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      09-01-2013, 07:41 PM   #1
Kabrich
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Variable BMW High Beam Assistant in USA?

Can the BMW Variable High Beam Assistant from Canada, Asia and Europe be coded in US Cars instead of the ON/OFF High Beam Assistant in the USA?

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=727721
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      09-01-2013, 09:26 PM   #2
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You don't have it available there? Find it weird. Is it because it's part of a package that you don't have?
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      09-01-2013, 10:24 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nick1212 View Post
You don't have it available there? Find it weird. Is it because it's part of a package that you don't have?
US DOT rules for headlights are 150 pages long and has not kept up with technology.

They are off or on - not variable in the USA package, which is why I wonder if there is a code similar to 0 for normal operation, 1 for USA operation of this feature.
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      09-04-2013, 06:06 PM   #4
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Bueller......Buelllleeeerrrr
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      09-04-2013, 07:29 PM   #5
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That is ridiculous...I used it on my way to Montreal and it was amazing...loved it.
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      09-05-2013, 12:00 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nick1212 View Post
That is ridiculous...I used it on my way to Montreal and it was amazing...loved it.
That's why I am asking can it be coded.

I would *assume* it would be something as simple as World=0 or USA=1 to make the option work like the rest of the world or limited such as in the USA, but then again, I have no idea - but it would seem logical.
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      09-05-2013, 03:53 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kabrich View Post
That's why I am asking can it be coded.

I would *assume* it would be something as simple as World=0 or USA=1 to make the option work like the rest of the world or limited such as in the USA, but then again, I have no idea - but it would seem logical.
Ha! If only it was that easy.

The cafd files are so filled with gigantic arcane sets of options that you wouldn't believe it; mostly all german acronyms or a combination of acronyms and internal bmw lingo. Even google translate isn't much help. When you can translate something you still don't know what exactly it actually applies to, or even if you even have the relevant hardware in your car (these are settings for ALL F-series ECUs ever made). Sometimes the comments give you a hint at specific models but never about specific hardware in a way that a non-bmw engineer can understand. And to top it off there are very few "single" settings, everything tends to be a conglomeration of various options that have to be set "just so".

Basically, long story short, you can find lots of options set to 'us', 'ece' and the like but there's a 95% chance if you change it ... nothing at all happens.

If you can get bmw, or someone, to tell you the "kword" for the option (if such exists in this case) then it would be a piece of cake.
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      09-05-2013, 11:14 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JesseS View Post
Ha! If only it was that easy.

The cafd files are so filled with gigantic arcane sets of options that you wouldn't believe it; mostly all german acronyms or a combination of acronyms and internal bmw lingo. Even google translate isn't much help. When you can translate something you still don't know what exactly it actually applies to, or even if you even have the relevant hardware in your car (these are settings for ALL F-series ECUs ever made). Sometimes the comments give you a hint at specific models but never about specific hardware in a way that a non-bmw engineer can understand. And to top it off there are very few "single" settings, everything tends to be a conglomeration of various options that have to be set "just so".

Basically, long story short, you can find lots of options set to 'us', 'ece' and the like but there's a 95% chance if you change it ... nothing at all happens.

If you can get bmw, or someone, to tell you the "kword" for the option (if such exists in this case) then it would be a piece of cake.
A dump from the VIN decoder for my car shows:

S5APA DEKODIERUNG BLENDFREI. FERNL. ASSIS Decoding anti-gl. high beam assistant

Do any of the non-US cars have this option code?

My thought is that this option code disables (de-codes) the "normal" anti-dazzle feature.

Has anyone tried removing 5AP code from their VO and FDL coding the car?
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      09-05-2013, 02:39 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frogman View Post
A dump from the VIN decoder for my car shows:

S5APA DEKODIERUNG BLENDFREI. FERNL. ASSIS Decoding anti-gl. high beam assistant

Do any of the non-US cars have this option code?

My thought is that this option code disables (de-codes) the "normal" anti-dazzle feature.

