[Moontan]

The only disappointment I've had with this car was the lack of Cruise Control (CC). It came with a pretty useless LIM button instead. The cost initially was prohibitively expensive to have this multifunction steering (MF) switch bought, installed and then coded by any BMW dealer.

Over time, this MF switch became available on the internet market places but I was having trouble locating one that had CC as well as LIM. All I found had SET instead of LIM. As the 328i came with LIM from factory, I wanted to retain that function without coding another button to mimic it. This April I found one on eBay Europe and bought it for Rs. 8K and change, including shipping. Shipping was impossible due to the pandemic and the shipper was able to ship it to me only in October. He kept asking me to allow him to refund the money as he had no idea when shipping would resume, but I requested him to hang tight and ship whenever he could. He's got so many parts for all German cars, he's become a good, reliable supplier to me. When shipped, the part got to Bangalore in 4 days.

Then began the hunt for coders with cable, e-Sys and technical know how. That awesome dude at 'Blackworks' in Bangalore came to the rescue. When I contacted him, all Venkat said was bring the car down and let's have a go at it. He'd never used e-Sys for coding or coded before but, hey, what could go wrong? . Venkat is one hell of a good person to know and as a bonus, he's also very good at what he does.

I'm going to describe what needs to be done incase another F30 owner decides to go down this path. All I can say is that the hardest part was removing the airbag.

Different steering wheels, require different switches. The attached PDF will show you which one suits your wheel.

MF switch for my wheel: 61319316954 (With LIM)

So what started as this:



Ended as this:



Coding was done with e-Sys and we used INSTA+ to flush out all errors post coding and bring all ECUs back to Green. The guide for retrofitting and coding is:-

DIY Cruise Control F30 F20.pdf

As both of us had never coded before or understood head or tail of coding, YouTube and Google were our best friends and, surprisingly, were all we needed. The most puzzling bit for us to figure out was how to add option 544 to the SALAPA element. We did not even know where the SALAPA element is or what it was. Google gave us this guide:-

How to VO Code 544 to enable Cruise Control in your BMW

Once you have your Cruise Control switch physically installed, you will need to enable your Cruise Control feature in your car through "VO coding". Note that the procedure is also applicable to enable "Enhanced Bluetooth" feature or other VO code procedure. The modules that are required to be coded will be different though. For example, "Enhanced Bluetooth" will require HU_ENTRYNAV module only.

In order to avoid any VCM update errors (this does not affect your coding), go to the top of ESYS and click Options > Settings > Options tab. UNCHECK both check boxes -> "Update VCM after TAL execution" and "Update MSM after TAL execution."

1) Start your E-Sys, Click "Read" button and then "Active FA":



2) Go to "SALAPA-Element" and right click and select "Edit":



3) Add the value "544," into the SALAPA-Element and click the save button on the right as highlighted.



4) Click the "save" button to save the file into a XML file with your desired file name.



5) Go to "VCM" section and load the same XML file that you had saved.



6) Right click "calculate FP" and you will see the Vehicle Profile generated.



7) Click the "Write FA FP" button once you are satisfied with your settings which will writes into your ECU memory.



Once we completed these steps and added option 544, we went back to the attached PDF and completed the coding of the FEM, ICM and KOMBI ECUs exactly as shown in the PDF. We used Bimmercode to code in the LIM function also as described in the PDF. It was awesome fun. As neither of us had ever coded or studied the first thing about coding, we killed a few ECUs initially, the car threw drive malfunction errors and all sorts of fun stuff. But we never let that bother us, started googling and going through the various guides, till we had CC with LIM up and running.

Remember to use ISTA+ to erase all stored faults. Repeat the erasing process till all the ECUs are 'Green' and error free. It does not clear all faults in the first run.

Truth be told, coding with eSys was very easy and fun, once we got the hang of it.

A huge SHOUTOUT to Venkat of Blackworks Engineering for just being so nice. It really was so much fun with no panic at all even when we were experimenting and trying to see how e-Sys works and the car was throwing all sorts of errors to let us know we were making mistakes..

If you follow this guide, you will have CC with LIM functioning perfectly after just 10 mins of coding and error flushing. It's that easy and this from one who had never seen e-Sys on a system before.

Oh! Do save a copy of your settings before you start any coding with e-SYS. That way you can always revert back if you need to.

Good luck!

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Moontan

7) Click the "Write FA FP" button once you are satisfied with your settings which will writes into your ECU memory.

we killed a few ECUs initially, the car threw drive malfunction errors and all sorts of fun stuff. But we never let that bother us, started googling and going through the various guides, till we had CC with LIM up and running.

I wouldn't recommend you write your changed FA file into the module memory. There is no need to change that, and if this is done, if you ever need to update your software at BMW or with ISTA, it will not be possible till you revert it back to the stock FA.

Also don't have too much fun with esys, while you managed to recover the module this time, sometimes you can permanently brick a module.

