So it appears I will need an ECM in my 06 MCS. The dealer wants $2100 to do the job. I have heard you can put a used ECM in after having it reflashed, I have also heard it isn't possible.
Anyone have experience with this, and who dod you use to get the reflash done?

 

Yes and no.
According the MINI, it is not possible because the VIN is coded into the ECU and cannot be changed with any sort of reflashing. If the VIN stored in the ECU doesn't match the VIN in the EWS module, then the car will not start.
The obvious work around here is to replace both modules that come from the same donor car.
Alternatively, you can find a specialist who will reflash the new ECU to disable the immobilizer, thus allowing the car to be started despite the VIN mismatch. The caveat to all of this is that the instrument cluster might not like the VIN mismatch that it sees.

I'd suggest calling several dealers to get a quote on the ECU alone ( no labor ). Then, find and indy shop that knows BMWs/MINIs and can do the work for you. I know the ECU isn't cheap, but the labor is. $2100 sounds pretty high.

 

I found the ECM and EWS from the same donor car, so I think I am going to go that route. My only concern is changing the EWS and the new one not likng my cars original keys.
I am heading back to the dealer tomorrow to talk to the lead tech and pick his brain.

 

Be sure to record the VIN of the donor car. Keys programmed by MINI I'm guessing are around $300 each. Can you get key from donor car as well? I think the sensor for the door unlock-remote part of the key is in the rear view mirror... but I don't think that part is as difficult to program... Sorry I only left you with more questions and not much for answers- just throwing some thoughts out there.

 

If you get the keys from the donor car...
you can just move the tiny RFID chip.... looks like a grain of rice from the donor keys...this chip is what the cars ews reads....it is passive, and just glued into the key.
The receiver in the rear-view JUST receives key-less entry...from the chip with the battery in the key...a separate system.
I second the ask around.....some bmw's shops can do programming these days.....might not be AS pricey as the first quote.

 

So, I got an ECM, Immobilizer, Key cylinder and Key, Speedo and BCM all from the same car and swapped them into my car. Car starts and seems to run fine. Only thing I noticed is the Xenon headlights will flash after 10 seconds or once I rev the motor. With the car off, key on, the headlights are fine so I know the Xenon controller is working. I am wondering if the Immobilizer isnt liking something

 

You probably need to recode the BCM to recognize the xenon lights. Or, install your old one. There no reason to swap it out for this repair.

 

I was wondering if it was possible that the BCM was the issue with the lights. I only swapped it out because the central locking wasnt working on my car so I got the new BCM while I was getting everything else, and the central locking didnt work after changing the BCM anyway.

 

I changed the BCM back to my original and the headlights are functioning normally again. I do still have a CEL and the DSC and TPMS lights are lit. I am going to scan it tomorrow and see what it says. I also noticed that I now only have temp and speed readouts on the LCD display on my tach, where I had MPG, range to empty, and all the other functions before. That must be from changing the speedo...

 

I am going to dig thru the Bentley manual to see what I can find on the Tach readout

 

Yes, it's from changing the speedo, you need to have it recoded.

 

Hi All,

A quick thread hi-jack

I'm in a similar situation as HawkeyeKris, although mine isn't critical.

I've just bought a 2006 MCS wreck with the view to transplanting what I can into my 2002 MCS.

Ideally I'd like to just transplant the drivetrain (for lower mileage, improved supercharger and LSD).

To do this I think I would need the donor's ECU (ECM) to get the full benifits of the newer drivetrain.

From this thread it appears that the VIN is encoded into that ECU, so this will not match what's programmed into the 2002 MCS (Body Control module (BC1)).

This means I'll need to also transplant the BC1 or have the ECU reprogrammed with the 2002 VIN. Does anyone know whether this can be done by a main dealer or will they have possible theft or vehicle ghosting issues preventing them carrying out such a reprogram?

Any other suggestions?


Cheers,

Dave

 

i wouldnt think you would need do this, superchargers can be easilly replaced, LSD should be fine, since there are aftermarket options, i would imagin the tranny would be fine as well

 

Thanks, but I was hoping to transplant the whole engine/gearbox assembly. Also, I imagine that because the engine is slightly different that there is a newer ECU map for it, hence the perceived requirement to transplant the ECU as well.

 

Also if the VIN on the Dash doesn't match the rest of the modules in the car your going to run into issues when emissions testing comes up. I personally would call Way and have him recode everything to the original VIN. As far as I know he's one of the few whom can do it right.

 

Ended up swapping everything from the 2006 to my 2002; and I mean everything (wiring loom, ecu, bci, dash, lights etc. etc.. It was a big job, but worth it ... it's like a different car to drive; gone is the bad starting issue.