Coding

NBT EVO iStep Update With E-Sys for Fullscreen CarPlay

Flash an NBT EVO head unit to a newer iStep with E-Sys, the way one F80 owner did it for fullscreen CarPlay: what to tick, what you'll see and how long it takes.

Plenty of BMWs with an NBT EVO head unit still run the software they left the factory with. Some features, fullscreen CarPlay among them, need newer software than that. The fix is an iStep update: flash the head unit (HU_NBT2 in E-Sys) to a newer integration level.

This guide follows one owner's update on a 2018 F80 M3, from iStep 17-07-507 to 18-07-549. You get what to tick in E-Sys, what the car does during the flash, how long it takes and what to sort out afterwards.

Tested and working. We've followed this procedure ourselves, and it works.

Credits

It's based on a PDF called How to perform iSTEP UPDATES on NBTEVO, written by an F80 owner and passed around the BMW forums. The PDF doesn't carry the author's name. They thank wibbles for answering their questions all the way through, and shawnsheridan, Almaretto, aboulfad, cryptz and BMWmatt123 for their forum posts. Thanks to all of them.

We rewrote it in our own words and trimmed it down. The original PDF is attached to this post, with photos of the screen at every stage of the flash.

The Update in the Original Guide

Before You Start

• Full PSdZData that contains the iStep you want. You can't pick any iStep you like. The target is whatever your PSdZData version holds.
• Run E-Sys directly, not through E-Sys Launcher. Launcher is for FDL coding. Flashing needs neither CAFD mapping nor a token.
• A power supply on the battery and the laptop on mains, with sleep turned off. Our coding laptop guide covers the laptop side.
• Set the car up and leave it. Driver's seatbelt buckled, driver's door shut for the whole flash, lights and climate off. The passenger door can stay open, so sit on that side.

The ignition switches itself off after about 15 minutes. Cycle it right before the target calculation and again right before you press Start. Once the flash runs, it stays on.

The Flash, Step by Step

If you've never flashed with E-Sys, our step-by-step E-Sys flashing guide explains every screen. Here's the short version for the head unit:

1. Connect E-Sys. The author used Connection via VIN. Use the gateway URL instead if the gateway (ZGW) ends up in your job list.
2. Comfort Mode → TAL-Calculating: read, activate and save the FA. Read the SVT and save it as SVT_ist.
3. Expert Mode → VCM, Master tab, click Read under I-Steps. Write down I-Step (shipment), for example F020-17-07-507.
4. Back in TAL-Calculating, choose Complete Flash and set I-Step (shipm.) to that value. Run the target calculation and save it as SVT_soll. Run the TAL calculation and save it as SVT_tal.
5. Expert Mode → TAL-Processing: load SVT_tal and SVT_soll, click Read FA, select read VIN out of FA and click Read VIN.
6. On the ECU tab, untick the top box in the All column. On the HU_NBT2 row, tick blFlash, swDeploy, cdDeploy and ibaDeploy. Nothing else.
7. Click Check software availability. You want "All software units (SWE) are available".
8. Cycle the ignition, then click Start. Open the Log tab to follow along.

Flash the Head Unit Only

The TAL editor will list other modules the head unit depends on. The author ignored them and flashed only HU_NBT2, planning to come back for the others only if something misbehaved. In this update, the head unit alone was enough.

The one exception they point out: flash the DME and you'll most likely have to flash the gearbox (EGS) too.

What You'll See During the Flash

• The fan spins up and the screen fades to blue.
• The cluster shows a pile of warnings. Look away. ISTA clears them at the end.
• The bootloader goes first and takes about a minute and a half. Then the screen goes black.
• Ten software files follow, then four owner's manual packages, then the coding.
• The screen fades to black, flashes a blank page and boots to the startup animation.

The whole run took 41 minutes and 9 seconds.

After the Flash

Clear the faults. Disconnect E-Sys and clear the fault memory with ISTA.

Activate features again. If Nav or CarPlay was activated after the car left the factory, a head unit flash can undo that. The author had to activate both again, using the same method as the first time. Only then could they confirm the new version, NBTevo_O.

Redo any FDL coding. cdDeploy codes the head unit fresh from the FA, so FDL tweaks you made before are gone. The author redid theirs with E-Sys Launcher.

Transport mode. If the car ends up in transport mode, ISTA has a service function to clear it: Vehicle Management → Service functions → Maintenance and pre-delivery check → Transport mode, pre-delivery check. VO coding any module in E-Sys also gets the car out of it.

Getting Fullscreen CarPlay

In 2018, the author added fullscreen CarPlay with a third-party patch loaded from USB. Patches like that were paid files from coding vendors, built for one car's VIN and that era of head unit software. There's no copy to share, and one made for another car won't work on yours. Forum users now report that later NBT EVO software has fullscreen as a plain coding option: CARPLAY_FULLSCREEN in HU_NBT2, set to aktiv, in E-Sys or BimmerCode. If you're flashing to a recent iStep anyway, look for that option first.

FAQ

Does this work on other cars with NBT EVO?

The routine is the same on any F-series car with an NBT EVO head unit. Your iStep numbers will differ from the ones above.

Can I update to the latest iStep?

Only as far as your PSdZData goes. Newer iStep means newer PSdZData, and newer PSdZData often needs a newer E-Sys.

Is ISTA needed?

Not for the flash itself. You need it afterwards to clear the faults and, if it happens, transport mode.

Keep the power supply on until the head unit has fully restarted. More E-Sys guides are under Coding.

Rather not flash it yourself? I can do it remotely while your car is plugged in.

Files

• How-to-perform-iSTEP-UPDATES-on-NBTEVO-1.pdf