[BMWoo]

So I got my car back, after the upgrade. Everything is TONS better. I tried to do the hidden menu thing, but I can't get it to work. Any idea how I'd find out what version I have?

[kpcoupe]

do u guys know if the sound of the door chime changes if i get that new software? I know that cars that dont have idrive still get the echoing chime that used to only come with idrive. Also is there any update on the performance hits that the car took as a result of the update. Some people were saying that the car felt much slower afterwards.

[kpcoupe]

bump, anyone?

[joes3series]

Originally Posted by BMWoo

So I got my car back, after the upgrade. Everything is TONS better. I tried to do the hidden menu thing, but I can't get it to work. Any idea how I'd find out what version I have?

Hey BMWoo, I have a car that is about as old as yours and am debating getting a progman update in the near future, but not sure if it is worth it (I kind of like the old brown interface). Could you explain what all you thought made it worthwhile and changed between the two?
e.g., does the car feel like it shifts faster or smoother? are all menus in iDrive 2 x or 3 x faster? do you have POI searching in navigation? if you say a name for phone calls its it more likely to recognize what you state?

thank you.

[BMWoo]

Originally Posted by joes3series

Hey BMWoo, I have a car that is about as old as yours and am debating getting a progman update in the near future, but not sure if it is worth it (I kind of like the old brown interface). Could you explain what all you thought made it worthwhile and changed between the two?
e.g., does the car feel like it shifts faster or smoother? are all menus in iDrive 2 x or 3 x faster? do you have POI searching in navigation? if you say a name for phone calls its it more likely to recognize what you state?

thank you.

Joe,

It could just be me... not sure. I was extremely unhappy with iDrive prior to this upgrade.

I don't mind the silver interface at all. I think it looks good, provided you up the brightness on it, otherwise it looks a bit dull. Plus, the nav looks 100 times better now. That's just the visual stuff.

My car is MT, and I haven't noticed any difference in the driveability. It seems the same. You know, poppy clutch and all. I'm supposed to have POI searching in NAV, but I haven't yet messed with it. The car finally seems to understand English. I can say "Call Dennis" and I don't get "Climate Settings" back. And it's at least twice as fast in all interactions, which is HUGE. It was incredibly annoying before.

Even the bluetooth seems to pair up faster, and my phone calls do seem to be a lot smoother. I used to have a problem with intermittent "voice dropping" - the person on the other end would basically be muted, and I couldn't hear them until they made a loud noise into the phone first. That doesn't happen anymore.

Again, this could be me, but it seems 10 times better than it used to be.

[joes3series]

Originally Posted by BMWoo

Joe,

It could just be me... not sure. I was extremely unhappy with iDrive prior to this upgrade.

I don't mind the silver interface at all. I think it looks good, provided you up the brightness on it, otherwise it looks a bit dull. Plus, the nav looks 100 times better now. That's just the visual stuff.

My car is MT, and I haven't noticed any difference in the driveability. It seems the same. You know, poppy clutch and all. I'm supposed to have POI searching in NAV, but I haven't yet messed with it. The car finally seems to understand English. I can say "Call Dennis" and I don't get "Climate Settings" back. And it's at least twice as fast in all interactions, which is HUGE. It was incredibly annoying before.

Even the bluetooth seems to pair up faster, and my phone calls do seem to be a lot smoother. I used to have a problem with intermittent "voice dropping" - the person on the other end would basically be muted, and I couldn't hear them until they made a loud noise into the phone first. That doesn't happen anymore.

Again, this could be me, but it seems 10 times better than it used to be.

Awesome. Thanks for the detail. I think I'll complain about the pop up window issue next time I bring it in.

[335er]

Originally Posted by BMWoo

Joe,

It could just be me... not sure. I was extremely unhappy with iDrive prior to this upgrade.

I don't mind the silver interface at all. I think it looks good, provided you up the brightness on it, otherwise it looks a bit dull. Plus, the nav looks 100 times better now. That's just the visual stuff.

My car is MT, and I haven't noticed any difference in the driveability. It seems the same. You know, poppy clutch and all. I'm supposed to have POI searching in NAV, but I haven't yet messed with it. The car finally seems to understand English. I can say "Call Dennis" and I don't get "Climate Settings" back. And it's at least twice as fast in all interactions, which is HUGE. It was incredibly annoying before.

Even the bluetooth seems to pair up faster, and my phone calls do seem to be a lot smoother. I used to have a problem with intermittent "voice dropping" - the person on the other end would basically be muted, and I couldn't hear them until they made a loud noise into the phone first. That doesn't happen anymore.

Again, this could be me, but it seems 10 times better than it used to be.

How did you get them to upgrade Progman for you? The thought of faster interactions is enticing.

[BMWoo]

Originally Posted by 335er

How did you get them to upgrade Progman for you? The thought of faster interactions is enticing.

