[Former_Boosted_IS]

As a lot of you know, I have written a lot of reviews on performance parts for the forums over the last few years. I bought a car with the N54 engine because I wanted performance, but I bought a BMW and still want the luxury that BMW is known for. The modding process has been tricky at times because I wanted to maintain luxury and style while adding my own personality to the car. Integrating mods into our car probably is one of the most difficult things to do because the BMW DME can be very tricky at times and poses some real issues. For example, wouldn’t it be nice if I could change my rear side markers to LEDs without an error popping up on my dash? Wouldn’t it be nice if I could get rid of the ugly amber turn signals on the front of the car without errors? On top of these issues, BMW has been ripping us off with their “coding time” for years. If you want LCI tail lights, well get ready to shell out $100 per hour for them to code the car. Maybe you would like to activate your factory BMW alarm that you retrofitted to the car, of course it won't work without BMW coding the DME. I think you get the idea. The dilemma has been that we have no choice but to pay BMW because simply put they have handcuffed us... until now.

This review was born out of curiousity, excitement, and the hope that I could customize many functions on my BMW without the dealer killing my wallet. I read about a vendor on e90post named Patrys advertising the ability to code our BMW. I read he can remotely code LCI tail lights, add "DVD-in-Motion" for those with CIC navigation, retrofit CIC navigation, OEM alarm activation, remove light errors on the car, Euro Front Sidemarkers, program my fob to open the windows or fold the mirrors or open the sunroof (even using CA), remove annoying gong sounds the car makes when the doors are open, etc. To be honest, I was excited about the idea, but concerned a little about the process. How could Patrys remotely code my car? If he can really do it, this would be one of the most fulfilling mods I could do to the car. Many of these things really allow us to customize our car and even add luxury. The idea of Patrys remotely coding our DME would change the landscape and divorce us from BMWs ridiculous “coding fee”. I felt I needed to find out more.

I contacted Patrys to find out about coding my car and how the process works. I asked a lot of question and he was able to answer every one. After talking about what he could do and what I wanted to get coded to my car, we came up with the following list:

• Remove LED errors on rear side markers
• Remove errors of fog lights
• Code Euro front side markers to my car
• Remove the “gong” when you open you door
• Remove start up “warning” screen on my i-drive
• Add a digital speed to the display on my speedometer
• Code windows to open or close with the fob or CA
• Code sunroof to open or close with the fob or CA
• Code the mirrors to fold or unfold with fob or CA (this is awesome!!!)

Note: Patrys can active your retrofitted OEM alarm, LCI tail lights, and many more options. Contact him at info@modyfikacjebmw.pl for a complete list.

Which leads me into this review. I hope this review will give you a firm idea of what to expect if you decide to have Patrys code your car. The process will be covered thoroughly with examples of the coding happening "live" on HD video, so you can see exactly how remote coding from Patrys works.

Experience with Patrys

Patrys has been very informative and friendly from the first time I inquired about his remote coding. He answered all my questions and really made me feel more comfortable about the process. I knew there weren’t a ton of examples on the forum, so in some ways I felt a little like the guinea pig, but he instilled confidence in me through the entire process. His shipping was prompt and included tracking info so I could plan for the coding as soon as possible.

When you order remote coding from Patrys, the process begins with him sending a cable to you that will hook your BMW's OBDII port to a USB port on your computer. He will require a fully refundable deposit on the cable. Basically, Patrys will arrange for the cable to be sent to you then tell you where to send the cable when the process is completed.

As you wait for the cable to arrive, Patrys will email you the instructions for his remote coding. It is critically important to note that you must have a 32 bit windows XP, Vista, or 7 version for him to remotely code your car. You will also be downloading 5 items to your computer that should be present before you schedule a time for Patrys to code you car once the cable arrives. This all was very easy to do and requires no strong computer skills whatsoever. I had everything installed on my computer ready to go before the cable ever arrived, so I could get the process moving immediately.

The cable arrived very, very well protected in multiple bubble wrapped envelopes and sealed in a zip lock bag.









Note the OBDII end of the cable and the USB end of the cable.



This is the obvious part of this review, but the actual coding I think is where everyone is very curious.

Patrys Remotely Coding Your DME

I felt the most important part of this review was going to be the actual process of Patrys coding my car. I know I was a bit nervous about how this would work, but I hope after reading this portion of the review that you will have all the details you need on how the process works. Let’s walk through the details of how the coding will work.

After you set up a time for Patrys to code your car, you simply contact him via your favorite mode of communication. That can be Skype, or an IM, etc. I chose gmail chat and spoke with by gmail messenger through the entire process. Patrys and I set up a time to begin the coding then I contacted him via chat when ready. I used the chat on my phone once the process began so he could use my laptop for the update.

Now that you are ready to go and chatting with Patrys, the time to code begins. Patrys uses a program that allows him log onto your computer. You will simply give him the information off the sharing software and he will be able to remotely use your computer for the coding. Once you are connected, Patrys will verify your computer is indeed a 32 bit Windows XP, Vista, or 7 version. He will verify all the software is on your desktop, then he will begin the coding. He will let you know when your computer is ready, then when it is ready to have the cable connected, then when to connect the cable to the OBDII port on your car. Here is where OBDII port is located (driver's side kick panel):



The screen will go black on your computer when Patrys starts the coding process, so don't worry nothing is wrong.

