Adapter recommendations?

Nyxeris said:

Someone posted about a similar issue within the last few days and it turned out their adapter was sitting ever-so-slightly proud of being fully seated in the OBD port, so it was getting power but not data. They had to give it a wiggle to get over whatever it was hung up on, then it suddenly came to life.

Just in case, with the Veepeak (and other BLE-based adapters) you don't need to pair the adapter to the phone or anything like that; you just need to give Bimmercode the permission to access bluetooth/local networks, and it will do the rest for you.

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Yes, I think I saw that. I finally got it connected and then committed to purchasing BimmerLink. First off, and for awareness of anyone else looking at buying the app, I think the Apple Store hosted version may not be the latest. When I fired it up it immediately demanded an update, which went fine.

As for the connection issue I came across some recommendations along the lines of, reboot mobile device and switch airplane mode on. Also, with the ignition off, a little cautious wiggling of adapter. Why don't they feel more positive in connection? A click would be nice, as it seems the connection is actually quite shallow, but at no point did I plug in and not get a blue LED. So that sounds similar to the experience you mention, power, but not full connection.

Now I'm looking at exported codes. And I suspect I have some learning to do here, and any guidance would be appreciated. The Permanent Errors were all green and I'm thinking that's the main indication of overall health. I do have entries in Error Memory and Info Memory, but right now I don't know if they are current or legacy entries that weren't cleared. I'm pretty sure I've read of dealers overlooking resets but that's a guess. Where I could drill deeper into the entry, there are a couple which do state "Error not present currently but stored". Unless I missed a setting perhaps, I can't see any date info that ties to the event though. Indeed I don't know if entries can potentially be volatile, showing and clearing by themselves perhaps.

I did find a decoder site Codes and wonder if some relate to the early problem I had with the reversing camera/security kit (all sorted), and also I know that the battery wasn't in great shape (now replaced) - and do suspect that the complexity of the systems may make them quite sensitive to issues there. I think I've also seen an entry which may relate to me being a dumbass and forgetting to disable the 2nd layer of immobilisation, which it interpreted as a fault between engine and starter.

As it happens my car is going in next week so I'll be asking about the codes then, but if anyone can offer some insight as to the 3 code groups (and associated worry level!) and how they work in terms of being cleared/reappearing that'd be cool. I suspect some are "info only" but I'd like to understand better. BTW I have no warnings on dash, nor iDrive notifications.

So right now it looks like an OK bit of kit, bar the flakey connectivity.

Nyxeris said:

Based on my understanding...

Permanent Errors – something important is wrong, and needs attention; solve it.
Error Memory – something important was wrong, but isn't anymore; monitor it.
Info Memory – something happened, might be an error, might just be diagnostic information; don't worry about it.

Permanent errors are errors where the criteria have been met multiple times, so the error will now be present and any response (warning light, limp mode etc.) active until the code is manually cleared. They can still be cleared and will disappear, but if the cause is still there, they'll just come right back as soon as you start the car.

Edit: Because this is the first time you've read them, I'd clear everything then go for a drive before reading again. Could be all sorts of nonsense in there!

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Cheers man, yeah this was somewhat my assumption, with focus on Permanent as something that‘s properly bust, and others may be seen as info/advisory/legacy to some extent. I do wish things were date stamped. That said, learning from solid experience shared by others is very much appreciated. Permanents are all green so that’s something I guess, and I’ve had no shouty alerts from iDrive too.

As I say, mine‘s in next week for a geo/health check thanks to some encounters with road issues. I constantly scan ahead but bloody hell things aren’t good out there. I may be overthinking, which is something I do, but I’d rather have things looked at rather than risk something like a blowout.

Fate has already intervened mind, as I noticed yesterday that my N/S rear indicator seems to have gone intermittent, and I think that ties with one of the codes I’ve seen….but shouldn’t that prompt a dash/iDrive warning? (Noting it’s not fully failed and a pat on the arse sorts it)

I also suspect some may be legacy, and haven’t been cleared previously, but now that indicator has wobbled I’m gonna resist clearing codes so the techs can see it all.

On that point with BimmerLink/BimmerCode, does anyone know of a defacto user guide, as I can’t see where to clear codes…is there perhaps an upgrade to BimmerCode that enables that?

Lots of questions I know, but I still count myself as an M2 noob, and I want to do the right things for my car.

Despite all that, I’m still loving it, and the better conditions are bringing out the hooligan in me, damn it pulls like a train! (Caveat, fully warmed, conditions and situation good!)