BMW Service Technology – The Evolution of Diagnostic Equipment

Not just has BMW electrical architecture changed throughout the last decade, but so has the equipment to service them. The equipment has evolved, the interfaces have changed along with the complexity of setup and employ.


Early tools

Within the 1990’s, the Group Tester One (GT1) was introduced. There were several versions, like DIS Plus (stationary setup), though the GT1 is the most common and it is what will be referenced here. The GT1 can be a portable device which contained a chargeable battery. It features a touchscreen display for simple use. It contained software for Diagnosing and also had software called TIS (Technical Information Display) which is the Service & Repair Information. Early versions of Diagnostics also contained software called Coding, Programming & Individualization (CIP). So in the same tool, you can Diagnose the problem, research how to switch the component then perform the needed initializations for your new part. Two interfaces were used: EDIC (yellow interface) and the OPS (orange interface). Later versions of the OPS were called OPPS, given that they carried additional diagnostics for the Byteflite system and so they were also yellow, but much bigger than the EDIC. Authentic GT1s are on the portable touchscreen unit. There are many “cloned” units on the market, adapted to operate on the PC. Either genuine or cloned, the interfaces work the identical and fasten by using an Ethernet port.

Later versions of the GT1 software removed CIP, and moved it to some separate computer (for storage), but still accessible from the GT1. This new software was called Progman (short for Program Manager). This new software contained all of the CIP functions and added extra features like multiple car programming and dual channel programming for each car (DIAGBUS and many bus simultaneously).

Third Generation equipment

Skip forward to around 2008 if the Third Generation (3G) of equipment premiered: ISIS. The items in ISIS are extremely large, that hosting are set up on the dealership. A web-based version is available towards the aftermarket for a fee, called OSS. It may be bought at quantumvpn. With the introduction of ISIS comes a brand new interface, called ICOM. Previous interfaces (EDIC & OPS) won’t work with ISIS. ISIS consists of a few parts, as it completely replaced GT1 & Progman. The primary a part of ISIS which is used inside the shop is named “ISTA”, which can be further broken down into two parts: ISTA/D for Diagnosing vehicles and ISTA/P for Coding, Programming & Individualization.

Comparison

GT1s are available just about anywhere, including eBay for inexpensive. BMW realized that the tool was easily cloned and sold worldwide. Many degrees of security have been placed into the roll-out of ISIS to prevent this, both in resident servers and internet based versions. This will make it much harder for non-dealer shops to be effective on the newer cars. One would feel that considering that the GT1 was discontinued in ’09, you could keep by using their for several more years before newer system became more available, however, BMW stayed a stride ahead! Every time a car is programmed using the new ISTA/P, it upgrades the program beyond the level of what Program can recognize. Meaning, when a car has been updated with ISTA/P, you’ll never use Progman on it again, rendering the “cloned” versions useless on that particular car. Also, when a new module is installed, the application that’s pre-installed with that module can be newer than what Program can recognize, which may stay away from the entire programming process, forcing the automobile to become programmed by ISTA/P.

What exactly does that mean for your BMW owner? As a result of the newer systems, many BMW owners can’t repair the cars themselves. Many aftermarket shops are also sending the cars to dealerships consequently. However, not every aftermarket shops have fallen behind. There is a limited number of BMW specialty shops that stick to top of manufacturer technology, in order that no car is beaten down! While searching for a location to service your BMW, make certain they can do Every aspect of repair, including Diagnostics and CIP!

One shop is Auto Specialties of Lake Norman: Auto Specialties of Lake Norman. If you are looking at a potential shops website, try to find signs that they have the most recent equipment. BMW Repair centers that can’t “do it all” can often cause increased time and cost when they discover everything has been incorrectly diagnosed or parts installed now need programmed or initialized.
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