ECU upgrades are much less frequent than ConnectedDrive software updates, or media software updates. If your BMW has a Combox, you can update your multimedia, Bluetooth, internet connectivity, and mobile compatibility with your iDrive system. This may be quite convenient for you because you can install it yourself. Combox is already included into new NBTs and all current iDrive systems, but that doesn’t mean older models have to be without it. A Combox Retrofit Kit that adds numerous multimedia functions is available from BimmerTech.
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How to Install BMW’s Biggest Remote iDrive Software Upgrade
The largest remote upgrade to the Series 7 software, which debuted in 2018, is currently being applied. With almost 750,000 of the premium brand’s vehicles receiving new and improved features, it is also the largest in BMW history.
Owners can confirm and begin the download sequence by going to the Car menu on the iDrive screen, selecting Settings, followed by General Settings, and then Remote Software Upgrade.
The driver still needs to manually initiate the update by following the earlier-described methods. This can also be done via smartphone, which enables the setup to be ready the next time the car is used by downloading the installation files in advance.
When making this upgrade, the vehicle must be parked, with the engine off and the parking brake engaged. Owners should therefore confirm that those requirements are met and that they won’t use the vehicle for at least the following 20 minutes.
It’s convenient because they can lock the car and drive away. They may quietly study the specifics of the new features and extended capabilities offered by the largest software update ever released by a European automaker as they unwind, sip a coffee, and watch as their gorgeous automobile is upgraded.
BMW plug-in hybrids can now automatically transition to pure electric driving mode when they approach a green zone, which has been established in over 90 European cities, thanks to the new eDrive Zone digital service. This stands out as a special service in the car sector and demonstrates BMW’s dedication to environmental awareness.
By determining the driver or passenger’s orientation and adding new voice commands for opening windows, changing drive modes, and requesting specific fuel-saving advice, the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant will be able to determine when it is not being spoken to.
The navigation experience is a crucial component of any car’s system. The destination entry in BMW Maps has significantly improved and is now simpler and more user-friendly.
With its cloud-based system, which can give real-time traffic forecasts and contextual information like restaurant ratings and images or charging station opening hours, it also benefits from a speedier connection.
Based on information from nearby BMWs that might vacate, the Connected Parking driver assistance now predicts the likelihood that a spot will become available in addition to displaying where parking is available.
Another improvement enables the system to compute and take into account the actual size of the car and compares it upon arrival to the available parking place and its surroundings.
Finally included in the updates is Google Android Auto, which enables users to sync their smartphones and use Google Maps, Assistant, or other phone apps right from the iDrive screen.
Apple Maps now includes turn-by-turn directions and lane information that are directly presented in the Head-up Display and Info Display.
Today, 20 minutes is a long time for an update, but keep in mind that we’re talking about cars here, and after looking at the improvements and new features, we can comprehend and appreciate the significant upgrade BMW has implemented.
It became available to German clients last week, and will soon be made available in additional European nations, the United States, Canada, and the remaining regions.
Can my BMW have iDrive?
IDrive has been included into all current BMW models since it first appeared in the BMW E65 7 Series in 2001. The infotainment system in Rolls-Royce vehicles as well as current-generation MINIs that go by the term “Connected” are both built on the same platform.
The idea is straightforward: fill the center of the dashboard with as many secondary car controls as you can, including those for music, navigation, and the climate. This gives you a unified entry point to all of your car’s settings and capabilities, but it might be challenging to remember everything your car is capable of, especially without a BMW iDrive manual.
Your BMW iDrive may it be upgraded?
As long as their vehicle has a Combox, which works with iDrive and improves numerous technological aspects in your BMW, any owner can perform this type of upgrade themselves. Combox functionality is included into more recent NBT and iDrive systems, making things even simpler.
On a BMW, where is the iDrive?
Here is all the information you need to know about BMW’s iDrive infotainment system and control, which was first introduced in the company’s flagship saloon, the BMW 7 Series, in 2001. Since then, it has developed into a completely different creature and is now installed in every BMW model, from the base BMW 1 Series to the flagship BMW 8 Series.
Is iDrive BMW available in my vehicle?
The 5 Series E60/E61 was the first production vehicle to have CCC iDrive in 2003. After that, the X5 and X6 were added to additional BMW models until 2009. Throughout its existence, CCC iDrive benefited from two updates, which were released in 2007 and 2008. Some BMWs built in 2009 have the CCC head unit in addition to the new CiC controller (placed on the center console). These vehicles were regarded as “Hybrid” CCC/CiC iDrive systems but are essentially still CCC iDrive vehicles. Display resolution for the 8.8-inch, 640×240-pixel CCC iDrive system.
