[F10_FREAK]

Hi everyone,

I have a BMW 523i F10 Motorsport package from 2011. The seats I have are fully electrical but only adjustable like the standard seats.

1. Upward/downward

2. Forward/backward

3. Backrest adjusting

The interior set that I want to throw in my car can adjust more sections of the seat. Do I need to code them or do some changes to the wiring? I saw a guy on YouTube who threw a M5 F10 seats in his car and he ran into problems due to coding. The first picture underneath here is the interior set that I want to buy. The second picture represents my seats.

Thank you for helping me!

 

[M_Bimmer]

If you provide the year and model of your new seats, I can go look up if your harness supports the new seats. The biggest issues is NOT the coding, rather that in 2011, 2012 and 2013 pre-LCI, BMW chose to change pinouts on certain harness, one being the seat harness. So before you assume the large yellow connectors are wired the same, even though they are the same connector, and which may not yield the operation, or lack of it, you expect, let's do a quick check.

The number of variations of seats make this somewhat of a chore, memory, P455, P456, P451, before 06/2013, after 07/2013, sport vs comfort vs multifunctional seats will influence the answer. Obviously if you have a similar enough seat feature seat between the two types, the higher the probability of success.

I just did a quick check between an F10 523 with standard power seats, the A93 Seat Module, and A93*8B 8-pin connector is fully populated with wires, and connector A93*7A 12-pins is fully blank (no wires), while on an F10 M5 w/ comfort seats, connector A93*8B has no wires, while connector A93*7B 12-pin if fully wired.

It is NOT straight forward, but happy to help....I am one who got pre-LCI M5 seats installed and working in an LCI F10 535....

Cheers

 

[SquareGrouper]

What does "pre-LCI" mean?. I have a 2013 535i mfg date 9/2012...thx.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[M_Bimmer]

Life-Cycle Impulse (LCI), a mid cycle change to a BMW model.

 

[Snakle535i]

besy way to check, Pre LCI indicators on wing, LCI indicators on mirror blanking plate on wing

 

[F10_FREAK]

Hi M_bimmer,

Thank you for your reply!

The donor interior is from a 2010 F10 With interior code "LCEZ"

Thank you!

 

[M_Bimmer]

The big yellow connector under your seat is designated as "X14".

It's is easy to removed the yellow cover off of the connector, but does require to remove the zip tie at the top of the connector where the wires exits the connector.

The wiring pinout may or may not be populated in your connector, so if the wires are missing from your yellow X14 connector, but your "new" seat has a pin on the mating side of X14, you can assume the seat function will not work:

• X14*1B Pin 1 = Red (small diameter), power for seat switch (S32) from fuse F67
• X14*1B Pin 2 = Blue/White, GFKA signal(+) to seat buckle
• X14*1B Pin 3 = Brown/Orange, GFKA signal(-) to seat buckle
• X14*1B Pin 5 = Green, K-CAN (Low) to seat module (A93)
• X14*1B Pin 6 = Orange/Green, K-CAN (High) to seat module (A93)
• X14*1B Pin 8 = Yellow, K-LIN to seat heater module (A53)
• X14*1B Pin 15 = Red (large diameter), power to seat module (A93) from fuse F52
• X14*1B Pin 16 = Brown (large diameter) ground to seat module (A93)
• X14*2B Pin 17 = Yellow/Black, KOSBF(+) signal between crash module (A11) and active headrest (B67)
• X14*2B Pin 18 = Gray/Brown, KOSBF(-) signal between crash module (A11) and active headrest (B67)
• X14*2B Pin 19 = Blue, SIABF(+) signal between crash module (A11) and active side bolster (B69)
• X14*2B Pin 20 = Brown, SIABF(-) signal between crash module (A11) and active side bolster (B69)
• X14*2B Pin 23 = Blue/Red, GS(+) signal between crash module (A11) and active seat belt (B91)
• X14*2B Pin 24 = Blue/Brown, GS(-) signal between crash module (A11) and active seat belt (B91)
• X14*2B Pin 29 = Purple/Gray, HS-2 signal between crash module (A11) and occupancy sensor (A64)
• X14*2B Pin 30 = White/Blue, S-LIN signal between crash module (A11) and occupancy sensor (A64)
• X14*2B Pin 31 = Brown/Orange, chassis ground for occupancy sensor (A64)
• X14*1B Pin 25 = Red (large diameter), power to seat heater module (A53) from fuse 190
• X14*1B Pin 26 = Brown (large diameter) ground to seat heater module (A53)

There is a good chance that if you take your seat with more functionality, that you will not get lumbar air bag function to work, and you will have an SRS light on your instrument cluster.

Reason,
1. Most likely you don't have pin 8 populated
2. Most likely one seat has the 3-wire occupancy sensor and the other does not

There are two ways to wire up the seat switches, and two ways to send the occupancy sensor signal to the crash module. I've heard of the ability to code the occupancy sensor (but I can't do it with BimmerCode, maybe with E-SYS), but your lumbar will need to have the right bus wires to work....just a footnote, non-US cars have a different wiring schema in the crash module, but there are still two different ways to get sensor occupancy data to the crash module based on seat type.

