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      04-11-2020, 12:58 AM   #1
RoofusM3
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TCU replacement '08 M3

Friends - I've got a TCU unit that keeps locking up in my '08 M3 making my bluetooth inoperable. Basic rundown is that after a battery disconnect the TCU will reset and I can pair my phone. But after a few hours the unit locks up and in the software the BT check box grays out and is no longer selectable on/off and my phone will no longer pair.

I read today that if my iPhone name has a symbol other than alphanumeric that can cause a lock up. So I do want to do one more test with my phone renamed (had an apostrophe in the name) just to verify. But in the case that fails, I'm trying to find out what goes into a replacement.

I found a matching part number TCU on ebay for $45 tested as working. But I'm trying to find out if I slot that in, if I still need to get it coded even if the part number matches, and if so, what my options are for getting coding done?

Thanks for any feedback!
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      04-13-2020, 11:03 AM   #2
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Coding for TCU is pretty easy. If you have a K/D-can cable it's and easy read-copy and install the new one and write your copied file to it. Should take 5-10 minutes. If the firmware is older in the replacement it would still work but updating would be better to do with an iCom. Have you tried deleting the BT sync in CIC & phone and then press and hold the power button on the stereo until it reboots. Then sync up BT again and see how it's working.
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      04-20-2020, 12:26 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrippy View Post
Coding for TCU is pretty easy. If you have a K/D-can cable it's and easy read-copy and install the new one and write your copied file to it. Should take 5-10 minutes. If the firmware is older in the replacement it would still work but updating would be better to do with an iCom. Have you tried deleting the BT sync in CIC & phone and then press and hold the power button on the stereo until it reboots. Then sync up BT again and see how it's working.
I don't have access to an ICOM, but I'd be willing to pick up a KDCAN cable since their only ~$27 these days. It looks like the replacement TCU I can get off ebay is an older software date, so I guess I'd need to do a copy/paste.

I think I tried that reboot method. i'd be willing to give it another shot, but (and I idiotically failed to mention this in the OP) I'm getting a TCU fault code on my reader (A379) so I get the feeling it's fried.

Thanks for the feedback!

Last edited by RoofusM3; 04-20-2020 at 12:40 AM..
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      04-20-2020, 10:14 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RoofusM3 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrippy View Post
Coding for TCU is pretty easy. If you have a K/D-can cable it's and easy read-copy and install the new one and write your copied file to it. Should take 5-10 minutes. If the firmware is older in the replacement it would still work but updating would be better to do with an iCom. Have you tried deleting the BT sync in CIC & phone and then press and hold the power button on the stereo until it reboots. Then sync up BT again and see how it's working.
I don't have access to an ICOM, but I'd be willing to pick up a KDCAN cable since their only ~$27 these days. It looks like the replacement TCU I can get off ebay is an older software date, so I guess I'd need to do a copy/paste.

I think I tried that reboot method. i'd be willing to give it another shot, but (and I idiotically failed to mention this in the OP) I'm getting a TCU fault code on my reader (A379) so I get the feeling it's fried.

Thanks for the feedback!
Why not just purchase a combox and put that in there?
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      06-21-2020, 10:43 PM   #5
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Why not just purchase a combox and put that in there?
Lost track of this, sorry.

Honestly not sure what a combox is.
I got a replacement TCU and swapped it in tonight and it works perfectly. Do you know why I need to program it if it's working and I'm not getting any error codes?
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      06-21-2020, 10:46 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RoofusM3 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrippy View Post
Why not just purchase a combox and put that in there?
Lost track of this, sorry.

Honestly not sure what a combox is.
I got a replacement TCU and swapped it in tonight and it works perfectly. Do you know why I need to program it if it's working and I'm not getting any error codes?
So the ecu's can operate with ALL the supporting bells and whistles or with SOME of the bells and whistles. Coding lets the TCU know what supporting elements are present so that it tries to reach out to them and or use them. I've never received an ECU that was "coded" perfectly for my car and it's options. A combox is a newer version of the MulfII & TCU all in one. It offers all the same features but newer ones like album art, internet, connected drive stuff......
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      06-21-2020, 11:25 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrippy View Post
So the ecu's can operate with ALL the supporting bells and whistles or with SOME of the bells and whistles. Coding lets the TCU know what supporting elements are present so that it tries to reach out to them and or use them. I've never received an ECU that was "coded" perfectly for my car and it's options. A combox is a newer version of the MulfII & TCU all in one. It offers all the same features but newer ones like album art, internet, connected drive stuff......
Even if I have the original 2008 iDrive?
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      06-21-2020, 11:38 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RoofusM3 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrippy View Post
So the ecu's can operate with ALL the supporting bells and whistles or with SOME of the bells and whistles. Coding lets the TCU know what supporting elements are present so that it tries to reach out to them and or use them. I've never received an ECU that was "coded" perfectly for my car and it's options. A combox is a newer version of the MulfII & TCU all in one. It offers all the same features but newer ones like album art, internet, connected drive stuff......
Even if I have the original 2008 iDrive?
No, CCC wouldn't work with combox. If that's the case you're as good as you can get. If you had CIC combox would be a good option.
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      06-22-2020, 10:22 PM   #9
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No, CCC wouldn't work with combox. If that's the case you're as good as you can get. If you had CIC combox would be a good option.
So my only option for like bluetooth audio would be a CIC retrofit? And if I wanted CarPlay I'd have to do CIC retrofit and like a CarPlay MMI Prime?
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      06-22-2020, 11:23 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RoofusM3 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrippy View Post
No, CCC wouldn't work with combox. If that's the case you're as good as you can get. If you had CIC combox would be a good option.
So my only option for like bluetooth audio would be a CIC retrofit? And if I wanted CarPlay I'd have to do CIC retrofit and like a CarPlay MMI Prime?
I haven't really played with the CCC enough to know if it offers Bluetooth. I do know my CIC had MulfII & TCU and I did have BT. I just didn't have connected drive, APPS, album art, video from iPhone 4. I removed the TCU & MulfII for a combox to get the aforementioned. So BT resides in the combox & MulfII. I know this because I altered my BMW BT to show up as ScrippyM3 and I did that in the combox and MulfII ECU's not the head unit. It's a question of will CCC use the BT in MulfII and I don't know to be honest. Best I can do is look at my old MulfII ecu part number and compare it to yours. I am out of town until Wednesday.
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