BMW Diagnostic - can you do it at home?

Hadiya Rahman

Sep 7, 2021

3 inevitable things in life: death, taxes and car errors ;) While you can’t do much about the first two, car errors are not so difficult to deal with… Or at least not any more! Jump a few years back and the only way to fix them was a time consuming and costly trip to your dealer, but these days a laptop, a coding cable and 30 minutes on your hands will be just enough to take care of it. How? With remote BMW diagnostic of course! In this blog we’ll show you how it works and how to carry it out straight from your home.

BMW Diagnostic

What is BMW diagnostic?

Diagnostic tests for cars are known to find out any problems within your car's transmission, engine, brakes, exhaust, and other such components. If you suspect that there are issues with the airflow, throttle, coolant, and ignition coils then getting a diagnostic test run on your car is the best idea. Who knows? Your car may be diagnosed with a problem that needs to be addressed ASAP!

Now, with your BMW Diagnostic, it is no different. A BMW diagnostic software scans for the issues that are found within your vehicle's system and software. What will a genuine BMW diagnostic tool do? Well, it will determine the control units installed in your vehicle and the variants, along with the special equipment. Your vehicle is being tested and this test is carried out by a scan that finds out issues with your vehicle and lists them. What happens next? All the diagnostic and service-related data is taken from the control units and a test plan is generated for you. You can then take it to any car shop and get your car fixed following the issues diagnosed with your car.

For your ease, the BMW diagnostic sheet lists all the suspected functions and components of your car that have issues in accordance with their priority.

What does BMW diagnostic offer?

Did you know that you don’t have to go to a dealer for the diagnosis and that you could have the entire procedure done while sitting in the comfort of your home? Yes, you can as BimmerTech can perform the standard BMW diagnostic for you remotely and provide you with a full detailed report of what needs to be fixed in your car and what doesn’t.

If you’re wondering how this is made possible then it's pretty simple. The expert technicians at BimmerTech will connect remotely to your vehicle by using a coding cable. Once they are connected, they can view and report all the issues that are there in your vehicle through the BMW diagnostic tool. During the diagnostic, your car will undergo a reset and restart, so that all the obsolete error notifications that keep popping up on your BMW screens get cleared out. Only current errors that need to be taken care of will show up on your BMW screen. The BMW error codes list (example) will be provided to you in the form of a sheet and by using those BMW error codes, you can have a dealer fix your car.

BimmerTech's BMW diagnosis is the same pro diagnosis you'd get at the dealer minus the hassle and the skyrocketing prices. Plus! It’s not all we can offer :) BimmerTech comes with additional offers for you so that you have solutions that make your BMW run smoothly and seamlessly. Here you'll get to know all about them.

BMW error message removal

Are you sick and tired of the BMW error messages that keep showing up on your screen every time you start the vehicle? Some of these errors may not even be that important but continue to pop up from nowhere and bother you so much don’t they? Some of these may even be pre-resolved issues that keep showing up. Well, we’ve got just the solution for you. With BimmerTech’s BMW coding you can have the error messages removed permanently from your screens.

We can help you get rid of all BMW warning messages such as SOS alerts, lamp malfunction errors, rear seats unlocked error, tire pressure error, false notifications such as non-functioning camera errors.

How much time do we need to do it? Hardly 30 minutes and all your error messages won’t bother you again.

However, you need to know that our error message removal is only that – message removal. We do not fix or claim to fix any faulty modules with this coding. All we do is prevent all error messages from appearing on your iDrive and cluster screen.

NOTE: BimmerTech does not take any responsibility if hiding the BMW error messages causes any potential damage caused by unrepaired errors because of hiding these BMW messages.

BMW parts coding

Did you buy a new part for your car, and it seems to be not working properly? Remember that each new electronic BMW part – from lights, through mirrors, to sensors – needs coding after adding to your car. Try to skip it and you'll have to deal with constant errors and improper functioning of your module. At BimmerTech, we can help you prevent that! We'll perform a remote cable coding procedure on any electronic BMW part, and make your retrofit or original module work without any blunders.

