hey guys,

i have a scheduled service next week on my mini and i asked them if i could mayb get some kind of software upgrade in order to have a digital speedometer readout on the tachometer... (new on '04s). The service guy said that he has never heard of digital readout and that he thought i was talking about an average speed. i told him no, i was talkin about a digital readout, but he still didnt know wat i was talking about...

does anyone on this site no if it is possbile to get the '04 digital readout on an '03 model?? and if so, how do i go about doing this??

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Team MightyMiniz

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anyone have info on this?? please!!

I've seen numerous threads on this and havent heard of an update for any previous model years.

>>anyone have info on this?? please!!

I bought my '03 MCS from Ralph Schomp in Denver about two months ago. At that time I was told by my salesperson that they would retrofit the digital speedometer readout whenever they received the software upgrade. Hopefully this will still be the case. I will call them and find out.

>>>>anyone have info on this?? please!!
>>
>>I bought my '03 MCS from Ralph Schomp in Denver about two months ago. At that time I was told by my salesperson that they would retrofit the digital speedometer readout whenever they received the software upgrade. Hopefully this will still be the case. I will call them and find out.
>>

thanks for your help!

anyone else have any updates on this??

You need to make sure that your current LCD tach display is able to support the speed readout prompt. If it doesn't then you need to purchase a '04 Tach with a LCD display that can support the speed readout.

>>You need to make sure that your current LCD tach display is able to support the speed readout prompt. If it doesn't then you need to purchase a '04 Tach with a LCD display that can support the speed readout.


how would i know if my current LCD tach display is able to support it, i have an '03

First of all, call your dealer and find out if the part number for the tach has changed from the '03 to the '04. If it has, have the dealer find out if the difference is related to the added prompts that the LCD can display, such as the Speed readout. If the part number is the same, you can assume that your '03 Tach may be able to support the '04 added LCD prompts.

Your dealer should be able to research this info for you and also whether you need to have the ECU re-programmed to enable the LCD speed readout, etc.

the dealer still thinks im talkin about the average MPH, lol, i dont know what to do!

has anyone got this done? anymore info?!

I wish those of us with the NAV could get anything in our tachs.

why are sooo many dealers such *******es about there own products?

you can always buy an 04' tach

I wrote MINI about this last summer and the reply I got said that no, earlier tachs could not be upgraded to show speed like an '04 can. However, my Cooper is a 2002 model and you probably should write MINI specifying that you have an '03.

I just ordered my MC last week and when couple of days ago i called the service to ask some question the guy told me that on all 04 models there's gonna be a digital speedometer display on tach.
thought I could let u know

Since there is a useless, (to me at least), avg. speed readout on the 03 tach, apparently it's getting a speed input. Sure seems like the ability to read real time speed should be there. Just a manner of programming?

Maybe we should check back with the dealers every now and then. They might learn something. :smile:

I'm a little confused as to why this is an issue. I mean--I can see that having a digital might be cool on the track to be able to say very precisely what speed you hit or something like that, but is this that age-old concern about the center-mounted speedo being difficult to read? I would think that looking down beneath/behind the steering wheel for a speed readout would be more difficult than quick peripheral glances.

On the other hand...I would love to have a massive digital readout in my NAV display. You know, like giant numbers that would fill up the whole display with my speed and/or other pertinent information. And while I'm still dreaming, I would really like to have a freaking TEMPERATURE READOUT, since I didn't realize that getting the NAV would take away my basic rights to know how hot my engine is!!!

But I digress... :razz: :wink:

>>I'm a little confused as to why this is an issue. I mean--I can see that having a digital might be cool on the track to be able to say very precisely what speed you hit or something like that, but is this that age-old concern about the center-mounted speedo being difficult to read? I would think that looking down beneath/behind the steering wheel for a speed readout would be more difficult than quick peripheral glances.
>>
>>On the other hand...I would love to have a massive digital readout in my NAV display. You know, like giant numbers that would fill up the whole display with my speed and/or other pertinent information. And while I'm still dreaming, I would really like to have a freaking TEMPERATURE READOUT, since I didn't realize that getting the NAV would take away my basic rights to know how hot my engine is!!!
>>
>>But I digress... :razz: :grin:

R.E.

