[00dyb58]

I understand this is either not possible or easy - otherwise everyone would be doing it. Can someone explain at a technical level why we couldn't pick up an ebay DME ( google "17-20 OEM BMW F22 F23 M240 FEM ECU DME Engine B58 Computer Unit Two Key SET") DME and install it?


I also see there are "stand alone ECU's" out there people are using on C8 Vette's and I'm sure other platforms. Has there been anyone working on that for the B58?

[xnick101]

I am not going to get too technical here but just cover the jist of it. It's because the ECU is completely different. If you had a 2020 car and bought another 2020 ECU, you could just plug it in and reprogram the keys to the new ECU and be on your way. Since you have a 2021+ the entire ECU is different. 2020 M340i uses the same ECU as the F30 340i but the 2021+ uses a new Bosch ECU which is completely different. What femto essentially does for a clone ecu is take a 2020 ecu and copy the hashvalues/metadata about the car from the 2021 ecu and write it over the 2020 ecu. So your car is recognized and it's tuneable. No one in the standalone ecu market is going to really do anything in the BMW world because the stock ecu basically is a stand alone. Someone just needs to crack it.

[carguy19]

The 2020+ has a mild hybrid system and the newer ECU's control it. The old ones do not.

[femtoevo]

Originally Posted by xnick101

I am not going to get too technical here but just cover the jist of it. It's because the ECU is completely different. If you had a 2020 car and bought another 2020 ECU, you could just plug it in and reprogram the keys to the new ECU and be on your way. Since you have a 2021+ the entire ECU is different. 2020 M340i uses the same ECU as the F30 340i but the 2021+ uses a new Bosch ECU which is completely different. What femto essentially does for a clone ecu is take a 2020 ecu and copy the hashvalues/metadata about the car from the 2021 ecu and write it over the 2020 ecu. So your car is recognized and it's tuneable. No one in the standalone ecu market is going to really do anything in the BMW world because the stock ecu basically is a stand alone. Someone just needs to crack it.

It's even more complex actually.
1. All F series (and some early G series like X3, X4, 5, 7, 8) "B58A" engines were equipped with "same looking" ECU , but inside there's a different CPU ("SPC") and different components, so it's absolutely not possible to use older "B58A" ECUs on "B58C, B58D" engines, it's like trying to install iphone app on windows pc.

2. 2020 G20/G22 (B58D engines) are equipped with newer ECU type with "AURIX" CPU, this ECU was slightly modified for 2021+ MY to be able to work on newest mild hybrid (48V) vehicles.

3. Very rare option - mild hybrid X5 G series was equipped with so called "pre 06.2020" unlockable ECUs, but it's very hard to find them.

And yes, these latest ECUs are already cracked by someone almost a year ago.
We understand your possible regret that this did not happen in the US, but that is the reality.

[00dyb58]

Originally Posted by femtoevo

It's even more complex actually.
1. All F series (and some early G series like X3, X4, 5, 7, 8) "B58A" engines were equipped with "same looking" ECU , but inside there's a different CPU ("SPC") and different components, so it's absolutely not possible to use older "B58A" ECUs on "B58C, B58D" engines, it's like trying to install iphone app on windows pc.

2. 2020 G20/G22 (B58D engines) are equipped with newer ECU type with "AURIX" CPU, this ECU was slightly modified for 2021+ MY to be able to work on newest mild hybrid (48V) vehicles.

3. Very rare option - mild hybrid X5 G series was equipped with so called "pre 06.2020" unlockable ECUs, but it's very hard to find them.

And yes, these latest ECUs are already cracked by someone almost a year ago.
We understand your possible regret that this did not happen in the US, but that is the reality.

Hello, where are you learning about the hardware specifications? Is there any community I could join to understand the DME's at a deeper level?

I'm curious from a infosec perspective, e.g. what the current attack vectors are, etc.

Thanks