[Moontan]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

I wouldn't recommend you write your changed FA file into the module memory. There is no need to change that, and if this is done, if you ever need to update your software at BMW or with ISTA, it will not be possible till you revert it back to the stock FA.

Yes, we were aware that the VO (FA) will not be the same as what came from the factory. We will use Rheingold to change the 'dcc sport' value to 'dcc sport sld' in the LIN_VARIANTE_MFL line of the FEM block. Once done and all errors are erased in Rheingold, any scan by BMW will tell them that the CC MF switch came with the car from factory. There's no need to revert to stock in order to update the car's software.

We also did not 'kill' any modules. What we saw were modules in Red (not communicating) and some in amber (with stored error codes). This is quite normal as when coding these modules stop talking to each other and the car will throw TPMS, Date/Time, Drive Malfunction and one more error code I don't remember. The Date/Time error is because of disconnecting the battery when removing the airbag. You need to reset the time. All part of the process. Clearing these errors a couple of times in ISTA+ clears them, turning all modules green.

You can't really kill any modules and if you really mess up, you can revert very easily by using the initial config file you should have saved before starting any coding with e-Sys. Saving your configuration before coding is best practise and should always be done.

It's actually quite easy. Nothing to be intimidated by.

[Kelly66]

Originally Posted by Moontan

Over time, this MF switch became available on the internet market places but I was having trouble locating one that had CC as well as LIM. All I found had SET instead of LIM. As the 328i came with LIM from factory, I wanted to retain that function without coding another button to mimic it. This April I found one on eBay Europe and bought it for Rs. 8K and change, including shipping.

Great job, Moontan!

I have been wanting a such a solution but thought I will have to change the entire steering wheel for this.

Can you share the link for the ebay supplier?

I hope the process would be similiar for a 320d F30 LCI.

Thanks!

[Moontan]

Originally Posted by Kelly66

Can you share the link for the ebay supplier?

I hope the process would be similiar for a 320d F30 LCI.

The name of the seller is 'amador143'. He's got loads of parts and upgrades for the F30.

The process described is exactly the same for a F30 320d.

[Kelly66]

Originally Posted by Moontan

The name of the seller is 'amador143'. He's got loads of parts and upgrades for the F30.

The process described is exactly the same for a F30 320d.

Hi,

Can you let me know if this is the one you bought: https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-F30-F31...AAAOSwGIlfDX6s

Else please share the link so that I can reach out to the seller. Hope I can refer your name.

I also wanted to reach out to you for the local bmw service centre where you got your car serviced.

Thanks.

[Moontan]

Originally Posted by Kelly66

Hi,

Can you let me know if this is the one you bought: https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-F30-F31...AAAOSwGIlfDX6s

Else please share the link so that I can reach out to the seller. Hope I can refer your name.

I also wanted to reach out to you for the local bmw service centre where you got your car serviced.

Thanks.

That's not the switch. Please be careful as different steering wheels have different switches. All details on the correct switch for your wheel is in the PDF I attached with the instructions. The switch that suited my wheel and it's part number is also mentioned in the instructions.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Moontan

If you follow this guide, you will have CC with LIM functioning perfectly after just 10 mins of coding and error flushing. It's that easy and this from one who had never seen e-Sys on a system before.

Thanks so much for sharing, Moontan! Moving your guide to a new thread so that other 3-Series owners can easily find it (including via a Google search). Will also add to homepage this week.

[krish69]

Originally Posted by Moontan

The only disappointment I've had with this car was the lack of Cruise Control (CC). It came with a pretty useless LIM button instead. The cost initially was prohibitively expensive to have this multifunction steering (MF) switch bought, installed and then coded by any BMW dealer.

Hey Moortan,
great mod.
I've been toying with upgrades to my F30 320d Luxury line where I've barely done any mileage (20k in 5 yrs!). Just remapped to Stage 1 which makes it a bit more fun.

The steering is a great and I've seen a few for sale overseas (I want paddle shifters.. mine doesn't have those as well as the cruise control).

Do you think that's possible if I get a steering wheel which has the same airbag module? This would save me a lot of money as well unless I go for the full sports M Steering which requires a new airbag module as well.

Attached are pics of the stock steering and the possible upgrade (comes with HEATING VIBRO SHIFT PADDLES) from a US car.

[Moontan]

I've had a few people asking me about the MF CC switch with LIM function. The BMW part number for this switch is: 61319316954. This switch is only compatible with a F30/F20 and can only be fitted on models with a 'Sport Leather Steering wheel' and not any other steering wheel. The switches that are compatible for the F30/F20 with the Sport Steering Wheel are below. Each of the switches shown have a different part number. The one I chose came with CC and LIM function and is 61319316954.


Before retrofitting the switch, my steering wheel looked like this:


After retrofitting the CC MF switch, my steering wheel looked like this:


PS: The pics above are not of my wheel, but that's exactly how the switches look when fitted.

If you drive a F30 328i with HUD, like I do, then all Cruise and LIM function readouts are displayed in Green on your HUD as well as instrument cluster.

PM me if you need any more information.

