Retrofit BMW M3 Instrument Cluster with R270 Ncs Expert

This is a DIY guide that explains how one can retrofit another instrument cluster into their car. In this case, I was upgrading to an M3 cluster in my 128i, but all coding processes apply to retrofitting other 1'er clusters (135i cluster in a 128i, for example).

Important Notes:

I am using Windows 10 Home 64-bit on a Lenovo Legion gaming laptop. Nothing specialized here, computer-wise. A laptop is preferable since you'll need to do some in-car coding.

The donor instrument cluster MUST have fewer miles than your car in order to use this process.

I bought a cluster from a manual M3, and installed it into a manual 128i. Please do not ask how to install in an automatic, because, I have no idea. I'd assume the process is much the same (it's probably exactly the same, since NCS Expert really does all the footwork for you).

All software below is what I used, and had success with. It's reasonable to assume that it'll work for you, too. If it doesn't, google is a wonderful tool that fixes issues for lots of people (myself included).

You should have a basic understanding of NCS Expert and how it works.

Materials for Coding the New-to-You Cluster:
-R270+ Programmer (like this one)
-SOIC8 Testing Clip (like this one)
-Used Instrument Cluster (This process requires that it has less miles than your car; easy for me, with 196k miles when shopping for M3 parts)
-T10 Torx screwdriver (only necessary for M3 clusters)
-Install R270 Programmer Software (this download is clean, I wouldn't recommend using the disc included with the programmer, RUN SETUP.EXE to install)
-Install HxD hex editor (here)
-Mike's Easy BMW Tools (this is what works for me)
-K-DCAN Cable (this one works for me)

Preparing for Coding:

Make sure all the necessary software has been installed, and that the programs launch correctly. Test the BMW tools by launching INPA and verifying that it's connected.

You'll first need to open-up your new instrument cluster. On the M3 clusters, there are four silver T10 screws on the back that you'll need to loosen before attempting to hulk the thing apart. After those screws are out, work your way around the cluster, popping each of the 6 retainers (2 top, 2 bottom, 1 each side) and slowly pull the two halves apart.

Now, you need to pop the gauge needles off. For this, I recommend cutting out a four-inch square piece of paper, and then cutting a ~2mm-wide slot, about 2 inches long, starting mid-way on one of the sides and going to the center of the square of paper. Now, fit this square of paper underneath the needles, and above the gauge dial. The slot is supposed to let you slide the piece of paper underneath both needles (speedo and fuel, or tach and oil temp) and around their pins so that it protects the dial (they scratch easily). To pop the needles off, I recommend a very thin fork that'll fit around the pins. Just work it under the needles, and gently pry upwards. Shoot for the most vertical motion possible, with as little twisting as possible. If you snap the pins that hold the needles, you pretty much have to scrap that cluster. In a pinch, a thin, flat-blade screwdriver works just fine. Set the needles aside in a safe place after you're done playing with them (we all do it).

This is a tricky one to explain, but here it goes: You now need to flip the cluster over to the black plastic side. You will see a rectangular 18-pin connector (it's the only connector, but I'm trying to be detailed). You need to push downwards on that connector (towards the bottom of the cluster assembly) push it out so that the white plastic part pops out a little, then press the opposite direction on the side that didn't pop out, and kinda wiggle the thing apart. The end result will be a large piece of black plastic, and then the white plastic part with the now exposed backside of the circuit board.

Now, separate the white plastic from the circuitry by releasing four little clips (2 on top, 2 on bottom). For 1-series clusters, you will need to also detach the ribbon cable attached to the LCD panel. Simply disconnect it from the long white connector at the bottom of the circuit board. Now, you can clearly see the brains that make your instrument cluster tick, there's far more going on than you'd think, a far cry from old cars (which makes our jobs super easy).

You are now ready to do the first part of coding.

