jochen

I bought my wiper rubbers from BM Workshop too and they cost a little bit more, but not 6x the price of Repco. Maybe 2x or 3x? I was happy with the price, I forget exactly what it was. I think the most expensive part I ever bought from BMW NZ was my owners manual, at $40 new. All other parts were small and cheap, or purchased through BM Workshop, as BM Workshop had original parts at much cheaper prices than BMW NZ. Anyway, the rubbers that take the metal stabiliser inserts are the better rubbers, try and get them if you can find them.

I replaced my E39 microfilters with a new set (you always need 2 of them: 1 for drivers side, 1 for passenger side) from BM Workshop in Auckland. They were around 50% of the BMW NZ price. BMW recommend replacing them yearly, but of course that's subject to your environment and how much the car is used. New filters makes a huge difference to the smell of the air (mine were horribly dirty and smelly) When replacing them, clean the microfilter housing and ensure the rubber water drains are clean (they block up with leaves and cobwebs). NEVER operate the car without the microfilters - the dust and leaves that get sucked in will, with time, destroy the stepper motors in the climate control system, causing a very expensive repair... Wiper blades: get quality rubber like Glenn suggested. Repco don't sell quality rubber, they sell cheap wiper blades. As a BMW is a quality car, treat it with the parts it deserves, and leave the cheap Repco parts for the Toyotas and Holdens....

Amazing price isn't it. in the USA, the mirrors range from $86 (manual) to $502 (the most expensive electrochromatic). The trouble with Jap cars is that there are some special models with special Jap parts that noone else uses - like on your car :-) Why don't you get the part number, and make inquiries in the USA. My expeirence is that NZ Retail = 3x the price of USA Retail for BMW parts. And, don't give up on re-syncing the key. Try another battery disconnect to reset the car, then re-sync the key again. Who knows... On the E39, removing the reverse beep is as simply as unplugging the reverse beep wire from the Gong. On the E39 it's a single wire on a single connector. The e46 looks different, but I don't trust the completeness of my info Look at the gong. It has a 3-pin connector on it (power, ground, and control). That must stay connected for the other gong functions to work. You may also have a 2nd connector with one wire. The 2nd connector may be used for PDC (if fitted) or for the reverse beep. Try it - just remove the plug and see what gong tones still exist.

That'll be a price including electrics. Remove the electrics and you pay around $400 I had a towbar (rated at 2 tonnes!) fitted to my E39 from Best Bars and it cost around $400 I bought the original BMW electrics kit on TradeMe for $60 and fitted it myself :-) If you don't want the original BMW electric kit, then you can fit automotive relays and wire it up yourself for around $50 to $75 in parts, plus a few hours of your time. Difference between BMW kit and relays: BMW kit tells you if light bulbs have failed on the trailer. Kit is easy to install with pre-wired looms. Relays: very simple, but you add it in yourself. You'll need minimum 4 relays (2 x blinkers, brake, taillights). More if you want the trailer to have reverse lights and fog lights (BMW kit offers all of this)

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OK, it sounds like you have some Japanese variant that doesn't appear in the parts catalogue or the wiring description - not entirely unusual. It sounds like they have done the right testing and that indeed your mirror might be the receiver. There are some Japanese things that are hard to find descritpion of - like the Japanese automatic toll collection system, the Japanese traffic info system, etc If you spent a month detailling your car it sounds like you have a passion for BMWs If you have a passion for BMWs you probably want to look after and maintain the car properly. To maintain the car properly you should only use new parts (reliable, with garranty, etc) So why don't you just buy a new mirror?

Minor correction for your edumacation :-) : There is only one antenna cable (the thick coax) The thin coax is for the diversity control signal, going from the radio back to the antenna amplifier, to tell the amplfier which one of the 2 or 3 antennas (depending on car) to use.