[Moontan]

Originally Posted by krish69

Do you think that's possible if I get a steering wheel which has the same airbag module? This would save me a lot of money as well unless I go for the full sports M Steering which requires a new airbag module as well.

That steering you are considering is compatible with your F30 along with your current airbag. No need of a new one. I would go with a wheel that does not have heating or vibration. That will require additional hardware and coding to function, I'm assuming. You'd need to retrofit a steering heating On/Off switch on your steering wheel for heating to function.

For paddles to work, you need to run a wire from your steering wheel. This is easily done and if you're in Bangalore, a few F30's have had this done and I know who can do it for you. If not, I can hook you up with him and he can instruct you on how to go about it.

[krish69]

Originally Posted by Moontan

That steering you are considering is compatible with your F30 along with your current airbag. No need of a new one. I would go with a wheel that does not have heating or vibration.
For paddles to work, you need to run a wire from your steering wheel. This is easily done and if you're in Bangalore, a few F30's have had this done and I know who can do it for you. If not, I can hook you up with him and he can instruct you on how to go about it.

Thanks Moontan. I have located a wheel which is not nappa (would have been ideal) but had the cruise control and paddle shifters. Can you share the contact of your person in Bangalore via PM/ in the forum. I'm based in Mumbai.

I believe I need to check through ESYS if paddle shifters are wired in and Paddles_verbaut set to aktiv in FEM_BODY, else I will need connectors/ wire.

Did you also need connectors for the cruise control?

If i want i can get the wheel wrapped in Nappa in Mumbai once it arrives @ Orchis if I don't like the feel.

[Moontan]

Originally Posted by krish69

I believe I need to check through ESYS if paddle shifters are wired in and Paddles_verbaut set to aktiv in FEM_BODY, else I will need connectors/ wire.

Did you also need connectors for the cruise control

Apologies for the delayed reply. Blame it on the F30 taking me out of Bangalore for a long break in Auroville.

To see if your car is already pre-wired for paddle shifters, you would need to access the FEM module located in the body panel in the passenger footwell. If slot number 5 of the connector on the right has a wire pin in it, your all set up for paddles. E-Sys will not detect this, unfortunately, and this can only be checked manually.

You do not need any additional connectors for the CC MF switch. It's direct plug and play.

Let me PM you the contact details of the guy who got me up and running, if you have no additional questions that I can help you with.

[Moontan]

Originally Posted by Moontan

Yes, we were aware that the VO (FA) will not be the same as what came from the factory. We will use Rheingold to change the 'dcc sport' value to 'dcc sport sld' in the LIN_VARIANTE_MFL line of the FEM block. Once done and all errors are erased in Rheingold, any scan by BMW will tell them that the CC MF switch came with the car from factory. There's no need to revert to stock in order to update the car's software.

We also did not 'kill' any modules. What we saw were modules in Red (not communicating) and some in amber (with stored error codes). This is quite normal as when coding these modules stop talking to each other and the car will throw TPMS, Date/Time, Drive Malfunction and one more error code I don't remember. The Date/Time error is because of disconnecting the battery when removing the airbag. You need to reset the time. All part of the process. Clearing these errors a couple of times in ISTA+ clears them, turning all modules green.

You can't really kill any modules and if you really mess up, you can revert very easily by using the initial config file you should have saved before starting any coding with e-Sys. Saving your configuration before coding is best practise and should always be done.

It's actually quite easy. Nothing to be intimidated by.

It's been a while since I've retrofitted CC on my 328i. Since then, I've gotten both Bimmercode and Bimmerlink, both really kick-ass apps for the F30. I've always wanted to code out the DTS code of my Multifunction Steering wheel not being the right variant because of my switch change but never got down to it as 1) Rheingold is all in German and 2) I'm also lazy. Recently, Duetsche Motors in Bangalore offered me a good deal to update all necessary software on my car (like a really good deal) but that would not be possible with the steering wheel throwing it's DTS.

Since I've become quite familiar with Bimmercode, I decided to use that to clear my steering wheel's DTS. I went into expert mode while in the FEM module and coded the correct steering wheel in. Easy peasy. In expert mode, there is every combination of steering wheel for the F30 to choose from. The result: Coded my wheel in and no more DTS codes. If anyone needs a step by step, let me know and I'll screenshot it here.

Regarding the software update I plan from the dealer, I'm only looking at updating the NBT software and possibly my transmission. My NBT already had EBT with a Combox built into the Head Unit and all other goodies. No Combox in the boot. I already have the latest updated maps purchased from the Interwebs with an FCS code that passes a dealer scan (scam..lol). The reason I update my maps is because I'm addicted to the Heads Up display and an update on the software, I hope, will just improve what I alone as the driver, can see. Maybe there is another module that needs updating to improve this apart from the Head Unit and if so, I'll get it done.

[Moontan]

Originally Posted by Moontan

DTS codes.

I meant DTC codes. Somebody, please, beat me up with a DTS!:

Apologies, my friends.