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      07-19-2014, 05:58 PM   #1
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Had my x1 Remote Coded, a Review

I just got the car coded on Friday, and thought it would be helpful to other x1 owners to share my experience here. Sadly, there were no coders that I could find in Oregon, so it seemed the best option for me was remote coding. After doing some research on these and other forums, it became clear that the obvious choice was Alex at Alpine Motorsports, Alex@Alpine (a board sponsor). If you search for his name, you will find dozens upon dozens of glowing reviews.

He had the best price around, and included unlimited options for coding, unlike others who nickel and dime you per feature. For E-series cars, he charges $60 for the coding plus $5 for Priority Mail shipping, and a $50 deposit that gets refunded when you return the cable to him--so, my total price was $70 including shipping the cable both ways. This is the page that I ordered from: http://www.alpinemss.com/product_p/rme.htm

Prior to purchase, I contacted him via email (alex@alpinemss.com) to make sure it would work on a 2015 E84 x1, that it would work using a Mac running OS X, and to get a list of available coding options. He replied very quickly (as he did to all subsequent emails) that it would work on my car no problem, that using a Mac was a-ok, and he provided a link to the coding options. I then ordered through the website and the package was shipped to me the next day.

The package arrived two days later and contained an invoice, a tiny USB thumb drive and a K+DCAN-to-USB cable. I notified him that it had arrived and he asked me to send him any questions as well as a list of the coding I wanted done and my preferred time to do the coding. In addition to the features he listed, there were a couple I'd learned of elsewhere that I asked him about, and he said he was able to do those as well. My final list was:

• Unlock doors when engine is turned off
• Removal of iDrive Disclaimer Message
• Removal of Amber Headlight Sidemarkers
• Digital Speed Display
• Real time MPG in gauge cluster*
• Set sunroof to close when rain is detected
• Enable DVDinMotion
• Disable iDrive Camera disclaimer*
• Fold in Mirrors immediately when doors are locked*

*These features were not on his original list of available options, but he coded them successfully with no fuss

He had no problem 'meeting' at my preferred time, and so we were set. He included on the USB drive a short video showing how to prepare for the session on Windows, however I am on Mac, so some parts were different, but this was addressed in the ReadMe.txt file he included. The instructions were very thorough, and dead simple--anyone who knows how to use the basic functions of a computer will have no problem. Essentially, you simply open the VM (virtual machine) he sends you, double click on the connection he has already set-up, which gives him control over the VM on your computer. You then attach the cable to your car's OBDII port and the USB port on your computer.

I text his phone from mine (and was pleased to see the bubble turn blue to show iPhone-to-iPhone action) saying I was ready and he started work. There was nothing to see happening on my computer screen, but I could hear occasional whizzes and whirs coming from the car as he did his work. After just 7 minutes, he asked me to turn on the headlights to confirm that amber sidemarkers were now off, and they were! And that was it, seriously: 7 minutes from beginning to end.

The experience was so hiccup-free and smooth that I actually think I would have preferred this remote coding to any other method. It was super convenient, very affordable, and happened entirely on the schedule I set. Because of his excellent reputation, I never had any anxiety about it working properly and it took just seven minutes of my day whilst I was watching my two-year-old son--didn't even have to leave the garage.

So, 10/10 for Alex, would and will use again.

Now, as for why I decided to pay for the coding, and why I chose the options I did: The main two features that made it worth it for me were 1) getting rid of the iDrive nag screen/disclaimer that we are all familiar with that makes you click 'Accept' each and every damn time you get in your car before you can do anything else and 2) Having the doors all unlock when the ignition is turned off--if you are like me, then you are constantly getting out of the car only to be foiled in your attempt to open a rear door to retrieve your bag or toddler, etc. Even after three months, I hadn't gotten in the habit of hitting the unlock button on my dash (partly because it is partially covered by my phone and its mount), and having to step back toward the front to unlock the door was the sources of much labored sighing. Both these things are very minor annoyances, but since they are done thousands of times a year, they add up, and if just $70 is required to never have to deal with either of them again, then it's absolutely worth it for me.

The rest of the options are just gravy. Some I added because I knew I'd use them, and others simply just because I could add them, though I doubt I will ever use them even once (DVD in Motion, and auto-close sunroof with rain detection). The headlights look much more stylin', imho, with the ambers turned off, having the real-time MPG displayed digitally is something I'm more used to from my VW and is therefore more useful, and the digital display of the speed is great for me because the steering wheel obstructs my view of the top part of the analog speedometer.

If anyone has any questions about the procedure or the results of the coding, let me know, I'd be happy to answer them.
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      07-19-2014, 11:38 PM   #2
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Excellent review and write up Scott! Question - you seem very well read and tech savy, and I think I believe I remember you were heading down the road of buying the tools and doing the coding yourself. What caused you to purchase the remote service instead?
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      07-19-2014, 11:42 PM   #3
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Nice review. Thanks for taking time to share your experience.
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      07-20-2014, 12:31 AM   #4
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I'm too looking forward to coding auto-folding/unfolding of mirrors but I'm in Australia. Have asked my dealer if they do such thing and waiting for his response eagerly. BTW, door locking/unlocking works on my March '14 build. It locks after car takes off and unlocks once I click on start/stop button to stop the engine.

