nordschleife

Can anyone tell me what type / standard / grade of cable I need for the roof aerial to the eject box? Is it RJ58? http://www.tech-faq.com/rg-58.shtml It looks similar but I want to make sure I get the correct type. Cheers Matt

Looking at the consultant I'd say its a repo. What's it worth?

I voted E39 for obvious reasons. I've been in the E60 ring taxi twice and driven 1 E60 M5. The E39 is more responsive low down - the E60 has all the power up high which = great for track but not ideal for the road.

Kit has now arrived from Bimmernav. They have been really helpful. Also noticed that they now sell TCU bluetooth kits - can't help but think that I may have played a part in that. My TCU still hasn't arrived from Germany, hopefully its no more than a few days away. I fitted the BT antenna last night under the parcel tray (as recommended in a SIB to reduce static etc, usual location would be in the centre console). I found out as part of that process that the sub woofer enclosure is made by Nokia - I thought they stuck to phones! The eject box has a couple of terminals looped. I've made a note of their colours and locations but haven't had a chance to work out their purpose as yet. There are 4 wires which look original. Pin 1 Green, Pin 3 white, Pin 8 Red, Pin 17 Brown. A thinner gauge white wire loops pins 9 and 18 and a thinner gauge green wire loops pins 2 and 11.

OK, I've taken the plunge and bought a GSM TCU from an E46 / E83 SA633 ex Germany. Total cost delivered is to be NZ$625 for the kit from Bimmernav and the TCU - fingers crossed it works! That also includes an eject box (which I don't need with the TCU) but I may use it down the track. Without that the total cost would be over $100 less. Watch this space.

Some further info from a page I have translated HERE Does that mean that I need a 633 TCU and that a 638 TCU will only pair with the centre console handset?

I've found out a little more info to help answer my question above. SA633 is known as "Business mobile phone preparation" SA638 is known as "Professional car phone" SA644 is known as "universal charging/hands-free electronics" - bluetooth via ULF method Does anyone know what this means exactly? Does it mean that a TCU from SA638 can make more than just assist / emergency calls? Perhaps it has a slot for a SIM card? Anyone had any experience with this?

Awesome, I'm going to go down the TCU route. Finding one is proving hard to find at the moment. Ebay is also quite different to TradeMe - I've missed out on a couple of items now... people bidding at the very last second and no auto-extend. Anyone know what the difference is between SA633 and SA638? Both are called Telematics Control Units but have different part numbers. Can I use either in a E39? I guess my real question is what is the latest ibus TCU part number with bluetooth? SA638 has a listing for an E39 - http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?mo...;fg=10&hl=4 which says that the last part number is 84109187926. SA633 doesn't have a listing for an E39 but does for an E46 - http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?mo...;fg=20&hl=9 - latest part number is 84109207075.

Only the very late CD changers will play mp3 CDs - 2005 onwards I think.

Can a TCU definately be re-coded? I've just noticed on realoem: Is this correct or can Navcoder do it? I don't need the BMW Assist part of it - just the bluetooth to work.

Hi Jochen, Never seen or heard of that before, that awesome! Didn't know that such a thing existed! Cheers

I don't like the idea or having something stuck on the dashboard. I can get the OEM blueooth solution for under NZ$800 and install it myself and I think that is better value. What extra functionality will the Parrot give me? I think it actually offers less.

I'm now in regular contact with Amy from Bimmernav and making good progress on getting a bluetooth kit however it isn't as simple as first thought. My car has the factory Motorola V Plus GSM system and Bimmernav need to know which wires are where and what each of them does on the connectors at the centre console (18 pin) and DB25 connector in the boot. There isn't a plug and play solution for this, they are going to make a custom loom for me with a DB25 to 54pin connector. Here are the wire colours I have at each connector, can anyone help with what each of these wires does? DB25 Pin 1, Yellow with Red stripe Pin 2, Empty Pin 3, Brown with Black stripe Pin 4, Red with Yellow stripe Pin 5, Purple with Red stripe Pin 6, Empty Pin 7, Empty Pin 8, Empty Pin 9, Empty Pin 10, White with Brown stripe Pin 11, Light Blue Pin 12, White + Red stripes / dots Pin 13, Empty Pin 14, Brown with White stripe Pin 15, White Pin 16, Red with Yellow stripe Pin 17, Brown with Black stripe Pin 18, White + Green stripes / dots Pin 19, Black with White stripe Pin 20, Brown with Green stripe Pin 21, Empty Pin 22, Empty Pin 23, Yellow Pin 24, White with Black stripe Pin 25, Brown with Black stripe 18 Pin Connector Pin 1, Light Blue Pin 2, White + Red stripes / dots Pin 3, White + Green stripes / dots Pin 4, Yellow with Red stripe Pin 5, Empty Pin 6, Empty Pin 7, Yellow Pin 8, Purple Pin 9, White + Yellow stripes / dots Pin 10, Red with Yellow Stripe Pin 11, White with Yellow stripe Pin 12, Empty Pin 13, Empty Pin 14, Empty Pin 15, Grey with Red stripe Pin 16, Empty Pin 17, Brown with Black stripe Pin 18, White with Black stripe Thanks Matt

OK, makes sense now, thanks Jochen. Does anyone know the difference between the 11th and 13th Gen ULFs? Would this be documented anywhere? There is a $1000 price difference so there must be some differences but its hard to think that there will be enough to justify the extra cost. I may get an iPhone one day so compatibility with that would be nice but if the 11th Gen works with my Blackberry Bold I'll probably get that and hope it works with whatever phone I get next. Interestingly I see a snap-in adapter for the Blackberry Bold is now available although would probably need modifying to fit in a E39.

