[F87source]

Credit: Bimmer Geeks (image from the Google Play Store) https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...hl=en_CA&gl=US


Introduction and Quick Overview:

In this product review I will be taking a look at Protool - the best BMW coding and diagnostics app currently available on the Google play store; I will also explain why it is a must have for any BMW F series, G series, E series, and I series owner. Another thing to note is that Protool is split into 2 parts: A diagnostics license ($89.99) and a Coding license ($79.99), so you are free to buy whichever you want and you can expand later - or you can get both of them together in the form of a Master License ($149.99 which is a $19.99 savings). To learn more visit the Bimmer Geeks website: https://www.bimmergeeks.net/

Like the title suggests, this is THE BEST Bmw coding app currently available on the market, and why do I say this? Well because it is literally a mobile ESYS, that’s right - this app can code ANYTHING that ESYS can code (so yes it can FDL and VO code - more on this later). The only thing that Protool cannot do that ESYS can do is flash ECU’s. So what does this all mean for the end user? Well that means you can code anything you want on a BMW such as windows up down with the key fob, disabled disclaimers, etc. Or you can code more advanced things like the steering feel (EPS module), the differential (GHAS), the traction control (EURO mdm) - so any former Thor flasher users that want to change these settings can once again do so with Protool.


Guide on how to use Protool to Code:

EPS module: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...4#post29968214
DSC module: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...8#post29968208
GHAS module: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...7#post29968227

So overall coding wise (at the time of this review), Protool has significantly more capabilities than any of the other mobile coding apps, and this is what makes Protool the best BMW coding App on the market - and the only one that you should spend your hard earned money on. This app is so capable that it will literally eliminate the need for ESYS for the vast majority of Bmw owners.


Diagnostics wise, Protool has the ability to scan for actual Bmw codes (not just generic OBD2 codes), and this allows you to properly diagnose your BMW. Protool also has the ability to properly code and register batteries - this means you can either replace the battery with a stock capacity one, or even have the ability to code and register a smaller/larger battery capacity (which is super useful if you want to switch to a lightweight lithium ion battery).


So these two abilities of Protool (coding and diagnostics) really makes this a must have App for any Bmw owner.

Now on with the indepth review!



Disclaimer:

Damage/Injury Disclaimer: Any information, guidance, technical advice, coding advice, tuning advice, datalogging advice, installation instruction, calculation, experiment, safety information, or product installation demonstrated in my reviews is to be consumed and or done at your own risk. I will not be responsible for personal injuries, injuries to others or any living being, or any damage to your car, or any property damage.

Monetary disclaimer: I do not make commission, or profits or any kind of monetary gain from the sale of the Protool coding software by bimmergeeks.

Sponsorship disclaimer: The way my reviews work is that I determine what product that I want to buy and actually use on my own car, and during this process the product that I end up choosing is what I believe is the best option on the market. I then reach out to the company offering the product and ask them if they would be willing to sponsor me in a review, if the answer is yes then I write a review, if the answer is no I would end up buying the product (sometimes at a later date) but I wouldn’t complete a detailed review about it (I might write something, but not to the same extent as my standard reviews). But the critical thing is that I reach out for a sponsorship and not the other way around, this means that the products I am reviewing are actually things I believe in and would use on my own car. This also means that I am not being paid to review something I do not care about. Would I do a review if a sponsor reached out to me? The answer would depend on if I believed in the product, and I would make it clear in my review if this were the case. But at the time of writing this review, such an interaction has not occurred yet.


Time of writing disclaimer: everything I am writing about in this review is described at the time of writing and may not be updated in the future, so there is a potential that things are no longer accurate in my comparisons as parts are changed and upgraded as time passes.


Bias and comparison disclaimer: Throughout this review I will attempt to be as unbiased as possible while drawing comparisons to other products.


Mistakes and Inaccuracies Disclaimer: Throughout my review I will try to be as factually accurate as possible, but there are always chances that I make mistakes and write things that are incorrect/false. If this is the case please point it out to me and if indeed it is true that I am incorrect, I will correct these mistakes and apologize for them. Afterall I am only human, so mistakes can and will inevitably happen.


Subjective Disclaimer: Please note, these reviews are also written in my own opinion, so when I am comparing different products to determine what I see as the best, there are many factors that I go through to form this opinion. Obviously there will be disagreements between people, so I will do my best to objectively determine what I deem to be the best, but at the end of the day it is still just my own opinion whether it be right or wrong. Take whatever I say in my reviews with a grain of salt.