Now the coding begins. Again you won't see the coding taking place on your computer as the screen is black, but you will see how the car begins to transform. I tried to shoot HD video of a couple of the processes taking place "live" as Patrys was coding the car, so you know what to expect. Patrys will code the car, then ask you to verify that features have been successfully been coded to your car.

Here is an example. I wanted "Euro Front Sidemarkers". What is a Euro Front Sidemarker? Basically the same as the US spec headlight without the ugly side always on. Simply put, your sidemarker blinks when it needs to otherwise it is headlights or AE only. Here is how the Euro Front Sidemarkers were coded (notice around 4 seconds the sidemarker turns off):

Here is the annoying door "gong" being coded off my car (again you will hear the "gong" just stop in the middle of the video permanently):

Patrys simply codes your car and the results in my case were instaneous as you can see. He coded, then told me he was done and asked me to test or verify the results. Each coding process takes about 30 seconds to a minute. The entire process from the minute he logged on to the minute he finished was about 2 hours, but my computer was VERY slow and I needed to video quite a bit.

All in all, this was a very painless process. It is incredible to see the process taking place... watching these new features just magically appear on your car. While you are sitting in the car and Patrys is coding, you hear the gong from your door stop, or the US spec sidemarker "always on" removed, or led errors removed right before your eyes. While I was watching, the smile on my face was ear to ear and I almost felt like laughing knowing now how easy this always was. There is zero technical knowledge needed and the process is as fast as your computer.

Results

This is my favorite section of the review. Let me refresh our memory on each item that was coded to my car and now I will cover each.

• Remove LED errors on rear side markers
• Remove errors of fog lights
• Code Euro front side markers to my car
• Remove the “gong” when you open you door
• Remove start up “warning” screen on my i-drive
• Add a digital speed to the display on my speedometer
• Code windows to open or close with the fob or CA
• Code sunroof to open or close with the fob or CA
• Code the mirrors to fold or unfold with fob or CA (this is awesome!!!)

When I replaced my rear sidemarkers with LEDs I got annoying rear turn signal malfunctions on my i-drive along with a big light error on my cluster. Unfortunately, load resistors didn't work so there has been no way to get rid of the errors. I learned to live with the errors because the LEDs looked so much better, but it was still annoying nonetheless. Here is how the error messages looked:

After Patrys finished coding out the rear sidemarker light errors, the result was this:

HAHA!!! The errors were gone! You start the car and now your sidemarkers work just like the did stock! Let's see how observant you are... Did you notice anything else missing in the startup screen on the i-drive??? The answer? The warning screen you know so well (shown below) is gone!



Watch the video above again and you will see the screen never shows its ugly face.

I also removed fog light error codes in anticipation of my next step toward HID fogs. Once I put the HID fogs in then I will update this post.

I also coded the Euro Front Sidemarkers into my car. Here is what my headlights look like now in HD.

What you see is no annoying amber in the corner of your headlights anymore!!! It looks so much better it is hard to even describe.

I cannot understand why BMW felt it was a good idea to allow your "door open gong" to persist indefinitely, but it is our reality. Patrys is able to remove the "door open gong" and again here is the example in HD.

Some of you may have seen that at digital speedometer can be coded into our car. This is referred to as the M3 Digital Speedometer. Basically it appears in the spot where you can display MPG, average speed, etc. It is controlled by the stalk and now appears by cycling through my stalk. How cool is this! Here is a picture of the digital readout.



Now onto some of the really luxury options that Patrys can code. He added the ability to open/close my sunroof, windows, and fold/unfold my side mirrors! I cannot believe how cool this function works and I cannot understand why BMW would not give us this option? It works with no aftermarket modules whatsoever and utilizes your key fob or comfort access if you have it!!! Here are the HD videos:

Finally using the comfort access to open/close windows, sunroof, and fold/unfold mirrors. This is really slick!

I was curious if I had to open/close all together and you dont. One click of the remote locks/unlocks the car. A second click will fold/unfold the mirrors. Hold the button and you open/close the windows, sunroof, and unfolds/folds the side mirrors. It is very intuitive and just how I would program it.

I know the question will come up... "If BMW updates my DME, will this be coded over and will I need to have Patrys recode my car?" The answer is yes, BMW updates can overwrite some of the coding Patrys does. The reason is all of these options exist on our BMW in some shape or form in different parts of the world. If you are to have the options included by your dealer it would force a different region coding to your car. An example is a Japan code being forced on a US car. Patrys can probably speak with more authority on the subject. For me it is easy to avoid a DME update from the dealer, since I just signed a sheet meaning BMW cannot update my ECU upon dealer visits.

Conclusions

I was a little nervous going into the coding process. I had no idea what to expect and I admit that I proceeded cautiously. Patrys gave me a lot of confidence in the process through all my conversations with him. He was very informative/knowledgable on the process. The cable to do the coding was well protected during shipment to arrive to me in perfect condition. His instructions were very easy to follow and the system requirements are well defined. Patrys made sure I was prepared for the coding process.