Clearing Old VIN from EEPROM:

Pull out your R270+ and your SOIC8 test clip. Find your EEPROM. It is an 8-pin chip (four on a side). On the M3 cluster, it is just above the left corner of the LCD display (as shown in the huge picture below). The clip I used (link above), has a pink wire denoting Pin 8. If you look at the text on the EEPROM, correct side up, Pin 8 is on the bottom left of the chip.
Ensure everything is plugged-in and connected. Launch the R270 programmer application, select which chip it is (printed on EEPROM). All three clusters I've seen had 080D0WQ chips, but verify yours because they can be different. Hit "Read" ignore the obnoxious beeps from the programmer box, and save the .BIN file to your desktop (you can save it anywhere, really). Now, close the R270 program, and open HxD. Open the .BIN file. Scroll down to the -2E0 line, and highlight all data in that line, and replace it with FF's. Line -2E0 should read "FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF" when done (you could copy that and paste it into HxD, too). Save the .BIN file, close HxD, and open the R270 app again. Load the .BIN file, then verify the selected chip, and hit write. This process will take about a minute, and there will be lots of beeping.

The programmer comes with just the red board. The clip comes with two adapters, I used the black one with the keyed connector for the clip itself and simply inserted it into the pin holes next to the ZIF socket. (Pic attached)



Once finished, you are done with this part of the install. Disconnect the programmer, and, minus the needles and front cover (part with clear plastic), reassemble the cluster. You should ONLY have the back black plastic part, circuit board, and white plastic part put together.

Coding Cluster to Car with NCS Expert:

After you're done being extremely happy that you did a computer thing, go out to your car with your half-cluster and your needles.

I would disconnect the negative battery lead for this part.

Remove your original cluster, there are two torx (T15??) screws at the top of the hood. Remove those, then use a thin flat-blade screwdriver to push the top of the cluster downwards, then pull the cluster out. Undo the connector on the back (there's a latch mechanism, so be aware of that).

Now, connect your new-to-you cluster, and THEN reconnect the battery, if you disconnected it.

Open your computer, turn the ignition on (door closed, engine not running, climate control unit should turn on). Connect your K-DCAN cable and verify communication with INPA. Open NCS Expert, load "Default profile" (Mike's Tools). Hit "VIN/ZCS/FA" then hit "ZCS/FZ f. ECU" and select "E89" for chassis, then "CAS" for module. Give it a second to fill VIN and VO fields. Hit "Back" then hit "Process ECU" select "KOMBI" and hit ok. "Change job" to "SG_CODIEREN" and the "execute job." It will take a couple seconds and there will be beeping and weird noises. Once done, your new cluster is coded to your car's VIN, and will not show any errors for things your car doesn't have.

BMW F-series Kombi Retrofit with R270 and E-sys

Read lots of Kombi retrofit information on the web and found many people in need of it. Here, I will share the guide of how to replace the standard KOMBI in BMW F07/10/11 cars with a used extended 6WA Kombi.

Disclaimer:

YOU ARE AT YOUR OWN RISK !

KOMBI’s with the 160D0WQ chip here!

What you need:

• a used 6WA KOMBI with a mileage LESS then your actual car mileage

(if you install a KOMBI with higher mileage, the CAS module in the car will likely update to this higher mileage, and there’s no possibility to revert !!! )

• R270 BDM Programmer
• SOIC 8 Pin Testclip compatible with the R270
• Working E-Sys 3.22.5 with actual PSDZData (49.4 is OK) for FLASHING
• Working E-Sys 3.18.4 for CODING (if you don’t have a token for 3.22)

• BMW ENET cable (Ethernet to OBD) that works with E-Sys
• A good car charger/power supply (12V/70A is recommended, although I used one with 20A).

Step 1 – Erase the VIN in the used 6WA:

–> Open the KOMBI

1. Remove the 4 Torx-Screws from back cover

2. remove the “Warranty Void Label” (of course, KOMBI warranty will be lost from now on)

3. carefully unclip the 5 securing clips (without breaking them), beginning with the 2 bottom ones

4. remove the front cover (paying attention to the KOMBI Button which will fall off (simply put it back later on)

5. carefully unclip the back cover noses (one on the top, one on each side) an remove back cover

6. very carefully unclip the flat-wire on the right (Flip the connector up by using a flat screwdriver, then slowly remove the wires).

