Head unit not programmed correctly
#1
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: san antonio
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My Ride: 545i
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I just bought a 545i and notice when I turn on the car the head unit reads: HEAD UNIT NOT PROGRAMMED CORRECTLY! What should I do to get it working properly. Other than that, car runs great. Any help will be greatly appreciated,
Thanks
Thanks
#2
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Encino, CA
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My Ride: 04 545i - Titanium Silver/Black, Sport pkg, Comfort Seats w/ Lumbar, Premium Sound, power rear sunshade, Adaptive Xenon Headlights, Steptronic, Park Distance Control, Fold down rear seats w/ski bag, Aux jack, 6-disk changer, puddle lamps...
Engine: Custom Remus cat-back exhaust w/chrome square tips, K&N Air Filter, Charcoal Filter Removed, Sprint Booster :-), 50/50 mix of 91+100 Octane, EuroRev ECU Remap (coming soon lol), Dinan High-Flow Throttle Body (coming soon...maybe lol)
Interior: Portable Sirius Stilletto 100 w/car kit, Garmin Nuvi 680 mounted below rear-view mirror, LCI-style I-drive knob, Dark Poplar Center Dashboard Trim.
Exterior: E60 forum clings, 5% rear tint, ACS roof spoiler (painted black for distinct look against limo tint), ACS trunk spoiler, ACS add-on front spoiler and rear apron (awaiting installation), "18 Black Staggered BeBeS Style OER (emergency replacement for cracked sport 124 rims), black kidney grill, white accessory lighting (including license and trunk lamps), Angel-eye upgrade, AIB xenon-matched fog lamps, AIB V3's on order, red rear reflectors
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Was it doing that before you bought it? Sounds like somebody attempted to code it and botched up somewhere. Is it a Nav or non-Nav equipped car (easy way to tell - single disk slot or dual disk slots)?
#4
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My Ride: BMW 550i M Sport
Model Year: 2010
Engine: 4.8L V8
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Did you buy it sight unseen? I would have asked the seller questions about this error before I purchased it, if maybe he tried coding something and failed. I would get as much info as possible about the cause of the error so you know where to begin trying to fix it. Otherwise you're looking for a needle in a haystack. Are you still in contact with the seller? I would call him up...
#6
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there is a relay in the trunk under the spare tire. I spilled a bucket of water in the trunk one day {dont ask how ] and that relay shorted out. That relay controls cd/radio/head-up dispay. For 100$ you can get a new relay from a salvage dealer.When changed the relay, everything working now but at start up it says head unit not......
#7
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My Ride: 04 545i - Titanium Silver/Black, Sport pkg, Comfort Seats w/ Lumbar, Premium Sound, power rear sunshade, Adaptive Xenon Headlights, Steptronic, Park Distance Control, Fold down rear seats w/ski bag, Aux jack, 6-disk changer, puddle lamps...
Engine: Custom Remus cat-back exhaust w/chrome square tips, K&N Air Filter, Charcoal Filter Removed, Sprint Booster :-), 50/50 mix of 91+100 Octane, EuroRev ECU Remap (coming soon lol), Dinan High-Flow Throttle Body (coming soon...maybe lol)
Interior: Portable Sirius Stilletto 100 w/car kit, Garmin Nuvi 680 mounted below rear-view mirror, LCI-style I-drive knob, Dark Poplar Center Dashboard Trim.
Exterior: E60 forum clings, 5% rear tint, ACS roof spoiler (painted black for distinct look against limo tint), ACS trunk spoiler, ACS add-on front spoiler and rear apron (awaiting installation), "18 Black Staggered BeBeS Style OER (emergency replacement for cracked sport 124 rims), black kidney grill, white accessory lighting (including license and trunk lamps), Angel-eye upgrade, AIB xenon-matched fog lamps, AIB V3's on order, red rear reflectors
![Default](https://5series.net/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
there is a relay in the trunk under the spare tire. I spilled a bucket of water in the trunk one day {dont ask how ] and that relay shorted out. That relay controls cd/radio/head-up dispay. For 100$ you can get a new relay from a salvage dealer.When changed the relay, everything working now but at start up it says head unit not......
#9
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Its been years since the last post, but for reference, anyone out there stuck with this message, here's how I fixed mine.
This error suggests that the idrive is partially programmed/updated. Updating the head unit is a long process and requires several ECUs to be flashed. To remove the error, make sure all of the related ECUs are flashed with the same daten version and all have the correct VIN.
The related ECU list can be a bit of a challenge to find in INPA. The ones that I updated were: MOSTGW, MMI/CCC, VIRTSG90, VIRTSG91. It was easy for me to find as my head unit was replaced by a 2nd hand unit and I picked all the ECUs with the previous vehicle's VIN to update
Hope this helps!
This error suggests that the idrive is partially programmed/updated. Updating the head unit is a long process and requires several ECUs to be flashed. To remove the error, make sure all of the related ECUs are flashed with the same daten version and all have the correct VIN.
The related ECU list can be a bit of a challenge to find in INPA. The ones that I updated were: MOSTGW, MMI/CCC, VIRTSG90, VIRTSG91. It was easy for me to find as my head unit was replaced by a 2nd hand unit and I picked all the ECUs with the previous vehicle's VIN to update
Hope this helps!
#10
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My Ride: 2005 545i
Model Year: 2005
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Hello everyone!
I have a 2005 545i that has an error on the screen saying the head unit is not programmed correctly. I recently replaced the alternator because that’s what we thought was the problem. Before thinking it was the alt we connected the battery and got a jump and it turned on. Then we disconnected the cables from the jump and the car turned off we we were sure it was the alt. After replacing the alternator the car gave the code and still does not turn on. Help please !
I have a 2005 545i that has an error on the screen saying the head unit is not programmed correctly. I recently replaced the alternator because that’s what we thought was the problem. Before thinking it was the alt we connected the battery and got a jump and it turned on. Then we disconnected the cables from the jump and the car turned off we we were sure it was the alt. After replacing the alternator the car gave the code and still does not turn on. Help please !