Auto Polar FIS+ Advance (MBV in the MFD) OEM+

I guess I will wait some to install mine for now. What is up with having to turn off your security and use unsigned items when updating?

Lightflyer1 said:

I guess I will wait some to install mine for now. What is up with having to turn off your security and use unsigned items when updating?

Click to expand...

For some reason Polar decided to make the update utility an "ActiveX" control. This means you need to use Internet Explorer and you must have ActiveX enabled. Apparently Polar was not willing to pay Microsoft to have their ActiveX control tested and officially OKed by Microsoft. This is why it is an "unsigned" application.

Personally, I would have preferred that they use a Java app or some other way to build an updater. I normally never run Internet Explorer - except for this stupid Polar update process. Since the only time I ever use IE is when I update my Polar, I really don't mind that their app is unsigned. However, the good news is that their update program works. You can update the firmware with the unit in or out of the car.

Have Fun!

Don

I'm very gun shy about upgrading my firmware and won't do so until there is a compelling reason, such as new monitors (that I want) specific to our car. If it isn't broken....

^ im in the same boat.

I am interested in placing an order but wanted to ask this group if it is ready for prime time? Looks like a number of members have installed it some with no issues and others experiencing minor to major issues..looking for your feedback on whether or not i should take the plunge. Thanks

Busydiver said:

I am interested in placing an order but wanted to ask this group if it is ready for prime time? Looks like a number of members have installed it some with no issues and others experiencing minor to major issues..looking for your feedback on whether or not i should take the plunge. Thanks

Click to expand...

The hardware is definitely ready for prime time. Also, version 4.4 software (firmware) seems to work perfectly (I've been monitoring DPF regenerations for months). People are currently a bit gun shy because version 4.5 gave lots of people problems. The soon to be released 4.6 is supposed to fix them all and I suspect that they are doing some serious testing on this version before it goes public. Auto-Polar does not want a repeat of the 4.5 problems.

Have Fun!

Don

Thank you

Thanks Don, I will place an order right after Turkey day. Give me something to play with during my time off over Christmas.

Well folks...any new installs and happy campers...?

I have mine but was waiting for the new release and comments on it first.

So does this system notify you that a regen has started? Like low fuel, speed warning, etc, or do you have to watch it like SG to actually see if it's in regen?

It seems to have nice features, but I am all over my mfi and like to use it for nav, phone and usually monitor consumption or range. The SG allows me to monitor turbo and DPF plus a couple others while doing what ever in the MFI. So are you guys using both or this new system to replace SG?

How are you guys making the best use of the info and monitoring systems while using mfi for other stuff?

Herkguy said:

So does this system notify you that a regen has started? Like low fuel, speed warning, etc, or do you have to watch it like SG to actually see if it's in regen?

It seems to have nice features, but I am all over my mfi and like to use it for nav, phone and usually monitor consumption or range. The SG allows me to monitor turbo and DPF plus a couple others while doing what ever in the MFI. So are you guys using both or this new system to replace SG?

How are you guys making the best use of the info and monitoring systems while using mfi for other stuff?

Click to expand...

No, there is no audible/visible alert when a regen has started. I keep the soot load, miles since last regen, EGT3 parameters on one screen and check it periodically to monitor when I'm nearing or in a regen (~18g and/or ~350 miles). You get used to switching screens very quickly after having it installed for a bit; I don't use a phone but do check both consumption and range quite frequently.

I sold my SG -- the beauty of the FIS+ (besides providing more parameters) is not having an external device.

Thanks, I do like the product, just seeing if I want to switch over to it or just keep SG.
I really wish one of the two would do something for an alert, ( flash once or twice, get brighter, give a message) something that would draw eyes to it. I try to monitor the temps but with traffic, have been distracted and miss that it has started until I show in the parking lot at work or driveway at home. Then it's take a lap around the block time.

See what happens this weekend...

I should receive my order for the Polar this Thursday or Friday...shipped from Spain today (Tuesday) Very seamless process with my Visa Verified card. Price has come down a little with the Euro exchange and quick confirmation by a real person on their end. Based on the forum comments here I asked them to set the unit up for the 4.4 firmware as this version (vs 4.5) was less problematic.. They confirmed this with a screen shot of the firmware loaded. I was thinking of detailing the install on the thread but there seems to be enough information already that it is probably not needed. I will post a summary and hopefully all good news. For sure I will make sure the battery is disconnected and double check the seating of all the plugs before starting it up.