So your car is a P E46 Lim 330i M54 ECE 20030400 R N Built April 2003 Your antenna amplifier is part 6906073, manufacturered March 2003. the build date conincides with your vehicle build date, therefore implying it is the original amplifier. According to the BMW parts database: 6906073 = antenna amplifier, without radio remote control 6906074 = antenna amplifier, with 433 MHz radio remote control 6906075 = antenna amplifier, with 315 MHz radio remote control Therefore your antenna amp is not a radio remote control receiver Suspicions are building about your car. I wonder if someone supplied a replacement RF-key for a car with the infrared remote? If they cut it the same.... it would work mechanically... and maybe it had the same type of immobiliser chip inside. Try and answer these questions: 1. Show me a photo of all yourr keys. The car was delivered with 4 x keys (2 x master, 1 x valet, 1 x emergency). Do you still have all 4? Are the two masters the same type? 2. See if there is a part number stamped on your key and tell me what it is. 3. Look at the key for an infrared LED. I cannot see one, but you didn't show all the key. 4. Get the GM and SA codes for the car, and get the dealer to print the option list for your car. 5. Get a friend with an infrared key and try and sync his key to your car (easy to do, no tools required) Does his key work? 6. Use my NavCoder software to determine what key number your key is. This will show whether it is an original or a replacement key (originals were keys 1,2,3 & 4) 7. Does your E46 have the alarm fitted? Clown nose were only fitted to be either infrared receiver or the alarm LED (or both). Parts list does not show a mirror+radio-remote option for the mirror. I think your car uses an infrared remote.

Post a photo of what you have. Based on your PM to me, I suspect you do not have an original BMW factory system in your BMW.

I think your post describes what the problem is. You need to clean things up and make sure it is properly cabled according to the instructions that come with the bits you bought. No open wires, no chaffing. If you ensure cables are cleanly and neatly laid in the factory cable channels then the install will be reliable.

If you have a 2003 E46, then the radio can be reprogrammed from Jap to NZ mode using your fingers. Very easy. No tools required. If it is a sedan, and has an RF-Remote, then the rearview mirror has nothing to do with the central locking. Confirm by taking a photo of the antenna amplifier!

Yes, that's the antenna amplifier, and your picture is the Euro/NZ variant with the 433MHz radio remote control. As for whether the signal gets through with a broken window: that all depends on whether the antenna elements as used by the remote control have broken or not, and if they have broken, where they broke....

TO QUOTE BMW: Radio remote control. The radio remote control is functionally integrated in the general module of the ZKE. The aerial integrated in the rear window on the E46 Saloon, Touring, Coupé and E83 X3 is used as the aerial for this purpose. On the E46 Convertible E52 Z8 and E85 Z4, the aerial is fitted in the inside mirror. The radio signals are isolated in an aerial stop filter. The stop filter transmits the signals from the key transmitter via a data link to the general module. All radio telegrams are coded and feature a constantly changing code so as to prevent manipulation and thus unauthorized opening of the vehicle. Country-specific versions General Due to the different approval regulations for radio equipment in various countries, two different versions of the transmitter and stop filter are used. 433.92 MHz version For all European countries (EUR version) 315 MHz version Mainly intended for USA, Canada and Australia UNQUOTE And further on... QUOTE Receiver Reception of radio signals on the E46 Saloon, Touring and Coupé The data sent by the key transmitter are received by the receiver module via a radio-TV aerial. An aerial stop filter (rejecter circuit) isolates these radio waves from other received radio waves and transmits them via a line to the general module. Reception of radio signal on the E46 Convertible, E52 Z8 and E85 Z4 The receiver is accommodated together with the aerial in the interior rear-view mirror. The receiver transfers received radio signals via the FZV line to the central body electronics control module where they are evaluated. UNQUOTE Can you please confirm if you have a Sedan, Coupe, Touring or Convertible. (If you say the mirror is the problem, you must have a convertible.) Disclaimer: not all country variants are described in the documentation that I have :-)

You've blown fuse F23 (5A) or F27 (5A), both are in the front power distribution box BMWs are not hard to wire up, there is loads of info on the web, and they are no different to any other European car.

That's easy >25 years old = classic car. I believe that is an LTSA rule...

An eye for an eye? Cut the hand of the thief? Which country are we living in again?

Tip: if the mechanical key barrel is that worn, then you should also consider replacing the electrical part at the same time. The E39 ignition switches wear and cause all sorts of electrical "gremlins" due to bad contacts. So if the mechanical part is old and worn, the electrical part will be as well....