Sunroof auto-closing after sensing rain is also very interesting. Does it work only when you enable the windscreen rain sensor? I'm guessing it's the same sensor that will be triggering sunroof auto-closing as well. Then I guess you might have to set the sensor to the highest coz I'm thinking it will be, otherwise, quite late by the time sensor picks it up?

Also, regarding the mpg display in the gauge cluster - we have liters/100km display in the cluster which I think is the same info in the iDrive coz I don't think we have mpg format. Anyway, is it different to the real time mpg display you are referring to?

Thanks
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      07-20-2014, 10:55 AM   #5
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Yup, remote coding is really pretty neat and definitely convenient.

Another interesting development in tech is the BMWhat app. I think what you can code with it is limited now though and certainly the question of OBD interface that'll work with our car leaves me pause.
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      07-20-2014, 11:27 AM   #6
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So is there no software available that allows coding with an easy to use interface that can be done by yourself? It's great that coding can be done remotely but many guys I know that have Volkswagens just buy the software and do this kind of stuff themselves.
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      07-20-2014, 12:57 PM   #7
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Great review player, thanks for sharing
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      07-20-2014, 12:57 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shredjim View Post
Excellent review and write up Scott! Question - you seem very well read and tech savy, and I think I believe I remember you were heading down the road of buying the tools and doing the coding yourself. What caused you to purchase the remote service instead?
Quote:
Originally Posted by themishmosh View Post
Yup, remote coding is really pretty neat and definitely convenient.

Another interesting development in tech is the BMWhat app. I think what you can code with it is limited now though and certainly the question of OBD interface that'll work with our car leaves me pause.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Can_Car View Post
So is there no software available that allows coding with an easy to use interface that can be done by yourself? It's great that coding can be done remotely but many guys I know that have Volkswagens just buy the software and do this kind of stuff themselves.
I've looked a bit into coding, and it seems that is something anyone who is a little tech savvy can figure out. As long as that person has some time to burn and is looking for a new hobby, ha. Right now in my life, that's not really me, though I did consider it. As far as I can tell, there is an app you can buy that orchestrates the process, but it *isn't* a dead simple affair of checking boxes, it requires a fair bit of learning, as entire forums with tens of thousands of posts seem to testify to. Also, it only runs on Windows. And you still have to buy a cable. And, it is possible to screw your car up if you don't know what you are doing--so it's not something you want to charge into recklessly on your daily driver. Sooooo, you can totally do it yourself, but it's something that will require a fair bit of time and money. I can see the appeal of learning how to do it . . . in ten years. In the mean time, I'll just pay someone who knows exactly how to do it and who has tons of experience $70 every three years and be merrily on my way.

As for the BMWhat app, I almost committed to it, but decided in the end not to pay the $50. I had the OBDII Wifi Dongle already (this one), but BMWhat can't code the iDrive, so it wouldn't help with the nag screen, my complaint numero uno. Also, using the lite version of the app, it was very slow and unreliable, which gave me pause. I'm not sure if it was due to the dongle I was using or the app itself, but ultimately it doesn't matter as long as the end result is not great. The dongle does work perfectly with the OBD Fusion app though, so . . .
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      07-20-2014, 01:37 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaeezzy View Post
I'm too looking forward to coding auto-folding/unfolding of mirrors but I'm in Australia. Have asked my dealer if they do such thing and waiting for his response eagerly. BTW, door locking/unlocking works on my March '14 build. It locks after car takes off and unlocks once I click on start/stop button to stop the engine.
Yeah, like many of these things, this is just a difference in how the car is coded by default for each market. Who knows how they decide who gets what, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with lawyers and liability. Our cars in the US lock the doors automatically but do not unlock as yours do.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaeezzy View Post
Sunroof auto-closing after sensing rain is also very interesting. Does it work only when you enable the windscreen rain sensor? I'm guessing it's the same sensor that will be triggering sunroof auto-closing as well. Then I guess you might have to set the sensor to the highest coz I'm thinking it will be, otherwise, quite late by the time sensor picks it up?
I got this one for pure novelty. It *does* indeed only work when you've enabled the auto windshield wiper--I would guess you have to turn off the engine and then hit that button on the stalk. I can't really imagine any scenario where this would be practically useful, since if you can remember to hit that button, you can also remember to just close the sunroof.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaeezzy View Post
Also, regarding the mpg display in the gauge cluster - we have liters/100km display in the cluster which I think is the same info in the iDrive coz I don't think we have mpg format. Anyway, is it different to the real time mpg display you are referring to?
On US cars the default is to show the cumulative average for the MPG on the digital display while the right analog display shows the real-time MPG. The analog one is practically useless due to poor labels and the needle moving so quickly (and *should* have been an engine temp gauge in any sane world). Now that I have it coded, the digital gauge shows both the average MPG and real-time MPG.
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      07-20-2014, 03:07 PM   #10
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Some other issues to think about: There a bunch of K+DCAN cables that are cheap but can be problematic. The bonafide cable costs $99. You have to get the software yourself and if you search, you can find download links. There is a significant learning curve with the software and the setup. If the dealer ever updates your car's software, you could lose your coding. You will either need to redo the coding or pay for someone to do it again.
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      07-20-2014, 03:25 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Can_Car View Post
So is there no software available that allows coding with an easy to use interface that can be done by yourself? It's great that coding can be done remotely but many guys I know that have Volkswagens just buy the software and do this kind of stuff themselves.
There is BMWhat for Android & IOS.. supported coding are listed @ http://www.ivini-apps.com/coding.html but you have to buy the app.. I'm too looking into buying this.
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      07-23-2014, 03:30 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by themishmosh View Post
The bonafide cable costs $99.
This link is dead. Do you have another source, by chance?
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      07-23-2014, 05:37 PM   #13
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This link is dead. Do you have another source, by chance?
You sure? It works for me.

