When did M42 get EWS? How to tell?

[Jay-Vee]

Hi,

Trying to find exactly when M42s got EWS (security/immobilizer/key)

I've found that it was sometime in 94, but a month would be good to know as '94 seems to be a very popular year here!

What is the easiest way to tell?
I've read purple label on the ECU for non-EWS and silver label for the EWS.

Is the dash display different too? Key-fob different?

Cheers

[DesktopDave]

I heard the same about the silver labels being EWS units. There's the installed stuff too, like the ignition key ring antenna.

I've heard that the early EWS system is really easy to beat, just shorting two wires. The later OBD2 units (after '96) are much more difficult.

[Jay-Vee]

Thanks Dave, good to know.

Forgive my ignorance, but what is the ignition key ring antenna? Do u mean the key is a larger electronic unit rather than just a metal key on a bit of plastic?

I think I may have found the answer to the original post in a good reference here: http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/techarticles/E36-DME-Repair/E36-DME-Repair.htm

But I can't wot out if it means all cars from '94 have EWS-I or??

[DesktopDave]

I've always been confused with that too. That Pelican thread is helpful, but not 100% accurate. Some of those DMEs are actually Siemens units, not Bosch.

I've never seen an EWS1 car. EWS2 is the easy-to-defeat one <96 IIRC. EWS3 is part of Bosch's OBD2 DMEs >96.

The key switch ring antenna is a clipped-on ring around the ignition switch (under the steering column covers) that reads the (RFID?) chip in the key. The key sends a code via the ring antenna to the EWS unit, which then enables the DME. The keys are the same externally, from what I understand.

[Jay-Vee]

Thanks heaps for the info on the ring antenna

So it seems that EWS-3 may have only come with the M44?

Meaning any M42, regardless of year, should have an EWS which is reletively easy to bypass...

Otherwise if I dont want the risk of any headaches, maybe I'm better off trying to hold out for a '91 - '93 which ticks all the boxes for a swap...(which there arent heaps of around unfortunately hmmm... )