Information Disclaimer: I read a lot of material over the years just out of sheer interest or to make these reviews. I also accumulated a lot of knowledge over my many years of education that are really relevant to cars (Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics). That being said, my reviews are mostly based on this accumulated knowledge and I cannot always cite these sources due to the original source material possibly being lost to time, or there being so much knowledge compiled to make a single point. So, when possible I will cite my source(s) (for example data on tensile strength of a metal, or peer reviewed research). There are cases when I get information from blog posts, youtube videos, or forum posts I may not cite it, because I go through a lot of these sources only to use the gained knowledge in a small section of my review and it is not feasible to list them all. So pretty much what I am trying to say is I am not citing “common knowledge” - I will cite peer reviewed research and photos though (if applicable or used), or really explicit user experiences (if applicable or used).



Image Credits:

Images and videos used in this review are all property of their rightful owners as credited below each image, I am just using them for the purpose of this review but if you (the owner of the image) would like them removed please let me know via pm. Otherwise thanks to the respective image owners (I made sure to credit your online name and link where I found the photo) of the photos, without you this review would be so much more bland.



Review Disclaimer:

First and foremost I would like to thank Bimmergeeks for agreeing to sponsor me for this review. Despite this I will remain as unbiased as possible during the review. Please note, the dynamics of this relationship was that I reached out for a sponsorship review and not the other way around. This should demonstrate how I truly feel about Protool - in the sense that I truly believe it is the best coding tool you can get at the time of me writing this review. In fact I actually have alot of coding changes done to my own m2 using protool, and I really like coding features such as M2CS DSC, M2CS GHAS, and M2CS EPS that I couldn’t code with other apps or the free versions of ESYS.







What is “Coding”:

So what is coding? Coding in the context of BMW’s is the act of changing certain parameters on the ECU’s (electrical control units: eg GHAS control unit, EPS control unit, DSC control unit, FEM etc) in a BMW to enable and disable features already present in the software from the factory. This is not the same type of coding that a software developer would do - i.e. you are not creating new source code in C or Java for instance, instead think of it like you are turning on and off a light switch that is already there. So this is completely safe to the extent that these features were created and programmed by BMW (with the ability to enable them or disable them already built in), we are just enabling and disabling them however we see fit. Now a disclaimer is that while the coding itself when done correctly will not harm your car and is safe, there is always a chance something can go wrong if you do not know what you are doing (letting the battery die which can brick the ecu, coding traction control to a more relaxed setting and thus losing control of your car etc) so make sure you fully know what you are coding and how to code before doing any new coding.


There are also 2 types of coding that you can do on your BMW, and those are: FDL coding and VO coding.

VO coding is also known as vehicle order coding and this type of coding is to enable predetermined settings from BMW for each of the ECU’s. Each car will have a predetermined list of VO codes already added to the cars computer forming the “genetic identity” of the car and enabling the car to have a certain list of features (this is all determined by your option sheet when the car was specced and built). This can be easily thought of as enabling and disabling features based on the original vehicle’s option sheet, and are denoted by a few digit codes. However you must remember that VO codes are different for each and every model, and not all VO coding will work for a particular car - especially if you are missing hardware. This type of coding is really good for retrofitting, and its use should be limited to this - unless you really know what you are doing.

For example the popular option 6NS - this is the enhanced USB and bluetooth option from the factory which costed around $350 USD (for applicable models only). This allows BMW’s to have 2 phones paired, and have 2 microphones (passenger and driver side) and additional USB ports, and iirc allow your music cover art to be displayed on the idrive display. Cars without this will have a 6NH VO code, and therefore the car will automatically disable all of these features from the applicable ECU’s based on this VO code that is programmed into it. So lets say you have retrofitted the additional hardware required for 6NS, now you can go into the list of VO codes that the car has, then remove 6NH and replace it with 6NS. After you code the car and active the ecu to let it know that there is a new VO code, your car will now automatically code all the individual ECU’s to have the correct parameters on and off to support these new features. It is super convenient and saves alot of time from having to FDL code all the individual ECU’s to the correct parameters.



FDL coding is also know as Function Data Line coding, and this type of coding is extremely powerful. The reason why it is so powerful is because you are able to go into each ECU individually and turn on and off parameters as you see fit, you are no longer constrained by how BMW’s specific VO parameters. For example lets say you want 6NS features but you don’t want to retrofit the additional hardware. With FDL coding you can actually do this, you would first VO code 6NS, and then you can enter the individual ecu’s with FDL coding and set the number of USB ports and microphone back to 1. This now will allow you to have most of the features of 6NS (multiple phones can connect, album artwork etc) without requiring the hardware. You can also disable and enable features that were not an option from BMW’s VO codes - such as disabling idrive disclaimers and seat belt chimes. These options are available in the ECU’s but BMW never intended to have them done so they were never put into the VO codes, but with FDL coding you can alter them as you see fit.