TELL me about it! I'm just mad that I wasn't told about it when I ordered it. I probably would have gotten it anyway, but it seems silly not to have a temperature gauge on a modern car. It's just such a standard gauge nowadays. Obviously there is still info running into the ECU about it, since there is a dummy light availabe (which I'm betting comes on at roughly the same time the engine actually bursts into flame!), so why can't I just get a little digi readout somewhere?

...but now I'm hijacking again...

BAD Chitown...BAD!

Chitown,
Don't feel quite so bad ... the temperature display on non-NAV MINIs is really not much more useful than your light, since the software locks it dead center as soon as the car has warmed up, unless it overheats, then the needle will jump to the red zone!

>>Chitown,
>>Don't feel quite so bad ... the temperature display on non-NAV MINIs is really not much more useful than your light, since the software locks it dead center as soon as the car has warmed up, unless it overheats, then the needle will jump to the red zone!
>>

You mean my analog temperture gauge is really more digital? How did you find this out?

R.E.

>>
>>You mean my analog temperture gauge is really more digital? How did you find this out?
>>
>>R.E.
>>
That's just the way BMW coolant temp gauges are. Even my 1994 325i gauge acts like the way Ian described. This is again thanks to the average American consumer. In order to avoid questions like "how come my temp gauge needle moves around and doesn't stay in center", BMW simply makes the needle point straight in the middle if the temp is within a certain range. If the Temp goes above that range, then the needle moves smoothly but quickly to red. It is really no different than an idiot light.

To give you an idea of just how wide that temperature range is when the needle stays in the center, I ran the diagnostics program in my car while I was driving. Once the engine was warmed up (i.e. the needle in the center of the gauge) I saw a temperature range of 160 - 220 degrees celcius and the needle didn't budge.

>>It's an issue because 04's have it and 02's and 3's don't. We want it to. I think 04's also have an instantaneous MPG. I want that too, can't wait to coast down a hill and see 200 MPG. Has little to do with needing either one.......on the other hand, you really NEED to have a temperature readout. Knowing your engine temperature is probably more important than knowing your exact location......
>>
>> :cool:

lol, they still HAVE NO IDEA what im talking about!

I'm not sure if the older tachs have the led display designed to show the current (constant) speed. If not, it would require an 04 tach. It may require some other components also to collect the data and send it to the computer which in turn hopefully could be programmed to send the needed info to the newer tachs.
In other words, it may require more than just an 04 tach and software upgrade to get the job done.

AFA the idiot temp guage, my truck (Ford) has the idiot guage for an oil pressure readout. It acts in the same manner as the one you described. The difference between my OPG on the truck and my temp guage on my Mini is the truck is an instant "up the dial", while my Mini temp guage will slowly crawl up the readout until it rests at it's usual position. I would think the temp guage on the Mini is a "true" guage, and not an "idiot" gauge.

However, I could be wrong about all of this.

>>AFA the idiot temp guage, my truck (Ford) has the idiot guage for an oil pressure readout. It acts in the same manner as the one you described. The difference between my OPG on the truck and my temp guage on my Mini is the truck is an instant "up the dial", while my Mini temp guage will slowly crawl up the readout until it rests at it's usual position. I would think the temp guage on the Mini is a "true" guage, and not an "idiot" gauge.

I have never actually seen my BMW's temp gauge fluctuate as the car is warming up. I do know that it is designed to move smoothly toward redline once a pre-set limit is reached. Therefore it does not surprise me if it is designed to act the same way on the low end. My guess is that on the low side it acts somewhat like a "true" gauge, with fluctuation taken out to avoid questions from American consumers.

Anyone know for sure!?