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I have not made up my mind yet.let everyone know after the install how it all works![]()
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I have not made up my mind yet.let everyone know after the install how it all works![]()
not trying to be a smartass here BUT imo asking these techs about ANYTHING related to this entire process OR anything related to programming is a JOKE most likely as they probably NEVER done ANY of this prior, now unless u get one who is curios or would like to expand their professional knowledge(which i doubt) they would go in there and see ALL the options/configurations/movements/etc that are/are not possible while hooked up???? again, this takes someone with fwd big pic thinking, so guessing this will not happen on your visit or at best you will get the absolute MIN info possible, but hey, it does not hurt to try.....I will ask, when I get the installation done in a few weeks (see my post #21 in this thread, for anyone just jumping into this thread), whether the TFT firmware can be updated, in general, when the change is made to add, unlock, or whatever needs to be done to the firmware in order to show the tire pressures, tire-pressure warnings, and so forth.
I am referring to recent changes such as moving the tach info to another screen while ditching the "Urban" screen, that sort of thing. See this thread, for example, for further info on what I'm talking about: https://www.bmw-scooters.com/threads/urban-feature-missing-on-c400gt.3486/
Oh, I hear ya.not trying to be a smartass here BUT imo asking these techs about ANYTHING related to this entire process OR anything related to programming is a JOKE most likely as they probably NEVER done ANY of this prior, now unless u get one who is curios or would like to expand their professional knowledge(which i doubt) they would go in there and see ALL the options/configurations/movements/etc that are/are not possible while hooked up???? again, this takes someone with fwd big pic thinking, so guessing this will not happen on your visit or at best you will get the absolute MIN info possible, but hey, it does not hurt to try.....![]()
I almost spewed sweet tea all over the place laughing so hard… u have better odds winning the mega millions lotto rather than being lucky!!Oh, I hear ya.
I'll make my request, in hopes that I get a tech doing this who has a thirst for knowledge, takes pride in his work and job skills, etc. Maybe I'll get lucky.
August 13, 2025: APPROVED BY MAX BMW FOR RETROFIT
I spent about an hour and a half at MAX BMW in Troy, NY, late this afternoon, reading a book, while after a bit my scooter was wheeled into the shop area and put on a lift (I peeked back there, but didn't attempt to hang out there).
The bottom line is that:
1) My '23 C 400 GT passed muster, was designated fit for a retrofit, after being hooked up to some official BMW device.
2) I am now on their shop schedule for the first week in September.
My wife and I will be OOO that week, so I got permission to drop off the bike the week before. Given our and MAX's schedules, I expect to pick up the bike on Sept. 9 (unless it's raining buckets), so look for my next report on this topic a day or two after that.
COST:
The service writer pointed out that I'd need two of the RDC sensors @ $110 each (see that parts page in posts 12 and 15, above), some miscellaneous small hardware items, and about an hour and a half of labor. I'm guessing, with tax, about $500.
(Or, put another way, about $400 more than adding a pair of high-quality FOBO external sensors --which you can't do anyway on the front wheel -- and getting the convenience of having the info displayed on the TFT.)
SCHEDULE:
The appointment of about three weeks down the road is actually sooner than I expected. The service writer had first asked me whether I wanted to wait until I needed new tires, in order to save on that labor. I told him, "---k, no. This TPMS quest of mine is like Ahab going after Moby-Dick, so let's get it on!"
SUITABILITY FOR OTHER C 400 BIKES?:
I met briefly with the tech that did this check, on my way out the door. I tried to get a clear answer, regarding if this retrofit compatibility applies to certain years, etc., but I couldn't determine that. I think he's not ready to make blanket statements, but after checking the 1s and 0s inside the bike he was certain that my particular bike met the criteria. Sorry that this isn't very useful information.
Last, here's my receipt for today's work:
View attachment 6001
I get it 100%. If I want something, it's available, and I can afford it, I will usually go for it! All you can do is pay too much. Otherwise you keep regreting not having it. I also agree that there are likely no experts in the USA on these scooters because they don't sell enough of them here.UPDATE, AUG. 28, 2025: I NEED A PLAN B, OR MAYBE A PLAN C, OR MAYBE ...
==> For those waiting with bated breath for what I said would be my upcoming report in a couple of weeks: you can breathe normally now. It's not going to happen, at least not at that time.
I thought I'd reply to my own post, earlier in this thread, to save anyone who's following this the trouble of backing up a page.
