New Software Update for Hesitation/Tip-in

We just had our 2011 done and it is greatly improved from my limited driving of it. In the past, updates have improved the non linear throttle acceleration and jerkiness but as referred to above, adaptive learning took it pretty much back to or worse than it had been before the update. Hopefully this time will be different as the change is superior to any other update.

The problem is not the transmission it is a combination of throttle calibration and engine mapping, whatever that is. Anyway, ours was so bad they took it to BMW NA and offered a trade out deal but I couldn't see spending thousands more to cure an issue that shouldn't have been there to start with. Obviously they are aware of the problem as there have been numerous attempts a fixing the issue via programming updates.

Originally Posted by DavidZ

I understood him to mean that someone basically was cutting in line. It happens here all the time in heavy traffic on the on-ramp. Some jerk will basically use the shoulder to get in front of several cars while everyone else is waiting to merge in heavy traffic. That pisses me off too. I also hate it when a guy will swerve over to the on ramp from the far right lane (again in heavy stop and go traffic) and then merge back on. He essentially just cut the line. Sometimes the driver probably thinks its a new lane because he's not familiar with that section of the freeway. But many drivers do it on purpose. They simply have to get 5 or 10 cars ahead in the line. Those people suck.

But if it's as you suggest then I agree with you.

Not too many of those that you described in the 1st paragraph in my area... virtually none at all... but a tonne of those I have described in mine (as understood from his post). Not to hijack the thread, but those drivers piss me off beyond comprehension. Not only do they prevent others behind them on an on-ramp to get up to speed, they merge at 50 when the freeway is operating at 65-80 and end up dragging the speed down on all three lanes in a domino effect. The guy in the right lane slows down out of courtesy for that onramp jerk who is doing 50, the middle lane guy slows down to 55 and the left lane is affected as well. Those folks should lose licences or get retrained (and to think they drive a 300-HP 535 just annoys me to death).

Originally Posted by yogi799

Not too many of those that you described in the 1st paragraph in my area... virtually none at all... but a tonne of those I have described in mine (as understood from his post). Not to hijack the thread, but those drivers piss me off beyond comprehension. Not only do they prevent others behind them on an on-ramp to get up to speed, they merge at 50 when the freeway is operating at 65-80 and end up dragging the speed down on all three lanes in a domino effect. The guy in the right lane slows down out of courtesy for that onramp jerk who is doing 50, the middle lane guy slows down to 55 and the left lane is affected as well. Those folks should lose licences or get retrained (and to think they drive a 300-HP 535 just annoys me to death).

Agreed. On my second scenario where a guy skips over to the merging lane in stop and go traffic just to cut in front of 5 or 10 cars, there's a particular stretch of freeway in Houston where I see it pretty much every day.

Originally Posted by DavidZ

Agreed. On my second scenario where a guy skips over to the merging lane in stop and go traffic just to cut in front of 5 or 10 cars, there's a particular stretch of freeway in Houston where I see it pretty much every day.

249 south getting onto BW8 West is baaaaaaad for this.

Originally Posted by X3emist

We just had our 2011 done and it is greatly improved from my limited driving of it. In the past, updates have improved the non linear throttle acceleration and jerkiness but as referred to above, adaptive learning took it pretty much back to or worse than it had been before the update. Hopefully this time will be different as the change is superior to any other update.

The problem is not the transmission it is a combination of throttle calibration and engine mapping, whatever that is. Anyway, ours was so bad they took it to BMW NA and offered a trade out deal but I couldn't see spending thousands more to cure an issue that shouldn't have been there to start with. Obviously they are aware of the problem as there have been numerous attempts a fixing the issue via programming updates.

There are two issues.

1. Hesitation to downshift and respond to throttle when they are underway
2. Inability to pull away from a stop smoothly.

All updates to date address 1 not 2

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

There are two issues.

1. Hesitation to downshift and respond to throttle when they are underway
2. Inability to pull away from a stop smoothly.

All updates to date address 1 not 2

So which is "tip-in?" I was assuming #2, and #2 is the problem we're dealing with in our X1.

