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      12-23-2011, 01:56 AM   #21
Losco
Second Lieutenant
Japan
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Drives: F10 528i M-sport
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Japan

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Quote:
Originally Posted by shawnsheridan View Post
Ok, your build is Oct. 2010, sames as mine. Earlier you wrote 10/09, and I was thinking your car was 12 months older.

In the U.S., you can't get the Combox without BMW Assist. That said, even without the BMW Assist "Service", I believe all Telematics are still though the Combox as it replaced the TCU Module.

From the Combox TIS:

"Although the Combox is only available in combination with the BMW Assist (option 639), different versions of the control unit are used depending on the vehicle's electrical system and optional equipment.

Vehicle electrical system BN2020 (L6[F0x] as of 09/2010)

• Combox with telematics (With BMW Assist)
• Combox with telematics and GPS receiver (With BMW Assist and Navigation)

With the introduction of the Combox the Telematic Control Unit (TCU) is no longer needed nor installed.

All BMW vehicle telematics functions are enabled by the Combox with no additional control units required.
"

The fact that yours upgraded from TX-003.004.031 to TX-003.005.004 with the UPD01004.bin flash seems to support that your Telematics too are part of the Combox, even without BMW Assist.

Again, what I would like to know though is what exactly determines the TX/MX version you get out of the UPD01004.bin flash, as there does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to it yet, and what does version TX/MX 3.5.4. include that I am not getting in TX 2.6.4 / MX 2.5.21.

Frankly, I can't see any reason for BMW to not put the latest software version on every Combox equipped vehicle, unless the software is somehow not backwards compatible with older hardware (Combox) units. That though doesn't seem to jive with their BMW Combox Launch promotional claim:

"Along with the new features and functions that the Combox enables, one of its key advantages is that it will be upgradeable, allowing it to continually be compatible with the latest and greatest devices on the market."

If you can't upgrade to the latest Software versions, then it isn't fully upgradeable.
mostly true, difference in combox media and telematics is the presence of SIM for the voice communication/assist and
google send map, etc(btw BMW Japan really needs to get their stuff straightened with telecom company and get this working.)

since I have nav too, which means combox media has GPS function. Since your combox is first batch of telematics,
it might have old parts/components that new combox don't use, which would prevent the new software upgrade from working
so they had to resort to minor upgrade.
As far as I can tell, I see no difference before/after upgrading software, and unless you have a specific problem right now with
assist/bluetooth/combox features I wouldn't worry so much.

as the old saying goes, "don't fix what's not broken"
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