1) I phoned the Service Dept. at MAX BMW in Troy, NY, this morning, to make sure it was still okay for me to drop off the bike this afternoon, for my RDC install next week. The service writer had asked me to do this, and told me, yep, this afternoon would be fine.
However, early in the afternoon I got a call from him. The service writer now said to me:
A) After (re?)checking with Gregg Templeton, the Parts Manager, presumably to make sure that everything was in order, he was told by Gregg that I would also need a control unit.
B) That control unit would take four weeks to arrive from Germany, so my appointment would need to be rescheduled.
C) That control unit -- all by itself -- would cost me $509, and MAX BMW would need a deposit to order it.
That would bring the work close to $800 for parts: $509 + ($120 x 2) + odds and ends. And with labor and tax, the total would be well over $1,000.
==> I told the service writer that I believe Gregg is wrong, but that I had no way to prove that. And I told him to forget the whole thing, no need to reschedule the work.
2) Gregg is a pretty knowledgeable parts guy, been at MAX for decades now. But everyone there knows that they've never done this before -- tried to retrofit a TPMS for any year of the C 400 GT -- so in this case, much as I respect his experience, it counts for nothing.
This sounds just like the WhatsApp exchange I had with Phad in Thailand.
In Oct. 2024, I noted that Phad stated I would need a controller, as I reported in post 2 in a different thread: https://www.bmw-scooters.com/threads/tpms-programming.3294/post-27730
However, about a week later, after further exchanges, and after I gave him my VIN, Phad corrected himself, as I reported in post 5 in that thread: https://www.bmw-scooters.com/threads/tpms-programming.3294/post-27798
His correction was this statement: "Also no need control unit, no wiring."
I believe that Gregg (the local Parts Manager) has fallen into the same trap (even though those folks know my VIN, because I bought the bike there, and because I've included it in most of my emails to them).
I believe that the tech I spoke with a few weeks ago did NOT fall into that trap.
==> I will pay another in-person visit to the dealership in a couple of weeks, and try to explain all this to Gregg, ask him to meet with the tech who had not said a controller was necessary, and see whether I can get the folks there to reach a dealership-wide consensus.
3) And I'll attempt to touch base with Phad again.
==> I will send him a message, asking if he wouldn't mind telling me what reference or document he used, when he determined that my particular C 500 GT, based on its VIN, did not need a control unit.
I'm guessing that he knows how to look up C 400 requirements for RDC retrofitting better than the local folks.
4) ==> I'm going to send an email to BMW Motorrad NA, asking for clarification.
I imagine that some of you will scoff at this, and that the likelihood that I'll learn anything useful is slim. However, scoffing is easy but not very productive, and, on the other hand, I like to be thorough, you never know, nothing ventured nothing gained, etc., and this only costs a few minutes of my time.
5) ==> If anyone else actually has such a retrofit on a C 400 (GT or X) done by an actual BMW dealer, I'd certainly like to hear about it, learn where it was done, what parts were involved, and so forth.
As I've said before, I don't care what a dealer in TX or a parts guy in NY or anyone else in Beemerdom says -- ya know, money talks, bullshit walks -- Phad, the indie tech in Thailand, is the only person that I'm aware of that's done this. If it really costs an actual owner over USD 1000, I can see why.
I would appreciate it if some of you owners with '24 or '25 models would step up here, so at least I can show the folks at my local dealership that it CAN be done without a controller, at least on some of the C 400s. C'mon, life is short, live a little -- I mean we ARE on a BMW forum here.





I am hopeful that this all turns out well and there is little or no programing required. If that is the case someone with a 2023 scooter could potentually get the sensors and have them installed during a tire change for a little over $300.00 from the dealer.UPDATE, SEPT. 9, 2025: CHECKED AGAIN WITH PHAD, WROTE TO GERMANY, VISITED DEALERSHIP, LONG TALK WITH PARTS MANAGER, SENSORS ORDERED
Executive summary of the previously most recent background (see post #48, above): the long-time Parts Manager ("PM") at my local dealership (Max BMW, Troy, NY) informed the service writer, just before I was to drop off the bike, that I needed a $509 control unit, in addition to the sensors. I temporarily abandoned ship.
New Info:
Since then:
1) I emailed the mothership in Germany. In part, their reply said this:
We have forwarded your e-mail to the relevant subsidiary, BMW Motorrad USA, for further assessment. You will be contacted as soon as possible.