Thanks for that. Anyone know why there is a CDMA and a GSM version. I would have thought the TCU would leave this up to the phone. Which is technically better, TCU or ULF?

Hi, Any chance I could have a look? I'm in Napier so can come to Hastings no problem. Which ULF did you use and where did you get the parts? Cheers Matt

Thanks for the reply, very interesting. I haven't heard of TCU before and thought that ULF was the only option. Can any clarify if a snap-in adapter can still be used with TCU? I've checked UK eBay and put a few bids on but the ULFs I've seen all seem to be over 100 pounds - eaven for the early ones, 4th Gen, etc. I can get a brand new 11th Gen ULF for about NZ$360 - 13th Gen is $1380! No idea on TCU pricing though. My car already has the built in phone and has awesome reception pretty much everywhere. Eventually I want to get a snap in adapter and use the aerial on the roof - anyone know if I can still do this with the TCU? Cheers Matt

Called Bimmernav and got an answerphone which said to email them. Still no reply to my original email so I've been doing some further research. Can anyone tell me which ULF bracket I need? I have TV, DSP, GSM Apollo phone and CD Changer but no Nav. Real OEM diagram is here: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?mo...;fg=20&hl=3 Also, Barvarian Soundwerks has a bluetooth kit - is this likely to be identical to the Bimmernav product - its a decent amount cheaper but is outside the date range for my car. I haven't contacted these guys yet. Anyone know if it will still work on a 1999 with the Apollo phone currently installed? Anyone bought from them before? Lastly, does anyone know the differences between the 11th and 13th Gen ULFs? 11th Gen seem to be about half the price of 13th Gen. Thanks Matt

I've dug a little deeper and found that on the contact us page of their store it says: PLEASE NOTE: We are currently moving our offices and voicemails may be not returned promptly. Please email if you are looking for a prompt response. I would have expected that their products would have still been online though. At least they aren't going out of business!!

Awesome, thanks for that. The white socket is empty so I'll get the 1259. Cheers Matt

Hi All, I've seen a couple of interaces for sale on the net for the video module aux in. Do I need the 1251 or 1259 or is it cheaper / better to make my own from BMW sourced parts and the diagram above? 1259 http://www.caraudio24.de/product_info.php?products_id=17736 1251 http://www.caraudio24.de/product_info.php?products_id=13764 I've got TV but no Nav. Looks to me like the 1251 is correct but I'd like a multi connector on the video module end as it would otherwise be a pain in insert each of the pins and doesn't have the factory look. Thanks Matt

Has anyone bought anything from Bimmernav.com? If so, how was your experience? With the new laws regarding mobile phone use while driving coming into force soon I thought its a good time to upgrade my built in phone to the BMW bluetooth system. However I can't see the bluetooth kits listed on the Bimmernav store any more. I've emailed them and thus far haven't heard back. If they no longer sell the kits where else can I get one from? Is there a local supplier? Cheers Matt

CSLs only came in Silvergray and Black.

Has anyone got one of these in Hawkes Bay? I'd like to have a quick look / play before buying my own.

Thanks for the replies guys. I picked the car up late last week. Its even better than I was expecting! It does already have the wiring for a V1 so that saved me a job. It does have DSP and I think the stereo in general sounds very good. TV in motion is very cool and I'm not sure I need to upgrade to the larger screen - if one comes up at a good price I'll consider it otherwise the current screen works well. One thing I have noticed about the TV is that the sound has much more bass when on radio / tape / cd than it does on TV. Is there an adjustment for this or something BMW has done by design? It dosen't have navigation. I had a 745Li for a few days a couple of weeks ago with Nav and although it was good I don't think I'll retrofit it into my own car as I generally know where I'm heading. If I lived in the UK it would be a different story. Since my car is a 1999 dosen't it have RDS? Presumably the 2001 tuner does? I'll check out the www.intravention.co.uk website and possibly get one when I'm in the UK later this year. I noticed that the TV channel 0 is called AV. Where and how do I tap into this? Can I output from an iPod video to this? Lastly, I have a Blackberry Pearl 8110 for which there is a BMW snap-in adapter and I think this is a longshot but worth asking anyway. Can I simply remove my phone handset, plug in a bluetooth cradle and adapter and be able to use my phone handsfree in the car? Eg is the ULF Bluetooth module essential when the car already has the phone? I realise I won't have a Bluetooth enabled car but if the handsfree actually works and uses the aerial on the roof etc I don't mind. Cheers Matt