Quote:
Originally Posted by lsturbointeg
I thought about doing it myself but after reading this I think i'd rather pay the dealer to do it
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I just documented what happened, because so many people don't. Even those who screen cap the ISTA procedure are not usually telling you what it's actually doing. Every job I do on the F10, especially the more electronic ones, are easier after the first time. Just trying to make it easier for others based on knowledge of what will happen.
I also documented what I did to reinforce that what ISTA is doing during the bleed is not just a rudimentary pump squirt and, according to what I read and saw, definitely worthwhile doing. And, in order to do the ISTA procedure, you need a power bleeder (which lots of people have chosen to use for all bleeding anyways).
There's always the crowd that says you don't need to do things the way BMW says. Don't use ISTA. Don't bother registering new batteries. Don't set the proper level in the transmission, just squirt and go. Use any cheap coolant you like. No need to replace single-use aluminum bolts. "It's all a BMW scam" etc...etc... Again, based on the high degree of activity from the DSC system, and the blob of brown crud in my collection container after performing the procedure, I'll just be doing it this way from now on. I read too many accounts of experienced DIYers with soft pedals until they gave in and did it with ISTA for me to bother fooling around with multiple attempts just to save $80 on a power bleeder.
Overall, I would say this bleed was less of a pain in the butt and less error prone than my previous manual bleeds. Put car on stands, hook up power bleeder, do what ISTA says while assistant pumps the brakes. It seems like a big ordeal when it's all new, of course.
The simplified process:
1/ bleed a little through all four corners
2/ open LR - ISTA will pre-bleed (large quantity, fast)
3/ open LF - ISTA will pre-bleed (large quantity, fast)
4/ open all four in sequence - ISTA will bleed each one in turn (90s each, modest quantity of fluid)
The "pre-bleeds" are really the bulk fluid change. In 15s per axle pretty much all of the old fluid is pushed out.
Anyways - I guess it all depends on what the dealer charges in your area. What I saved pays for the power bleeder several times over and I know it was done properly.
ezaircon4jc has a dealer with really good prices, I must admit.