BMW Service Technology – The Evolution of Diagnostic Tools

Not only has BMW electrical architecture changed over the past decade, but so contains the equipment to service them. The gear changed, the interfaces have changed and also the complexity of setup and employ.

Early tools

In the 1990’s, the Group Tester One (GT1) was introduced. There was a couple of versions, like DIS Plus (stationary setup), nevertheless the GT1 is easily the most common and is also what will be referenced here. The GT1 is a portable device which contained a chargeable battery. It has a touchscreen display for simple use. It contained software for Diagnosing as well as had software called TIS (Technical Information Display) which is Service & Repair Information. Early versions of Diagnostics also contained software called Coding, Programming & Individualization (CIP). So through the same tool, you could Diagnose the problem, lookup how you can switch the component and then carry out the needed initializations for the new part. Two interfaces were utilized: EDIC (yellow interface) and also the OPS (orange interface). Later versions of the OPS were called OPPS, because they carried additional diagnostics for the Byteflite system and they were also yellow, but much bigger than the EDIC. Authentic GT1s take presctiption the portable touchscreen unit. There are many “cloned” units out there, adapted to work with a PC. Either genuine or cloned, the interfaces work precisely the same and repair by using an Ethernet port.

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

Third Generation equipment

Go forward to around 2008 if the Third Generation (3G) of equipment was released: ISIS. The items in ISIS are really large, that web site hosting are set up at the dealership. A web based version can be acquired for the aftermarket for their fee, called OSS. It can be bmw kombi coding. With the introduction of ISIS comes a new interface, called ICOM. Previous interfaces (EDIC & OPS) won’t work with ISIS. ISIS has a few parts, mainly because it completely replaced GT1 & Progman. The main a part of ISIS utilized from the shop is called “ISTA”, which is often further broken down into two parts: ISTA/D for Diagnosing vehicles and ISTA/P for Coding, Programming & Individualization.

Comparison

GT1s can be found just about anywhere, including eBay for cheap. BMW realized that the tool was easily cloned and sold worldwide. Many amounts of security are already put in the roll-out of ISIS in order to avoid this, in the resident servers and internet based versions. This will make it much harder for non-dealer shops to work on the newer cars. One would believe because the GT1 was discontinued during 2009, you could keep using for many more years before the newer system became more available, however, BMW stayed a pace ahead! When a car is programmed together with the new ISTA/P, it upgrades the program past the degree of what Program can recognize. That means, once a car has been updated with ISTA/P, you may never use Progman about it again, rendering the “cloned” versions useless with that particular car. Also, every time a new module is installed, the program that is certainly pre-installed with that module is also newer than Program can recognize, which may steer clear of the entire programming process, forcing the auto to be programmed by ISTA/P.

So what does which means that for the BMW owner? On account of the newer systems, many BMW owners can’t repair the cars themselves. Many aftermarket shops may also be sending the cars to dealerships as a result. However, not all aftermarket shops have fallen behind. You can find a small selection of of BMW specialty shops that stay on top of manufacturer technology, to ensure that no car is turned away! While looking for a place to service your BMW, be sure they can do Every aspect of repair, including Diagnostics and CIP!
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