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You have to find a good intelligent BMW engineer/tech that can reprogram the car to Europe mode (not Japan) Or: swap out the antenna amplifier - left rear c pillar - with one from a native Singapore / Philippines car. The radio tuning is done in the antenna amplifier, as long as you never reprogram the car, the Singapore antenna amp will stay set for singapore and radio reception will be OK Watch out for different software versions! You won't be able to tell without any tools though...

Tell him it will be really cool if he adds the nav computer to the system :-) Easy...

...and understands that Dynamic Stability Control is affected by trailers, especially heavy ones, and thus surely is concerned enough about vehicle stability when towing to want all stability systems to work properly...

the reason is TCU stands for TELEMATICS CONTROL UNIT The Telematics functions (Assist, auto emergency call, etc) uses a phone built in to the TCU Thus the TCU has to be the right phone version (CDMA or GSM) in accordance with your country`s phone system If you never use and never plan to use the Telematics, then the CDMA unit will work fine. Alternatively to the above, it may also be that the TCU accesses your SIM card and then makes the phone call using the TCU phone transceiver. If this is the case, then you must use the GSM version for NZ. But I am not sure if this is true. Try and see!

Yes it works. The snap-in adapter will provide you with the following functionality: 1. Physically hold the phone 2. Charge the phone (power) 3. Provide a connection to the external antenna All other functions happen via the Bluetooth connection to the TCU or ULF. In fact, the TCU or ULF work in exactly the same way even without a snap-in adapter - eg with your phone in your pocket. Only difference is that the phone is not getting charged and the external antenna is not being used.

Absolutely. That`s the way NZers have been wiring trailer lights since cars and trailers were invented. ie since aroud 1900s. BMW do things smarter, but the ye olde fashioned waye of wiring trailer lights still works.

You can add the contol unit if you like but a much cheaper option is to wire the LEDs to the standard taillights. > it needs a $500 fix which involves a control module to be fitted as it's not designed for low voltage lighting on trailers. This statement is wrong. The car is a 12V car. The trailer is a 12V trailer. Both have the same voltage. What BMW are referring to is that the BMW standard trailer wiring kit includes a control unit to monitor and report when the trailer lights are blown. the control unit also interacts with the stability systems on the car to improve vehicle stability when it detects a trailer is conencted. But if you don't want the original control unit then just wire the trailer lights to the vehicle taillights. And anyway, the LED lights will work absolutely fine if you wire them to the BMW taillights properly. They won't even upset the bulb monitoring circuit as the power used by the LEDs is so low. If you have fitted a standard NZ trailer wiring cable and done the standard NZ wiring job of wiring the trailer plug to the existing taillights then everything will work normally. So the fact that the lights don't work properly means that you have simply got them wired wrong. Remember: the NZ trailer plug pinout is standardised and also written on the plug or on the instructions you got with the plug. So simply wire them properly. Or: get an original trailer wiring control unit 2nd hand (I did this for mine). Cost me around $60 and I had everything original :-) If you have any wiring questions just ask.

LHD will work properly and easily. The most Monitor failures are the LCD screens. So if the RHD drive monitor has failed, it'll be the LCD screen. Get a cheap working LHD Monitor from eg USA or Europe, don't care if tape or CD. Unbolt LCD screen (4 x Torx) Fit to RHD Monitor Presto, all working again I did that on mine :-)

Have a look at the video module If a white connector is fitted in the whie socket -> get the 1251 If no white connector plugged in -> get the 1259

Wow, worst case is 387 FRUs, which is a lot! That makes a 38 hour repair job!! (1 FRU = 6 minutes or 0.1 hrs) At $50/hr = $2,000 for labour with no parts...!!

Yes, the BMW mechanic that inspects the car with his own eyes and spends some time on the car checking everzthing can confirm and conclude if the subframe is an issue or not.