Read up a tad - previous page, GregL provides a link - has a list of 'problems'. I printed it, highlighted a few of them and took the thing in. I never even noticed the pop-up deal, but I definitely had ridiculous slowness in response AND the random CD skipping (which really affected me that one time I was going to make my move when 'Endless Love' magically skipped forward to 'Welcome to the Jungle').

When I first took it in and asked, they said they wouldn't do it unless there was a documented problem... when I came in the second time with printout in hand, they didn't even put up a fight.

Best of luck!

[GregL]

Originally Posted by BMWoo

I never even noticed the pop-up deal, but I definitely had ridiculous slowness in response AND the random CD skipping (which really affected me that one time I was going to make my move when 'Endless Love' magically skipped forward to 'Welcome to the Jungle').

Priceless!

[manxs]

Originally Posted by BMWoo

Joe,

It could just be me... not sure. I was extremely unhappy with iDrive prior to this upgrade.

I don't mind the silver interface at all. I think it looks good, provided you up the brightness on it, otherwise it looks a bit dull. Plus, the nav looks 100 times better now. That's just the visual stuff.

My car is MT, and I haven't noticed any difference in the driveability. It seems the same. You know, poppy clutch and all. I'm supposed to have POI searching in NAV, but I haven't yet messed with it. The car finally seems to understand English. I can say "Call Dennis" and I don't get "Climate Settings" back. And it's at least twice as fast in all interactions, which is HUGE. It was incredibly annoying before.

Even the bluetooth seems to pair up faster, and my phone calls do seem to be a lot smoother. I used to have a problem with intermittent "voice dropping" - the person on the other end would basically be muted, and I couldn't hear them until they made a loud noise into the phone first. That doesn't happen anymore.

Again, this could be me, but it seems 10 times better than it used to be.

I agree. I got the update and see definate improvements in bluetooth, the nav UI is much better, and the selected route does not merge with the road color (both were white in the old version)

I have played around with the search it is pretty cool. Also if you looking up a POI it will show you the phone number also, allowing you to use a phone not connected via bluetooth to make the call..

The complaint I had that led to an update is: the iDrive froze on me with the display showing only bmw. There was no response from the steering buttons or the console buttons(I told him I did not remember if the AC controls worked). The iDrive knob too was locked (resistance on both directions), even after restarting the machine the system stayed the same. It fixed itself when it was parked overnight.

Thanks.

[BarryK]

Originally Posted by cobradac

Your first point, yes they would if they had to run diagnostics on a reported issue and that car needed an update to be sure the diagnostic would be accurate then thye would do it gratis.

Second, point. Not all vehicles have all reported problems. Sometimes an update INTRODUCES problems to a car that had no problems before. You must also realize BWM does not appear to have a robust test and evaluation system as too many bugs are introduced. I know I do not update JUST to update (just like I do not do all MS OS or APPL updates). I only update to fix known problems when I know a specific release has that fix nailed.

Third point - just my point - when you have an issue BMW is willing to step up, but not when you just drive in a say - no problems just give me the latest. They treat the $120k car the same way they treat the $30k car.

And all this fuss and you have not even had the experience Hope it goes well. I do not think you will run into a problem as long as you have issues to fix.

Well, finally took my car in for the upgrade. Thanks to you guys posting the SIB here, I had little trouble getting the dealer to do it. I was experiencing the first 3 or 4 symptoms described in the Bulletin. They gave me a little resistance - only wanted to do a partial upgrade - but after a little coaxing, they did the whole thing. The iPod interface is the most immediately noticeable improvement - WAY better! It's actually usable now - I can't believe the difference. Same for scrolling through Sirius channels - much faster & more usable.

So thanks again to all here for the tips & the SIBs - it really helped convince the dealer to perform the upgrade. All's well that ends well - until the next software revision...

BTW, they installed 27.xx.xx - they acted like they were not aware of anything beyond that...

[BMWoo]

Well, I've been really happy with the upgrade, two weeks in. However, I still get random CD track skipping, seems like every time I'm in my car. Anyone else have this problem?

[GregL]

Originally Posted by BMWoo

Well, I've been really happy with the upgrade, two weeks in. However, I still get random CD track skipping, seems like every time I'm in my car. Anyone else have this problem?

I find that the update fixed my indash CD skipping and blipping.

[Tag]

Is v29 really out? I'm pretty skeptical it is so soon after v28 came out. Anyway I hope they have another fix for the iPod 6FL option. I got the v27 update which fixed some issues but it still acts up like playing the first song on my iPod after starting the car and not resuming where it left off.

Also it sporadicly will not show items in playlists, track timer doesn't count down or it crashes and I need to unplug the USB cable and put it back in to get it to work again. These were all problems I had before the v27 upgrade but it's a lot less frequent now.