PS: know the trick to test the IR transmitter in the keys? Use a standard digital camera, point the key at it and press the key button. The camera image sensor can pick up infrared, so you'll see the infrared LED flicker on the monitor of the digital camera :-)

There is no "mirror" with 315 MHz radio system. (MHz, not hz) You cannot change from infrared to RF as easy as that The early Jap cars have infrared (IR) remote control, where the receiver is the clown nose on the mirror The RF remote controls (315MHz for (late model)Japan/USA or 433 MHz for Europe/Aus/NZ) use the antenna amplifier in the rear window to receive the RF signal and send it to the General Module Differences between RF and IR are: 1. Keys! 2. Ignition lock and charging coil (RF uses rechargable battery, IR is button battery) 3. Receiver (mirror vs rear window) 4. General Module software, and maybe hardware 5. Vehicle wiring loom 6. SA Option Codes for the car I don't even know if you CAN change from one to the other. But if you wanted to, it's a big exercise. You'd have to source a full set of brand new keys to fit your locks and then get them coded to the immobiliser. BMW will get confused because you'd be ordering RF keys for a car made with IR remote. You'd have to change all the parts. And then try and program it all. I STRONGLY recommend you leave everything AS IS The Jap mirrors cannot be that hard to find, make sure you get the right type - because the NZ with alarm looks the same as Jap with IR sensor - but they are different. And then you have the auto-dimming vs non-auto-dimming option as well......

Service Mode is clealy visible when it happens because the screen changes. If you cannot access it, no matter what button you try, then you likely have the Old Gen C23 JAPAN radio module. You can confirm by physically observing the radio module and reading the label on it. The radio is mounted in the boot under the nav, remove the lining to access it. If you have an old-gen radio then the possible replacements are: 1. C23 OCEANIA model, browse the wreckers shelves... will be nearly impossible to find in NZ as I don't think any E46s NZ-new had TV. But you might find one in a Singapore car. 2. old-gen Philips Business RDS, direct plug and play even with Jap nav 3. old-gen Becker BM24 Professional RDS, but you need to change nav first

DSP subwoofers bolt up under the rear parcel tray, thus reducing the boot volume. They can be fitted to any E39, as the parcely tray mounting points exist in every car. Compared to today's "craze" of having big kick-a** subs, the original BMW system is oftem said to be weak. But it depends on what you like....

Don't play with software unless you are experienced! Make sure you READ before your WRITE! MAke sure your READS are 100% reliable before any WRITING ! Be aware of static discharge issues, earth potential etc Are you using a laptop on its own battery, or are you on a big PC running from mains? Does your vehicle interface use opto-isolators? BMW Software and Interfaces is designed to be bulletproof, other third-party systems are less bulletproof, and some wierd problems can exist. Are all port speeds / baud rates etc setup properly with no port conflicts eg internal modems? I've never had issues with programming BMWs myself, apart from the odd databus transmission clash, but I make sure the connection is always good and I take care that static is not an issue. I have no direct experience with carsoft. As for module not responding, what timeouts are you using? Have you taken care to reduce unnecessary databus traffic to prevent data overload? Do you have any log files showing log activity for analysis?

If getting an old module you need to make sure that 1. It is not older than what you have now 2. It is a valid replacement and can thus be coded (part number is correct, coding index etc is correct) 3. You clear the flash memory by removing the VIN before recoding, this effectively makes it a virgin unit Of course, you need programming experience and the necessary tools..... and if you don't have them, go to the dealer, get a new one (they are cheap) and get it coded for your car properly.

Thjere are 3 x different models of "standard" E39 head unit with a few variations amongst each model: Reverse RDS (tape) Business RDS (tape, CD, minidisc, or navigation) Professional RDS (tape or CD, or navigation) As well as Japanese variants of the above In addiiton, the can may or may not come with an amplifier, and the amplifier may be the HiFi amp or the DSP amp: Reverse RDS - no amplifier Business RDS - with HiFi amp or DSP amp Professional RDS - with HiFi amp or DSP amp And then if it has DSP it will also have the factory sub woofer package 8as per the previous post) But it doesn't matter what you have because a sub can be added to any system in any car by wiring it in parallel with the existing rear woofer (low range) speakers That is true of the BMW as well. There is no separate sub output, so you wire the sub amplifier using a high-low converter to the existing rear speakers.

Remember the TRAFFIC button is 2 x buttons: try first using the left hand side, and then after try using the right hand side. On a Euro car the button is labelled RDS & TP, but only the text changes - the mechanics and electrics of the button are unchanged. Remember also, the Service Mode can only be entered into within the first 10 seconds of turing the radio on.