You may now be asking why does coding exist on BMW’s? The short and simple answer is that it is cheaper for BMW to make cars from as many shared parts as possible (because engineering different parts that do different things, and then creating the tooling for them is much much more expensive than creating one part and designing software to alter its features), and then disable features via software to meet a certain trim or model level. This means that even though 2 cars may share the same components, for example power steering racks, an M model will have it coded differently to offer a better sharper steering feel. Fortunately for us, this means that we will be able to code the steering feel from a non M BMW to an M BMW for example (if your software supports it and the hardware is the same), or from different one M model to another (M2 to M2CS or M4GTS steering feel - as these cars have the same steering rack and the software supports it).


So now that we know what coding is, what do we use to code our cars?


Tips on how to code safely:

Before we start talking more about coding, I would like to give some tips on how to code your car safely:

Make back ups before you code, this way if something goes wrong you are able to revert your car back to factory settings.
Make sure you know exactly what you are doing before you code. This means doing plenty of research on what coding you will be doing, what the changes itself does, what ecus need to be coded and how to make the changes, and of course if the coding you want to do is available for your car.
Make sure you have an appropriate (and good quality) battery charger to keep your car powered while you code, because if your battery drops below a certain voltage while coding your car will shut off and this can leave the car bricked. For some coding you can leave the engine running while coding, but do not drive while coding.
Use quality cables/wireless adapters - cheapo adapters/cables are slow and can fail part way through the flashing process. In the past I have purchased cheap enet cables from aliexpress, and while on the outside they look clean and good quality. When I opened the obd2 shell I saw how terribly put together they were, the wires were stripped extremely poorly and the cables had patches of exposed copper all over the place. This could lead to a short if the adjacent exposed wires touched, and that would be bad news for the car.



What is ESYS:



Credit: mev2630 https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...76&postcount=1

Now we move on to what tools you can use to code your car.

A popular tool that you may have heard of before is ESYS. ESYS is a BMW developed program that allows you to both FDL and VO code your car, along with flash ECU’s with new software. With this program you will require: a windows laptop with alot of ram (since some cars with alot of ECU’s require alot of memory to code, therefore a 4gb ram surface tablet will likely not cut it), up to date ECU data files (PSdZData files), an ENET cable, and a launcher (only if you FDL code so it can dynamically remap all the trimmed CAFD files) like Launcher pro from Token master or Bimmer utility.

With all of these things you will be able to code the car.

The only cons with this method is the price to obtain all of these items, a laptop is required, coding time tends to be longer than an app due to more complicated menu system and coding procedure, and that it can be quite intimidating for beginners to code with ESYS. For instance check out this video from Token master on how to code with ESYS:

Protool:

Another tool to code your car is Protool. This is a mobile application that can be run on any android device with android version 4.1 or higher (at the time of the review - hopefully they will add IOS support for any iphone and ipad users).

Quick Overview:

Lets quickly gloss over protool and all of the important things you should know about it.

1. There are 2 different licenses (as mentioned in the overview): A diagnostics license ($89.99) and a Coding license ($79.99), you are free to buy whichever you want and you can always buy the other license later on - or you can get both of them together in the form of a Master License ($149.99 which is a $19.99 savings).

2. Updates to the app (at this current moment) are free for the lifetime of the app. So the app will always be updated by Bimmer Geeks to support newer cars - which may not be the case with ESYS and older launchers.

3. The app is not vin locked to your vehicle, so you can use it on as many cars as you desire. It is only locked to your Google account.

4. You are able to download the app and connect it to your car and check if the features you want to code are available - absolutely for free. You only need to pay when you want to code those features in. This is an absolutely incredible feature for those that want to explore what is available for their cars before paying/investing in purchasing the app.

5. A really nice thing about protool is that it is extremely flexible in terms of what adapters/connection devices can be used to connect it to your car, this means there is a strong likelihood you will not have to spend money to buy a different adapter just to code your car. But note, you should use high quality cables and or wireless interfaces to ensure that coding doesn’t fail part way through - which could be catastrophic for your car. If you want good quality cables Bimmer Geeks sells some on their site, and they have an optional lifetime warranty option on alot of their own products, so that’s a pretty good testament to how they feel about their products. My personal preference would be to purchase a cable/adapter that could also be used for tuning as well, so when/if you decide you want a tune in the future you won’t require a different connection device. So I personally have the black MHD enet wifi adapter, I like this adapter because it has an ethernet jack on it so you can attach an ethernet cable to it and effectively turn it into an ENET cable and use it with ISTA.


At the current time of writing this review protool supports:

1) USB K+ DCAN cables (through OTG connections) for the E series cars.