Originally Posted by yogi799

wt.... were you trying to say here... is a mystery. gees. English ain't that hard, come on.

If you are one of those jerks who block on-ramps by slowly accelerating and doing maybe 50 when the merge lane ends, then sorry, but you are a jerk. On-ramps are intended for fast acceleration and merging with the flowing traffic. I am stunned you were surprised that someone was trailing and trying to pass you if you were blocking the acceleration ramp. You must be a horrible driver. Sorry, but this is why drivers are called stupid on this side of the pond and why consequently speed limits are kept low. That other guy was not in the hurry. He probably wanted to safely merge unlike you. Pathetic.

ok... to answer your question....

(1) really can't tell......when you stop at a red light, the rpm suppose to rest at 700 or 600...however, sometimes, for no reason, it raised to probably 800 then back to normal for a split second...really don't know what's that for...I will ask my SA if it continue to happen

(2) ha...I am a crazy driver, so your assumption is worng, and don't want to continue on that subject. in bayarea, I would say more than half of the drivers does not stay in line to get onto highway. they all stay in the left 2 lines and cut in to the right line before they have to enter the ramp. ( included people with very bad skill => ""stop"" in the middle of the road and cut in the line = blocking traffic behind them ).....this is "normal" in bayarea.....you have to use to it when you see people stop in the middle of the traffic, turn their head to the right, and "try" their best to cut in.....if my skill is this bad, I will stay where I suppose to be as it's just couple minutes difference anyway and maybe down to 0 if you hit a red light when you exit the highway, right?

I have never let this happen to me if I am the first one on the red light because it's just aren't going to happen.

Back to the latest SW update, today, my car is now react even more aggressive under my normal driving style. I really can tell the difference as I am driving it everyday for the past 1.5 years.

I used to just step hard on it, but I will have a 2nd thought before I do that now as I have not used to the reaction from my car yet after the SW update. I don't want to have another set of tires in 20K....that is too much.......this is real life, not a joke.

like I said, it you don't step on it, the delay is 120% there still ( yes, I hate it ). but much faster on the down shift then before. If you drive it aggressively, you will notice a big difference.

final note....again, this is to my car with my driving style, so it will be different than your experience on your car........more input for people who is interested to know more feedback to this SW update.

ISTA/P P2.48.2 or a more recent version is being installed today. It will be interesting to see if my car feels any different. I'll post after I drive it for a while.

Originally Posted by PeterC4

ISTA/P P2.48.2 or a more recent version is being installed today. It will be interesting to see if my car feels any different. I'll post after I drive it for a while.

I look forward to hearing what you have to say. I have a March 2012 build 535i and would look at a s/w upgrade if there is anything noticeable.

Thanks for the update ccgp!

My car is at the dealer and just received the upgrade. I look forward to seeing if the delay is gone when I pick it up when I get back in town. I've had my 10/10 2011 build for a month and didn't give the delay too much thought until I saw the number of posts. I definitely noticed it, but coming from a much smaller car with manual trans to the 535 with automatic, I initially chalked it up to just difference in cars. The delay hasn't caused anything from. Safety perspective, but definitely has made me fee uncomfortable with the lurch as the throttle responds.

I took the car in today for this issue. The foreman flat out refused to acknowledge it. He gave me the classic "it's driving the way it's supposed to". I asked him if he can sit in the car while I drive, so that I can show exactly what I am talking about. And his response was "how do you feel if I come to your work and tell you how to do your job" .

They are going to keep the car to check a couple of things, but I doubt if they are going to do anything with it. I have had several bad experiences with the service department of this dealership. Can I go to another dealership and have them look at it or am I stuck with these guys? I understand I will not get a loaner, but I am looking for an SA who is more customer oriented (specially since we are looking at buying a new X5 in the next few months). Any suggestions for a friendly SA in Houston?

