Look here: questions and answers of BMW diagnostic/coding/programming by ICOM emulators
- Is it safe to update software with ISTA on all BMW’s that come through my shop ? What problems can I run into ? (assuming i have a good power supply for car and laptop)
– Depends on many factors, but as long as you use an ICOM and a good power supply, you should be OK diagobd2.de is a good site that’s reliable
- Can updates on comfort mode, brick an ECU (or more) ?
– As long as you stick to the proposed measures plan in Comfort Mode and your setup (laptop, software etc.) is solid, there shouldn’t be any opportunity to brick an ECU.
- If updates are safe, on what series can i do them ? F, G for sure..can i do E ?
F, G and I series and for Motorrad models with vehicle electrical system 2020 (BN2020). E Series programming is not supported in ISTA+, use ISTA/P or WinKFP for individual modules.
- Updates for Navi maps, can I do them in ISTA also ? Again, is it safe ? Do you recommend E-Sys more for this job ?
– I have not attempted this with ISTA+, but would assume process is similar to ISTA/P. I’d stick with ESYS strictly for ease of use.
- What aftermarket power supply do you recommend for programming, coding(to use with car) ? From what i read, for E-series without Efficient Dynamics must be around 40A, and must not go over 14.2v, while for E-series/F-series with Efficient Dynamics must be around 80A, and must not go over 14.8v. Is this correct ? If so, is there a power supply that can fit both situations ? I did some research about this, but i think it is an important issue and must be correctly addressed, so I would trust more an answer from you guys. Is Mean Well SE-1000-15 ok for both situations ?
– Schumacher 700A should fit all requirements. While there are many recommendations, unless you’re 100% comfortable modifying a Power Supply to use with the cars, I wouldn’t do it. If you do, Google”Server Power Supply Conversion” and you’ll get a lot of information.
- I have an ICOM A2+B+C with ISTA. I understand that E-Sys is more complex than ISTA, regarding coding and programming for F-Series, as NCSExpert and WINkfp are for E-Series. You can do codingin ISTA also right ? for all series ? Or ISTA does less ?
– You need to differentiate between coding and “encoding”. ISTA+ will do “encoding” depending on the programming required. That is not the same as coding (features). I don’t think I’d say ESYS is more complicated than ISTA+, each are different in the way they approach coding/programming.