Did coding my car fix its terrible A/C?

[TheMane]

Can anyone explain this: I’ve always felt like my X5 had terrible A/C, not just the fan power but the temp of the air itself was always just cool, never cold. I saw this sentiment reflected throughout various forums so I just figured that’s the way things are with this car and always sweated it out in the summer.

...that is UNTIL I recently VO-coded the entire car about a month ago after adding my hitch. Ever since then the air conditioning is SO COLD. It’s incredible. I noticed right after when I went on a test drive to make sure everything was working and just thought it was a coincidence but the cold air has persisted even as temps have gone up outside!

Now a month later I’m convinced it can’t be my imagination— I’ve had this car for a few years and as this summer was just getting started with temps in the mid 80s I was previously pretty uncomfortable even with MAX A/C set and now I’m nice and cool all the time even when it’s in the 90s outside and I’ve got the regular A/C going in auto mode.

Is it possible that mass-resetting the various ECUs during whole-car coding could have somehow fixed something? Has anyone else experienced this?

It doesn’t really make any logical sense to me and I now live every hot day in fear it’s going to randomly switch back to being awful again and I won’t be able to repeat the feat but so far so good...

[turboawd]

Placebo? I don't understand

[TheMane]

Originally Posted by turboawd

Placebo? I don't understand

It makes no sense and should not be the case. I wasn’t even going to make this post since I assumed I’d be called an idiot but I had to know if maybe anyone else has experienced this or had a possible explanation. I have been very frustrated with the AC the past few summers (and this summer up until recently) so I really feel like the change is significant and not imagined.

I’ll probably never figure it... maybe I somehow had some other dumb setting configured that reset to a default (are there AC settings like that anywhere?) or a switch or dial or something that I also flipped coincidentally around the same time I did the hitch and coding work and now I’m making silly connections.

It is a mystery but at least I can think it over now in the driver’s seat on a hot day without sweating :-).

[Bigjoe17]

When checking VIN for options sometimes it shows a code for "hot climate". Maybe yours was not coded this way before and somehow you changed it to this?

[mrfochon]

This is for fan setting to be faster, longer and max A/C sooner.

That being said you A/C situation is interesting. Do you have your old file and can compare the values ?

I am in NYC as well and feels like the A/C get there after a while compared to basic cars I ve rented many times in LA (probably smaller cars as well)

[Ohmxj]

I think it's possible. my fan settings changed after I reprogram my IHKA.

[TheMane]

I do have the before and after files, but there’s nothing remarkable about them beyond the hitch codings which is why I thought maybe the reset itself could have been responsible. I’ll get the coding laptop back out tonight and take a closer look.

[ZitoMD]

I actually have my X5 at the dealer right now. I asked them to check the A/C because it is noticeably different than my 530. With the 530 I get ice cold air by the time I get two blocks away from home. With the X5 it doesn't get bearable until I am about 15 miles away from home. We just got the X5 in Feb so this is my first summer with it and so far not impressed with the A/C.

[raducris]

As you said, there are many people on different forums complaining of weak AC on these X5, myself included.
This year we took the chance and bought a second identical F15 which has a perfect AC so it motivated me to resume my research as now I have them both side by side to compare and learn.
The first F15 I bought CPO in June of 2018, a super hot summer so I noticed right away that the AC wasn't working as it should. I went back to the BMW dealer, they said everything is "cool" (but not cold ) as the temperature at front vents was 3-4C. Well, it was, yet the cabin didn't feel breathable even after a1h drive. The loaner they gave me for a few days was a TOTAL different story and I told them I wanted my AC to work like the loaner...
After a few visits to different BMW dealers and independent AC shops, a very techie local guy somehow did a "reset" on the AC module, he said, and right away the AC started to blow freezing cold air and also the condensation started dripping under the car (it never happened before and I argued about this with the dealer). I was so happy but it only last till I shut off the engine at home. It never worked like that again.
So now I'm learning ISTA and E-Sys to see if there is a way to reset the IHKA FKA modules. I found the IHKA reset option in ISTA, flaps calibration but it didn't feel different. The next step is to learn what VO coding is as I see many people mention it and give that a try. If anyone did the steps and can share the experience, it would be much appreciated. I only played with FDL coding so far so I'm a bit afraid of not bricking something

[Ascotgrun]

Do you have 4 zone Climate control?. I noticed in my car that if the rear AC is on, the front barely keeps cool. As soon as I disable the rear air the front vents start blowing cold. Even so, the AC is still not as I would like it, but I am way too scared of bricking modules to try a coding reset.

I would much rather spend money on IR blocking tint on the windshield to help reduce cabin temps. Also going to ask the tint shop to blackout the sunroof. The amount of radiated heat coming through the sunroof/sunshade is crazy.

[raducris]

I just learnt that there is zero risk of bricking an ECU just by VO coding it; it actually does a factory reset, same as on your cell phone. The software is already there, embedded in the ECU, you just tell it to do a fresh reload and forget customization and (old) error messages
The e-sys procedure is simple:
Connect => Read FA (VO) => Activate FA (VO) => Read (ECU) => Right-Click on IHKA (the ECU itself not the underlying CAFD) => Select CODE.

And yes, it-s a 4-zone IHKA+FKA system and I have tinted it all around except the windshield and rear window. Probably the most significant effect was the sunroof and not the side windows. I believe in Canada it's illegal to do the windshield.

[Myltz400]

Check to be sure but you should be able to put heat blocking film on any widow including the front. Tint is for looks or privacy but clear heat rejecting film will make a huge difference on the front where the rake is greatest.

[Ascotgrun]

Originally Posted by raducris

I just learnt that there is zero risk of bricking an ECU just by VO coding it; it actually does a factory reset, same as on your cell phone. The software is already there, embedded in the ECU, you just tell it to do a fresh reload and forget customization and (old) error messages
The e-sys procedure is simple:
Connect => Read FA (VO) => Activate FA (VO) => Read (ECU) => Right-Click on IHKA (the ECU itself not the underlying CAFD) => Select CODE.

And yes, it-s a 4-zone IHKA+FKA system and I have tinted it all around except the windshield and rear window. Probably the most significant effect was the sunroof and not the side windows. I believe in Canada it's illegal to do the windshield.

Pretty sure front windshield tint is illegal in my state too, but my local tint shop has an almost clear Infrared reducing tint. I think it's like 95% light transmission but still makes a big difference based on the demo they have set up in the shop with one of those red heat lamps. He actually has 85% transmission windshield tint on his personal car and if he didn't tell me I wouldn't have noticed.

[ooshnoo]

Originally Posted by raducris

I just learnt that there is zero risk of bricking an ECU just by VO coding it; it actually does a factory reset, same as on your cell phone. The software is already there, embedded in the ECU, you just tell it to do a fresh reload and forget customization and (old) error messages
The e-sys procedure is simple:
Connect => Read FA (VO) => Activate FA (VO) => Read (ECU) => Right-Click on IHKA (the ECU itself not the underlying CAFD) => Select CODE.

And yes, it-s a 4-zone IHKA+FKA system and I have tinted it all around except the windshield and rear window. Probably the most significant effect was the sunroof and not the side windows. I believe in Canada it's illegal to do the windshield.

So by simply recoding the ECU and not making any changes you were able to kickstart your air conditioning into performing better?

Please clarify

[tlow98]

Yeah, my AC isn’t awesome. This is of interest.