All COBB Tuning AccessPORT for 535i Discussion Here

[COBB Tuning]

We wanted to create a new thread to capture all discussion and questions regarding the upcoming release of the BMW 535i AccessPORT. This will allow us to stay on top of the discussion and provide quick responses to questions in a single location. We have people standing by watching this thread right now, because the COBB Tuning AccessPORT for the BMW 535i will be available tomorrow, January 6th, 2011!

We offer a 30 day satisfaction guarantee on the AccessPORT, so if you are unsatisfied with the performance of the AccessPORT in any way, uninstall and return it within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. While we offer this guarantee for direct purchases, we can not force all of our dealers to comply with this policy, so make sure you discuss their return policy to ensure that they will honor it.

We are very excited to be involved with the BMW enthusiast community and look forward to meeting your tuning needs!

Here is a copy of the press release that is going up on our blog shortly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Introducing the COBB Tuning AccessPORT for 2008-2010 BMW 135i, 335i and 535i vehicles equipped with the N54 twin turbo engine. The AccessPORT brings hand-held ECU flashing, managing and monitoring convenience to BMW, unleashing untapped power hidden in the ECU with just the push of a button. The AccessPORT lets you quickly reprogram your car’s ECU with performance-tuned calibrations for instant power gains without any tools, wiring, soldering or downtime. Reprogramming the ECU generates significant power gains while retaining the sophisticated control logic and refined engine response developed by BMW engineers. Simply plug the AccessPORT into your car, install the desired calibration and enjoy the thrill of big gains in torque and horsepower!

The AccessPORT puts control in the hands of the enthusiast. Install the AccessPORT at your convenience in less than 20 minutes from the comfort of your driver seat. The AccessPORT is able to store multiple calibrations, making map switching easy with just the touch of a button in under a minute. Choose from many pre-tuned maps for different levels of modifications and types of fuels and be ready for any situation. For extreme modifications or maximum power output, our ProTuner network can custom tune your setup on a dyno using our soon to be released AccessTUNER Pro tuning software.

Flashing the ECU for increased performance is just the start of what the AccessPORT is capable of. Set the AccessPORT to Performance Mode to capture 0-60MPH times, ¼ Mile times and Trap Speeds. Switch over to Live Data and choose a gauge to monitor, such as; oil temperature, intake air temperature, throttle position, ignition timing, boost, MAF voltage, air/fuel ratio and many more. Select the integrated Data Logging function to record multiple channels of data for up to 10 hours for in-depth performance analysis. Go to Troubleshooting mode to diagnose issues by reading trouble codes and resetting the system once the issues have been resolved. Users can even configure the AccessPORT as a shift light that flashes the screen at whatever RPM you choose.

The AccessPORT can even eliminate separation anxiety for those times you are away from your car. Protect your investment when out on the town by quickly loading the Valet map to limit engine revs and boost. And when it’s necessary to remove the AccessPORT, the uninstall process is simple, taking under 10 minutes and restoring the ECU to its original condition. The AccessPORT can be installed and uninstalled as many times as needed without fuss or hassle.

The AccessPORT from COBB Tuning is the most comprehensive hand-held ECU flashing, managing and monitoring device available for 2008-2010 BMW 135i, 335i and 535i vehicles. Satisfy your hunger for more power and control. Access the potential of your BMW today!

Part Number: AP-BMW-001
Retail Price: $895.00

The AccessPORT for 08-10 BMW 135i, 335i and 535i vehicles will be available for purchase starting January 6th, 2011 at all COBB Tuning Retail locations and online at cobbtuning.com!

• COBB Tuning Surgeline in Portland, OR
• COBB Tuning SOCAL in Fountain Valley, CA
• COBB Tuning Plano in Plano, TX
• COBB Tuning HQ in Austin, TX

---------------------------------------------------------

Note
Occasionally an "Unrecognized ROM" will be discovered during the AccessPORT Install process. If an "Unrecognized ROM" is encountered, the user will be prompted to dump the ROM using the onboard Dump ROM tool built into the AccessPORT. Simple step-by-step instructions for dumping an "Unrecognized ROM" can be found here. The ROM is then emailed to COBB Tuning and incorporated into the firmware. COBB Tuning will make every effort to incorporate these new ROMs as quickly as possible. This process can take up to five business days.


