xProtect - How it works in your Car
Quick summary
Once the installation is complete, xProtect remains active in the background, protecting your vehicle.
This section explains how to unlock your car and how to use the different xProtect operating modes.
🔓 Unlock my car / Enter the code
After unlocking your car with the key and starting the engine, xProtect requires you to enter your personal code before the vehicle can be moved.
xProtect blocks all vehicle movement until the correct code is entered.
When xProtect is active and in Locked mode, this is indicated by a slowly flashing “P” (Park) in the instrument cluster and on the gear selector. This means xProtect is waiting for the code to be entered.
Once the code is entered correctly, the “P” light stays on continuously (regular operation), and you can drive normally.
The code must be entered in the correct order
No other button presses are allowed in between
If a wrong input is made, the sequence is cancelled and must be restarted
For multi-button presses, leave a very short delay between each press (like 0.25 sec).
After each input, there is a 2-second window for the next step
If no input is made within 2 seconds, the sequence must be restarted
When “P” is used as an activation input
Should you decide to use “P” in your activation input, then the left shift paddle is used to trigger “Friendship-Mode” and “Hijack Mode”.
See such an example below:
🕹 Gear-Lever variants
There are different types of gear levers in BMW vehicles, and depending on the type, different movement/button options are available.
AG-Pre-LCI-Levers
5-Series G3x, 3-Series Pre-LCI, etc.
Movement in 2 directions (forward/backwards).
P-Button
The forward/backward movement also requires pressing the “Unlock” button on the left side of the gear lever while moving it; otherwise, xProtect cannot detect the lever's position change.
AG LCI-“knob-style” Gear-Lever
2-Series, 3-Series LCI, 4-Series LCI, etc.
Movement in 2 directions (forward/backwards)
P-Button
M-Lever
M-Cars like M2, M3, M4 (G8x), or X3/X4/X5/X6 (F9x)
Movement in 4 directions (left/right/front/back)
P-Button
Drivelogic-Selection
Activation Delay
By default, xProtect reactivates 2 minutes after the vehicle goes to sleep.
After this time, the code must be entered again.
The delay can be adjusted in 1-minute increments, from 0 minutes (xProtect reactivates as soon as the vehicle’s modules enter powersaving/sleep mode, which takes around a minute) to a maximum of 180 minutes.
You can also disable automatic Reactivation altogether, then xProtect is only active after you enable it manually.
This setting is part of the selected code and is configured in the Code Editor’s option menu via the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
🤜🤛 Friendship-Mode / Workshop-Mode / Software-Upgrade
If you lend your car to a friend or bring it to a workshop, xProtect can be temporarily disabled.
This is done from inside the car:
The car must be in Unlocked mode (P not flashing)
Enable your chosen “Activation Input”, so the car is ready to read your code
Press and hold the P button on the gear selector for 3 seconds
To confirm, the “P” symbol flashes once in the instrument cluster.
xProtect remains disabled and completely invisible until you manually reactivate it. xProtect remembers this state, even when the battery was disconnected.
To reactivate xProtect:
Press and hold the P button again for 3 seconds.
The “P” symbol flashes twice to confirm.
xProtect must be in Unlocked or Friendship Mode before a Remote Software Upgrade can be performed on the vehicle.
We suggest activating Friendship Mode before carrying out any update work on the car.
Hijack Mode
When xProtect is in Unlocked / Drive mode, it can be reactivated immediately.
While the vehicle is standing still, press the P button on the gear selector three times.
xProtect activates instantly, and the vehicle is rendered stationary.
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