Coding entrynav... again

[trebnamo]

I have a 2015 M235i which has developed an annoying boot loop problem with its head unit. It will display the startup logo on the centre screen, then the menus appear for around 20 seconds before the screen turns black and it goes around again. Apparently this is a known-ish issue with these.

BMW want £150 just to have a look and if it can't be fixed, £1000 for a 'reconditioned' new head unit and £1300 for a new one

I have esys and the required cable and I've coded bits and pieces before, start/stop off, digital speedo etc. I have managed to get hold of a second hand head unit for £80 from ebay. Swapped it in, and it does work, but several things aren't right. No DAB, volume control doesn't work, no ConnectedDrive services etc.

I can grab the HU_ENTRYNAV module data using esys from the rebooting head unit. What I was wondering was, can I then do an Indiana Jones idol swap of the head units and write the entire unchanged HU_ENTRYNAV module back to the 2nd hand head unit?

or am I better off letting the dealer rinse me for a grand plus?

[macron]

Is the software (maps etc) from BMW? If so, as I suffer from a 2015 2 series, it may be that.

Mine would reboot the system randomly, no pattern to it, might drive for 2 hours and all be fine, may reboot before I've got 200 yds down the road. You can reinstall, although if it's the same file it will tell you so.

If anyone knows of an online retailer (there are deffo some) who offer it, so long as you have a big enough USB to be able to transport it to the car, which are about a tenner, I understand the non-BMW variants look exactly the same, but don't time out after c2 years. And cost 1/3 of what BMW want.

I suspect the £150 they'd charge to look would be to check the version installed, maybe wiggle the wires behind it/ by the cabin filter as a just in case,then for another £300, install the £150 software, and see.

Or, DIY for £150.from.them, and have the same in 2 years.

Edited by macron on Wednesday 2nd September 10:57

[louis01]

trebnamo said:

I have a 2015 M235i which has developed an annoying boot loop problem with its head unit. It will display the startup logo on the centre screen, then the menus appear for around 20 seconds before the screen turns black and it goes around again. Apparently this is a known-ish issue with these.

BMW want £150 just to have a look and if it can't be fixed, £1000 for a 'reconditioned' new head unit and £1300 for a new one

I have esys and the required cable and I've coded bits and pieces before, start/stop off, digital speedo etc. I have managed to get hold of a second hand head unit for £80 from ebay. Swapped it in, and it does work, but several things aren't right. No DAB, volume control doesn't work, no ConnectedDrive services etc.

I can grab the HU_ENTRYNAV module data using esys from the rebooting head unit. What I was wondering was, can I then do an Indiana Jones idol swap of the head units and write the entire unchanged HU_ENTRYNAV module back to the 2nd hand head unit?
or am I better off letting the dealer rinse me for a grand plus?

Mate, definitely do NOT pay the dealer over a grand for that, absolute daylight robbery!

You can’t just do a straight dump and flash with E-Sys because of the FSC codes. The eBay unit still has the donor car's VIN hardcoded into it, so as soon as your car detects the mismatch, it locks out DAB, volume, and ConnectedDrive.

What you need to do is VO code the replacement unit to your car's FA. Plug in E-Sys, read your car's FA, right click HU_ENTRYNAV and hit 'Code' (not Code FDL). That’ll wipe the old donor settings and apply your car's factory options, which usually fixes the volume knob and basic dash controls straight away.

For DAB and the rest of the features to work, you’ll just need an FSC patch script to match your VIN. Plenty of guys on the F22/M235i forums or eBay sell these feature patchers for cheap.

Also, if your original unit is just boot-looping from corrupted software rather than dead hardware, a quick firmware flash (TAL execution) via E-Sys might even bring it back to life. Either way, stick with the £80 eBay unit. Spending £1.3k at BMW for an old EntryNav is pure madness!

[trebnamo]

Well what a result.

Spent a while trying various approaches but couldn't get any sense out of the donor head unit. Tried a VO code on HU_ENTRYNAV for the original head unit, I just hit 'Code' and I think it worked as my old HU changes disappeared, the i-series chime changed back to the annoying default gong and auto-start stop went back to not remembering where I left it. But it was still boot looping after I did that. I tried the TAL execution as well, but it's been almost ten years since I last messed with this stuff. Similarly stuck with the donor head unit, the VIN must not have been changing as I was always locked out of DAB and no volume control as described.

Admitted defeat and took the car to the dealer, thought at least worth letting the diagnostic happen. Then:



Whole thing fixed for £150, which I'd committed to spending anyway just by letting them look at it!

louis01 said:

What you need to do is VO code the replacement unit to your car's FA. Plug in E-Sys, read your car's FA, right click HU_ENTRYNAV and hit 'Code' (not Code FDL). That ll wipe the old donor settings and apply your car's factory options, which usually fixes the volume knob and basic dash controls straight away.

For DAB and the rest of the features to work, you ll just need an FSC patch script to match your VIN. Plenty of guys on the F22/M235i forums or eBay sell these feature patchers for cheap.

Also, if your original unit is just boot-looping from corrupted software rather than dead hardware, a quick firmware flash (TAL execution) via E-Sys might even bring it back to life. Either way, stick with the £80 eBay unit. Spending £1.3k at BMW for an old EntryNav is pure madness!

Cheers for this, useful in case I'm caught out again . Whatever BMW did has fixed it for now though, so I'm a happy (if slightly poorer) camper. Maybe I can get the VIN to change on the spare HU. But, having gone the official route, I've probably got at least one freebie recode I can get out of them, in case this starts happening:

macron said:

Mine would reboot the system randomly, no pattern to it, might drive for 2 hours and all be fine, may reboot before I've got 200 yds down the road. You can reinstall, although if it's the same file it will tell you so.

Cheers both for replies, appreciate the knowledge