugs may eventually give you grief and you'd be without the enhancements. The car is mostly software driven. Maybe I'm ill-advised, but I update my phone and computer pretty much without asking, and don't run into issues. I treat the car in the same manner. Now, if I had to pay for it, that might make me more cautious.

Jeffj said:

correct. current version (US) is I001-15-11-50x

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can the "50x" be "504" instead of the "502" I'm seeing in all these posts??

When a s/w update is done, you get the latest version available for your vehicle...so, a later number means some other (probably minor) tweak was made verses what others may have had before you.