[JimD]

I skipped over the steps in the DIY that wouldn't work and went to NCSExpert last night and successfully coded a few things!!!! I still have not achieved the biggest thing I want to - MikeinAlexandrias top down with the key fob trick. But my other biggie was to get rid of the silly "speed correction". I also added the digital speed indication option to the instrument area (you can toggle between average mpg, instantaneous mpg, miles remaining on this tank, other things I can't remember, and now digital speed). These are all in Kombi (BC_v_korrektur is analog speed correction, BC_digital_v_Korrektur is digital speed "correction" and bc_digital_v is the digital speed indication).

I am finding coding time consuming and a bit frustrating at times but also interesting. It's nice to be able to "fix" things that I think should have been done differently by BMW. What I've accomplished so far doesn't really justify the cable purchase but it is also key to being able to reset for a new battery which will more than justify the cable. And I still have more coding to do before then.

I think nearly anybody can do this but you have to be willing to check and double check everything when it doesn't go right. And you have to be willing to poke around to get information. There isn't anybody putting it all together for you - although the diy is a BIG step in that direction. After you get the car and computer connected, steps 50 to 84 of the diy are a very clear explanation of coding. You need to substitute the area you want to work on for "CAS" in the DIY (like Kombi for the speed stuff above) and the specific things you want to tweak for "BC_DIGITAL_V" in the diy but that is very simple to me. The nice thing is to have a complete step by step for which buttons to push and which commands to give. There are screen shots at several steps which really added confidence for me that I was on the right path.

Jim