I am pleased with BimmerLink / OBD CX dongle and BMW Fault Code Lookup - BMWFaultCodes. See the Service Plan excerpt of the BMW expert system troubleshooting and repair suggestions.

From Reading some of your other posts I suspect that you may not really be able to afford your BMW. There is no car more expensive to maintain / own than a cheap BMW.

ALL BMW Intellectual Property is explicitly copyright under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and closely held by BMW. ALL copies of ISTA on the street are bootlegged and out of date (of course with your vintage you might be able to find an adequate copy).

 

Is there any such thing as affordable programming/coding options for BMW? I am interested in finding options for my BMW cars for Diagnosis, possible coding and programming because of getting so frustrated and not knowing where to turn. Basically just plain ignorance I guess.
I currently am using a VEEPACK BLM with Bimmerlink for diagnosis. At first I liked it and found it is very useful, but after switching to another car I own seems like some of the features do not show up. It also offers no coding/programming options, which I really did not expect.

Check out BimmerCode (from the same people who make BimmerLink). It is reasonably priced (~$40?) and has a large variety of preset "stupid simple" coding options available that will change basic parameters of how your BMW behaves (such as nag screen kill on start-up, seatbelt chime on/off toggles, window rollup/lock with key fob, mirror fold settings, startup annimations, etc). Heck, it was worth the $35 for me just to kill the nag screen at startup when I purchased it.

 

For starters what cars do you have? Depending on that can give more precise recommendation

 

Someone stated that it sounds as though I may not be Abe to afford my BMW. First of all... the dealership shop prices are absolutely ridiculous. I probably have well over $30K in tools and roll-around-boxes, just no diagnostic equipment for BMW.
I have a 2011 BMW F10 535i XDrive M with 85K miles, a 2013 528i F10 with N20 and 192K miles, a 2016 435i Xdrive M with 50K miles and a 2018 X5 M with close to 50-something K on it. These cars a terribly expensive to own if you have to pay others to work on them.
When I purchased to 2011 528 F10 2.0 N20 I gave 1K for it in NO-Start condition. I bought it with the intentions of giving it to a friend that has recently become homeless because he had his car impounded and could not afford to get it out. He lost his job because of no transportation and I am trying to help him. And NO, I can't afford to do this and pay a dealer several thousand to diagnose and repair it. I actually bought it with full expectations of rebuilding the engine because the owner could not tell me the difference between "NO START" and "WON'T TURN OVER". To me, that is two totally different things. A more accurate description would be "Cranks but won't start". He could not tell me if the engine was locked up, whether it just quit while running, whether it mad noise and then quit, or what.
I was glad to see the engine would turn... even more glad when I heard it run for 20 seconds with no noises. But not having the proper diagnostic equipment has me at a major disadvantage. I am too far along in life to invest in equipment that I more that likely might not need. Not interested in modifications for performance, just reliability.
I have multiple scanners but most are not compatible with BMW diagnostics. Most problems I have are mostly associated with oil leaks, which BMW is notorious for. Lately, since I bought the 528 I was initially thinking I might get a replacement engine, but in my search I find an untold number of BMWs have extensive engine failure, one with less than 50K on it. In my opinion BMW has a real problem here. Most I have found are either knocking or locked up totally.
And NO, I can't afford this. I have totally built many cars and even a couple of the mid-90s M3s that were totaled out.
If the car was something I was going to keep I would just install a late model Small Block Chevrolet 383 Stroker with about 450HP in it. I have 7 engines sitting here to choose from ranging from 350s to 454s with as much as 763 HP.
I had the ECM programmed and fear I have become a "Parts Swapper" because of not being able to do a proper diagnosis. This thing won't go into Neutral if not running. It doesn't run. I really can't afford to pay a $290 diagnostic fee at BMW, nor a $140 tow fee.
I have since came across a 2011 F10 535i with the exact same problems so it has to be somewhat common. If someone could direct me towards a solution I certainly would appreciate it.
Thanks for any suggestions, Ed

 

For all your cars 15$ enet cable is enough. Regarding software i can help build it. Start from here

 

You can get the car into neutral by turning the hex bolt on the side of the tranny housing. Not convenient, but doable.

$15 ENET cable, old laptop, and a “liberated” copy of ISTA would be cheapest and best for diagnostic tool. Definitely not the easiest or most user friendly method tho.