BMW AccessPORT FAQ

What models are currently supported by the AccessPORT?
The AccessPORT is available for N54 2008-2010 BMW 135i, 335i and 535i only.

When will there be support for XXX N54 equipped BMW's?
Here are the development priorities for us right now.
1. Continue to find ROMs for 2008-2011 N54 turbo engined cars and create maps for the 1, 3 and 5 series. This includes the xi and is. We are waiting for a ROM to be provided for the N54 equipped Z4 to see what efforts are required. The X6 is currently lowest on the priority list for N54 vehicle support.
2. Finish developing the serial based communications protocol to enable AccessPORT compatibility with 2007 model year 1, 3 and 5 series.
3. Stage2 maps for supported vehicles.
4. Finish development of AccessTUNER Pro and get this into the hands of professional tuners (end of 1Q11).
5. AccessTUNER Race end-user tuning software will be released after AccessTUNER Pro has stabilized.

Is there/will there be 2007 335i support?
Yes, however at this time there we do not have an AccessPORT for the earlier 2007 335i. Support for this model and year is one of our top priorities.

Is there 335xi support?
Not at this time, however support for the N54 xi is one of our top priorities.

When will there be support for EU, Gulf Spec, Australian spec N54 equipped BMW's?
Although the ECUs may be similar, there is a significant amount of effort and support required for each global region. There are an equal or greater number of the ROMs for each make/model/year in each region as well as different fuel grades to account for. Then calibrations must be developed for each of these vehicles with the appropriate fuel grade, and further testing must be accomplished before the release of the product. Then support must be provided to improve calibrations based on new developments, customer feedback, etc. This is on a region by region bases. At this time, we are focusing on developing our full-tuning-solution for the breadth of N54 based twin-turbo based vehicles in the USDM region before moving on to other world regions. We do not have an ETA for support outside of the USDM at this time.

When will there be support for N55 based single turbo BMW's?
We do not have an ETA on availability of the AccessPORT for N55 vehicles at this time. Our current priority is to provide our full-tuning-solution for the twin-turbo N54 equipped 1, 3 and 5 series BMW's. While some development has begun on the N55, there is a lot left to do on the N54 before we put significant focus on the N55.

I have a naturally aspirated M3, 128i, 328i, etc. will there be an AccessPORT for my car?
At this time we are concentrating on the 2008-2010 turbocharged 135i, 335i and 535i. We currently have no plans to develop the AccessPORT for NA vehicles.

I already have lots of modifications and downpipes, can I get a map for my car?
We will be releasing more maps for these vehicles in the very near future. We are currently refining our Stage1 offerings and will follow up with Stage2 maps once testing is completed. AccessTUNER Pro software for professional tuning shops is expected to be available by the end of the first quarter of 2011.

Will tuning software become available? Can I get a custom tune?
AccessTUNER Pro is expected to be available to professional tuners by the end of 1Q11. We encourage you to inform your tuner of choice that you are interested in having your AccessPORT equipped BMW pro-tuned.

Does the AccessPORT need to stay connected to the car for my tune to work?
No, the AccessPORT reflashes your ECU with a new calibration that is written to the ECU. Once you flash the map on, you can unplug the AccessPORT and the map will be on the ECU until you uninstall the AccessPORT. Removing the battery or resetting the ECU will not affect the tune. You may plug the AccessPORT in at any time to utilize the additional features provided by the AccessPORT (Live Data, Data Logging, Performance, DTC Scanning).

I already have a reflash on my ECU, is the AccessPORT compatible with this? Will I lose this flash if I install an AccessPORT?
The AccessPORT will more than likely overwrite your reflash, depending on the type of reflash. Some will have to be overwritten while some can be saved using the AccessPORT ROM saving feature. However, you will not be able to interface with a previous flash with the AccessPORT.