Auto Polar US distributor

Posted on the Polar website.


German Diesel Motorwerks
E-mail : info@germandiesel.net
Tel : +1 570 539 8333
Fax : +1 570 539 8334
http://www.dieseldubs.com
http://www.germandieselmotorwerks.com

Smooth installation

After reading this thread at least 3 times and watching the various videos on the install I installed the Polar unit today. With thanks to the many posts here the installation went smooth with no issues (other than a sore back). I could not add more than what has already been posted here except for mounting the box. Not many options under the dash but the bracket that holds the duct mid point is a good option. It is flat and about 1 inches wide....to mount the box I used two dura-lock material (3M) strips on the bracket and the box to get a secure mount. Since there is no weight or force on the box is very secure and if you need to remove the box it can be pulled off and re-set when your done.
Once it was in place I connected the battery, started the engine and went to the MFD and the data was there under Phone. I have not attempted to post a picture before today so I hope I did it correct

pedorro said:

No, there is no audible/visible alert when a regen has started. I keep the soot load, miles since last regen, EGT3 parameters on one screen and check it periodically to monitor when I'm nearing or in a regen (~18g and/or ~350 miles). You get used to switching screens very quickly after having it installed for a bit; I don't use a phone but do check both consumption and range quite frequently.

I sold my SG -- the beauty of the FIS+ (besides providing more parameters) is not having an external device.

Click to expand...

I just installed my polar and I could not see (or maybe I missed it) the parameters for soot load, miles since last region in the parameter listing on the MFD...I am using version 4.4 Are they in the list of EGT's etc? Are they called something else in the list? Thanks for the help.

Busydiver said:

I just installed my polar and I could not see (or maybe I missed it) the parameters for soot load, miles since last region in the parameter listing on the MFD...I am using version 4.4 Are they in the list of EGT's etc? Are they called something else in the list? Thanks for the help.

Click to expand...

Hey Busy,

The actual parameter names are:
!Soot m gr
DPF Mi
EGT S3

FYI, my replacement unit from Auto Polar shipped with v4.4 installed but didn't have any of the EGT parameters (imagine my surprise/frustration). I had to reinstall the v4.4 firmware to get everything working properly. If you haven't already, install the USB cable on your FIS+ so you can update it on the car when/if needed.

Good luck and report back!

-Lee

Thanks

I will follow-up with a reload of the 4,4 firmware. Thanks for the confirmation,

pedorro said:

Hey Busy,

The actual parameter names are:
!Soot m gr
DPF Mi
EGT S3

FYI, my replacement unit from Auto Polar shipped with v4.4 installed but didn't have any of the EGT parameters (imagine my surprise/frustration). I had to reinstall the v4.4 firmware to get everything working properly. If you haven't already, install the USB cable on your FIS+ so you can update it on the car when/if needed.

Good luck and report back!

-Lee

Click to expand...

Firmware installed is 4.4

This was sent to me by the guys at Movitel in Spain regarding my Polar and indicating it was flashed to 4.4...I guess my enthusiasm has been short lived. I will reflash the unit this weekend.

My replacement unit showed the same -- I checked it before I installed it but did not update it. A fellow TDI owner was present for this installation and verified the parameters were not present until the firmware was reloaded.

Auto Polar's release management was pretty loose, as you can tell from the various ad-hoc tweaks performed in Hypermile's thread on their forum. Not a terrible thing as they were working to provide improvements rapidly, but it can get out of control pretty easily. My guess is that they are formalizing the process after all the issues with v4.5v, given the delay of its re-release.

Thanks

Thanks for the followup. I did not even bother to check the unit before I installed it assuming it was all set to go.

looks like they were there all along...

Had a chance to further investigate today for the Soot, DPF, Mi, etc and I did see them this time around. Thanks for the information Pedorro...it was a big help. Took a short ride after setting the parameters and observed a regen and saw the soot numbers decrease and eventually the DPF Mi resetting to zero. Pretty neat little unit.

Even though the version indicated 4.4 on the MFD I did reflash the unit just to be sure. Anyone know what DPF status means?

Nice...!