BimmerTech’s technical experts will perform the remote cable coding procedure on any electronic BMW part to help you make it run seamlessly. Along with providing remote cable coding services for original modules, we offer retrofit module coding as well. The pricing we offer varies from client to client and vehicle to vehicle. This also depends on the coding procedure required along with the time required for coding the specific part. The type of coded module can also hitch up the price a bit. Feel free to contact us for details.

NOTE: BimmerTech does not take any responsibility for any potential damages caused by using a non-approved BMW car part or if your warranty claims face any issues due to the part installed.

BMW RDC safety

Your BMW coding is not only for your entertainment and comfort. It also codes modules that help improve the quality and the safety of your drive. The BMW RDC control unit for example monitors tire pressure and alerts the driver when it is dangerously low at any point of the drive. After coding it into your BMW you’ll be able to access PSI information straight through your iDrive menu and always be sure your tires have the right amount of pressure in the safe range!

How to run a diagnostic on a BMW?

That depends if you want to do the full ECUs diagnostic or only enter your BMW cluster service menu for a quick reset of data such as the engine oil level or a brake fluid level.

If it’s the first one, leave it to the BimmerTech professionals. Unless of course you’re a pro at reading code lists from your control unit tree.

With the latter you shouldn’t have any problems since resetting your BMW cluster service menu doesn’t require any OBD plugs or external devices. The process looks different on each series but in the end always comes down to a few clicks on your odometer button.

Resetting your BMW service from the menu on a G-Series looks like this:

Get inside your car and close all the doors.
Turn on the ignition but not the engine.
Press the start/stop button 3 times in quick succession.
Hold down the odometer reset button on the dash until the Service menu appears.
To reset it press and hold the odometer reset button.
Once prompted with ‘Reset?’ press the button again.

Now your service information such as the engine oil level, brake fluid level, vehicle check or next general service date are being erased.

Where do you plug the BMW diagnostic port?

You can find the OBD port just above the pedals of your car or just beneath the dashboard towards the left. In the F and G series, the OBD port may be located a few inches away.

Things you need to run the diagnostic :

A solid internet connection
A laptop
30 – 60 minutes
Your BMW Coding Cable

Here’s what you need to do to plug BMW diagnostic port:

Connect your laptop with your Interface coding cable through the RJ 45 Connector at the Ethernet port.
Start your car’s engine.
Plugin the other side of the cable to the OBD port of your vehicle.

Still unclear on what to do? Check out our video:

Other remote BMW services

At BimmerTech, we offer you more than just diagnostic services. We offer you remote BMW coding services helping you save time and money at the dealers:

Key Fob Deactivation: If you are getting a used BMW then you have no knowledge of how many fobs the previous user has enabled. This is why it is a good idea to carry out the BMW key fob deactivation via a remote cable coding session with BimmerTech. There is no need for you to go to a dealer while spending so much time and money when BimmerTech offers you the coding session to deactivate your remote key fob while sitting at home. You can carry out the same process if you have a lost BMW key fob and manage to get a BMW key fob replacement for yourself to ensure your safety. The BMW deactivation coding session takes less than 30 minutes, all from the comfort of your home.
BMW Battery Registration: When buying and replacing a new battery with BMW, there has to be a BMW battery registration process that needs to be completed to maintain your vehicle’s longevity and endurance. BimmerTech offers you a BMW battery coding process that helps adjust your vehicle to your new battery specifications in order to extend your vehicle’s battery life. If you want to read more about this, head over to our blog.
Disable Start Stop Function: Many people find the auto start-stop function annoying especially during traffic jams. BimmerTech’s Start-Stop button coding will be a permanent solution for your start-stop button if it bothers you. With the coding provided by BimmerTech, it will turn off the automatic engine shut-off feature permanently by programming your vehicle to retain and keep the most recent settings (in which the feature has been turned off). What would happen this way is that when you bring your car to a complete stop, your car will not automatically turn off the engine as it would normally do. Learn more about the auto start stop function in our blog post.
BMW Sport +: If you crave a more aggressive ride, coding Sport + will give you the thrill of driving a BMW. It provides you with a reduced traction control, faster gear shifts, and a highly improved throttle response. What’s more to say, it’s simply a great choice if you want to bring your BMW’s full potential out in the open.