In any case, google "one stop bmw inpa".
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      08-09-2014, 10:43 AM   #14
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OP, after reading your review I contacted Alex, and had him perform some remote coding on my 1M and X1. Alex is AWESOME!! and I could't be happier with the results.

TJ
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      08-11-2014, 07:40 PM   #15
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OP, after reading your review I contacted Alex, and had him perform some remote coding on my 1M and X1. Alex is AWESOME!! and I could't be happier with the results.

TJ
That's awesome! Glad I could help a tiny bit. Honestly is so convenient, and relatively cheap, there isn't any reason not to do it.
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      08-12-2014, 11:34 AM   #16
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You could've requested analog speedometer to show accurate speed. The e90 guys couldn't figure it out but we have newer software (sgdatten) which let you chose seven different settings depending on your tire size. So now i have correct speed showing on analog and digital speedometer. To me it is huge relief.
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      08-12-2014, 11:42 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by d1saster View Post
You could've requested analog speedometer to show accurate speed. The e90 guys couldn't figure it out but we have newer software (sgdatten) which let you chose seven different settings depending on your tire size. So now i have correct speed showing on analog and digital speedometer. To me it is huge relief.
Oh, wow, I didn't know that was a possibility, good to know for the next car!
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      08-12-2014, 12:27 PM   #18
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Thanks for the tips; keep 'em coming. I use my X1 to make small deliveries, as well as being my DD, and the auto-unlock would make it worth it, for me. d1aster answered my question, before I could ask about the speedo correction. Thanks be to you, too, sir. (or madam)
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      08-12-2014, 01:17 PM   #19
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I made my LEDs on the tail lights as DRL as I like how they look. Also made all welcome or follow me home lights to be any LEDs to preserve battery. Disabled the cornering lights (left or right fog light when the blinker is on). Enabled AHL_2, which is the European variant of AHL, meaning both headlights are leveled the same. Enabled blinking brake force display with lights of my choice (haven't witnessed it yet , and also want to make it work at lower deceleration threshold and no ABS kicked in, but lack of free time. Made one touch turn signal to 5 blinks. Enabled double blink hazard lights. Installed projector LED reverse lights and Retrofitted X3/X5 LED fog lights so I had to disable cold and warm bulb check on those. During winter time I enable the REST feature on the heater (press ALL button after the car is off to enable fan running on residual engine heat). Enable A/C compressor remember its last state and not always on when Auto A/C is pressed.
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      08-12-2014, 03:45 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by d1saster View Post
You could've requested analog speedometer to show accurate speed. The e90 guys couldn't figure it out but we have newer software (sgdatten) which let you chose seven different settings depending on your tire size. So now i have correct speed showing on analog and digital speedometer. To me it is huge relief.
I just had an e-conversation w/Alex, and it's not possible to correct an analog speedo, just a digital. This may not be true of other coders.
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      08-12-2014, 04:22 PM   #21
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Like I said it wasn't possible on the E90 without the updated KOMBI software. We have one of the latest E89 sgdatten flashed on our ECUs. The E90 guys have only two options for tire sizes. We have seven. Basically tricking the car to think we have bigger tire diameter, thus less impulses per kilometer (or something like that) and the result is accurate speedo showing. The key is in the new version of the software installed in the car, not what a coder has on his workstation.
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      08-12-2014, 05:48 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by d1saster View Post
Like I said it wasn't possible on the E90 without the updated KOMBI software. We have one of the latest E89 sgdatten flashed on our ECUs. The E90 guys have only two options for tire sizes. We have seven. Basically tricking the car to think we have bigger tire diameter, thus less impulses per kilometer (or something like that) and the result is accurate speedo showing. The key is in the new version of the software installed in the car, not what a coder has on his workstation.
OK, cool. That's funny that you have to trick it by tire size, just to fix the speedo.
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