There is some info on DPF Status available via VCDS (and earlier on in this thread), however, it is not currently implemented on the FIS+. The DPF mb parameter (pressure diff between input and output, IIRC) is active but I'm not quite sure how it factors in to determining/monitoring regens -- it typically reads 1.0 to 3.0 depending upon acceleration and load.

-Lee

BTW: I believe that the "!BOOST" parameter is requested boost. There should also be another with out the exclamation point ("BOOST") which should be actual boost. These two should track pretty close together (if everything is working right), but I prefer to look at actual boost rather than requested boost.

Have Fun!

Don

P.S. It is interesting how this device works a little differently depending on the ECU. I have an '09 (CBEA engine, w/ red dot display) and I have 3 EGT sensor options but they are marked EGT (actually EGT #1 sensor), DPF in Temp, and DPF out Temp (actually EGT sensors 3 and 4). I find the !SOOT parameter (calculated soot load) to be the most valuable because it allows me to predict regenerations.

JSWTDI09 said:

BTW: I believe that the "!BOOST" parameter is requested boost. There should also be another with out the exclamation point ("BOOST") which should be actual boost. These two should track pretty close together (if everything is working right), but I prefer to look at actual boost rather than requested boost.

Have Fun!

Don

P.S. It is interesting how this device works a little differently depending on the ECU. I have an '09 (CBEA engine, w/ red dot display) and I have 3 EGT sensor options but they are marked EGT (actually EGT #1 sensor), DPF in Temp, and DPF out Temp (actually EGT sensors 3 and 4). I find the !SOOT parameter (calculated soot load) to be the most valuable because it allows me to predict regenerations.

Click to expand...

Don, Thanks for the reply. I will change the boost on Sunday.

Bernie

Updating polar installed in car

I assume i can update the box with ignition in the off position? I also see in the polar menu something called update and wondering if i select that then plug in to my laptop to do the update? Maybe it is intuitive but I am just checking as I dont want to pull my back out again crawling under the dash to pull the box out.

The guys at movitelonline told me that 4.6 is ok to update from 4.4


Thanks.

Yeah, just select "update" from the Polar menu and then plug the USB cable into your computer and fire up the update app within Internet explorer. There is no need to shut off the car for the update, it is a built-in function of the device. After the update is complete you might have to turn the car off and on to get it working right. Let us know how 4.6 works. Some of us ar a little gun shy after the 4.5 problems.

Have Fun!

Don

Busydiver said:

I assume i can update the box with ignition in the off position? I also see in the polar menu something called update and wondering if i select that then plug in to my laptop to do the update? Maybe it is intuitive but I am just checking as I dont want to pull my back out again crawling under the dash to pull the box out.
The guys at movitelonline told me that 4.6 is ok to update from 4.4
Thanks.

Click to expand...

For what its worth, the update function never works reliably for me. It always seems to freeze part way through the update and I have to power cycle the unit for it to come back to life. This concerns me somewhat since when flashing any device if it fails the flash you risk damaging it. What I do is remove the cable from the unit and flash it with nothing else connected. It maybe just my unit that has this problem, but I thought I would mention it.

Similar issue

flyboy320 said:

For what its worth, the update function never works reliably for me. It always seems to freeze part way through the update and I have to power cycle the unit for it to come back to life. This concerns me somewhat since when flashing any device if it fails the flash you risk damaging it. What I do is remove the cable from the unit and flash it with nothing else connected. It maybe just my unit that has this problem, but I thought I would mention it.

Click to expand...

I was planning to upgrade to 4.6 and followed the directions in the RED cluster manual to update with box installed. All started ok, Polar went away from thr MFD, download started and then it stopped. I waited like 10 mins and gave up. I disconnected the box from the car and downloaded 4.4 again with no issue. I decided to bail on the 4.6 upgrade for now. I honestly did not want to have pull the box again to download to 4.4 if 4.6 had any issues. 4.4 is working just fine for me. When the next upgrade comes after 4.6 and contains more cools stuff I really need I will bump up...for now I will leave well enough alone.

Upgrading to 4.6 firmware

Saw a post on the Polar.net forums yesterday, that Mun had finalized the 0.4.6WD firmware and loaded it. Will test it later today. Keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well.

http://www.polarfis.com/update/