Hey All
Just got back from my "Friendly" local Mini dealer and I got to talking about Dme Ecu software Flashes due to me having the infamous stumbling problems etc
My SA informed me that the Dme in the Mini is limited to 11 reflashes before its toast!
As far as I am aware the Chip in a Mini is an EEPROM so why would it be limited when it comes to numbers of software uploads?
Has anyone ever heard of this?? Furthermore he claim sthe stumbling issues are caused by poor gas quality??
I would be interested to know other peoples experiences please

 

What region of the country are you in, the stumbling could be a result of high octane cold weather. Never heard about the reflash limit, but then again I've never really asked, something to talk about with the SA next time I'm in though.

 

Atlanta Ga Not exactly cold

 

After 11 flashes, when it becomes toast, what exactly happens? Does it no longer accept flashes or does it fail. I don't buy it, we flash bios all day, never have seen or heard that. The only way that is in there is if Mini built into the basic architecture something that counted to limit mods. Eproms do not wear out! Michael

 

I've heard that it's limited, too. I am under the impression that it just won't allow you to write to it anymore....

 

It's 14 flashes I believe(I did mine few days ago and the diagnostic machine said I had 13 flashes left). The eeprom isn't hardware limited but rather BMW limits the amount of reflashes because the information eeprom holds degrades everytime a flash is performed, so you get more errors with every reflash. 14 is the amount BMW found to be acceptable before the number of errors became unacceptable.

Same with BMWs with their CIP/Program programming. But it's limited to a much higher #. And after you use up all your 14 reflashes (no one will need that many) you need a new DME if you want more reflashes.

Anyways I had a rolling idle problem that was intermittent and didn't go away until I rev the motor a bit. I updated the DME software and now the motor STARTS to do the same thing but corrects itself quickly, so I can say that my problem's been fixed. Also the engine accelerates alot smoother now. Mine had a software from 03/04 and updated with the latest version (v44).

EDIT: Your DME is still usable after 14 reflashes, just won't be able to reflash anymore.

 

This is purely a software limited number. The MTH ECU mod software does not increment the counter, and thus the number of re-flashes is "unlimited".

Since you can easily reload the ECU code back to stock using the MTH software, they really have no way to determine whether you have done so, and if the EEPROM were to crap out, they would have to replace it under warrantee (one hopes).

 

Can someone confirm this??

 

Confirm that MTH lets you reflash an unlimited # of times or confirm that DME can be reflashed on a limited # of times? The first I really have no idea, but it could very well be true as the DME reflash limitation is software not hardware. And the software limitation is put on when using the BMW diagnostic tool. Unless the DME recognizes all flashes somehow and counts itself down.

The 2nd is definitely true though.

 

Can someone please explain this? How does high octane fuel and cold weather affect the stumble?

Thanks.

 

It beats me, but my stock '02 MCS had the "cold start" and "stumble" that seemed to clear up when I put a tank of mid-grade gas thru it. Then I'd go back to 91 or 93 and uit would be OK for awhile.

This was on recommendation from the Dealers Service Dept.

So far on my '06 MCS there have been no issues.

 

Without looking at the eprom, it would make better sence to just replace it. A complete DME is expensive, an eprom is not. 14 flashes is, most likely, more than most people will ever need, however there are programers that are used, like superchips ( not for BMW ), where users have programed eproms 100s of times without issues. Makes you wonder... Yes?

 

How many times can we do the MTH flash?

 

The number of MTH flashes should be unlimited. The Cartune software used to load the MTH bypasses the DME counter that keeps track of the reflashes.

 

The whole reason this topic came up at my dealer was that I complained about the stumble on my car and asked what version of software they were using now. I was told V42.2, But that they dont automatically upload latest versions of Dme software due to the limitations on the number of times the Dme can accept uploads
By the by, the dealer claimed stumble was caused by the Crappy 93 Octane fuel we have in Atlanta? Heard of this??

 

Fuh.. glad to know that. Thanks mate!

 

Crappy fuel can cause this. Crappy fuel as in too much alcohol content or other "fillers". I'd try asking them to just go ahead and load the software for your own peace of mind instead of not doing anything about it. V44 is the latest version btw.

 

I live in Atlanta.

My car has been modified for three years - over 77,000 miles.

These mods would cause severe trouble if the 93 octane were poor.

Assuming you're not filling with some off-brand, the Global SA is either lying or sadly ignorant.

No excuse either way. Frankly speaking, spreading this kind of unfounded info should be grounds for termination.

I've heard others say that a Global SA is blaming it on the fuel. Is the SA in question either Thomas or Eric?

Also, if you search you'll find that not all cars suffer from the stumble.

For instance, mine didn't.

In general, the best 93 in Atlanta can be found at either QT, Shell, Amoco/BP, or Chevron. All 4 brands meet top tier requirements.

I've aso seen posts that the SA said Shell 93 was particulary poor. Not at all my experience here in Atlanta.

In fact, when I take the car to a track day, a nearby Shell station even sells 100 octane! Hardly the tactics of a third world low price product.