Quote:
Originally Posted by mcbeee
The BMW software is the operating system for the car (comparing it to a computer like a PC or a MAC) and every once in a while it needs a tweak to make things run better. Just like upgrading your OS on a computer or getting a patch form Microsoft. BMW will install any upgrade for free if they are installing a part that requires programming such as a water pump etc. If there is no such BMW "need" to upgrade the software you can get it done at your own cost. My cost was $135 CDN.
The Dinan software for the E89 was written to communicate with the previous rev and when BMW issued the latest rev, the Dinan software would not talk to it so they had to write an update for the newest version.
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This is interesting that your car would even run after the BMW flash, then having to do a new Dinan flash on top of it. The reason I ask is I've been wondering how Dinan's software actually works, or more to the point, what specific areas of the ECU does it touch.
I initially assumed that flashing the ECU overwrote the entire instruction set programed into it at the time. What it sounds like is Dinan's flash is process specific. Boiled down even further, it sounds like his changes are "surgical" and address engine processes only and don't necessarily touch areas like dynamic damper control.
So, when BMW flashed you ECU with an update it was likely a "patch" (to use PC computer jargon) and only wrote new routines into specific memory registers of the ECU, as well. That's why Dinan's flash could still reside on the ECU. But, because BMW revision changed some things Dinan's surgically modified subroutines expected to see, but weren't there anymore or behaved differently, it had to be rewritten as well.
It may seem like a long way around to get to my real question and that is this. BMW went to lot of trouble to rewrite the 35is ECU instruction set to provide improvements in the areas of engine performance, steering feel, DCT shift patters, dynamic damper control, etc. However, Dinan's Stage II flash is better than BMW engine improvements. But one wouldn't want to loose the other improvements, so I think the answer to my question is the other improvements would not be lost with a Dinan flash.
Thanks