[mct128i]

A couple of years ago I installed a 3 SIM on my 2011 328i and, in order to fully exploit the manifold upgrade, I sent my DME to Turner Motorsports who installed a tune. The results were very pleasing and well worth the effort and cost.

In July 2021, the CA smog test was revised and now includes a check to ensure that the OEM or CARB approved DME software is present. I contacted Turner who advised that their performance tune is not CARB approved and I therefore presume my car will fail its next Smog test (due next month).

More info on the new CA smog test requirement is here: https://www.thedrive.com/cars-101/41...tune-flash-faq

I see that Bimmerlabs has a "Stock 330i Tune" - does anyone know if this will allow my car to pass the new CA Smog test? I tried contacting Bimmerlabs via their website but haven't heard anything. Since the E90 330i is an OEM application using the 3 SIM this may work, or this may be a problem since the software CAL ID won't match with the 2011 328i vehicle. The article also explains that the CVN changes when software modifications are made so this might also flag a problem.

I'm open to any suggestions (although not looking to move to a different state LOL) and, since I'm a little apprehensive regarding reprogramming would be interested to know if there is a plug and play device that would allow me to load CARB compliant software on my 2011 328i. (I also have an N55 powered vehicle which uses the Cobb Accessport and this device should allow me to avoid any Smog test issues on that car).

Any helpful suggestions will be greatly appreciated - especially anyone in CA who has faced this issue recently.

Thanks in hopes of some good advice!

[hassmaschine]

Oh man.. you've got me on my soap-box now! *rant incoming*

I've been aware that this could come for a long time (this has been planned for at least 20 years), but I had never heard of it being enforced until the recent news stories. Recently, I've seen numerous shops receive "cease and desist" letters, YouTube channels being shut down, etc. But some of those guys were brazenly breaking the law too.

I mean, there's no way the stupid coal rolling bro-trucks don't have modified DMEs and deleted emissions equipment. They were visibly (and audibly) flaunting how much they were polluting, which was exactly their (idiotic) point. Initially, it seemed they were the big targets, but now everyone else could be caught up in it.

There are work arounds. One would be to flash everything back to stock (including the RSA delete). Pass smog. And flash the DME to the 330i tune again after passing. That would be painful but is already doable with existing tools, and the 3-stage would cause no issues because the valves would just not do anything. There's no limit to how many times you can reflash (there's a physical limit for the flash chips, but you're unlikely to ever reach it in your lifetime).

For now, that is my recommendation. You might want to just use WinKFP in comfort mode, to make sure the UIF gets updated (that's how the OBD system reads the current software version).

However, there *is* a permanent work around. It would also require a re-flash, and I haven't built files for this yet. and of course it's not guaranteed because nobody to my knowledge has tried this.. but I'll explain.

Basically, around ~2001 (I don't know the exact date, but you can see it in the daten files), BMW started adding the "CVN" number to each calibration file. The CVN is part of some sort of tracking system to match valid calibrations to the car. Basically, the CVN is literally the checksum of the file itself. I assume other manufacturers are reporting the same information.

CARB and maybe the EPA presumably has a database of all cars from ~2001 onward (or whenever they started requiring it), which includes which calibrations are valid for those models, and what the checksum should be for each calibration. There are also CVN records for the program, and presumably the boot code.

The smog test can request the DME checksum for the calibration, program, and presumably boot code - if it doesn't match the CVN in the database, or if the software version is invalid, it will flag it (and presumably fail).

The trick here is most checksums are some form of CRC (CRC16, CRC32, etc), and CRC is not secure at all. You can "salt" the data covered by the checksum with a specially calculated value to force the CRC to be anything you want. Basically, you can make the checksum *always* match the CVN from the original calibration, regardless of what changed in the actual calibration (which I do not think they are able to check, that would be completely impractical).

I could implement this method, but here's the rub. Is is it worth the potential to get sued out of existence by the government for "bypassing" their check? I'm not even sure it's actually illegal - the checksum would still be completely valid. And it should pass without issues.

You could also force the checksum routine to return any random value you wanted, but that would require software mods and would definitely not be legal (because the true checksum would not be valid).

The last option is to make tools available for others to use. That's kind of where I'm leaning these days. It's stupid because technically, the 330i tune *is* a factory tune. None of the parameters are altered from the original 330i. There's zero reason why it wouldn't pass smog otherwise, just like any car sold as a factory 330i.