If you proceed, and run into issues, please fee free to ask for more help....

Cheers

 

[Kamil Saissi]

I have a 2012 bmw f10 with regular (half electric) seats
I got a full m5 interior with 4MA code I believe (full active , multifunctional seats with rear entertainment system)
I’m running into some issues with front seats . No power at all.
I changed two cans and power to positive . Shows up on ISTA but no communication toECU on both front seat modules. Tried coding with ESYS with no success .
please assist , I’llpay for whatever info I could get .

 

[M_Bimmer]

I have a 2012 bmw f10 with regular (half electric) seats
I got a full m5 interior with 4MA code I believe (full active , multifunctional seats with rear entertainment system)
I’m running into some issues with front seats . No power at all.
I changed two cans and power to positive . Shows up on ISTA but no communication toECU on both front seat modules. Tried coding with ESYS with no success .
please assist , I’llpay for whatever info I could get .

Did you get this resolved?

BTW, this is not an easy mod....plenty of folks would like this update in their F10, and wished it were plug-and-play. It is not.

There are several things that need to be considered:

1. Are your M5 seats LCI or pre-LCI? If they mechanically bolt up to your 2012 F10, then they are pre-LCI.
2. You stated "half-electric" - not sure I know what this means....can you elaborate? (F10's based on country, may have different seat options...here in the USA, I'm not familiar with "half-electric" seats)...do you have 459 and 455?
3. Do you have memory option in your car, left and right seat?
4. What seat modules (white box mounted under the seat) are you using on the M5 seats? M5's or your original? For example, tf you have 456 and not 453 from the factory, you will need to buy new seat modules that support 453, or it won't work - Factory installs ECU's with electronics populated to support the factory installed options. To reduce their supply chain, catalog replacement ECU's will include populated electronics that may not be installed in your vehicle)
5. Have you updated your JBE or verified that your original JBE it can support your M5 seats?

Not knowing your current vehicle's options or features, and without VO settings that you did or did not change, nor having any codes from ISTA, I'm not sure I can provide any helpful advice.

Happy to help with a little more information from you......

 

[macman_lahti]

Hello M_Bimmer!

I read your answers regarding seat upgrade.

I have pre-LCI EU car early 2013 with semi electric basic seats where is very basic wire connections. I can tilt backrest and move seat up and down. Also have heating. Everything else is manual.
I think wires goes like this picture below ( upper ).
Have been thinking of upgrade seats to Sport ( with same electricity ) or then comfort which is little different regarding wires.
If I understood right I maybe need to buy some new modules ? Do you mean FRM or something else ?
I think wiring is not so different when comparing pictures below. Of course two new wires at least to FRM and ZGM and one to JBE.
What else I should notice ?

 

[M_Bimmer]

You should use the wiring diagram that define the wires from the body harness to the big yellow connectors under each seat, driver side = X14, passenger side = X12 (shown below), rather than the system view you've included in your post (that diagram helps, but really don't define all the wires required for each seat)...you'll see that the wires required are minimal.....K-CAN wires, occupancy sensor, and power wires....which you may have some already installed.....

The doors for memory may require LIN wires to be added.

If you look at the wires going in and out of the seat module (A93 = SMFA = Driver's Seat Module, A26 = SMBF = Passenger's Seat Module), you might get overwhelmed....and most of these wires are actually the seat harness....

Reach out if you need help.

Cheers.

 

[macman_lahti]

Ok, thanks! I found perfect seats which are without airbags. Do you know if airbags from my current basic seats fits to comfort seats ? Is it only take off and add to new seats ?

 

[macman_lahti]

You should use the wiring diagram that define the wires from the body harness to the big yellow connectors under each seat, driver side = X14, passenger side = X12 (shown below), rather than the system view you've included in your post (that diagram helps, but really don't define all the wires required for each seat)...you'll see that the wires required are minimal.....K-CAN wires, occupancy sensor, and power wires....which you may have some already installed.....

The doors for memory may require LIN wires to be added.

If you look at the wires going in and out of the seat module (A93 = SMFA = Driver's Seat Module, A26 = SMBF = Passenger's Seat Module), you might get overwhelmed....and most of these wires are actually the seat harness....

Reach out if you need help.

Cheers.

View attachment 1051837

Checked connections and noticed that different years car have little different wiring in A11. So that one needs to very careful because its ACSM-related..
But looks like X14*2B is same so should work anyway..?

Year 2010

Year 2013

 

[krubbitt]

If you provide the year and model of your new seats, I can go look up if your harness supports the new seats. The biggest issues is NOT the coding, rather that in 2011, 2012 and 2013 pre-LCI, BMW chose to change pinouts on certain harness, one being the seat harness. So before you assume the large yellow connectors are wired the same, even though they are the same connector, and which may not yield the operation, or lack of it, you expect, let's do a quick check.