Credit: Bimmer Geeks (click on this link if you want to buy a quality K+ DCAN cable directly from bimmer geeks) https://www.bimmergeeks.net/product-...eeks-pro-cable

2) The bluetooth bimmergeeks adapter

Credit: Bimmer Geeks (click on this link if you want to buy their bluetooth adapter)
https://www.bimmergeeks.net/product-...etooth-adapter

3) The Thor wifi adapter

Credit: Bimmer Geeks (click on this link if you want to buy the thor adapter)
https://www.bimmergeeks.net/product-...p-wifi-adapter

4) The orange MHD wifi adapter

Credit: Mashimarho (this orange adapter is discontinued now) https://mashimarho.com/products/mhd-...32241903861859

5) Enet cables (with an OTG ethernet adapter)

Credit:https://www.amazon.ca/OHP-Ethernet-D.../dp/B07V3C47YD
(warning: I just used this image as an example, I have no experience with this enet cable so I do not know if it is any good, I do know it has good reviews but that is it, so tread with caution)

6) MHD’s black enet wifi adapter

Credit: Mashimarho (click on this link if you want to buy an MHD black enet wifi adapter) https://mashimarho.com/products/mhd-...32241903894627

7) And there is a strong chance they will try to support MHD’s newest wifi adapter. But for the time being this adapter is not confirmed to be supported yet, so be aware of that.

Credit: Mashimarho (click on this link if you want to buy an MHD black enet wifi adapter) https://mashimarho.com/products/mhd-...32241903894627


8) BM3 new wifi adapter

Credit: Protuning freaks (creator of BootMod3, click on the link if you want to buy their wifi adapter) https://www.protuningfreaks.com/prod...-flash-adapter

I personally own one and it works perfectly with protool!


6. Finally if you want more specific details about the app you can always just download the app and press on the hamburger menu button (three vertical dots in the top right corner) and click “user guide” to read the pdf manual about this app. Or feel free to pm me and I will be happy to help you the best I can.


Features/Abilities of Protool:

Now lets move onto the more interesting things that most of you probably want to know, and that is what can protool do? The answer to that is alot!


Like all other coding apps protool can code popular features, such as: windows going up with the lock on your keyfob, folding and unfolding the mirror when the car locks and unlocks, disabling disclaimers and or warning chimes. But where protool completely obliterates the competitor apps is that it can code anything ESYS can, so like I hinted at before you can code things like the DSC module and obtain m4 gts MDM mode, you can code the steering feel (EPS module) and get things like F87CS steering, and you can code things like the differential (GHAS) and get things like F87CS differential coding. So for anyone who was previously using the Thor flasher before it shut down, you can once again make changes to your steering, dsc/mdm, and differential settings once more with protool. I will elaborate more on this in the section to follow. Protool can also FA/VO code as well which makes retrofitting and large feature coding extremely easy.


Protool also features back ups and save profiles. What this means is that you can take a full backup of every single parameter currently coded to your car and this creates a profile. This means you can have multiple different profiles for your car - each with specific coding values. So for instance you can have a stock profile where all the parameters are stock and then you can have a different profile where the car is coded as you desire, (or maybe you have different steering/diff/dsc profiles) then you can easily switch between these profiles using protool to “restore” a save profile. This is an extremely nice thing to have especially if you require the ability to switch profiles extremely often.


Other features that protool has is data logging and diagnostics capabilities. With the diagnostics functions it is not just simple BMW specific code reading and resetting, protool has the ability to do things other apps can only dream of. Protool can: code batteries to a different capacity and register them, code in new injectors, and even reset adaptations/trigger recalibrations on various modules like the GHAS (differential) which is essential when you code in new GHAS settings. There is also the ability to prompt hardware on your car to “move” under the control tab. This the same thing as in ISTA where you can command parts on the car to activate so you can diagnose issues with it, such as putting the G8X rear all in one brakes into service mode so it can release and allow you to change the pads. Here is a video by Kies motorsports (9 min mark) demonstrating this:

With data logging protool can log essentially every single parameter that a normal tuning app can do, so you could essentially use this as a stop gap if you want to have gauges and data recording abilities but are not ready for a full on tune yet.


Finally last but not least an extremely nice feature protool offers is remote backups which allows you to store your profiles/backups, datalogs, and diagnostic codes online (accessible through bimmergeek’s website). This makes it extremely easy to view logs from your computer, and it also means even if your device gets damaged you will never lose your profiles/backups - so you will always have the means to restore your car back to factory spec.


And below here are some images of Protool’s interface (you will notice I have my theme set to red instead of the stock green, I have done this because I feel red matches my m2’s ambient lights better):


Credit: F87source, here is an image of the main menu screen. From here you can see all the main categories of ecus available.



Credit: F87source, again here is the next section of the main menu



Credit: F87source, continuing with the menu



Credit: F87source, here is a submenu that would come up if you were to click on an ecu. From there you have the option to read errors, clear errors, see functions available within the ecu (recalibrations etc), see live data - which is super nice if you want to diagnose an issue and want to see if a part is working for eg. water pump duty cycle, access the control module, and finally do some coding.