Has anyone tried removing 5AP code from their VO and FDL coding the car?
Worth a shot. I might try it tonight even if it does mean my gas milage reading will get all screwed up.
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      09-05-2013, 02:53 PM   #10
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Actually, I might not try it. Others have actually.

If you remove 5AP you get "horizontal" glare-free, not the full deal, but you can code the shutter and and whatever else is needed to get full anti-glare adaptive xenons (if you have all the camera pre-requisites and assistant tech)l.

Apparently however, it doesn't work all that well for real-world use here. There are bulb differences between Europe and the US as well as possibly other minor hardware like the headlight mirrors.

So, I guess in totality the answer is: "Yes, it's doable, but don't expect it to be as cool as the Canadian/European version".
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      01-04-2014, 05:39 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frogman View Post
A dump from the VIN decoder for my car shows:

S5APA DEKODIERUNG BLENDFREI. FERNL. ASSIS Decoding anti-gl. high beam assistant

Do any of the non-US cars have this option code?

My thought is that this option code disables (de-codes) the "normal" anti-dazzle feature.

Has anyone tried removing 5AP code from their VO and FDL coding the car?
UPDATE:
I've confirmed it indeed works. I did more than removing 5AP. I also removed 8S4. I then coded FEM_BODY with the new FA, and FDL coded these:

C_HBA_GRHB_ENA: changed werte from 00 to 01
C_HBA_ADAPT_SHUT_ENA: changed werte from 00 to 01

Not sure if the above two are absolutely necessary.

Last edited by ktula; 01-05-2014 at 04:56 AM..
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      01-06-2014, 12:16 AM   #12
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I just coded this on my April '12 build F30 and did a short test drive tonight. The effects are truly amazing.

You have to have the Xenon's and HBA to enable this.

I didn't FDL code anything; I simply removed 5AP and 8S4 from the FA and VO coded FLA and FEM_BODY. That was it.

With the HBA turned on, it was a bit difficult to see the tunnel view as shown in the BMW video, but I could definitely see the lights go into "tunnel" mode several times.

The behavior with oncoming traffic was very effective and easy to see. The left headlight would swivel as needed and then when the car got close, it would dip and eventually turn off, then pop back on when the car passed, all while the right high beam was on.

You definitely see the lights swivel all over the place compensating for the traffic conditions. If things got too confusing (several cars around), it just turned the high beams off and when the cars cleared, it would turn them back on, just like it did before.

I want to thank ktula for being the pioneer here. His success pushed me over the edge to try it myself.
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      01-06-2014, 03:48 AM   #13
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This one single feature is probably the strongest reason I should bite the bullet and start coding my car... I need to read through that huge thread and see how to get started...
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      01-06-2014, 12:27 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by daxtor View Post
This one single feature is probably the strongest reason I should bite the bullet and start coding my car... I need to read through that huge thread and see how to get started...
Doesn't "smart" high beam assistant already come with Canada-spec cars?
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      01-06-2014, 02:16 PM   #15
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wish I could do this.. don't have auto high beams though.. I guess that would require a lot more hardware and new windshield
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      01-06-2014, 11:01 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frogman View Post
I just coded this on my April '12 build F30 and did a short test drive tonight. The effects are truly amazing.

You have to have the Xenon's and HBA to enable this.

I didn't FDL code anything; I simply removed 5AP and 8S4 from the FA and VO coded FLA and FEM_BODY. That was it.

With the HBA turned on, it was a bit difficult to see the tunnel view as shown in the BMW video, but I could definitely see the lights go into "tunnel" mode several times.

The behavior with oncoming traffic was very effective and easy to see. The left headlight would swivel as needed and then when the car got close, it would dip and eventually turn off, then pop back on when the car passed, all while the right high beam was on.

You definitely see the lights swivel all over the place compensating for the traffic conditions. If things got too confusing (several cars around), it just turned the high beams off and when the cars cleared, it would turn them back on, just like it did before.

