Nov 232011
 

One of the great things about owning a BMW is that it is virtually impossible to know everything about the car. The amount of esoteric knowledge seems infinite, and its possible to turn the ownership experience into a full-scale hobby rather than just transportation. A case in point is the ability to access lots of data by unlocking the navigation and dashboard displays of the BMW E39 5 series.

Why do I call it secret? BMW never told owners about these options. It’s not in the owner’s manual, nor any official documentation I’ve ever seen. The same holds true for all late model BMWs since they share similar electronics, though I can’t vouch for the exact unlocking sequence for other models.

All modern cars are rolling computers and have been for a couple of decades. Every car sold in the U.S. since 1996 is what’s known as On-Board Diagnostics (OBD-II) compliant. This means that the car’s computer can share in a standardized way a great deal of information on how the various systems in the vehicle are operating. Dealers access this information during a service visit, for example. So do gas stations when they do  mandated state emissions testing.

Apparently BMW saw no reason to tell owners how they can see some of this data themselves. Want to know things like battery voltage, air/fuel mixture and how to change the warning sounds your car makes? How about latitude and longitude, g-force in the cabin or the GPS satellite tracking your car? It’s all inside the car’s brain, and you can access if you spend some time online in excellent forums like the M5Board.com, Bimmerfest.com and Bimmerforums.com.

Here’s how to unlock the navigation display:

1)Buy an M5

2)Turn the key on (engine running/moving is OK, not required)

3) Press Menu, then Set to enter the Settings screen.

4) Press-hold the menu button. The display will instantly change back to the menu screen, but keep holding the menu button in for about 15 seconds and you’ll get to the Status screen. There are several options there, including “Telematics” which probably only applies if you have the phone option, and Video System which only applies if you have the European model which allows you to watch TV.

5) The cool stuff is under “GPS” and “Sensors”. Once you get to the GPS screen, you choose “Function” to see “tracking info” which will tell you which satellites the GPS is watching at the moment, and how many. Another function shows you the GPS status – lat, lon, speed, etc.

Image courtesy of blackxs and bimmerforums.com

Here’s how to unlock the test modes in the dashboard cluster:

1) Key to ignition pos 2 (no need to start engine).
2) Fasten the seat belt to get rid of the “Fasten Seat Belt” message.
3) Press the right button on the instrument panel, and hold it until “TEST-NR. 01” comes up (5 to 10 seconds).
4) Press the left button on the instrument panel, and the vehicle id comes up (last 7 digits of VIN).
5) Add up the last 5 digits to get the “unlock code”, e.g. the unlock code for “AB12345” would be 15 (1+2+3+4+5).
6) Repeatedly press the right button until “TEST-NR. 19” appears.
7) Press left button -> “LOCK : ON”
8. Repeatedly press left button until “LOCK : xx” appears, where “xx” is your unlock code.
9. Press the right button. All modes are unlocked now.

There are many owners who probably don’t care about this information, and some of it is admittedly pretty arcane (although the satellite ID is pretty cool). I found out about unlocking this information when I needed to test the voltage of my battery (test 09), which eventually needed replacement. Test 06 gives you a read of fuel level in liters for both left and right tanks. This is especially handy if the analog fuel gauge starts to stick and becomes inaccurate, which is a known issue with the E39.

I also hope to use test 04, which measures exact fuel consumption. That reading can be used to compute whether the Mass Air Fuel (MAF) sensors are operating at peak efficiency. This is done via a mathematic formula that requires controlling for barometric pressure and the external temperature at the time of the test.

See what I mean about becoming a full-scale hobby? Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

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  10 Responses to “Unlocking the Secret Menu Options on the BMW E39 M5”

  1. Thanks for the info. Good to know.

    R.S.

  2. Nice article Chris. You can get a modified VAG diagnostic cable and some INPA software for $50 and have access to everything, all in realtime as well as coding abilities and diagnostic info / resets. If you want any more info let me know.

  3. I never know that BMW has those things that’s good

  4. […] Parente breaks down the menu options in his BMW E39 M5 on his Work, Wine and Wheels blog. These options will likely apply to any recent Bimmer, and along with turning off chimes and […]

  5. I have an 2011 X3 and would LOVE to know how I can change the voice/download a new voice in the nav system.

  6. I have a 2005 545i …can’t rest annoying icons telling me new brakes..I put new rotors and ceramic brakes in plus 2 new sensor wires. BMW wants a piece of me to reset…any ideas?

    • Bruce – thanks for comment/question. Must be annoying after you’ve already replaced. If you replaced the sensor wires, then I think any OBD II code reader could clear that warning — you can get one for $70 or so, will pay for itself in no time. You might also want to join an E60 forum like the one on Bimmerfest — lots of fellow owners with advice and tips: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=104

      Good luck!

  7. Bonjour,

    Je viens de faire l’achat d,une BMW 323 2011 et j’aimerais activer les “angel eyes” afin de les utiliser comme phares de jour. Ils n’entrent en fonction qu’au moment où je “débarre” la voiture. Ce sont les ampoules des phares à longues portées qui prennent le relais. Cependant, il m’est égal que ces derniers fonctionnent en même temps que les “angels eyes”.

    Je vous remercie à l’avance pour le temps pris à me répondre,

  8. Chris I just bought a 2013 x3 2.8xdrive It is a flood car All the electronics have been turned off I havent seen the car yet but the transport guy says that there or no brakes transmission etc wont even work He said they needed to get a bmw guy to use a code to disengage everything
    Do you have any Idea what kind of code i need to reset the car
    thanks
    ‘duane

  9. Thanks man always went up to test 2 tho had no much basic Idea what all dat meant!I love the Code part:always had a problem wit a deactivated code and had no idea what to input.

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