Originally Posted by dinnu

I took the car in today for this issue. The foreman flat out refused to acknowledge it. He gave me the classic "it's driving the way it's supposed to". I asked him if he can sit in the car while I drive, so that I can show exactly what I am talking about. And his response was "how do you feel if I come to your work and tell you how to do your job" .

They are going to keep the car to check a couple of things, but I doubt if they are going to do anything with it. I have had several bad experiences with the service department of this dealership. Can I go to another dealership and have them look at it or am I stuck with these guys? I understand I will not get a loaner, but I am looking for an SA who is more customer oriented (specially since we are looking at buying a new X5 in the next few months). Any suggestions for a friendly SA in Houston?

How can he refuse to acknowledge it when there are two SIBs addressing the problem?

FWIW, I posted earlier that while my car was in for some body work, the body shop rep test drove my car and he experienced the problem right away. Try Momentum BMW on the SW freeway.

Originally Posted by DavidZ

How can he refuse to acknowledge it when there are two SIBs addressing the problem?

FWIW, I posted earlier that while my car was in for some body work, the body shop rep test drove my car and he experienced the problem right away. Try Momentum BMW on the SW freeway.

PM sent to dinnu on a SA in Houston.

Originally Posted by dinnu

I took the car in today for this issue. The foreman flat out refused to acknowledge it. He gave me the classic "it's driving the way it's supposed to". I asked him if he can sit in the car while I drive, so that I can show exactly what I am talking about. And his response was "how do you feel if I come to your work and tell you how to do your job" .

Holy **** that's one rude m. f.

I'd forward his comment to BMW NA....

Dinnu, that is TOTALLY unacceptable behavior. I would talk to the service manager.

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

There are two issues.

1. Hesitation to downshift and respond to throttle when they are underway
2. Inability to pull away from a stop smoothly.

All updates to date address 1 not 2

Jan 2011 build, 535ix. My most recent SW update was three weeks and 1500 miles ago and it was 48.2 or 48.3. Since 48.3 had been out for a while I'll assume the latter. I did not experience problem #1 either before or after the update.

Problem #2 has been a PIA since inception even after the 47.5 update. Since the 48.3 SW update, the inability to smoothly pull away from a stop is gone! Let's hope it stays that way.

Originally Posted by DavidZ

How can he refuse to acknowledge it when there are two SIBs addressing the problem?

FWIW, I posted earlier that while my car was in for some body work, the body shop rep test drove my car and he experienced the problem right away. Try Momentum BMW on the SW freeway.

The SIB's only affect roll on throttle while underway, not while coming from a stop.

What dealership was this?

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

The SIB's only affect roll on throttle while underway, not while coming from a stop.

What dealership was this?

Momentum on the SW freeway. The comment from the body shop guy was that the peddle was "dead" when he tried to accelerate. His description of how the car responded was even worse than mine. Before his test drive he said he was going to have a SA drive with him, but I'm not sure if it happened. He said he felt certain it was a coding issue. I'm taking it back in on Monday and I'll report back.

As expected got a call from the SA this morning saying that my car is ready and nothing has been done since there was no issue to begin with. He kept telling me that they checked all fault codes and there are none.

I took a print out of the SIB and went straight to the service manager. I explained to him how rude his foreman was and how uncooperative the SA was. He was very apologetic and called another foreman. They both checked the service records right in front of me (the software version installed on the car is F10 10-12-503) . The foreman said it needs to be updated per the bulletin. So, they are going to perform the update.

Now I hope the update actually fixes the issue .

Originally Posted by dinnu

As expected got a call from the SA this morning saying that my car is ready and nothing has been done since there was no issue to begin with. He kept telling me that they checked all fault codes and there are none.

So much for having idiots rely on fault codes to tell them what is or is not wrong with the car....

It's like hoping the check engine light would tell you that your left front ball-joint is falling apart and needs to be replaced. Do these people have no brains? (and cannot comprehend what the customer is actually trying to tell them?)

well, I should have known this, but I was hopping this time BMW would have fixed it somehow under this update.

after drive it for a week, it back to normal again, just like the last update.