If you want to see more about the actual coding please refer to my links above in the overview, or the same links below in the advanced coding section where I teach how to code the GHAS, EPS, and DSC.


Protool vs. ESYS:

Finally we end the review with a quick comparison between ESYS and Protool, and just some basic things I noticed after using both tools:

1) Protool is far far far easier to use, it is a really friendly mobile application that is very straightforward to use. The menus are laid out in categories that make it easy to find things, and the common coding features are laid out in a sub menu which is readily accessible and easy to find. There are also no traps that if accidentally pressed could damage your car.

With ESYS even though I have been using it for the last ~8+ years (starting with my m235i) it is still quite complex and unforgiving, especially if I haven’t touched the software in awhile. The reason why this is the case is because the menu system on ESYS can be very overwhelming if you have never used it before. Everything is on the same main screen and there are tons and tons of options everywhere and that can lead to a sense of nervousness and can be overwhelming. Another terrifying thing about ESYS is that you must be extremely careful with what you press, because it may not mean what you think it means. For example “code default” on ESYS sounds friendly, it sounds like it will clear your ecu’s back to factory conditions right? Well not exactly, this is one of those things I call a “trap button”, this is because if you click it it will wipe the ecu clean all the way back to a blank state with no software on it. This will completely brick the car and you will have to have it towed to the dealer to have it repaired (unless you have the capabilities to reflash that individual ecu or reflash the entire car with a new ISTEP). So this is what makes ESYS alot more difficult/risky to user vs. Protool, since no such “Trap button” exists in protool.

2) Protool is linked to your Google account so you can move it from device to device without any issue, just download the app from the Google play store and log in and you are set. You can even run it on multiple devices simultaneously - for instance I have protool on my phone and my in car tablet.

With ESYS it is a different story, because you require a launcher for ESYS to function. The problem with this is that ESYS launchers are typically tied to your computer (I believe with launcher pro you now have Google authentication and can move it from machine to machine) and you cannot move them from machine to machine, so you are stuck with it on a single computer. Some of these licenses are also not lifetime and you will have to pay for a new subscription every few years (Launcher pro is a 3 year license iirc, and bimmer utility is lifetime).

3) Protool is significantly cheaper compared to ESYS + a launcher.

So lets calculate the cheapest options you can possible go for:

Protool: ~$80 (cheap android tablet) + ~$30 (for an ENET cable + OTG ethernet adapter) + $80 (for the coding license) = ~$190.

ESYS: ~$50 (for launcher pro) or ~$100 (for bimmer utility) + ~$25 (Enet cable) + ~$300 (for a cheap windows laptop that has a decent amount of ram, storage, and processing power to run ESYS) = ~$375 - $425

*Note most ESYS launchers will not run on a VM so mac users can’t use bootcamp or something similar to run it on windows.

This is about $185 more than Protool, and with the Protool route you can use the tablet in car for gauges, whereas the cheap laptop might just be sitting around collecting dust waiting for your next coding session- because IMO those cheap bottom tier laptops are really crap. The screen sucks, the track pad sucks, the keyboard sucks and they really aren’t that good to use.

3) Protool is ultra portable, you can bring it around with you anywhere as it is a mobile app, whereas with ESYS you need to bring around a bulky laptop. This means if you want to change settings quickly (say you’re on the track and want a different GHAS setting), you literally can do it in minutes with Protool. But with ESYS it might take you upwards of 10-15 mins to pull out your laptop, connect it to the car, navigate esys’s menus correctly. Then switch to ISTA to re calibrate your diff.


So with these 3 things considered, I personally believe for the beginner-average-advanced category of coder like myself, ESYS is just not needed and protool is more than a suitable replacement. If you are an expert or professional coder who flashers your ecu’s alot and does alot of remote coding, then you would likely need ESYS.





Advanced Coding:

Now that we have learned about coding and Protool, lets talk about what this powerful tool can do. In this section I will be talking about coding in context of my 2017 BMW M2, on ISTEP level F020-19-07-539, so what I may be able to do might be different to what you will be able to do as there is a difference in vehicle and software version.



Please refer to the links below to learn how to code the:

EPS module: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...4#post29968214
DSC module: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...8#post29968208
GHAS module: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...7#post29968227

[F87source]

Reserved for future posts.

[G30M]

so i just got this

doesn't work properly on my G21

can't find Headunit ECU coding

also how do you find the lines of code like Esys?

my fake engine sound is too quiet i want to increase the volume

[F87source]

Originally Posted by g21

so i just got this

doesn't work properly on my G21

can't find Headunit ECU coding

also how do you find the lines of code like Esys?

my fake engine sound is too quiet i want to increase the volume

You'll have to contact protool protool for help on the G series as I am not too familiar with that platform.


