How to fix transport mode on a BMW Z4 E85 (2007)

My battery died and was replaced. Next time I used the car, the defrost fan would barely run. Googling turned up transport mode: a low-battery safety mode that disables the blower above minimum speed, the A/C, and the defrost. If you're seeing those symptoms after a dead battery, it's probably transport mode. Mine is a 2007 roadster, but this applies to the whole E85/E86 family — 2003–2008, roadster and coupe.

Disclaimer: This is a record of what worked on my own car, shared for informational purposes only. It is not professional advice, and no warranty of any kind is made. Working on vehicle electronics carries risk, including permanent damage to control modules. By following anything here, you assume all risk; I accept no liability for any resulting damage or injury. When in doubt, take the car to a qualified professional.

The fix

This assumes you already have the E-chassis coding stack working — a K+DCAN cable and BMW Standard Tools (EDIABAS, INPA, Tool32) installed, with INPA showing both dots when the ignition is on. Setting that up is its own project; that thread covers it.

Ignition on, cable plugged in.
Open Tool32.
File → Load SGBD → C:\EDIABAS\ECU\IHKA85.prg — the E85 climate module.
In the Jobs list, select ENERGIESPARMODE.
In the Arguments field, type aus (German: off).
Run the job (F5). You want OKEY in the results pane.

My blower came back the moment the job ran. No restart, no battery disconnect.

If Tool32 hangs loading IHKA85.prg

Mine sat on a spinner and then threw a runtime error. That's a missing Windows control, not a car problem. From an admin command prompt:

regsvr32 "C:\EDIABAS\BIN\msflxgrd.ocx"

On 64-bit Windows the file belongs in C:\Windows\SysWOW64 and you register it with C:\Windows\SysWOW64\regsvr32.exe. Reopen Tool32 and load the module again.

Verify it stuck

Blower runs through the full range, not just above zero.
A/C button — LED stays lit, air goes cold.
Rear defroster — LED holds.
Key off, key back on, check again. If the state didn't stick you want to know now, not next week.
In INPA, read the IHKA fault memory. Energiesparmodus aktiv should be gone; clear whatever's left.

If the convertible top is also dead, the roof module (CVM) holds its own energy-saving flag. Same procedure — load the convertible module's .prg instead and run the same job.

Backstory

The IHKA (climate module) flags itself into energy-saving mode when it sees battery voltage drop too low, and it doesn't clear the flag on its own. INPA's fault reading calls it Energiesparmodus aktiv; forums call it transport mode, since it's the same starved-electrics state cars ship from the factory in. NCS Expert can't fix it — it's not a coding parameter, it's a status stored in the module, so you have to command the module directly. That's what the Tool32 job does.

One catch: if your battery was recharged rather than replaced, expect the mode to come back after the next cold night. The lasting fix is a healthy battery. Mine was new, so it stuck.

Alternatives

DIS / SSS Progman — the dealer tools. Reliable, but they're DVD-sized images usually run in a VM. Overkill for one flag.
BMW Scanner 1.4 (PA Soft) — cheap cable and software with a reset for this baked in.
Foxwell NT530 — handheld scanner, clears it in a few menu presses. The no-laptop option.