Look here: questions and answers of BMW diagnostic/coding/programming by ICOM emulators

1. Is it safe to update software with ISTA on all BMW’s that come through my shop ? What problems can I run into ? (assuming i have a good power supply for car and laptop)

– Depends on many factors, but as long as you use an BMW ICOM and a good power supply, you should be OK. Uobdii.com is a good site that’s reliable

2. Can updates on comfort mode, brick an ECU (or more) ?

– As long as you stick to the proposed measures plan in Comfort Mode and your setup (laptop, software etc.) is solid, there shouldn’t be any opportunity to brick an ECU.

3. If updates are safe, on what series can i do them ? F, G for sure..can i do E ?

F, G and I series and for Motorrad models with vehicle electrical system 2020 (BN2020). E Series programming is not supported in ISTA+, use ISTA/P or WinKFP for individual modules.

4. Updates for Navi maps, can I do them in ISTA also ? Again, is it safe ? Do you recommend E-Sys more for this job ?

– I have not attempted this with ISTA+, but would assume process is similar to ISTA/P. I’d stick with ESYS strictly for ease of use.

5. What aftermarket power supply do you recommend for programming, coding(to use with car) ? From what i read, for E-series without Efficient Dynamics must be around 40A, and must not go over 14.2v, while for E-series/F-series with Efficient Dynamics must be around 80A, and must not go over 14.8v. Is this correct ? If so, is there a power supply that can fit both situations ? I did some research about this, but i think it is an important issue and must be correctly addressed, so I would trust more an answer from you guys. Is Mean Well SE-1000-15 ok for both situations ?

– Schumacher 700A should fit all requirements. While there are many recommendations, unless you’re 100% comfortable modifying a Power Supply to use with the cars, I wouldn’t do it. If you do, Google”Server Power Supply Conversion” and you’ll get a lot of information.

6. I have an BMW ICOM A2 with ISTA. I understand that E-Sys is more complex than ISTA, regarding coding and programming for F-Series, as NCSExpert and WINkfp are for E-Series. You can do codingin ISTA also right ? for all series ? Or ISTA does less ?

– You need to differentiate between coding and “encoding”. ISTA+ will do “encoding” depending on the programming required. That is not the same as coding (features). I don’t think I’d say ESYS is more complicated than ISTA+, each are different in the way they approach coding/programming.