I had a 3G to 4G TCU upgrade to prove a point.

[imkazaam]

Yes, I think the confusion (mine at least) comes from your comment of "bypassing the cell towers", so I'm not exactly sure what solution architecture (or feature set) you're describing.

There were two different challenges being discussed. One was about hardware where I mentioned an aftermarket solution to connect the car to your phone without needing a cell tower in between. Connecting the car directly is ideal and was proposed by me. The other discussion was about security. Someone else was saying whatever solution he'd imagined involved using the cell provider as an ISP and thus would be insecure "there goes your security" was the comment IIRC. Except online banking works fine with a cell tower as the ISP or any other ISP, so security is a nonissue.

If you find an aftermarket module that replicates functionality (charge schedule, specifically) of the BMW app without using BMW servers, please do post it here. I know I'm interested at least. Especially if it's just over wifi and has no monthly recurring costs.

If someone had the time I'm sure there's a lot of old 2g and 3g technology that isn't useful anymore with LTE and 5G being what is in vogue now. I wonder if people have done this in some of the other i3 groups, like on facebook, etc.

 

[Tezza]

Those of us that own an i3 with a 3G Telematics module (TCU) have been told by BMW that we're out of luck and there is no "technology upgrade" available to keep ConnectedDrive services running past Feb 2022. I received the email from ConnectedDrive services stating as much and I'd get free services until the end date, even though I had already renewed service until Nov 2021, so 3 months free. Some laughed it off and have let their subscriptions lapse long ago. I for one like the ability to set the car to cool before I get to the door, and real time traffic is very useful to avoid jams along my routes.

I read posts of the 4G TCU part number that directly replaces the 3G TCU, posts of other BMW model owners talking about the upgrade and a single post of an i3 owner that got their broken 3G TCU replaced with a 4G one under warranty. I decided to get my 3G TCU replaced when I brought my i3 in for HV battery warranty test (see other post). All out of pocket.

I gave the service rep the 4G TCU part number (84-10-6-836-777) to order because I was not sure they would install if I bought it outside of their supply chain, and put the work order to replace the 3G one and program its replacement. At first they sound unsure that this could be done but I replied that the only thing needed to be done is to program with ISTA+, which I don't have access to and no expertise to use it. Maybe contact ConnectedDrive in addition.

So when I went to take back the car to await the arrival of the replacement battery modules they've already replaced the TCU, and I successfully activated cooling as I walked to the car. They gave me the 3G TCU as a keepsake, and I managed to query the tech that performed the upgrade. Sure enough, the only thing they had to do is program the TCU using ISTA+. Looks like it is a drop in replacement.

I still need to contact ConnectedDrive to make sure they don't deactivate my VIN when Feb 2022 rolls around but it has been working fine for about a month now. All it cost is ~$1400 parts and labor. I'm sure if you order the TCU online and/or have access to ISTA+ the costs would be lower than having the dealership do everything but this proves:

TL;DR:
BMW is full of it when they tell you that there is no way to upgrade your TCU. They just don't want to put up any money even for a discount.

Here are pics of the work order, plus old and new module and its connectors.

The main reason they do not want to resolve this for customers and offer the upgrade is they no longer want to pay the subscription fees to the telcos. In Australia our i3 came with lifetime services, the horrible people at BMW are being grubs and looking for a way out of that contract. I am currently in the process of switching out the TCU and if BMW do not honour their commitment I will be seeking a refund of the car through the ACCC. Something I already did in the past when my Volt had to be refunded by Holden due to their inability to supply spare parts. Legacy car companies need to stop lying to their customers and start giving basic service.

 

[airman2482]

The main reason they do not want to resolve this for customers and offer the upgrade is they no longer want to pay the subscription fees to the telcos. In Australia our i3 came with lifetime services, the horrible people at BMW are being grubs and looking for a way out of that contract. I am currently in the process of switching out the TCU and if BMW do not honour their commitment I will be seeking a refund of the car through the ACCC. Something I already did in the past when my Volt had to be refunded by Holden due to their inability to supply spare parts. Legacy car companies need to stop lying to their customers and start giving basic service.

I had a 3G TCU replaced with a new 4G TCU (TCB, telematics module, etc etc) 1 month before my warranty ended almost 3 years ago.

In my area 3G was discontinued with the exception of 911 services. (Now 3G is gone) The new Telematics module works fine and I pay for connected drive and run my email etc through the old slow ID4 NBT unit. They had to replace the Telematics box because the factory warranty stated it had to work.