Looking at the wiring diagram the alarm uses the following inputs (sensors) Boot light switch Drivers door handle switch Microphone All door switches Engine hood switch To test the alarm do the following: 1. Make sure EVERY door switch works cleanly and properly - open door and monitor interior light. Remove the door pin switches and make sure EVERY switch is clean and dry. A damp or oil/dirt coated switch can cause leakage and cause the alarm to false trigger. Measure with an ohmmeter set to the highest range (10M-ohms), you should have total open circuit when off, <1ohm when on. Clean and dry any suspect door switches. 2. Do the same for the boot and bonnet switch. Tip: disconnect 8unplug) boot and bonnet switches to isolate them. Bonnet switches are especially vunerable as they are exposed to much more weather (driving rain, salt spray etc) and can corrode and become leaky (resistance wise I mean) I have the USA wiring diagram that shows the USA alarm system - this may help. I'm not sure if the NZ alarm system was the same Alpine alarm as the USA system Happy to provide you a copy (PDF) if you need it. Working from the wiring diagram helps so much because it becomes very easy to understand how things are wired.

Start with the Yellow Pages Then ask the local TV repair shop Or the local garages as to who they use Tip: ham radio operators are often very clever and used to working on equipment like radios :-)

Bad capacitors inside the radio, specifically the big electrolytics around the power amplifier stage Typical problem on a 10+ yr old stereo A radio repair shop can replace the capacitors - or find an electronics friend to do it for you. Parts will only be around $10 to max $20 to fix.

Got any oil in it ...??

It's almost impossible to repair this problem without causing further damage to the car. Here's what you have to do: Remove rear seat squab and backrest to make more access space to door Slide front seat all way forward, possibly remove front seat if needed for extra access space. Remove interior door panel from inside the car. WARNING: You likely have to damage the door panel to remove it. Be prepared to replace interior door panel with a new / 2nd hand one Once door panel is removed the moisture seal can be cut (prepare to replace this as well) and then you can reach inside and activate the lock and open the door. Once door open, replace broken parts And refit all other bits, replacing anything that is damaged. And then check ALL OTHER LOCKs to make sure you won't have the same headache again...

Stop fishing in the dark and get the electrical manual (PDF) You'l find everything becomes crystal clear.

Immobiliser is OK (because immobiliser cuts off the starter motor if there is invalid key or immobiliser fault) Plugs and coils will be OK because you have 8 x coils and 8 x plugs, so to have all fail at the same time is highly improbable (oops sorry: this is true of E39, not sure about E34) Common single issues that need to be looked at: Fuel delivery (pump, pressure, filter, etc) Sensors on engine that control spark (crankshaft position etc) The BMW Diagnostics will tell you very quickly where the fault is. Everything else is working blind.... Ring your friendly local independent BMW workshop.

You can replace the deteriorated rubber in the key for very low cost. or replace the case and key with an uncut one - just transfer the internal electronics - only cost 16 GBP plus shipping plus key cutting: http://cgi.ebay.ph/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...em=220467435068

I got replacement brand new original BMW headlights for $65 for a pair for my E39 I found a pair of brand new lenses advertised on TradeMe, never installed, original BMW, for my E39. Still in the box, never fitted to a car. No dust or dirt on them! So I removed the old headlights and changed lenses. Made a world of difference, and made the car look like new Total cost 2nd hand: $65 Cost at BMW for new parts: $600 (lenses only!) I was a very happy man :-)

The reprogrammable radios appeared after September 2001. So if the original poster can find an E36 radio (eg: out of a Z3 or so) that is a new-gen radio then he can reprogram it Otherwise, it the OP wants an original 1997 radio, it will be a Euro-model only I recommend the Business RDS Radio/Tape, cheap and readily available on ebay Germany. Otherwise go for the Radio/CD.

Does sound like it could be subframe mounts Get it checked ASAP and be prepared.... $$$$$$$$ or scrap the car...

Bug in firmware of radio or MID. Replace Radio or MID with newer unit with newer firmware version This sort of fault would have been covered under warranty when the car was new...

You Have Selected: 01/1985 E30 320i 4 doors M20 Europe Left hand drive Manual Production Code: 1431

It's an SD card reader. Like all SD card readers on the market: a ) you purchase an SD card of the desired size from your favourite SD card outlet eg Dork Smitch, Jaycar, or any hifi store b ) you stick the SD card in your PC's SD card reader slot and dump as many songs as you can fit on the card, arranged in the order of your preference. Eg: make playlists in iTunes and dump the entire playlist. c ) you go out to the car and stick the SD card in the CP600BMW SD card slot d ) you then enjoy hours of music