The number of variations of seats make this somewhat of a chore, memory, P455, P456, P451, before 06/2013, after 07/2013, sport vs comfort vs multifunctional seats will influence the answer. Obviously if you have a similar enough seat feature seat between the two types, the higher the probability of success.

I just did a quick check between an F10 523 with standard power seats, the A93 Seat Module, and A93*8B 8-pin connector is fully populated with wires, and connector A93*7A 12-pins is fully blank (no wires), while on an F10 M5 w/ comfort seats, connector A93*8B has no wires, while connector A93*7B 12-pin if fully wired.

It is NOT straight forward, but happy to help....I am one who got pre-LCI M5 seats installed and working in an LCI F10 535....

Cheers

Can you help me with same issue. I’m trying to place some 2012 550i seats on a 2011 528i.
Are they compatible or I should just forget it ?
thanks.

 

[macman_lahti]

Can you help me with same issue. I’m trying to place some 2012 550i seats on a 2011 528i.
Are they compatible or I should just forget it ?
thanks.

Should fit. Most important is to check that rails measurements are same but between 2011-2012 should be 99% sure. If new seats have active headrests its easy to check wires from your car if those are wired. See my ISTA-picture above. If you compare picture and my wires you'll notice that I have headrest wires added.
Rest wires you'll see when you open connector. I have semi-electric seats and I need add at least one power cable, CAN-cables, probably pin 4 light for backrest. But that should be all.
Don't know if you have plans to do this your own and how much you have experience but for doing this its almost mandatory to get ISTA+ and find out wiring diagrams there. It shows you also connectors were to add new cables in car so very helpful software.

 

[krubbitt]

Should fit. Most important is to check that rails measurements are same but between 2011-2012 should be 99% sure. If new seats have active headrests its easy to check wires from your car if those are wired. See my ISTA-picture above. If you compare picture and my wires you'll notice that I have headrest wires added.
Rest wires you'll see when you open connector. I have semi-electric seats and I need add at least one power cable, CAN-cables, probably pin 4 light for backrest. But that should be all.
Don't know if you have plans to do this your own and how much you have experience but for doing this its almost mandatory to get ISTA+ and find out wiring diagrams there. It shows you also connectors were to add new cables in car so very helpful software.

Ok so I checked my connections. Pretty much it’s almost the same. The new seats bolt on perfectly with the car. Just the memory on the passengers seat wasn’t there and the new panel has the buttons but they aren’t plugged to anything.

When I placed the new seats both of them didn’t move at all but the drivers seat moved o Lu with the memory buttons. I tried to code the seats adding 481 to the FA but that was all I could do I don’t know what options I should activate on CAFD. The problem is that now it’s not moving with the memory buttons. And I checked the wiring. Looks like for me only one wire it’s missing and I don’t know what or how to fix that.

On the image of the seat that’s my old seat and compared to the new seat, the new one has a pin on the low left ( seats picture ) that the old seat doesn’t have. So obviously the harness doesn’t have it.
And those are the seats that I want make work. Not sure if they’re sport, comfort or something else. Tried looking on the web to see at the different models of seats f10 had and didn’t find anything.

If you could help me with the coding and harness modification or if I have to buy a harness I’ll really appreciate it. I’m not much familiarized with Esys but I have used it to make basic VO coding and CAFD injection but only with cheat codes which I can’t find for the SM module. Also I got a paid version of ISTA but I didn’t had time today for installing it. I appreciate your help man.

Just in case this can help

Donors car vin:
WBAFR9C55CDX79241

My cars vin:
WBAFR1C51BC738949

 

[macman_lahti]

Can't see excatly how your wires are.. and would be important to know which options you have in seats. If you have comfort seats with memory, option would be S456A ( Comfort seat with memory ). But if only sport seats with basic electricity then its totally different. Send picture of adjustment panel, side of seat. It tells something.

 

[krubbitt]

Here you go man. I’m not sure if that’s comfort or sport or something else. Thanks.

 

[Marek35d]

I’m not sure if that’s comfort or sport or something else.

Thouse look a like comfort seats, but for some reason power-adjustable side bolsters are missing from your seats.

 

[macman_lahti]

As Marek said, that's comfort but for some reason without backrest width adjustment. Maybe its some kind of country version. But still its S456A ( Comfort seat with memory ) if you don't have climate or massage in seat ? If you have heating, then also S494A ( Seat heating driver/passenger ). About wiring, first picture looks like you don't have wires for driver's seat belt pretensioner which feels little strange. See diagram above which I sent #13 . You'll notice that you don't have anything in pin 21 and 22. Looking the last picture and comparing it to M_Bimmers diagram #11 you'll notice that you are missing at least power cable in pin 1, LIN cable pin 8. And if your new seats are with heating then you should add also power and earth to pin 25 and 26. If you have memory buttons in your doors, then you need to setup wires for that module too just like in this picture below.

Can you adjust your seats now from side of seat ? To get those work as planned you should add those few wires which are missing. After that VO coding for S456 and also S488A ( Lumbar support, driver and passenger )