Can I use my current piggyback system with the AccessPORT?
We do not recommend this. The AccessPORT is designed to work on its own as a complete tuning solution. Introducing a piggyback system may cause tuning conflicts and other issues. We have not performed any testing on this scenario.

I have upgraded downpipes with high flow cats or not cats at all and I am getting a Check Engine Light for rear O2 sensor codes. Will the AccessPORT be able to turn these codes off?
The ECU uses the rear O2 sensors in daily operation, and these need to remain in the exhaust system for proper engine function. The AccessPORT has the ability to keep the cat inefficiency codes from being thrown on the N54 while maintining proper operation of the O2 sensors when there are no cats or aftermarket cats. Stage2 calibrations will have these codes turned off when they become available.

What is the cost to upgrade to Stage 2, when it is released?
There is no upgrade associated with Stage1 and Stage2. We will be providing free Stage2 Off-the-Shelf maps in the near future.

Can I take it out and resell the AP unit?
Yes you can. When you Uninstall your AccessPORT, it restores the ECU to its original configuration and the AccessPORT then becomes "Unmarried". It can then be installed and "Married" to any other applicable BMW.

I just went in for service and recieved the BMW 2.40.2 software update, does the AccessPORT support vehicles with this update?
The AccessPORT does support vehicles with this update. 2.40.2 is a version of software BMW uses for flashing the modules in the car. We have seen and flashed ECUs which have been flashed with this version of software. If your car has 2.40.2software, you can install the AccessPORT.

[jelek]

Will this void the warranty ?

[COBB Tuning]

When you install the AccessPORT, the factory ROM is downloaded from your ECU and stored on the AccessPORT. When you Uninstall the AccessPORT, that factory ROM is returned, restoring your ECU to its original condition.

Please note that any time you modify your car you run the risk of voiding your warranty. We always recommend that you talk with your service manager to see how modification friendly they are and go from there.

Travis
COBB Tuning

[Lord Cuckoo]

Is there a limit to the number of times the ECU can be flashed on a 4/2007 build e60 535i? For example, every time you uninstall the tune before a service visit you're basically flashing the old software back onto the ECU and when you reinstall the tune after the service you have to flash the ECU again. The reason why I ask is because the e39 M5 DME could only be flashed 8 times before it locked out additional flashes.

Also, you stated that the 2007 335i is currently not supported... Do you mean MY2007 or are you referring to 2007 build date?

Thanks

[shad951]

The Cobb AP sounds like a great tune for the N54 engine. I like the fact that one does not have to get into the ECU like the piggyback tunes. However I do not see many 535i owners jumping on the bandwagon yet. Seems to be more 335i and 135i owners. Think I will wait to see some more 535i dyno runs and if this tune takes off in the E60 community.

[autoart]

More questions: When installed will it pass CA smog test? Does it remove top speed limiter? Do you or have you dynoed on 91 oct and the results? Thank you.

[Limey-]

Ok bought one and got the "rom not recognized" on the Accessport. Cobb promise a 5 day turnaround on the flash beta to the device. Its pretty easy to operate and very easy to send Cobb your ECU flash data via the Accessport manager. I am impressed so far and do not think the rOM not recognized is a big issue, though I think we might get a partial refund based on the "beta testing/developement help" some of us a giving Cobb on this and the cost of the device. Looking forwards to the results...........

[Limey-]

Just an update. Took Cobb 5 days to add my ECU ROM to a beta release. Works well and very easy and intuative. Top speed limiter is 198 MPH now though clearly the car can not get near that. Gas milage seems unchanged from Stock. The car has very much 'woken up'. Highly recommend it.

[NYAWE60]

Ok, so I finally got my Accessport in the mail yesterday, needless to say I was EXTREMELY excited to install the ROM. So here goes:

The box and packaging are top notch, this is no POS module that comes in a brown box with crappy wrapping, you can tell your money was well spent upon opening it from the slightly larger box it ships in. Your money is well spent overall, but I'll get to that in a minute.

