Windows BMW dealer software cable for programming Bimmers

amazon.com? or cables to go?

The problem isn't finding the plethora of cables on Ebay or Amazon. The problem is finding a good one that works.

that rules out ebay and amazon.

Understood. So, doesn't *anyone* in this newsgroup who uses Windows own a bimmer?

Googling for "bmw inpa cable k-line e39" I find more than I can shake a stick at. Unfortunately, most are K+Dcan, which is fine, if both pins 7 & 8 are K-line (as I don't need Dcan for a BMW E39).

But, almost none of the ads state which pins are for the K-Line.

For example: $32

What I'm hoping to find is a Windows user who owns a BMW E39 (i.e., any BMW 5-series from 1997 to 2003) who works on their own car.

The theory is that, if you work on your own car, you'll likely already have the cable.

Then you can recommend which one you use that works with INPA on a USB Windows 7 laptop & an 16-pin OBDII BMW E39 connector.

For two reasons, I am not likely to make my own cable.

1. I don't know what I'm doing, and,
2. It would (almost certainly) cost more than the "right" cable

My problem isn't finding cables that are supposedly for the BMW dealer INPA software.

My problem is simply finding a cable that I know is both a good cable and a good price.

For example, I don't know if this cable is worth the $100:

Or, if this similar-sounding $40 cable is just as good:

Or even if this seemingly too cheap $19 similar sounding cable will suffice:

The only real way to know, is to ask someone who already owns a BMW who would likely know the answer, if they work on their own car.

Since most BMW owners who work on their own cars use the exact same software tools that the dealer used in 1997 to 2003, all I'm trying to figure out is which cable will work at a good price.

Are there any Windows BMW owners who work on their own bimmers who have the INPA cable who can then provide the advice I need to select one at a good price that allows me to program and code my new BMW 5 series?

Calia wrote, on Sat, 03 May 2014 01:33:28 +0000:

Your application is pretty standard for BMW owners.

However, most older bimmer and even the beemer owners actually used the Windows XP *serial port* INPA & GT1 cables, specifically tethered to the venerable IBM Thinkpad T30 laptop.

So, while you're using the *same software* as the dealers used in the late 90's and early 2000s, your laptop is likely slightly more advanced than what the BMW dealership used up to about 2010.

Even so, you *should* be able to find a bimmer or beemer owner who has the USB cable, since most would have used INPA, EDIABAS, NCS, DIS, GT1, and/or Progman on Windows XP to code options, program modules, reset functions, clear error flags, and read codes.

Maybe try alt.home.repair? Those guys know everything that goes in a garage. (Ask them about huckleberries, for example!)

I drive a BMW with a carb and crank-up windows and I use NetBSD.

But, I think the cable you want is pretty much a passive device, and you should just pick one at random. Most of them should work, although how long they work will vary.

--scott

WHICH you can use, in combination with an external usb-to-serial device.

--scott

Don't they have chips (ELM?) inside of the cables?

Are you suggesting a USB to serial converter added on top of the cable?

This page has some interesting links on it.

This active cable does level shifting.

No idea what this one converts from and to. If I knew what an ELM320 did, then I might hazard a guess.

This one is active, and it almost looks like it converts serial port to the other bus standards. It uses a microcontroller, so maybe it's message based.

The cable I have for my car is perfectly passive. That's because my scanner presumably uses CAN bus on its connector, and the card uses CAN bus, and so no protocol conversions or level shifts are needed. If an IBM PC is in the picture, there's bound to be something that needs changing in the path to the car.

And there's a metric ton of information out there. Just a matter of sifting through it.

Paul

If you are using a cable that has a serial output, which is what the cables the dealer used to supply were, yes.

--scott

Hi, Very easy. I use Keyspan. I use it to access my Anthem AV receiver to run ARC. The receiver has only 9 pin serial port. Not many Desktop or Laptop has serial port aany more. I use it on my OBD II utility as well.

Yeah, but mine bracket your age range. I think the BMW forums (eg MyE28.com for my ancient one) would be the best place to get a recommendation. Yours is an E39, so try:

The Unix-based dealer software is a major PITA, IMHO if your charge-out rate is more than 10-20% of mine, you might be better off just paying a third-party dude to do it for you. There's always a risk of bricking the car too. All I needed to do was to reset the stupid transport mode it fell into when the battery died (due to my lack of using a battery preserver over the winter), and it took *hours* to get everything going. I just bought a recommended cable from an eBay seller- it was dirt cheap, came with a couple of CDs (BMW-specific), and works perfectly.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

That does not make a lot of sense you know. A battery can go dead for many reasons. Why would any one want to own a car that required all that crap just to fix a simple problem like that?

Jamie

Because, increasingly, you don't have a choice.

--scott

An ODB-II cable is an industry standard across all car lines. You don't need anything specific for BMW with those. However, ODB-II has limited reprogram-ability options. It's mainly used for reading out sensor readings from the car, rather than to reprogram its computer. In other words, it's mostly a passive reader.

Yousuf Khan