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Starris

E91 Bluetooth upgrade ideas

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I have recently bought a 2007 e91 325i with idrive.
The speakers work fine and I can plug into the aux cord in the centre console to play music, however I can't use handsfree that way and I have to physically plug my phone in every time I get in the car. I am wondering what options are out there for upgrading to a bluetooth system. I have seen upgrades from just a bluetooth AUX-USB plug in to people doing full apple play installs. Has anyone done anything similar or have advice for what I should do? I'm basically interested in being able to play my music/make phone calls without having to plug my phone in.
Thanks in advance!

I've attached a photo of my dash because it seems that every vid I watch has a different dash setup

IMG_2731.HEIC

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You can buy bluetooth adapters that plug into the AUX that will bluetooth music and allow hands free calling

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Yeah I've seen them but I was wondering if its worth spending some money and getting a better system or if that's the best way to go.

 

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Try pricing the change over then make a decision. See what your up against price wise to get a solution that's satisfactory 

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too many options and price variables depending on what you want.

a brief summary would be:

cheapest/easy: aux-bluetooth dongle adapter 

fair price/easy: any double din unit from audio store with a panel mount kit (i.e. removes original stereo and installs an aftermarket JVC/Pioneer/Sony type thing, looks a bit odd

pricey/moderate: chinese/dynavin type units, looks decent but could be quite slow/laggy unlike genuine system. could DIY it if you're capable otherwise more money to get someone to install it. Plenty of online tutorials though

expensive/hard-ish: OEM retrofit http://speed.academy/bmw-e92-e90-335i-328i-bluetooth-handsfree-retrofit-install/

biggest issue with this option is finding the required parts, will probably mean checking all the wreckers and or ordering from ebay/overseas.

 

 

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Thanks for the outline! that's actually super helpful. I think I'm going to run a cheap aux-bluetooth dongle adapter for a while and see how it goes.

That link you posted is awesome but like most of the DIY posts I've seen, that car doesn't have Idrive. I was wondering if there's an easyish way to link into the Idrive system to enable bluetooth handsfree.

It seems that its not super straightforward and a aux dongle may be the way to go.

Thanks for the info!

Edited by E30 325i Rag-Top
Quote.

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Couldnt open your heic file so didnt know you had iDrive. The old CCC system is pretty much useless anyway. Same for the older CIC still cant stream music without mods.

Just live with the AUX or getting a bluetooth/aux dongle is the cheapest and easiest option.

 

 

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I got a dension adaptor for my E61, not perfect but it gave me what I wanted and kept all the factory functions as well. 

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Interesting. when you say "not perfect" what do you mean? connectivity issues? sound issues?
also the dension adapters aren't cheap are they? I'd love more info on this 

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It has a few glitches, crashes the music app on my phone occasionally, a bit clunky to navigate using the idrive controller, and if I want to use the CD player I have to open the glovebox and switch it over, but it does everything I want and it is a fully reversible installation if I ever decide to take it out.

The price wasn't too bad, I bought direct from the Dension website.

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That sounds like exactly what I'm after. I think I'll go down that path. was it difficult?

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How exactly did you code it? I have all the parts to retrofit to our E91. Just worried about the coding bit. 

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I have an AUX Bluetooth adapter in my e91 335i and the call quality and music is perfect! 

Way less hassle than trying to integrate the OEM solution which is more than 10 years old now.

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4 hours ago, F10er said:

You need NCS Expert and a k+dcan cable, then you have to change the Vehicle Order to include  644. It's pretty easy to do once you know how to use it. It's also useful for coding other features into your car as well. You can download NCS Expert for free. It's part of the BMW Standard Tools. Here's the link. 

https://www.bimmergeeks.net/downloads

All this sounds WAY above what I am capable of sadly. I wouldn't even know where to begin with parts to purchase. Might be easier and safer for me to try  an AUX bluetooth adapter and hope for the best. The use of steering wheel buttons would be nice though.

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12 hours ago, F10er said:

You need NCS Expert and a k+dcan cable, then you have to change the Vehicle Order to include  644. It's pretty easy to do once you know how to use it. It's also useful for coding other features into your car as well. You can download NCS Expert for free. It's part of the BMW Standard Tools. Here's the link. 

https://www.bimmergeeks.net/downloads

Awesome! Thanks for that. 

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