Pain in the ass!

[cobradac]

Actually v29.01.01 is released. TDS of E89X-08-03-520

[Tag]

I suppose there is no SIB list on v29 yet?

[cobradac]

Originally Posted by tag824

I suppose there is no SIB list on v29 yet?

Been no SIB on PROGMAN (CIP) since Octobers' v27.00.00. I find this strange and abnormal as we have never gone that long between SIBs on PROGMAN in the past. Not sure what it means until we actually see a new SIB. Since SIBs on PROGMAN/CIP only refect fixes and not improvements in or new features/new model features it is possible (although unlikely) that there have been no "fixes" since v27.00.00.

[BasicMarinWheels]

A few questions for anyone who knows:

1. I have an early 2006 build, and have never gotten an update. I definitely have the map pop up problem, and I get fairly frequent CD skipping, and often slow iDrive response. So, it looks like they'll have to give me the update. Do I need to request (or should I) a particular update, or will they just automatically give me whatever update they're giving everyone else?

2. I have a number of stored points of interest in my address book in navigation. Are those all going to be wiped out?

3. I have a couple of other maintenance items that need to be done, so I'm about to call to make an appointment. Do I tell them I want the update when I make my appointment, or do I make the appointment for just the maintenance items, wait until I'm there and say, "By the way, please update my software to cure these problems?"

Thanks for any insights!

Jim

[joes3series]

Originally Posted by BasicMarinWheels

A few questions for anyone who knows:

1. I have an early 2006 build, and have never gotten an update. I definitely have the map pop up problem, and I get fairly frequent CD skipping, and often slow iDrive response. So, it looks like they'll have to give me the update. Do I need to request (or should I) a particular update, or will they just automatically give me whatever update they're giving everyone else?

From what I have read, it's my understanding they should give you the most recent version they have available. They won't give you an old one just for fun. In any case, around the time of new updates being distributed to dealers, different dealers may have slightly different versions. So, for example, if progman 29 just came out, some dealers may still have 28.

Originally Posted by BasicMarinWheels

2. I have a number of stored points of interest in my address book in navigation. Are those all going to be wiped out?

Sorry, don't know.

Update:
The addresses in the address book still exist; the only thing that appears to get lost is the list of previous destinations.

Originally Posted by BasicMarinWheels

3. I have a couple of other maintenance items that need to be done, so I'm about to call to make an appointment. Do I tell them I want the update when I make my appointment, or do I make the appointment for just the maintenance items, wait until I'm there and say, "By the way, please update my software to cure these problems?"

I would tell them ahead of time in case they actually efficiently allocate resources. Also, bring in a copy of the relevant service bulletin (I think it is linked to earlier in this thread, otherwise, search for it), as some BMW service advisors will rebuff requests for updates unless you can prove and replicate a known problem.

Update: I also had a negative experience when trying to get the update; I didn't bring in a copy of the TSB because when I called up they said I didn't need to. When I showed up, they said they never heard of the TSB and told me they wouldn't do anything unless they could find something wrong themselves. They ended up finding something besides the pop-up window issue wrong, so I got the update anyhow.

[wj4]

GregL-thanks for the info. I have an appointment to take the car in next Monday anyways, and I'm going to ask them to do the ProgMan upgrade..I have the brown screen right now. And when using navigation, I'm missing the arrow pop up as well. PS guys..with the new ProgMan versions, does it tell you if your destination will be on the left or right side? Currently when I use my navi, it just tells you 'your destination is 1/4th mile ahead'...but doesn't say where it is. My friend's E39 M5 would say something like 'your destination is approaching on the left side'...which I think helps out tremendously. Thanks!

[eekthecat]

Since there's no way to tell what version I'm at (I assume the hidden menu thing was a joke?), can anyone tell whether this is the 'brown' screen versus the newer 'silver' screen? (sure looks brown to me) My car was manufactured 01/2008.

[joes3series]

Originally Posted by eekthecat

Since there's no way to tell what version I'm at (I assume the hidden menu thing was a joke?), can anyone tell whether this is the 'brown' screen versus the newer 'silver' screen? (sure looks brown to me) My car was manufactured 01/2008.

That is one of the newer versions (post-25), because it doesn't have the same details as the older brown one (there were graphics with symbols that related to nav, bluetooth, audio, climate, and it didn't have the lines; see here: http://bp0.blogger.com/_Bz3BLXXQ7XA/...-h/Idrive2.jpg), and your car is too new to be the older brown one. In any case, that color does look like a light brown, rather than silver, but I can't imagine why.

Also, the "secret" menu does exist; it's no joke-- at least on pre-progman 25 versions-- i think it is more of a diagnostics/debug menu than anything else. if you search around enough i'm sure you can find info for the more recent versions. see, e.g., http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ht=secret+menu
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4379