In regards to getting "Expert mode" if it is not under the coding -> edit coding tab.

Then go to control or function and there should be an expert mode tab there for coding.

[G30M]

there is a tab it just says error

[F87source]

Originally Posted by g21

there is a tab it just says error

Interesting, I am not sure what to do at this point, you should contact protool about that.

There is always a chance the G series is so new the CAFD hasn't been entirely mapped out yet. So itll take time for full support to roll in.

[G30M]

yeah thanks nah i'll just try esys

[F87source]

Originally Posted by g21

yeah thanks nah i'll just try esys

Your call.

But if you go ESYS there is no trying, you have to buy a full launcher. The cracked ones will not cut it on the G series because they are severely outdated - even on the F series.

[MichaelNRW]

Why are people so obsessed with mobile apps?
I wouldn´t trust that app to code my car...
E-Sys is developed for BMW by a team of full time developers.

[G30M]

Originally Posted by F87source

Your call.

But if you go ESYS there is no trying, you have to buy a full launcher. The cracked ones will not cut it on the G series because they are severely outdated - even on the F series.

i see. where do i buy the full launcher?

[F87source]

Originally Posted by g21

i see. where do i buy the full launcher?

I just talked to protool and they told me:

The headunit should be under the entertainment menu at the very bottom. You shouldn't be having any issues.

So it should work on the G series, the issue seems to be on your end.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by MichaelNRW

Why are people so obsessed with mobile apps?
I wouldn´t trust that app to code my car...
E-Sys is developed for BMW by a team of full time developers.

Lol......

With all due respect, saying just because one piece of software is an app or wasn't developed by a massive team means it's unreliable is the most unfounded, misleading, and uninformed claim I have ever heard and that's simply not how software development works. Some of the best code is open source and that's nothing but a bunch of people all over the world contributing. Look at lineage os - a custom android rom, it's even better than a lot of the stock android os's.

1. Mobile software can be just as reliable as desktop software, there are mathematical proofs that can be done to ensure correctness, and that can be applied to a mobile to ensure it is operationally sound.

2. Coding isn't that difficult of a process, all it has to do is change a few values on the ecu side, it's not running a massive complicated simulation like a video game. Therefore it will be extremely easy to test and verify if the changes are done correctly on the car thereby ensuring the coding part itself is bug free. And that's the critical part, not if the app has minor bugs because interfaces are complicated and is extremely difficult to fully debug - hence why even phones have bugs.

3. Don't forget esys wasn't designed to be used by the customer. That's why the CAFD must be remapped by a launcher, and this means you're relying on an aftermarket piece of software - and by your logic it's unreliable because it wasn't made by bmw.


4. Don't forget all large pieces of software will have bugs (they just might not be visible), it is both too expensive and nearly impossible (due to the vast number of possible paths) to have complete path coverage for testing of complicated software. So bugs will be in the code. So the more complicated the software the more testing that needs to be done to ensure it's bug free. This is where protool has an advantage, it's relatively simply so it is easier to bug test, it's likely a java driven app (atleast the GUI side, the car side is likely c driven) being an Android app so you can accumulate a monstrous amount of junit tests to ensure any future changes haven't broke anything. Also protool is made for the end user, so if there are bugs users can report them and bimmergeeks can make fixes and refine the app over time. Esys is made for BMWs use, so the number of users that bmw actually cares to hear feed back from will be vastly smaller so refinement takes longer.

[MichaelNRW]

Originally Posted by F87source

1. Mobile software can be just as reliable as desktop software, ..

And why did i had to recover so many ECUs that users broke with mobile apps?
It´s my personal view based on what i already had to recover.
There´s a lot of potential to do things wrong when coding with a mobile app.

I don´t understand why you try to defend a product so hard.
Seems like you get paid for advertisement :-)

You claim that Protool can do anything E-Sys can do except flashing.
Can Protool calculate coding based on VO and SVT (Verification)?
Can i check and import FSC?

[F87source]

Originally Posted by MichaelNRW

And why did i had to recover so many ECUs that users broke with mobile apps?
It´s my personal view based on what i already had to recover.
There´s a lot of potential to do things wrong when coding with a mobile app.

I don´t understand why you try to defend a product so hard.
Seems like you get paid for advertisement :-)

You claim that Protool can do anything E-Sys can do except flashing.
Can Protool calculate coding based on VO and SVT (Verification)?
Can i check and import FSC?

1) the user most likely was at fault. I could say the same thing about esys with people clicking "code default" thinking it'll restore factory settings.

Also coding apps have been out along time, protool isn't the first, and yet when used properly i.e. not coding random things that you don't understand, they are safe And reliable.