DON’T DAMAGE THE CONNECTOR OR THE WIRES.

7. Separate the secondary board from the main board, simply by squeezing the white securing tips and pulling the secondary board upwards. Watch out not to stress the lower flat wires.

8. unfold the secondary board
9. search the 8 Pin “160D0WQ” Chip on the mainboard (it’s rather tiny)

the top one of the 2 SOIC 8 chips

–> Erase VIN on the 160D0WQ

1. Start the R270 Software (supposing you did install it correctly with all drivers before)

2. On the Main Screen, click on “MCU” and select “160D/35160”. Click “OK”

3. Connect the SOIC Tesclip to the 160D0WQ-Chip.

4. Click “Read” : the EEPROM should be read. If not, check the testclip position and orientation.

5. Save the unmodified BIN and make a backup copy to a safe place
6. Now erase the VIN

(a) Replace (not insert !!!) byte 70 0F (1 pair) with “FF” (long VIN)

(b) Replace all bytes from 80 00 to 80 0F (the whole line) with “FF” (long VIN)

(c) Replace bytes 590 0E and 590 0F (2 pairs) with “FF” (short VIN)

(d) Replace bytes 5A0 00 to 5A0 04 (5 pairs) with “FF” (short VIN)

(e) Save the modified BIN (choose a new filename)

(f) on the main screen, click on “WRITE”. The modified BIN is now written to the EEPROM, and the data will be verified.

(g) Read the EEPROM again and check the modified bytes to be sure everything is ok.

7. Reassemble the KOMBI (be sure the flatwire is correctly fitted).

Step 2 – Bench-check the mileage

Before installing the KOMBI in the car, it’s a good idea to check the mileage outside the car just to be sure the MILEAGE in the 6WA IS LOWER THAN THE ONE IN THE CAR.

1. Locate the large connector on the back of the KOMBI.

2. The pins are labeled with small numbers.

3. Connect a 12V Power Supply so that PINS 1&2 are connected to +12V, pins 7&8 to GND(-). Make sure the pins are well isolated from the neighbour pins!

4. Turn on the Power Supply.

5. Press the KOMBI Button : the stored mileage is shown on the LCD.

Step 3 – Install the 6WA into the car

–> Removing old KOMBI

This is an easy job. Just search YOUTUBE for “BMW Fxx remove cluster”. This is the easiest way to see how it’s done.

Remove the 2 attached connectors : one at the TOP (the HUD connector) and the large one on the back (on both, a tab has to be pressed before actually pulling the connectors).

–>Install the 6WA

This is just the reverse of the removal procedure.

Step 4 – Flash

This is the most critical part! Be careful that you follow all the steps correctly. Again, I will not be responsible for any faults that could occur to the car or anything else !!! Use the instructions at your own risk!

1. Hook up your car charger. A suitable car charger is very important.

Any power loss or low-voltage that could occur during flashing might corrupt your car software! Also, use a fast computer

(I used an i5 3,6GHz / 16GB Ram iMac which worked fine).

2. Connect E-Sys 3.22.5 to the car (when you used E-Sys 3.18 so far, uninstall it, then install 3.22.5. Later on, you can uninstall 3.22.5 again and reinstall 3.18.4)

3. Before you begin, in E-Sys, go to the Menu “Options” / “Settings…” and make sure “Update VCM after TAL execution” is CHECKED.

(This will write the new FA to the car after flashing. If you don’t want this, UNcheck “Update VCM after TAL execution” )

4. go to “COMFORT MODE” / “TAL-Calculating”
5. click Vehicle Order “Read”.
6. click Vehicle Order “Save” Choose “newFA” as filename.
7. click Vehicle Order “Edit”.
8. Expand the “FA” Folder, then “FZAuftrag”, then “TYPE”
9. If “Zeitkriterium” of your car is anything below “0311”, change “Zeitkriterium” to “0311” (since 6WA was available only from March 2011 on”.

