In case you haven’t heard it before, the term “jailbreak” is a reference to unlocking your iPhone to allow unauthorized apps to run and unleash the full potential of the device. The same can be done to the onboard systems on most newer BMWs now, releasing all the “goodies” that BMW has disabled for various reasons.

Bmw Code Scanner Programmer
Bmw Key Reader Software

This part include some content about BMW INPA software or cable working cases on BMW E60. BMW INPA Reset BMW E60 Airbag Waring Light. How to Reset & Relearn E60 BMW Automatic Transmission with INPA. BMW E60 Coding by INPA and NCS Expert Cable. For more about BMW INPA E60,please check:BMW INPA E60 Coding/Diagnose Guide.
BMW Key Reader NOTE: This Key reader does not come with software to read keys, the application is run via the BMW AOS website and subscription is required directly with BMW to be able to reprogram keys.

BMW Ethernet to OBD-II Cable (BMW ENET Cable) ESYS Software; PSdZDATA Files for ESYS and matching token; DISCLAIMER: Driving Line and its staff are not responsible for any issues that may occur with your car if you attempt to jailbreak your BMW. Please do so at your own risk.

Like your iPhone, this isn't something for the technically challenged, but if you’re tech savvy, this modification's well worth it.

List of Settings You Can Change

Wondering what you can do if you code your BMW? Here’s a short list of options that can be accessed and changed by coding:

Restraints and Airbags

Disable Seatbelt chime
Disable airbags (aftermarket seats)

iDrive and Information Display

Enable Video/DVD – Play Movies/Videos in motion
Turn off Navigation disclaimers

Car Access and Convenience

Enable auto roll down/roll up via keyfob
Enable one touch roll down
Fold mirrors

Lighting

Customize welcome lights
Disable Amber cornering lights
Customize Daytime running lights

Instrument Panel/Cluster

Enable digital Speedometer
Enable HUD options, turn signals etc.
Enable Sports displays

Performance and Misc.

Read and clear error codes
Disable Auto/Start and Stop last known position
Software upgrades

List of Parts You’ll Need to Code

Windows Laptop, or a Windows Emulator if you're using a Mac
BMW Ethernet to OBD-II Cable (BMW ENET Cable)
ESYS Software
PSdZDATA Files for ESYS and matching token

DISCLAIMER: Driving Line and its staff are not responsible for any issues that may occur with your car if you attempt to jailbreak your BMW. Please do so at your own risk.

My test subject was a 2015 BMW i8, with the basic process pretty straightforward:

Plug OBD Cable to vehicle, power laptop on, turn car on to accessory, launch program, enable code changes, upload, turn car off, then turn back on.

Seems easy enough right? As long as you have the correct guide to match your vehicle and know the changes you want to make ahead of time, it actually is.

What I Opted to Change

As a general rule of thumb, you don’t want to make all changes at once. This way, if something goes awry, you’re not struggling to remember the last value changed. Each module within the program breaks up the car into “sections.” For example: all of the navigation changes are in one folder, while the lighting and camera options are in another. We changed all “Navigation” related items first, then saved before moving onto other parts of the car, such as:

Play Movies/Videos
Video in motion - allows for Movies and Video while driving
Camera in motion – allows you to access any cameras at speed (normally only during parking speeds)
Window roll up/down via remote
Customize Menus
Addition of Tire temp to TPS monitor screen
///M logo on startup
HUD Display configuration
Change Navigation voice to British Accent
Disable legal disclaimers

Once your changes have been made, it’s a simple “upload” back to the car's computer (this process can take some time depending upon how much has been changed). Unplug the laptop, start the car up and you’re good to go!

Examples of the Features I added to the i8

MP4 video format with title info:

Weezy MP4 video splitscreen with Weather app:

Fullscreen for MPEG/BluRay(MKV) format:

Addition of tire temperature to TPMS section:

Front camera enabled at speed:

These are only a handful of features available to code. There are tons more changes you can try to modify your BMW to your liking.

Your BMW comes with a $160 key with a computer chip and security code inside to make the car hard to steal. The common thief can’t steal your Bimmer, but in Europe, at least, hacker-thieves apparently have been able to subvert the car’s intrusion alarm in a separate step to break in, then access the car’s OBD (on-board diagnostics) connector, collect unsecured or easily decoded information on the key codes, program a new key, and drive away. If that’s the case, hackers are showing up flaws in car security they way other hackers have done in websites and corporate networks. BMW in the UK issued a vague statement saying smart thieves are a “constant challenge to all car makers.”

Here’s what’s happening, as related by stories coming out of Europe: First, thieves get into the car by decoding and hacking the door lock (more below) or by breaking the window in a way that doesn’t set off the ultrasonic alarm sensor. Then they attach a sophisticated reader to the on-board diagnostics connector. You may have a simple OBD reader yourself, such as CarMD, Innova, or Actron. Repair shops and dealers have multi-thousand-dollar readers. And thieves have single-purpose versions that purportedly can suck out the specific key code for your Bimmer, the one that’s about to become somebody else’s plaything.

Bmw Code Scanner Programmer

How do they get the info? By law, the data accessible by the OBD connector has to be accessible, meaning the automaker can’t encrypt the information, then make the decrypt codes available so the Authorized BMW Center but not Foreign Motor Werkes can quickly figure out that it’s a bad ignition coil on cylinder three. (And also charge you a $100 diagnostics fee in order to sell you a $175 coil that you could find online for $75, but we digress.) Some of the stolen-BMW reports say BMW doesn’t encrypt the car key coding well enough; a less likely scenario (but mentioned by some) is that the law requires all information to be open, and “all” would include the specific code needed to program a blank key. As you can see in the video below, a black box (well, blue) connected to the OBD port that can program a key blank in a few seconds.

If that’s the case, why aren’t other cars being stolen as well? It’s likely they are. There may be more BMW key blanks floating around for whatever reason. BMWs may be targeted because all high-end German cars are in demand by ask-no-questions buyers in eastern Europe. Search the web for info on breaking into BMWs and you’ll see stories as far back as 2004 about electronic frequency scanners that can run through thousands of remote door-unlock codes while the thieves sit in a nearby car or van, as well as $1,000 kits that let you create a BMW key to get in the door once you’ve got it open the first time. That’s the easy-entry part. More recently comes news here alleging a separate hacking tool lets you program the key to start the car and drive away.

Soccer player David Beckham had two BMW X5s stolen when he lived in Madrid in the mid-2000s. One wound up in the hands of the interior minister of the Republic of Macedonia. That was an early use of key-code scanners, via laptop, to unlock the car. At worst, the car could then be towed away.

In the UK, BMW media relations manager Gavin Ward issued this statement:

“The battle against increasingly sophisticated thieves is a constant challenge for all car makers. Desirable, premium-branded cars, like BMW and its competitors, have always been targeted. BMW has been at the forefront of vehicle security for many years and is constantly pushing the boundaries of the latest defence systems. We work closely with the authorities and with other manufacturers to achieve this. We are aware of recent claims that criminal gangs are targeting premium vehicles from a varie

Bmw Key Reader Software