[oldtexasdog]

Originally Posted by WretchedRefuse

That's a great question. As far as I know, the available DME Flash tunes for the 2020+ M550i are BM3, RK Tunes, and Carbahn. If I'm missing any, somebody please let me know.

I run BM3 and I think it's by far the most popular. It's a great option for a daily driven car and pairs well with xHP on the transmission. I've also found their tech support to be helpful and fast. But I don't like that they've never revised any N63 tunes in 2.5 years and I'm certainly not holding my breath for a flex-fuel option any time soon. RK seems to be similar to BM3 performance-wise, although I don't recall any threads on this forum dedicated to RK on the N63. Carbahn also makes a tune, although it's never been clear to me whether their N63T3 tune is any different than their N63T2 tune. But there is another forum where somebody recently posted some impressive numbers with Carbahn and numbers don't lie.

Correct me if I am wrong please
RK you have to send the DME in-they want to unlock, open the case and put in tune.
Carbahn-They want to do the install at one of their dealers (I have one at a BMW dealership in Durham)

Chris at Missionperformance did tell me that they should have their new app based tune out in 2 months.
bm3-stand alone flash

so lets say you have a issue while on a road trip and need to go to a dealership?
RK tune-they say busted?
Carbahn-they say busted or "you need to transport it back to that dealership?
bm3-You relock DME and take it in and see if it fly's through. But at least you have a chance.

[weinerbarn]

The Data Privacy settings don't report that you flashed your DME or how many times. The flash counter is local to the DME. The data sent to BMW is more for notifications, maintenance, 3rd party related stuff. In fact, if you upgrade the software on your own like I've down dozens of times via ISTA, the MyBMW app will still show the last version flashed at a dealer (since FASTA is sent to backend at that time). The presence of a difference is not an automatic flag for warranty either. I had to take our 540i in for warranty work recently (B&W speakers blew) and I had updated it via ISTA from really old I-Drive to latest 07/2023 and they never even mentioned it. They of course had to run codes to diagnose so they plugged it in to ISTA and BMW backend.

That said, I'd probably turn off certain Data Privacy selections anyway just so there's very little risk of getting notified of a RSU and accidentally applying it.

PS - All of my updates were whole vehicle flashing, not just the DME. Continually flashing the DME only which tuners often do will absolutely throw a flag for suspicion of tuning. That's why you want a solution that resets all of the information back to previous state like M-Link Flashback.

[oldtexasdog]

Originally Posted by weinerbarn

The Data Privacy settings don't report that you flashed your DME or how many times. The flash counter is local to the DME. The data sent to BMW is more for notifications, maintenance, 3rd party related stuff. In fact, if you upgrade the software on your own like I've down dozens of times via ISTA, the MyBMW app will still show the last version flashed at a dealer (since FASTA is sent to backend at that time). The presence of a difference is not an automatic flag for warranty either. I had to take our 540i in for warranty work recently (B&W speakers blew) and I had updated it via ISTA from really old I-Drive to latest 07/2023 and they never even mentioned it. They of course had to run codes to diagnose so they plugged it in to ISTA and BMW backend.

That said, I'd probably turn off certain Data Privacy selections anyway just so there's very little risk of getting notified of a RSU and accidentally applying it.

PS - All of my updates were whole vehicle flashing, not just the DME. Continually flashing the DME only which tuners often do will absolutely throw a flag for suspicion of tuning. That's why you want a solution that resets all of the information back to previous state like M-Link Flashback.

Big Thanks I have been wondering about that.

[oldtexasdog]

Well I got my M-Link in the mail. No included instructions so I went to the link they provided. Now I have a big question? The link as far as I could tell is for a 6cyl not a N63 8 cyl with two DME's one on each side. So which plugs do I address on each side doing one side (left or right) at a time and does it make a difference which side I start with?

[weinerbarn]

Originally Posted by oldtexasdog

Well I got my M-Link in the mail. No included instructions so I went to the link they provided. Now I have a big question? The link as far as I could tell is for a 6cyl not a N63 8 cyl with two DME's one on each side. So which plugs do I address on each side doing one side (left or right) at a time and does it make a difference which side I start with?

The DME's are exactly the same on both sides so the procedure will be the same. The only difference is the connectors will likely be flipped front to back. So number 1 plug on driver will be reversed on the passenger side. Just pay attention to the colors of the tape. The connectors only fit into specific slots and the instructions for each DME is the same for B58, N63 or S63. It's the same DME (MG1), so the plugs are the same. I don't think it matters at all which DME you start with as long as both are done.

[oldtexasdog]

Originally Posted by weinerbarn

The DME's are exactly the same on both sides so the procedure will be the same. The only difference is the connectors will likely be flipped front to back. So number 1 plug on driver will be reversed on the passenger side. Just pay attention to the colors of the tape. The connectors only fit into specific slots and the instructions for each DME is the same for B58, N63 or S63. It's the same DME (MG1), so the plugs are the same. I don't think it matters at all which DME you start with as long as both are done.

Being they are both the same on each side do you need in any way to label the backups driver and passenger for when you reload them? Another words is the programing the same also?

[weinerbarn]

Originally Posted by oldtexasdog

Being they are both the same on each side do you need in any way to label the backups driver and passenger for when you reload them? Another words is the programing the same also?

I would append the name with driver or passenger to keep them straight. I suspect there's at minimum logging, adaptation information and certificates specific to each side. I haven't had to restore a backup yet but I wonder if M-Link would even let you since it identifies each DME individually and licenses them accordingly. They are clearly not exactly the same as far as M-Link is concerned. Either way, I'd label them.

[oldtexasdog]

I'll play with it today without hooking it up.

[weinerbarn]

Originally Posted by oldtexasdog

I'll play with it today without hooking it up.

It doesn't let you do much without hooking it to the vehicle.

[oldtexasdog]

So I just found out. At least now I am more comfortable with the process and feel comfortable it has good connection to the w-fi.

[oldtexasdog]

Question-does M-Link copy the codes in the TCU also along with the ECU so the Transmission can be returned to stock lets say if you have done a XHP mod on the tranny along with a BM3??

[WretchedRefuse]

Originally Posted by oldtexasdog

Question-does M-Link copy the codes in the TCU also along with the ECU so the Transmission can be returned to stock lets say if you have done a XHP mod on the tranny along with a BM3??

I don't believe that M-Link has anything to do with the TCU. The xHP app has a feature to revert the TCU back to stock, although I've never tried to use it.