[Azlar]

Picked my car up today after the recall repair and noticed I had a software update.

Doesn't seem to be any different to 07/2020.54, my car on the connected drive app is still the generic silver.

[Azlar]

Well I took the car for a drive yesterday and again today and from what I can see the exhaust noise has been suppressed once again.

There doesn't seem to be any pops or bangs at all now, even in sports plus mode, now there is barely any difference from all comport to all sport.

Sound control appears to do nothing either, there is no noticeable difference with this switch on or off.

My M850i 100% made a lot more noise, pops, bangs etc than the M8.

[darkchi1d]

This is quite a shame. I'm about to purchase a car and find myself opting for a 2020 car (over a 21) for the fear of neutered exhaust.

I'm really hoping it's region specific and not a general update.

I can't see how these are due to sound regulations. My understanding is that the regulations do not retrospectively apply to cars already sold.

[xmanpro]

Originally Posted by darkchi1d

This is quite a shame. I'm about to purchase a car and find myself opting for a 2020 car (over a 21) for the fear of neutered exhaust.

I'm really hoping it's region specific and not a general update.

I can't see how these are due to sound regulations. My understanding is that the regulations do not retrospectively apply to cars already sold.

I just got a 2021 X6MC this week and it's exhaust is neutered. What's the MPE supposed to sound like with this software update? It sounds so stock to me.

I'm thinking my 2021 M8C on order will probably sound the same once it gets here which is going to be a real damn shame.

I went to the BMW M Track day a couple of months ago and paid very close attention to both the M8C and X6MC exhaust note and was very satisfied with it at the time. In fact, that experience helped me finalize my decision to get both cars in competition spec specifically for the exhaust. This is super disappointing.

Thinking of opening up a ticket with customer care about this so BMWNA knows I'm pissed.

[darkchi1d]

It should at worst be an option nestled in the menu somewhere.

It's also a bit deceitful they do this as a stealth update with no warning or acknowledgement it's being changed.

Has anyone discovered a way to roll the update back?

[JMAN1111]

Originally Posted by xmanpro

I just got a 2021 X6MC this week and it's exhaust is neutered. What's the MPE supposed to sound like with this software update? It sounds so stock to me.

I'm thinking my 2021 M8C on order will probably sound the same once it gets here which is going to be a real damn shame.

I went to the BMW M Track day a couple of months ago and paid very close attention to both the M8C and X6MC exhaust note and was very satisfied with it at the time. In fact, that experience helped me finalize my decision to get both cars in competition spec specifically for the exhaust. This is super disappointing.

Thinking of opening up a ticket with customer care about this so BMWNA knows I'm pissed.

Originally Posted by xmanpro

I just got a 2021 X6MC this week and it's exhaust is neutered. What's the MPE supposed to sound like with this software update? It sounds so stock to me.

I'm thinking my 2021 M8C on order will probably sound the same once it gets here which is going to be a real damn shame.

I went to the BMW M Track day a couple of months ago and paid very close attention to both the M8C and X6MC exhaust note and was very satisfied with it at the time. In fact, that experience helped me finalize my decision to get both cars in competition spec specifically for the exhaust. This is super disappointing.

Thinking of opening up a ticket with customer care about this so BMWNA knows I'm pissed.

You should open up the ticket!

[bloozemanAZ]

Originally Posted by darkchi1d

This is quite a shame. I'm about to purchase a car and find myself opting for a 2020 car (over a 21) for the fear of neutered exhaust.

I'm really hoping it's region specific and not a general update.

I can't see how these are due to sound regulations. My understanding is that the regulations do not retrospectively apply to cars already sold.

Unfortunately that is not how it works here in the US as state exhaust sound regulations on total dBA allowed goes by gross vehicle weight vs model year. It is different than overall emissions control which is set by the manufactured date.

[bloozemanAZ]

Originally Posted by darkchi1d

It should at worst be an option nestled in the menu somewhere.

It's also a bit deceitful they do this as a stealth update with no warning or acknowledgement it's being changed.

Has anyone discovered a way to roll the update back?

It is indeed completely stealth, i.e., my OTA update from 11/2019.55 to 11/2019.70 did not list "exhaust neutering" in the release notes.

[bloozemanAZ]

Originally Posted by JMAN1111

You should open up the ticket!

Agreed if only to get their reaction from a customer that just purchased two expensive vehicles based on prior experience (test drives, M Track day, etc.) to be delivered something that does not match.

[bloozemanAZ]

Originally Posted by Azlar

Picked my car up today after the recall repair and noticed I had a software update.

Doesn't seem to be any different to 07/2020.54, my car on the connected drive app is still the generic silver.

FYI that we've confirmed a non-serial Individual color will not be rendered vs my Tanzanite Blue that is serial on the M850i.

[bloozemanAZ]

Should have added (as its been speculated as to when) we now have 11/2020 out in the wild. Thus, any new service updates including iDrive will likely land with it vs 07/2020. Glad I got 07/2020.60 just in case 11/2020.34+ comes along with even further neutering of the exhaust, etc.