2) I would say there is a lot more that can go wrong with esys because it is much much more complicated.

3) elaborate - what are the potential things that can go wrong with a mobile app? Then contrast that with ESYS.

4) I defend this app for a few reasons:

- I have alot of experience writing code (java, c, arm64 assembly, prolog, Haskell, r, python, etc) and developing software so when I hear inaccurate things like code can't be good quality because it wasn't developed by a major quality I will absolutely correct it.

- I only review products im passionate about, so when I hear inaccuracies I will correct them, again with all due respect I didn't mean to sound rude or a douche bag.

5) this isnt the first time someone has wrongly accused me of being paid, if you look through my reviews I defend all of the things I review to the same degree from inaccuracies and just people wanting to bash on things or just hate overall. You wouldn't believe the amount of hate I got for my magnetic drain plug review.

But no I do not get paid a dime, I don't have a coupon code or affiliate link or what not. I do this because I like to, and I'm not obligated to go on forever either. I only maintain the threads for as long as I'm on the forum and have my bmw.


6)
Yes when it comes to fsc codes:



In regards to vo and svt calculation I remember reading about it in the manual but I can't remember exactly, but you can see what exactly was changed in the coding of each module by entering coding > Hit the Tools button > Tap on the Manipulated Parameters options and it will tell you each and every option that is not currently at a stock/factory value.

But that's not your question: if you look at page 24-25 of the protool manual it talks about vo coding. Here's a snippet:
Once the changes are made and saved. The app will automatically determine what modules may
need to be default coded based on the vehicle order change dynamically from our calculations.
Go ahead and tap “Yes” if you would like to complete the default coding of the module(s) if
you’re adding features.


I also believe you can import all of these onto a desktop tool for viewing and editing.



Otherwise I apologize if I came off sounding harsh, I was only trying to address statements that I believe to be inaccurate, so like I said with all due respect I disagree with your points and those were my reasons.

[MichaelNRW]

Originally Posted by F87source

1) the user most likely was at fault. I could say the same thing about esys with people clicking "code default" thinking it'll restore factory settings.

Sure the user did something wrong, most of them tell me something like "my friend said it´s so easy to use" or "the app store review were really good".

Originally Posted by F87source

2) I would say there is a lot more that can go wrong with esys because it is much much more complicated.

The point is that E-Sys wont be advertised like a "simple and user friendly all in one app".
It´s something that applies to many things, they´re safe in one hand but dangerous in another.

Originally Posted by F87source

5) this isnt the first time someone has wrongly accused me of being paid, if you look through my reviews I defend all of the things I review to the same degree from inaccuracies and just people wanting to bash on things or just hate overall. You wouldn't believe the amount of hate I got for my magnetic drain plug review.

Please have a look at your review and how you phrase some things in the introduction. That´s why it looks like an advertisement to me.

"the best BMW coding and diagnostics app currently available"
"why it is a must have for any BMW ... owner"
"this is THE BEST Bmw coding app currently available on the market"
"this app can code ANYTHING that ESYS can code"
"this is what makes Protool the best BMW coding App on the market"
"really makes this a must have App for any Bmw owner."
"in the sense that I truly believe it is the best option out there"


Feature wise it can compete with or even outplay other mobile apps in this sector. Compared to E-Sys and what this software really can do, i don´t see it replacing E-Sys for me.
Sure it´s easier to handle coding with a tablet instead of a laptop.
But i don´t want to be the person that breaks my clients car.
A mobile app has the touch of "everyone can do this, even my child" and that´s a dangerous assumption.

I´m not here to bash you or the product, that´s not my intention.
I want people to think about claims like "the best" and "anything" for a minute, because it sound like something from a marketing department.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by MichaelNRW

Sure the user did something wrong, most of them tell me something like "my friend said it´s so easy to use" or "the app store review were really good".



The point is that E-Sys wont be advertised like a "simple and user friendly all in one app".
It´s something that applies to many things, they´re safe in one hand but dangerous in another.



Please have a look at your review and how you phrase some things in the introduction. That´s why it looks like an advertisement to me.

"the best BMW coding and diagnostics app currently available"
"why it is a must have for any BMW ... owner"
"this is THE BEST Bmw coding app currently available on the market"
"this app can code ANYTHING that ESYS can code"
"this is what makes Protool the best BMW coding App on the market"
"really makes this a must have App for any Bmw owner."
"in the sense that I truly believe it is the best option out there"


Feature wise it can compete with or even outplay other mobile apps in this sector. Compared to E-Sys and what this software really can do, i don´t see it replacing E-Sys for me.
Sure it´s easier to handle coding with a tablet instead of a laptop.
But i don´t want to be the person that breaks my clients car.
A mobile app has the touch of "everyone can do this, even my child" and that´s a dangerous assumption.

