E46 Obc Retrofit

[jasecars]

I have got a 318i E46 built in 2000. It hasn't got the OBC (On Board Computer) fitted. I noticed through research that it was an optional extra which set my mind wondering if it could be fitted now. After more research I saw that people had done a 'retrofit' of the component which basically just needed the indicator stork with the 'BC' function switch on it as long as you have the yellow & red wire which mine has. Apparently once you fit the switch, the car needs to go to the dealer for a re flash on the ecu to activate the display on the dash. I phoned my local dealer in Stoke and they said that it can't be done. I would be interested to hear off anybody else who has done this retro fit and give the names of the dealers used to re flash the ecu, preferably as close to Stoke on Trent as possible, or any independants that could do this for me. I'm a bit of a gadget freak which is why I would love to get the obc working.

Thanks

[andy-mcq]

first of all, welcome to the club :)

iirc greeney is local to you, think he likes his gadgets to ;)

i also think the e46 has a built in code finder, not 100% sure on this though, its something i keep meaning to look up!

i no you can get certain things like engine temp etc but not sure on codes.

[Greeney2k1]

Eh up me duck!

Another Bod from Stoke!

Tbh this isnt something that can generally be added later at a very low cost. The problem that you have is the wiring will always be in place as the wiring looms are all the same its the bits that connect to those wires that are the major headache.

I'm guessing you rang knights bmw? or Bluebell in crewe?

You will need....

New indicator stork

New ECU

Program ECU to new car for Keys / ignition code from key / Key history / Car milage / car fault codes

New Dash panel for LCD screen replacement for information (current one has lights in wrong place and ECU wont match up)

basically a ruddy nightmare probably easier to swop the car tbh as all of the above would easily cost upto a grand to fit / fix....New ECU's aren't cheap

OR

TBH the OBC's on e46's were pretty damn ugly things, buy the £100 ripspeed DVD player from the for sale section.....put in a mac mini under the dash or a micro pc under the dash then you have a whole PC in your car rather than a glorified trip computer lol

[andy-mcq]

also theres a port in the engine bay for fitting a differant type of scanner.

its by the brake fluid chamber, has a twist off cap. hope that may help

[jasecars]

Thanks for the welcome. Yeah I phoned knights and they said it wasn't possible. The reason I thought it was was I googled 'E46 OBC retrofit' and it gave me a whole list of people who said they had done it. Basically they said as long as my car had the outside temp sensor under the bumper, which it has, and the red/yellow wire for the stork, it was possible with a quick ecu flash from the dealer. Apparantly BMW themselves supply a retrofit kit for about 100 quid and will fit it all in for around 180 quid. I don't give up easily so if I get any luck i'll keep you informed.

[G4VHD]

Welcome along mate, I agree its a must have lol

[Guest Mister Dabsy]

Just to add, when you you change ECU's or other crucial modules, they have to be "matched" to the car, and be very aware that when you change the dash the milage will be different there will be a tell-tale dot after the milage to indicate this...

[Greeney2k1]

good luck with it id be interested to see how you can do this on that budget!

let us know how you get on

[G4VHD]

Yeah let us know how you get on, this will be interesting

[jasecars]

Today I managed to get into some hidden functions on the dash display and there is a whole host of info on their including mpg monitor, outside temp display and even a digital read out for the rpm. So I might scrap the obc upgrade now because with a few clicks of the trip reset button I can get all the info anyway.

[Greeney2k1]

lol

swings / roundabouts

[G4VHD]

Today I managed to get into some hidden functions on the dash display and there is a whole host of info on their including mpg monitor, outside temp display and even a digital read out for the rpm. So I might scrap the obc upgrade now because with a few clicks of the trip reset button I can get all the info anyway.

I did a post about this ....

[jasecars]

A mate of mine told me about it and emailed me the instructions. The constant mpg is really confusing though lol