Yes the old NBT is still slow, and the display graphic still shows “3G”, but it works, I’ve renewed my subscription 3 times (I use the concierge services here and there, along with the audio news reader and the hotspot for passengers)

After the factory warranty was over, well that’s not BMWs responsibility anymore. But there may still be a legal point. Don’t know if there is, haven’t researched it. They have a disclaimer (cellophane wrapper agreement) “by Continuing to use these services…)

I have another EV- still love my i4!!

 

[eNate]

they no longer want to pay the subscription fees to the telcos

In the US, we owners pay the connection fee after the 4th year of ownership. BMW had been resistant here, too, to providing a path to 4G, so that's not a justification they can use with us.

 

[Ihhdle]

The main reason they do not want to resolve this for customers and offer the upgrade is they no longer want to pay the subscription fees to the telcos. In Australia our i3 came with lifetime services, the horrible people at BMW are being grubs and looking for a way out of that contract. I am currently in the process of switching out the TCU and if BMW do not honour their commitment I will be seeking a refund of the car through the ACCC. Something I already did in the past when my Volt had to be refunded by Holden due to their inability to supply spare parts. Legacy car companies need to stop lying to their customers and start giving basic service.

Hi @Tezza
The part number for my 2017 i3 indicates that it is GPS, not 3G or 4G, but the app stopped working about a month ago (Australia). I am having a service soon. Do you think it can work again if they reprogram it, or would I need to have the part replaced?
- asking as I don’t completely understand the issue and it sounds as though you do! I would love to get the app working again -

 

[Tezza]

Hi @Tezza
The part number for my 2017 i3 indicates that it is GPS, not 3G or 4G, but the app stopped working about a month ago (Australia). I am having a service soon. Do you think it can work again if they reprogram it, or would I need to have the part replaced?
- asking as I don’t completely understand the issue and it sounds as though you do! I would love to get the app working again -

So came out of retirement and went to work again and have been busy. However I have followed through, after purchasing the 4g TCB for my i3 I had to lean on the local dealer hard to fit it (extremely negative Google review) so they relented and fit my BMW original 4g TCB as fitted to the 2018 i3 which threw an error on the dash as it was not the original 2016 part. This opened to me a whole series of questions regarding legality of blocking the fitment of any other electrical component in the car, non BMW aircon compressor, main battery or literally anything electrical. The first step of installation BMW ista looks for only the original BMW part and blocks the rest of the coding if it does not see it, that's a monopoly and allows price gouging. There are plenty of cheaper components available for the i3, the aircon compressor $4000 in Australia $1500 if you buy an equivalent, main battery half the price and 30% larger from CATL in China.

Anyway I pressed on. The service manager at BMW told me he could easily have coded the 4g TCB he fitted, if the BMW software did not stop him, told me to find a BMW serviceman who did not use ista. Now north Queensland in Australia is by no means a big area for service folk outside of BMW themselves, however I did find one and after 30 minutes and $250 the 4g TCB was now fully coded to the car. Error messages gone 4g TCB now fully functional. I have now sent my email to BMW Connected Drive Services informing them the car is now fully functioning 4g ready, and given them my new IMEI and ICCID and await their response. For the uninitiated, the IMEI is your unique identifier and the ICCID is your sim which is hard wired in the TCB module. In other words the lies that the BMW website and the BMW staff tell you that a 4g upgrade is impossible, is just that, lies. All of the so called 3g built in can never be replaced, wrong, it is all in the TCB stand alone module and can easily be replaced.

I have so far heard the most outlandish lies you can imagine from them, what they don't get is when you lie you can easily be caught out by fact. Case in point, according to them if way back when your car was new and the 3g part in the car failed, by their logic BMW would have had to give you a whole new car because the 3g component was so baked in it could not be replaced. Really? In Australia the i3 and many other models at the time were sold with lifetime services subscription, which still shows when you log in to Connected Drive, so why don't they want us to upgrade, sadly an ongoing lifetime data connection to a telco, BMW, one would have expected a better level of service than a shabby litany of lies and cheap skating on a lousy data connection.

In the meantime my 2016 BMW i3 Rex with 150000km on it now has a fully functional 4g TCB, the ball is in your court BMW despite the rubbish you have so far served up. Failure to connect then the next stop will be with the ACCC, then the media, then a lawsuit.