I was onto highway today at 50 mph, saw a gap on the laft lane, step on it, and the car just "dead" there for couple seconds, then it started to response. The car on the other lane is on my back and hitting break as I made my lane change already, just the speed did not get picked up

I probably heard F words all the way from that driver and I felt so bad as this a 5 series BMW, not a Prius

I then tried at least 5 times under different speed, and yes.......it's back to the old days.

I don't need to take highway to work, so this maybe the memory thing for the car that does not remember how to react to it? who knows......

If Dinan won't mod 535, I guess this will be it for me and time to move on.

I knew if I drive it tomorrow, it may back to ok again, but this is not fun at all by not knowing when it will be ok or not.

training my car to remember a more aggressive driving style already cost me 4 tires at 10200 miles.

Just to update here............by the way, the sudden raise on rpm is still there...maybe time to talk to my SA.

Originally Posted by ccgp

well, I should have known this, but I was hopping this time BMW would have fixed it somehow under this update.

after drive it for a week, it back to normal again, just like the last update.

I was onto highway today at 50 mph, saw a gap on the laft lane, step on it, and the car just "dead" there for couple seconds, then it started to response. The car on the other lane is on my back and hitting break as I made my lane change already, just the speed did not get picked up

I probably heard F words all the way from that driver and I felt so bad as this a 5 series BMW, not a Prius

I then tried at least 5 times under different speed, and yes.......it's back to the old days.

I don't need to take highway to work, so this maybe the memory thing for the car that does not remember how to react to it? who knows......

If Dinan won't mod 535, I guess this will be it for me and time to move on.

I knew if I drive it tomorrow, it may back to ok again, but this is not fun at all by not knowing when it will be ok or not.

training my car to remember a more aggressive driving style already cost me 4 tires at 10200 miles.

Just to update here............by the way, the sudden raise on rpm is still there...maybe time to talk to my SA.

Yeah. I'm not surprised that the software didn't fix it. I'm not expecting much from this car anymore. I just hope I don't get into an accident with this lag coming in at a wrong time.

I got my 2012 535xi back after having it recoded and a tire replaced. I actually left my JB4 tune installed. The car seems fine and can't say it's any different. There is no throttle lag, maybe some turbo lag but that was/is there tune or no tune. I never really had the experience where you could slam the gas peddle down and nothing would happen for a second or two. I would definitely not spin the tires off the line, but it still moved. Now to re-code half the stuff that is missing again.

Originally Posted by ccgp

well, I should have known this, but I was hopping this time BMW would have fixed it somehow under this update.

after drive it for a week, it back to normal again, just like the last update.

I was onto highway today at 50 mph, saw a gap on the laft lane, step on it, and the car just "dead" there for couple seconds, then it started to response. The car on the other lane is on my back and hitting break as I made my lane change already, just the speed did not get picked up

I probably heard F words all the way from that driver and I felt so bad as this a 5 series BMW, not a Prius

I then tried at least 5 times under different speed, and yes.......it's back to the old days.

I don't need to take highway to work, so this maybe the memory thing for the car that does not remember how to react to it? who knows......

If Dinan won't mod 535, I guess this will be it for me and time to move on.

I knew if I drive it tomorrow, it may back to ok again, but this is not fun at all by not knowing when it will be ok or not.

training my car to remember a more aggressive driving style already cost me 4 tires at 10200 miles.

Just to update here............by the way, the sudden raise on rpm is still there...maybe time to talk to my SA.

Does this happen in Sport Mode? I was driving a new loaner 328xi and in normal mode, it is programmed much like all of BMW's cars it seems. In normal it responds very leisurely. If you give it a modest press on the gas, it really doesn't respond well. You have to pound the gas peddle and spool up the turbo to get response. In Sport Mode it is better because part of the affect is to keep revs higher, hence higher spool on the Turbo. My 535xi, which is a 2012 was the same way, my current JB4 tune has improved it quite a bit in Normal. But I wouldn't get a "2 second delay" if I really matted the thing even before my tune. It would go. If I took it modestly, I could get a very slow to react result, but if I really stepped on it, it took off.