I want to thank ktula for being the pioneer here. His success pushed me over the edge to try it myself.
Sounds like its time for another SoCal coding meet as I would LOVE this feature to work!
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      01-07-2014, 03:55 AM   #17
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Glare-free HBA in action

I mounted a GoPro camera right above the driver side headlight.

And then went for a drive. You can see how the adaptive headlight is constantly adjusting to prevent glaring other drivers. I wish i have two GoPro cameras to not only capture the headlight but also its beam pattern.

http://vimeo.com/83570942
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      01-07-2014, 05:38 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ktula View Post
Doesn't "smart" high beam assistant already come with Canada-spec cars?
No, as far as I can tell. Maybe this has something to do with my car's build date? Mine was built in Aug 2012 as a 2013 model. During that model year I definitely have the HBA but not the "smart" one as the one in Europe. I checked the spec sheet again and 5AP and 8S4 come standard, meaning my car also gets the dumbed down version of HBA.

Last edited by daxtor; 01-07-2014 at 05:49 AM..
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      01-07-2014, 09:11 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daxtor View Post
No, as far as I can tell. Maybe this has something to do with my car's build date? Mine was built in Aug 2012 as a 2013 model. During that model year I definitely have the HBA but not the "smart" one as the one in Europe. I checked the spec sheet again and 5AP and 8S4 come standard, meaning my car also gets the dumbed down version of HBA.
Right. 5AP and 8S4 are disable codes, they turn off features that would normally be enabled.

You can enable this on your car. You just need to code it, or find someone to code it for you.
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      01-07-2014, 09:16 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ktula View Post
I mounted a GoPro camera right above the driver side headlight.

And then went for a drive. You can see how the adaptive headlight is constantly adjusting to prevent glaring other drivers. I wish i have two GoPro cameras to not only capture the headlight but also its beam pattern.

http://vimeo.com/83570942
Nice!

One question: You also FDL coded C_HBA_GRHB_ENA and C_HBA_ADAPT_SHUT_ENA to aktiv. Did you notice any difference when you did this verses just the VO coding values? I have not changed these and the Glare Free High Beams (GFHB) seem to work fine, so I'm wondering why you changed these too.
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      01-07-2014, 10:42 AM   #21
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big thank you to iansanderson on the other site as well as he was the first to try simply removing 5AP and 8S4 and it worked...this coding will, by far, add the most value...can't wait to try it!

on a somewhat similar note, has anyone figured out how to turn off the 3 amber LED sidemakers on LED headlights?
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      01-07-2014, 11:48 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frogman View Post
Nice!

One question: You also FDL coded C_HBA_GRHB_ENA and C_HBA_ADAPT_SHUT_ENA to aktiv. Did you notice any difference when you did this verses just the VO coding values? I have not changed these and the Glare Free High Beams (GFHB) seem to work fine, so I'm wondering why you changed these too.
The first night i tested it, if was right after removing 5AP and 8S4. Because i was driving on a local road with speed limits between 15 MPH - 30 MPH, and i didn't exceed 40 MPH, the HBA would only turn both high beams on/off. So i thought it was not working.

I then coded C_HBA_GRHB_ENA and C_HBA_ADAPT_SHUT_ENA. The second night, i didn't code them correctly so i went for a test drive on the same route. The HBA was still doing on/off and nothing else.

The third night, i coded them correctly by changing werte to 01. I went on a drive on the same route and was utterly disappointed when the HBA would only turn the both high beams on/off. It was when i decided to take a different route home, via I-5, that i discovered there may be a speed limitation on the HBA. Another user responded to me that the HBA would only engage above 40 MPH. I think what he meant was the HBA would resort to the "dumb" on/off operation below 40 MPH. Above 40 MPH, it would then become a "smart" HBA.

It is possible the two things i coded are unnecessary. I will undo them and see what happens.

Are you experiencing the same thing as i do when driving in the city at less than 40 MPH, that the HBA would only turn both high beams on/off? In the official BMW video on glare-free HBA, it was a LED-based headlights and so perhaps they work a little differently than the Xenon-based headlights.
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