Heck, the way this law is written - you couldn't even do stuff like fix broken stuff in the DME, make the water pump errors trigger a CEL, or change anything non-emissions related because they are all covered by the checksum regardless of their fuction.

Obviously, doing a cat delete or something would cross a line, but otherwise I feel this is extremely stupid and strips all rights to the control of your own property. And probably, it will have no actual benefits for the environment or pollution. Bro trucks are still gonna Bro.

On the other hand, if I never have to listen another attention seeking idiot in a "burple" tuned BMW again, maybe it'll be worth it. lol

As far as getting a "CARB" approved tune for a 328i - don't hold your breath. I'm certainly not going to attempt that rabbit hole, there's no way you'd make your money back, if you could even get an approval. You can't even flash an unsigned file without breaking the CVN on the program itself. I can't see any way that will ever happen, unless somebody can factor the RSA keys. Anyone have a spare quantum computer?

[Biginboca]

The easiest would be just what hassmaschine said first, flash back to stock, take test, then reflash the Turner or Bimmerlabs 330i tune.

The irony is the both those tunes are likely the exact same OEM 330i tune that meets emissions anyway.

Flashing back to stock would require no wrenching changes on your car (provided the 3 stage is the only mod) and is the least amount of effort to pass.

[aphael]

Montana LLC. Or register it in a smog exempt county, thats the only way around it. My other engine swapped track toy is now having a tough time transferring from another state since I HAVE to get it smogged

[E92_William]

Originally Posted by aphael

Montana LLC. Or register it in a smog exempt county, thats the only way around it. My other engine swapped track toy is now having a tough time transferring from another state since I HAVE to get it smogged

California cops that would rather pull over a kid in a bmw over attend to an actual crime have already caught up with the Montana trick and will ask why your car is registered there why you have a California driver's license.

I wonder if bribing the smog guy still works or it's required for the computer thing to be plugged into the car.

I remember reading that if you're a low income family in California you could opt out of smog checks by paying a $20 fee or something like that. It's not about the smog anymore, just about harassing the next small group they can make good politics out of.

If the issue was actually pollution they would just test your car and if it passes emissions testing then you're good to go. Just plan to leave the state at this point, they don't even let you have 93 octane gas in most places.. it's turning into a green party utopia

[mct128i]

Thanks all for your replies - especially Hass for the abundant information.

I think we can all agree that the new CA requirements are a dumb way to approach the smog issue.

Since my test is due soon, I think I will head down the path of returning my software to stock. Since my DME was reprogrammed by a third party, I don't have the stock software. Is there a stock tune available at Bimmerlabs that will enable me to pass smog? Or do I need to take it to a dealer for them to reprogram?

Ideally I would like to be able to switch back and forth for the purpose of passing smog every 2 years but being able to enjoy the 3 SIM in between those events.

I have to believe this will become an issue for many in the coming months so hopefully a clean solution comes available.

[hassmaschine]

You can download the stock files from Bimmerlabs. You need to flash the stock program as well as the stock tune. All aftermarket flashes also modify the program (to bypass the RSA check) which will cause an invalid checksum/CVN match.

You can also flash with WinKFP in comfort mode. I recommend that because it will update the UIF with the right entry for that calibration.

[JingChai]

I was facing the same issue that you are with my AA tune a couple of months ago. If I wasn't moving out of state right before my registration and smog was due, what I would have done was flashed my car back to stock, go get it smogged, and then flash it back.

[AmuroRay]

This is nothing to do with rolling coal, and everything to do with providing more revenue to the state and pushing people towards electric cars, which is also an issue.

Don't be confused - Replacing one product with another (disposable in the case of Tesla) product isn't saving the environment. Eventually, the government will try to phase out legacy cars in favor of vehicles with advanced monitoring (including GPS) that can also be controlled and disabled remotely.

But what Hass said is right - flash back to stock.

[rjahl]

I'm glad Hassmachine "chimed in".

While it's completely possible to defeat the CNV checks, the potential personal liability is insane. No one wants to mess with Federal emissions requirements. California is only using Federally required information to check valid calibration files. Any defeat procedure/program would be running afoul with federal laws.

This is why most tuner's "cat delete" tune will only disable the cat performance CEL but will not reset the readiness flag.