The actual coding itself is painless and fast. The screen on your computer will go black while Patrys is coding your car. He will ask you to test each item he codes afterward to verify it does indeed work as intended. The process took about 2 hours from start to finish on a very slow computer.

Now, I have no more annoying rear sidemarker codes at start-up, I don't have to see the ugly front corners all the time, the warning screens on i-drive start-up are gone, and the rediculous never ending "gong" is gone if I open my door. Patrys also coded in awesome features like the digital speedometer and the greatest of all... I can now open/close my windows, sunroof, and unfold/fold my mirrors with the fob or using my comfort access.

It is funny, this mod can seem so simple, but oddly I am really so excited about it. I find myself telling all my friends about it and I cannot wait to show them. Everyone that has seen the car always says the mirrors folding when I touch the door handle is so awesome. I couldn't be happier with the results and the work Patrys has done. I am baffled BMW robbed us of some of these features! Patrys really is an asset to the community and I look forward to more of his innovative work in the future.

If you are interested in the process you can always contact Patrys by email at info@modyfikacjebmw.pl. Pricing is determine based on the features you add.

[oomikeyboy]

Very cool! I may look into this as well.

[Windjammer]

Being a computer programmer myself, I'm very interested in learning the BMW OS. The things that Patrys did to your car are awesome!

[Patrys@BimmerTech]

WOW
I did not know it looked so cool

[tldoxmf87]

Nice! I'm going to do this once I get my OSS headlights..

[Spydeputy]

$$$ What is the ballpark price for this $$$

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by oomikeyboy

Very cool! I may look into this as well.

oomikeyboy, there are a lot of things Patrys can do. I may add some more features in the future as well. The euro front sidemarkers just looks sick!

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by Patrys

WOW
I did not know it looked so cool

Lol, thanks Patrys for the great work. You really have provided a needed service to the community!

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by tldoxmf87

Nice! I'm going to do this once I get my OSS headlights..

It is an absolute must with the OSS. If you get the blackout option, it just makes the headlights look so mean!

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by Spydeputy

$$$ What is the ballpark price for this $$$

I would PM Patrys for specifics on pricing.

[boa1977]

Price please??

[cb1111]

I would encourage everyone to use a "clean" laptop when doing this type of work on your car. I've spoken (via email) with Patrys and he seems a nice enough fellow, but he will have full access to your laptop (and all the information on it.)

Given that he is in Poland doesn't help either - one of the areas where computer hacking/identity theft is pretty widespread.

I suspect that Patrys is perfectly fine, but always take precautions before you "hand" your computer over to anyone.

[Craig@SupremePower]

nice write up as always!!

[hoopvillian]

How come there isn't a kit available to all of us so we can do this to our own cars? Just curious...

[mathu.bala]

Originally Posted by hoopvillian

How come there isn't a kit available to all of us so we can do this to our own cars? Just curious...

If you put a lot of research it is possible. Good start would be http://www.digital-kaos.co.uk. Apparently e90s that are manufactured before 2008 can use INPA to do most feature re-coding. However e90LCI uses different CAN-BUS or something, I'm a noob but have been reading up on it for couple of months. I have ordered a INPA OBDII cable from ebay. If I get it anything happening I will write up something in DIY.

[roadkillrob]

One more thing to note - I tried to us an XP VM with him today and it doesn't work on a VM, needs to be native Windows - trying again in the morning!

[hoopvillian]

Originally Posted by mathu.bala

If you put a lot of research it is possible. Good start would be http://www.digital-kaos.co.uk. Apparently e90s that are manufactured before 2008 can use INPA to do most feature re-coding. However e90LCI uses different CAN-BUS or something, I'm a noob but have been reading up on it for couple of months. I have ordered a INPA OBDII cable from ebay. If I get it anything happening I will write up something in DIY.

Thanks man! Just needed somewhere to start. Appreciate the link.

[Chewy734]

Thanks for the excellent writeup!

Can some of these things be done on a pre-LCI E90?

[Patrys@BimmerTech]

Originally Posted by boa1977

Price please??

Send me an email and tell me what exactly you would like me to do for you

[Patrys@BimmerTech]

Originally Posted by Chewy734

Thanks for the excellent writeup!

Can some of these things be done on a pre-LCI E90?

Sure, just let me know what exactly you are interested in.

[Patrys@BimmerTech]

Originally Posted by cb1111

I would encourage everyone to use a "clean" laptop when doing this type of work on your car. I've spoken (via email) with Patrys and he seems a nice enough fellow, but he will have full access to your laptop (and all the information on it.)

Given that he is in Poland doesn't help either - one of the areas where computer hacking/identity theft is pretty widespread.

I suspect that Patrys is perfectly fine, but always take precautions before you "hand" your computer over to anyone.

I know what you mean, but what is wrong with me being located in Poland and not somewhere in US?

Just curious what facts is this assumption based on?

[derek1822]

code for E90 LCI?? fold mirros when lock/unlock, DVD in motion, thats all I want!! thx