[Azlar]

Earlier I did a video of the exhaust sounds, the first half is with the car in the lowest setting and the second half is in all sport/sport plus modes. I also turn the exhaust sound control on and off, there is not a lot of differences.

www.nutec-electronics.co.uk/M8.MOV

[darkchi1d]

Originally Posted by Azlar

Earlier I did a video of the exhaust sounds, the first half is with the car in the lowest setting and the second half is in all sport/sport plus modes. I also turn the exhaust sound control on and off, there is not a lot of differences.

www.nutec-electronics.co.uk/M8.MOV

Ouch. I had a dealer send me video for a car in the UAE. It's a 2020 m850i GC and sounds much better. What's the easiest way to upload a video here?

[Azlar]

Originally Posted by darkchi1d

Ouch. I had a dealer send me video for a car in the UAE. It's a 2020 m850i GC and sounds much better. What's the easiest way to upload a video here?

Not, sure. Only way I know how to do it is to upload it to my server and then put a link to it.

I am sure others know better ways of doing it.

My M850i was far better than this. Even my M8 was much better last week before the update. If they can software the noise out then surely we can software it back in again.

[Resjudicata]

seems to be a known problem :
https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=26976099

[bloozemanAZ]

Although it may come as a surprise to many it has been well reported by auto reviewers, etc. that the M850i exhaust sound has been more aggressive than the M8 from day 1. With this thread in mind I took the following video after a remote cold start (in conjunction with my new thread on a BMW Connected app bug) after changing to my Sport Individual setting (engine on Sport Plus, transmission on Sport and suspension on Comfort).

Granted this is coming out of a cold start versus if I had driven the car to warm it up and further open the valves. I'll take another video after doing that as it will add more snarl to the pops and bangs. However, in all cases this is after the car was neutered twice by BMW so just imagine that at a minimum 45% of the exhaust volume was lost in those acts.

[darkchi1d]

Managed to get two different M850i GC videos from my dealer in the UAE.

He was't able to confirm the exact software version but the first is a 2019 car and the second a 2020.

Edit: The video labels are to denote which version was which, they aren't a confirmation.

2019:

2020:

[Azlar]

Here is the reply I got from the dealership.

I asked for it to be reversed and they tell me it isn't possible as 'all updates are carried out from the BMW system so we do not have access to the previous versions'

The EU / ECE exterior noise legislation stipulates that the driving noise of passenger cars should be
gradually reduced by 2026.
For BMW M vehicles as of production 07/2019 onwards, BMW is already adapting the noise levels, thereby
making a contribution to greater quality of life.
However the vehicle continues to display the sporty and emotional sound typical for the BMW M brand.
In order to give the customer a clear image of the current sound of the exhaust system (standard and sport),
it is essential to recommend demonstration of a vehicle produced after 07/2019

[bloozemanAZ]

Originally Posted by Azlar

Here is the reply I got from the dealership.

I asked for it to be reversed and they tell me it isn't possible as 'all updates are carried out from the BMW system so we do not have access to the previous versions'

The EU / ECE exterior noise legislation stipulates that the driving noise of passenger cars should be
gradually reduced by 2026.
For BMW M vehicles as of production 07/2019 onwards, BMW is already adapting the noise levels, thereby
making a contribution to greater quality of life.
However the vehicle continues to display the sporty and emotional sound typical for the BMW M brand.
In order to give the customer a clear image of the current sound of the exhaust system (standard and sport),
it is essential to recommend demonstration of a vehicle produced after 07/2019

Although the statement may be EU specific the same campaign is being played out here in the US as well. Had to love the "For BMW M vehicles as of production 07/2019 onwards, BMW is already adapting the noise levels, thereby making a contribution to greater quality of life." The sarcasm being that here in AZ our exhaust regulations only require a "working muffler" vs several other stats that have dBA noise regulations. The neutering of my M850i is most certainly not contributing to a greater quality of life.

[Ozzie8]

Azlar thanks for the dealer info. My car is build 04/2019 so I hope that makes me exempt from these changes. I can see that I am on a different release cycle/number on the software updates to the US so lets hope global homogenisation does not overtake matters. My iDrive 7 update has not altered vehicle sound effects.

[RJC-1]

fwiw my US car was one of the last 19's built 07/19 production and the exhaust still cracks snaps crackles and pops in comfort, it also had a s/w update in early Jan with no ill effects.

[Azlar]

Originally Posted by RJC-1

fwiw my US car was one of the last 19's built 07/19 production and the exhaust still cracks snaps crackles and pops in comfort, it also had a s/w update in early Jan with no ill effects.

From what I have noticed with the M850i and M8 I have had and the updates I had it would seem the first reduction was 03/2020 which took some of the noise away in comfort, 07/2020 seemed to take all the noise from comfort but nothing from sport/plus and now 11/2020 has take all the pops and crackles in all modes.

If you are still on 11/2019 software it would explain why you still have the 'original' sound.