[krzysiek280]

Hello everyone!

I'm currently working on converting my 2018 G30 530ix from US to European specifications. I decided to create this new thread to compile all the information in one place, as I've found various instructions scattered across multiple threads. I’ll keep this updated as I gather more information. This way, it will be a win-win: I’ll complete my conversion, and everyone will have a comprehensive guide. If I come across any posts that answer my questions, I’ll link them here to avoid duplication.

What I Need to Do:

1. Turn Off Side Markers

Link to Instructions - I’ve checked this, and it seems to work.

2. Change Red Turn Signals to Orange

I considered buying LCI taillights, but I found out that the process can be complicated (pre-LCI US to LCI ECE has too many differences). After comparing prices, it turns out it would be cheaper to pay someone to change the LEDs inside the lights rather than buying used ones. They can also handle the changes needed for point 3.

3. Rear Fog Light Activation/Installation

Link to Instructions

Replacing the Headlight Switch

4. Headlights

I spoke with the company that will change the LEDs in the taillights, and they mentioned that this could be problematic. The lens shields may need to be changed (in the US, the light beam is symmetric, while in Europe, it is asymmetric). However, they said it might not always be doable. We’ll see how it goes.

5. Coding

I’m currently working on this. I found information on another forum indicating that I need to change the Typekey to ECE (engine and drive type, FLM modules - done in point 1.). Removing codes 645 and 655 should help with changing the radio region as well. This point is still quite general; I need more details here.

6. Language, Maps, Apple CarPlay

If I complete step 5, do I need to flash the head unit (Evo 5)? Will I then need to pay someone for codes for maps and CarPlay? What about online services? There are so many questions...

I’ll update this post as I progress, but I would appreciate your help!

Thank you!

[Proceder]

Have u done this conversion (coding) ? I have to do this too

[krzysiek280]

Originally Posted by Proceder

Have u done this conversion (coding) ? I have to do this too

Yeah, I’ve converted my car. Unfortunately, as you can see, nobody helped me with the coding here. After reading a lot of threads, it turned out to be pretty easy, but it took me a lot of time to understand everything. So… I replaced the headlight switch. The taillights had red turn signals, so I took them to a company that replaced the red LEDs with orange ones. Then, it was time for coding. As far as I remember, I removed these SA codes: 645, 655, 853, and added 8A1, then saved the VO.

After that, I temporarily changed the type key from JA73 to JA71 and VO-coded everything, except for ACSM5 and… (I don’t remember which ECUs I skipped, but I coded almost everything). I checked the differences between the old and new CAFD files to ensure I wasn’t coding anything that shouldn't be, but as far as I remember, everything was safe.

The only problematic ECU was HU_NBT2, because it changes the COUNTRY and NAVI_VARIANTE to ECE. I would skip these two values. In my case, they were changed during the activation of CarPlay/maps, which was done remotely by Gerry (BMW Nav Codes: bmwnavcodes@gmail.com).

I hope I haven’t forgotten anything. Please note that this was my personal method based on the knowledge I gained from forums Maybe there’s a better way to do this.

Regarding software:

At first, I was using BimmerUtility because it has a nice feature where, after adding/removing SA codes, it automatically recognizes which modules need updating. But in the end, the software turned out to be unreliable because it would often crash, causing things like the CAFD file to disappear, and the software couldn’t fix it. So, I had to switch to E-Sys.

Additionally, the creator of BimmerUtility promised updates but never could reproduce the errors and didn’t ask for more details. In my opinion, he was lying, and in the end, he stopped responding altogether. So, I wouldn’t recommend using this software. I ended up wasting a lot of time fixing the issues that it caused.

[mindfak93]

Hey krzysiek280!
How did you deal with the ConnectDrive services and time that keep changing to US after closing the car?
Also working on PreLCI and more questions than answers on any forum