CCC Between the CCC and the CiC, the iDrive Systems’ antiquated LVDS transmission protocol necessitates an 8 pin, 8 wire link. Your IMI-1000 will be set up to work with the 8-wire LVDS connectors if your system is a CCC system.
If you have any of the following, you can determine if you have CCC iDrive:
1. 2x DVD/CD DRIVES: CCC iDrive Systems use a DVD drive to store and read the satellite navigation map data. If the main head unit has two DVD slots, the iDrive system is a CCC system.
2. The CCC menu system differs from other iDrive systems in that it has a center “i” and four primary menu items that correlate to the rotary controller’s directional “left, right, up and down” movements.
3. Determine whether you have the NAV option;
The 8.8-inch TFT/LCD display.
5. Rotary Controller Type – One of the three CCC iDrive rotary controllers are what you will have.
An illustration of the CCC iDrive System, which has a rectangular metal LVDS connector, is seen below.
How much does a new BMW iDrive cost?
I’ve been wondering how much it would cost to upgrade to the newest IDRIVE, so I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. I want to upgrade to a new 2012 or 2013 IDRIVE with all the bells and whistles, but I’m not sure if it will be worthwhile.
Basic CIC idrives with maps, voice control, and video in motion cost between $2200 and $2500; occasionally, a backup camera can be included in that price.
On my 2008, I’ve been meaning to upgrade as well. a full cic with combos, a front pdc, and a rear camera was desired. Like the OP said, it has all the bells and whistles.
Please also PM me. I have a 2008 M3 and would really like the new CIC with the new controller, buttons, etc., Bluetooth playback for an iPod or Droid phone, new maps with a high-resolution screen, and a backup camera would be a good addition.
Any information you can give me regarding this refit would be greatly welcomed and useful. Alekshop said I would only need to drive to the dealership to have the software updated. TECH, if I installed the entire system myself, what tuning is required afterward.
You would need to get in touch with me outside of the forum since I’m no longer a merchant here.
I have a 2010 CIC system, but I don’t have internet access, sound streaming Bluetooth, or any BMW apps. I believe all I would need to upgrade to this level is a combox.
Do you market and code the combox? I’m attempting to put up one for the wife’s 2010 E70 2010 X5 with coding. Can you send me any information via private message? thanks!
Exists BMW ConnectedDrive today?
Customers in the United States will be able to download the My BMW App on April 12, 2021, for use on iOS and Android-compatible mobile devices; the My BMW App will completely replace the BMW Connected app by the end of June 2021. Since 1975, BMW of North America, LLC has operated in the United States.
BMW iDrive has a touch screen.
Touchscreens lead you to take your eyes off the road for too long, therefore we’re not great supporters of them. particularly at first, when you’re still getting to know a new car.
However, using a touchpad or dial to operate a screen is preferable to using a touchscreen. The outdated COMAND system from Mercedes-Benz was annoying, and the stupid mousepad-shaped touchpad that can be found in many Lexus vehicles is dangerously near to destroying the entire vehicle.
We were therefore taken aback to find that BMW had decided against including touchscreens in their vehicles. The reason for this is the global shortage of semiconductors, which leaves manufacturers with three choices: sell cars without specific features, employ all of your chips in high-demand cars, or stop making cars altogether.
The latter is not an option because Mercedes-Benz and other top experts predict that the shortfall will continue until 2023.
BMW has chosen the second alternative, which involves deleting a feature. the touchscreen interface, more particularly. The news first circulated on the Bimmerfest forum, and BMW later told Edmunds that it was true. The center infotainment display will still be present in the vehicles, but it won’t have touch capabilities. In essence, BMW is going back to the days when you used the iDrive rotary controller to operate the interface. BMW’s defense is that it had the best click, slide, and push interface available. The major phone and audio controls are still accessible from the steering wheel, which is how most drivers already operate their devices.
The 3 Series, all 4 Series models, excluding the i4, Z4, X5, X6, and X7, are impacted by this decision. Although we are unsure of how this will be received by clients looking at the more expensive end of the BMW range, we are not too concerned. Automobiles without touchscreen functionality will be identified with a sticker and will cost $500 less overall. What’s more, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will continue to function flawlessly. The backup assistant will also disappear from vehicles outfitted with the Parking Assistant Package.
It also seems that retrofitting won’t be a possibility, so if you intend to purchase a new BMW, keep that in mind as well.