10. Click on “SALAPA-Element”
11. add “6WA” to the “SALAPA-Element List” and the PRESS

CTRL-ENTER (or click the icon in the list header).

12. click on the SAVE Icon (the Disk) in the Top-Toolbar.

13. click the “BACK” arrow in the Top-Toolbar (Select “YES” when prompted to reload Vehicle Order) to get back to the “COMFORT MODE/TAL Calculating” screen.

14. Check if 0311 and 6WA were successfully changed in the FA-List.
15. Right-Click on “FA” and select “Activate FA”.
16. In the “SVT Actual” section, click on “Read SVT”.
17. In the “SVT Actual” section, click on “Save”. Choose “SVT_IST” as filename.

18. In the “KIS/SVT Target” section, click on “Load” and load the just saved “SVT_IST” file.

19. In the “Calculation Strategy” (still in “KIS/SVT Target”) section, choose “Complete Flash”

20. In the “KIS/SVT Target” section, select “I-Step (ship.)” : choose an I-Level matching the one from the 6WA (if you don’t know it, choose an older I-Level)

21. In the “KIS/SVT Target” section, select the latest I-Level on “I-Step (target)”.

22. In the “KIS/SVT Target” section, click on “Calculate”
23. In the “KIS/SVT Target” section, click on “Save”. Choose “SVT_SOLL” as filename.

24. In the “TAL” Section, click on “Calculation”.
25. In the “TAL” Section, click on “Save”. Choose “newTAL” as filename.

26. Go to “Expert Mode” / “TAL Processing” (pic.14)
27. Click on the “…” button near the TAL-Line and select your “newTAL” file.

28. Click on the “…” button near the SVT-Line and select your “SVT_SOLL” file.

29. Click on the “…” button near the FA-Line and select your “newFA” file.

30. Click on “Read VIN”
31. Now UNCHECK all the “ALL” checkboxes. (This is very important…not doing this will flash other ECU’s beside KOMBI as well.) Now, no checkbox at all should be ticked,

32. Make checkboxes in the KOMBI-Line : “blFlash” / “swDeploy”/ “cdDeploy” / “ibaDeploy” (only those 4 and only the ones for KOMBI)

33. Click on “Check Software availability”
34. Now be sure again that E-Sys is well connected (e.g. that the connection has not been lost) and that the car charger is working, since the next step will begin the FLASHING PROCEDURE.

35. Click on “Start”. Flashing should begin. During this, don’t be afraid of certain noises or strange behavior of the car that will occur . The process will take about 13 Minutes. Just before the end, the fuel pump will run at high speed… don’t be afraid, this is OK! Don’t touch your computer and the car during the flash process !!!.

Step 5 – Date & Time setting, KOMBI fully works

After the flash procedure, the KOMBI should reset and come back with no errors.

Now set the DATE and the TIME in your i-Drive Menu (else the Service-Interval will not work).

You might now reinstall E-Sys 3.18.4 to code your preferences to the 6WA (if you wish).

That’s it ! The KOMBI should now show your old mileage and should fully work.

Step 6 – Write FA to the car (optional)

The FA is automatically written to the car when “Update VCM after TAL execution” was ENABLED in step 3. If not,

you can still write the new FA (or, for whatever reason, write back your original FA) following these steps:

1. in E-Sys, go to “Expert Mode” / “VCM”
2. Click on “…” in the “File”-Tab and load the FA you want to write to the car.

3. In the FA-Editor, right-click on “FA” an choose “calculate FP”
4. Click on the “VCM Master”-Tab (still in Expert Mode/VCM)
5. Click on “Write FA FP”

(Special thanks to Shawnsheridan and Hamfei)

http://blog.obdii365.com/2016/06/01/r270-esys-3225-bmw-fxx-6wa-kombi-retrofit/