I´m not here to bash you or the product, that´s not my intention.
I want people to think about claims like "the best" and "anything" for a minute, because it sound like something from a marketing department.

1) And how is it the app's fault that the user coded random stuff? It's called expert mode for a reason. Safety/ease of use wasn't even the original point of contention remember you stated: "I wouldn´t trust that app to code my car... E-Sys is developed for BMW by a team of full time developers."

Despite this protool has a clear easy to use interface, and they have full back ups to mitigate issues.

So what does does a user error or ease of use have anything to do with the quality of the app in terms of coding the car? To me it sounds like you're trying to gaslight apps to prevent people from coding their own cars in order to promote coding services - which you seem to be offering/providing.


2) It's a review, I contrast against the current options and nothing I stated was inaccurate. My statements were a mixture of praise, opinion and the comparisons where I say it is the best app currently available is 100% accurate and exactly how I feel about the app. The thing that separates it from being an ad is I don't get paid a penny for this.

In terms of a must have and being highly recommended, yes - it is nice to have the ability to control, customize, and diagnose your car on your own accord and not have to rely on anyone else.


3) It isn't for everyone, if you code professionally ESYS is probably better, you get the latest updates and chassis support faster and you can remotely code. This is meant for people like me who only code their own cars, and want the ability to change settings on the go. I change steering feels so often that it isn't feasible nor convient to bring a laptop with me everywhere.


4) That's the goal of a mobile app, bring coding to everyone and make it as safe as possible. Nothing will ever be fool proof, but these apps certainly bring that threshold down to the point where almost everyone can do it safely. There will always be that 1% who messes things up, but there is nothing you can do about that.


5) It's not marketing if it is fact. At the time of writing and even now, there is no mobile coding app even close to protool. Therefore it is the best.



6) Do you know how much I wish I got paid to do these reviews? The answer is alot. I wish I had an affiliate code, a link, someway to earn comission. But I don't. Most of the time to get a partnership I have to inquire with the sponsor and justify my position on why I should deserve a chance to do a review. But the positives to this is that what I review is what I believe to be the best, because it was my choice to do the review. It wasn't forced upon me for monetary gains. So what I say in these reviews is what I believe and not some scripted thing that I am forced to say.

Regardless, if I was paid I would disclose it.

[F87source]

I just wanted to let you guys know I just recieved my BM3 wifi adapter in today and tested it with protool, and it works perfectly! So if you were looking to buy a wifi adapter I would highly recommend the BM3 wifi version over the currently available models (review coming soon which will explain exactly why).

[chutoy]

Can it code anti-dazzle on a G26 and leave the active shutter opened?

[G30M]

Originally Posted by F87source

I just talked to protool and they told me:

The headunit should be under the entertainment menu at the very bottom. You shouldn't be having any issues.

So it should work on the G series, the issue seems to be on your end.

Headunit worked with Bluetooth obd but error with cable obd

[G30M]

Re protool vs esys.

I'm about to get bimmercode utility for esys.

Protool is functional but it's like a toy vs Esys. Think of it as trying to browse the internet and doing a work on your phone vs working on a computer with screens and keyboard and mouse. One there are some things you can't do, but will suit most people. The other one is the real deal but won't suit most people!

They both work but they are not the same thing.

[G30M]

Originally Posted by MichaelNRW

And why did i had to recover so many ECUs that users broke with mobile apps?
It´s my personal view based on what i already had to recover.
There´s a lot of potential to do things wrong when coding with a mobile app.

I don´t understand why you try to defend a product so hard.
Seems like you get paid for advertisement :-)

You claim that Protool can do anything E-Sys can do except flashing.
Can Protool calculate coding based on VO and SVT (Verification)?
Can i check and import FSC?

I stopped using protool after my experience.

I was driving, I connected the Bluetooth to the app, and I read the VO to VO code my RAM

It read my VO for the RAM but it was 100% wrong! I was so scared I shut down the app.

Eg I'm a G21, Europe, sp2018, mid hifi

It read it as F10, USA, sp2021, base hifi!

I knew it wasn't right and shut down the app.

I am not making this up.

I have read the VO before and after since and it's been 100% right. But it's it actually...so no more factory restores on Protool for me. Can't trust it anymore.

Is bimmer utility a good way to esys?

I'm trying to find out why my RAM does not play game engine sound. I coded it off with bimmercode and after coding a bunch of other things the fake engine sound cannot to coded back on. Protool has not brought it back. So want to try esys.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by chutoy

Can it code anti-dazzle on a G26 and leave the active shutter opened?

If you can do it via ESYS you can do it with protool. you can also download the app and check it for yourself, it is free to do so until you decide you want to code something.