BMW USA got back to me, and in part said this:
While I wish I could provide a direct solution, our team isn't equipped to offer technical advice or services for your Motorrad. Our authorized BMW Motorrad dealers have specially trained service teams who are best suited to diagnose and address such issues, thanks to their extensive training on BMW motorcycles.
I highly recommend continuing to work with the service team at your preferred authorized BMW Motorrad dealer for further guidance. If you have not already done so, I recommend speaking directly with the Service Manager. They are in the best position to provide the most accurate information and assist you in addressing your concerns. You can find a complete list of authorized dealers on our website at https://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/dealer.
That was pretty much as everyone expected, right?
2) I recontacted Phad in Thailand. Here are some screenshots of that WhatsApp exchange:
View attachment 6072
View attachment 6073
View attachment 6074
View attachment 6076
So Phad ignored (or didn't understand) my request for info on his method -- what document, what manual, or parts fiche, etc. -- of determining what C 400s need a control unit, and what C 400s do not. That is, I didn't get an answer, regarding how he used the last seven digits on my VIN.
On the other hand, he reiterated what he had last told me: I don't need the controller.
3) Having returned from vacation over the weekend, I visited the dealership today.
I had a long talk with the PM, showed him the exchange with Phad, and told him that as far as I know Phad is the only person in the world who has done this upgrade to a C 400 (unless he faked the videos on his YouTube channel).
The PM then requested that a lead tech -- the person who almost a month ago (see post #21 here) had stated that I was good to go, regarding the upgrade -- join us. When the tech had a free minute, the three of us discussed this some more.
The PM stated that this may be a case of BMW's making a new-ish part available -- the RDC sensors for the C 400 -- and not letting the dealers know about it in any bulletin, that sort of thing. The PM stated that he had never ordered that part. I gather that he was thinking that other, more common, RDC sensors would have been used.
In any event, he agreed that it might be feasible that these particular sensors might be automatically picked up by my particular bike, and so ordered them ... because apparently being uncommon, unlike what I was told weeks ago, they do not stock this particular part. He ordered the part number that Phad listed (see above), which is also the part number that I encountered when looking at the parts fiche at Max BMW's very own web pages for my C 400 GT. Here's the order:
View attachment 6077
The PM also stated that it might be two to four weeks to get the sensors, and that he'd call me when a shipping date was known, and I could then schedule the service. Because these are not stocked by them, I had to pay up front for the sensors, unlike for my prior, aborted, appointment.
He also said that it would be less than two hours' labor, if it turns out that no or negligible programming is required. (He asked me if I needed new tires, so I could save on the dismounting/remounting labor, but it turns out that I'm not even close, as I have about 1,800 miles on the City Grip 2 that I had them install over last winter).
I'm not sure what changed his mind, e.g., the further parts research he did today, or my exchange with Phad, my physically showing up to debate the issue with him, or something else. And I don't know what part he thought would have been installed, i.e., what particular RDC sensor variant, when I almost had this work done, when I first scheduled for the installation work last week.
So, that's where things stand: as of today, I've now invested $294 in this project, and with labor and tax I'll probably spend a similar amount after the parts arrive and I get a new schedule for shop time.


I can get the green OK on the oil light in place of the dotted line. I have to have the bike parked in my garage (on level ground) on the back stand, right after a ride. I let it set and idle a few minutes and walla. The OK appears if the oil level is good. I thought it would be something I could see all the time while riding but it's not.Thanks! I can never get a Green OK on the oil check just ---
Wow. You, sir, are a beast!I may be the first C 400 owner in the USA to have this work done.
1) First of all, my apologies for the thread drift that you described. It's largely my posts that took up a lot of that non-'25 space here.I came into this thread because it was labeled 2025 TPMS. Turns out, all of the discussion was about retrofitting earlier models. But, in case anyone is interested, the Rider's Manual for a 2025 discusses TPMS (as an OA) and an alarm system (as an OE). Still not an ordering option, but I had both of these options installed by the dealer on my 2025 at the 600 mile service. No issues and everything is working great.
Thanks for the additional info, and your thoughts.No apologies necessary. Yes, strange to me as well that BMW doesn't offer these as part of a package or at least as listed ordering options. I said as much to Motorrad on a survey that they sent me after purchase. To me, those were two items missing from the Premium Package that should be included there. As far as cost goes, you won't be surprised that it wasn't cheap! Will vary somewhat by dealer I expect, but I paid ~$700 total for each install.