Hardware hookup was fairly straightforward, hook up the cable to the OBD II and the Cobb and continue. The unit is a bit smaller than I thought, but it doesnt matter, the color graphic user interface and instructions are so well designed a ten year old could figure it out. Long story short, it takes about ten minutes to do the full install, five minutes to download and store the factory ROM and five minutes to upload the "tuned" ROM, I chose the 93 Stage 1 as I dont have any modifications to my car. Thanks god I dont live in Cali with 91

It's quite intimidating seeing every single error light go on and off for a bit, but its part of the process as the factory software is actually removed from the car to replace with the tuned ROM.

Initial impressions:
- the install was quick and I was quite pleased with how easy it was.

Now the drive:
At first I got on the gas a little and could automatically feel the power curve had changed a bit, not much, just a bit. But then I said ah, what the heck and dropped the hammer. The car revved up and moved nicely but then one second later the boost hit amazingly strong. It was almost like a little bit of "boost-creep".

Is the car much faster: HELL YES
It pulls like a freight train on the freeway. These are not 1/4 mile cars any way you look at it, so me dropping the hammer in the local streets (yes the streets were clear) did give me an indication as to a significant change didn't really do the tune justice like it does on the freeway. If you're doing 60 mph and get down, you'll be doing 120 mph before you know it. The rush of the power and the sound of the turbos are very obvious, I had so much fun on my 20 mile drive to work this morning.

Motor Characteristics:
Upon start up, you wont notice anything, it'll be stock virtually. This morning when I started the car, I noticed it was at about 1400 RPMs, then slowly fell to about 700 RPM. Normally the car would start at 1000 RPM then fall to 700 RPM. I'll monitor this a bit more over the next few days. Gear changes when driving civilly are stock as well. But anything between slightly aggressive and very aggressive is noticeable, more so than stock at least. Its definitely not herky-jerky. It's just more sports-car like, the shifts are more pronounced and are a bit more obvious. The exhaust note is more noticeable as well, I mean the higher flow, power and combustion have to be expelled somehow right, so that doesn't bother me at all. Once again, this is under wide open throttle.

One thing I did notice and I'd like you other Cobb guys to chime in on is the way the motor responds with regards to the way the gas pedal is moderated. I personally floored it on the freeway yesterday (by this I mean I floored it real quick in the blink of an eye) and I felt as if the turbos didn't make boost or the car didnt make the power I felt it should, it felt like the engine revved out in that gear and then went to the next gear . . . like an NA car, except this wasn't a 350+ hp NA car, it felt like a 200 hp one. That left me scratching my head. . . although in the Cobb AP's defense, even with the stock ECU I experience that flooring it hard won't yield the best results.

To get the best results out of either the stock or tuned ROM, I found that you should aggressively and I mean very aggressively moderate the throttle from it's nominal position (whatever speed you're going) and gradually feed it/feel it as the power comes on and get down accordingly. Like I said before, these are not drag cars, they're grand touring cars. When the power does come on, it hits hard, its very IN YOUR FACE-ish and you feel almost invincible. The car at that moment becomes a completely different animal.

Fuel Economy:
In a sentence, it's virtually unchanged, especially when driving normally like you would in the stock tune. Hammer it consistently though and you'll definitely see a difference. I'll add more to this, it's only been a day, but I personally feel the fuel economy has remained unchanged for the most part.

In Conclusion:
I personally am VERY pleased with the product and can't wait for the Stage 2 to be released. I feel like I'm driving a luxurious, livable, daily bullet, I can assure you if you're looking into this tune you will not be disappointed. It is by far the easiest, most comprehensive tune available. That coupled with the data logging features, the upgradable potential and the ease of use and you have on hell of a product. It does cost more than a JB4 but you get what you pay for. I know JB4 is awesome, I was very close to pulling the trigger, but when I considered my car still having 50K of warranty life, I decided I'd go this route just in case I had to hop over to the dealer or my car had to be towed. You get what you pay for, no two ways about it.

Finally Cobb AP for N54 =