I've dug into this and it appears that their are some discrepancies towards the actual model years affected. I've read 2000, 2007 and even 2010. I really think the manufactures might have some issues providing some of this data. Just look at how hard it is to find the correct ZB number on an old E series.

I don't know the inspection fees but I'd be temped to just run my car through the checks and flash back to stock if it was flagged. Takes 10 minutes to flash back, so its just an inconvenience at best.

For those of you with AA tunes and no flashing hardware, you can just live with the base bimmerlabs 330 tunes or pay to purchase the AA flashing tools. Just consider it one of the many California taxes.

Or maybe move to a more "sane" state. Loved California in the early 80's. would never live there again.

[NOKO]

Before you do anything I would go and get the car smoged. I had a 328xi with a 3 stage manifold and AA tune and had no issues passing California smog.

[hassmaschine]

If they check the CVN it will fail. I really doubt AA has an EO for their 328i tunes.

[aphael]

I've heard you can actually get your car flagged if it has an aftermarket tune. There are definitely some places that do 300$ smogs, but you can literally just flash back to stock easily.

There is another way, and it requires going to the DMV. You can basically get an extension every year by saying your car isn't in the state and that you can't get it smogged. But this is a temporary solution.

[mct128i]

NOKO - when did you last pass CA smog with the modified 328xi? The new pass/fail software requirement only started in mid-July 2021.

[lowrydr310]

I wonder what the law says about someone who unknowingly bought a car that was tuned? Imagine buying a car before the smog test change that passed the required emissions test at the time prior to ownership transfer, only to find out it fails the new test because the software was modified? Hope my 330i passes.

The whole emissions test is a joke anyway. 99% of people aren't affected, it's just a huge source of revenue. The other 1% who do modify their cars simply get away with it by swapping parts before/after the biannual test, defeating the whole purpose of testing. It's pretty obvious by the smell when there's a catless tuned WRX blowing by, yet CHP or any local PD don't even care and don't EVER do anything about it.

A friend of mine has a classic chevy pickup that he converted to EFI with a non-CARB approved EFI/ignition system. The actual tailpipe emissions are infinitely better than when the engine was carburated and easily passes the sniffer portion of the test, but fails the visual test because the system isn't CARB approved. The EFI kit is "bad" because it is essentially open to any kind of programming and isn't locked to a predefined/controlled tune.

[mct128i]

I'm reading up and preparing to load a stock tune as Hassmaschine suggested - I see four stock tunes available on Bimmerlabs, each with a different checksum. How can I determine which one to choose? Or can I use any of these four and pass the new CA smog test?

[IllSic_Design]

Originally Posted by NOKO

Before you do anything I would go and get the car smoged. I had a 328xi with a 3 stage manifold and AA tune and had no issues passing California smog.

yeah but when, if not since August then it doesn't apply as CA new rule went into effect at end of July I believe.

[hassmaschine]

Originally Posted by mct128i

I'm reading up and preparing to load a stock tune as Hassmaschine suggested - I see four stock tunes available on Bimmerlabs, each with a different checksum. How can I determine which one to choose? Or can I use any of these four and pass the new CA smog test?

they're all valid, they're based on different program variants, all of which could have been on your car at one point.

[bsmoov]

How do you revert back the rsa delete? That's the one you just have to do once and do nothing ever again, but how do you get rid of it? I'm assuming you flash back to stock first then somehow remove the rsa delete, pass smog, then do the rsa delete again and reflash with the 330 tune?

To go back to stock, just download one of the stock files and flash it right?

EDIT: Also do you have to drive your car an "x" amount of miles so everything resets and recalibrates before you smog it?

[bsmoov]

Checking in again. I know how to flash the stock tune, but how do you reverse the rsa delete? @hassmachine mentioned to flash everything back to stock including the rsa delete, but how do you reverse the rsa delete back to stock?

[hassmaschine]

flash the stock program.

[bsmoov]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

flash the stock program.

How do you flash the stock program? I'm assuming you mean the stock program that's not the rsa delete, right? If so I don't see a file for a stock "rsa delete" program.

All I see is the rsa delete, 330 tune, 330 mafless tune, and 3 stock tunes.


Is that it? Just the stock 328 tune? Obviously the rsa delete is already done so would all I need to do is flash the 328 stock tune from one of the 3 available stock tune files?

Sorry hassmaschine I'm just wondering because you stated even the rsa delete.