jochen

Anyone in AKL know how to do this and will to have a go in exchange for Beer/Gin/Burbon???

I have a E53 X5 and have a Euro TCU that MAY work, but first I need to delete the BitII from the vehicle code and add the TCU. Then hopefully I can see it and instigate pairing over Bluetooth. The Euro TCU is part of of a SA633 phone option that usually includes a BMW supplied bluetooth phone in the console.

If keen please PM me and name your price Cheers

It all works WITHOUT coding

Disconnect the BITII

Connect the TCU

And voila, it works

Coding helps because

a) it updates the vehicle inventory list, so that a future diagnostic session knows what is fitted

it sets the TCU to your car (programms VIN number, various other options)

NOTE: coding with a BMW diagnostic tool only works if you have the vehicle set to EURO mode (for NZ use). An ex.-Japanese vehicle + TCU is (for the BMW diagnostic software) and unknown combination

If the vehicle is ex-Japan, I can give you tips to get it all going

Hi All,

I have a nz new 99' 540i that came with the in-car phone, the manual says it's compatible with the old GSM 900mhz standard, I'm wondering if there is a way to make it compatable with the TCNZ XT network (UTMS 850,2100mhz) ?

The reason being is that work pays for my phone calls, they have given me a second sim card to put in my car, so when someone calls my mobile while im driving, the call diverts to the sim card for my car phone. I think at this stage I will just need to purchase a VFNZ pre pay and chuck it in to the car phone, and setup call divert on my mobile to divert to the VFNZ mobile.

Any one tried converting their in car phone to become UTMS capable?

You would need to change the telephone control unit (TCU), however you are immediately stuck, as BMW never made a UMTS version

So the only option is to swap the TCU for the Bluetooh ULF, which allos a BT connection to the phone in your pocket. That works beautifully. It also has voice dial, and voice control of the nav system (if fitted.)

What do i need to do? Will it just be a case of updating the TV module or is this going to be a nightmare and I should just got back to my old smaller screen?

It is definitely the old 1996 pre-war video module that is the culprit.

Swap it for a new shiny post 2001 video module, which supports widescreen monitors, 5.1 surround sound, Dobly thanks, subwoofers, 3D, and AppleTV. *

* Some features supported only when dreaming

Also I have for my ipod to work I have the "poor mans ipod setup" rigged which works a dream. Except now when I put the empty tape into the widescreen display it plays for a few seconds (like 20) then goes silent again. As soon as I switch modes and come back into tape, it plays again but for only 20 secs before going back to being silent.

The empty tape needs to be turning both spools. If one spool turns and one spool stops, then the tape mech thinks the tape is at the end and switches off.

Why not just cable the iPod to the CD changer audio lines, and then play any CD, but switch the audio to the iPod?

Much better sound quality, much less hassles, and it looks nicer.

And of course, get a Mk4 nav fitted, you'll love using the nav

though you usually have to have proof of ownership blah blah blah if you buy from the dealer, whereas anyone can get an ebay key and get mr minute to cut it. assuming you know how to link it yourself

Buying it is easy

Getting it mechanically cut to open doors is easy

Syncing the IR or Wireless remote control to unlock the doors is easy

Programming the immobiliser to accept the new immobiliser chip (inside the key fob) as a valid chip is hard. This is where you need specialised software, the OBDII interface, and the knowledge how to operate it. Sure, easy if you know how, otherwise hard.

So it is easy to get a new key to do everything except start the car....

How can I find out my Key fob frequency? The car is E46, made in 2001and New Zealand New.

All NZ new is 433 MHz

Hi,

We have an 04 Mini JCW and it has all the hardware for the OBC but we just need to code the car to use all the functions. Is there anyone in Auckland that has a MODIC/DIS that can do this apart form Team McMillan who didnt seem to know what i was talking about... ?

Thanks

Aaron

Talk to hybrid, he's good at coding BMWs (which is what a Mini is)

If the Satnav computer is mounted in the top centre of the boot under the centre brake light then its a jap import and will not work in NZ

...unless someone has already converted it and replaced the Jap DVD nav unit with a Euro Mk4 DVD nav unit.

If it has the Mk4, insert the NZ map disc and it works.

In terms of the diversity aerial issue I've had a sniff around and these guys have a theory http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=119187 Most of it relates to systems with the factory amp but the guy in the last post sounds like he bypassed it. Anyone tried it or got any views?

That forum entry only deals with supplying power to the antenna amplifier.

They never dealt with the diversity switching issue

If the diversity control signal is not present, the antenna amplifier will default to antenna 1.

It will never be able to switch to antenna 2 or antenna 3

Having multiple FM antennas makes a big FM performance increase when driving in weak signal areas, or in strong signal areas with lots of reflections (city centers)

The diversity signal is supplied by the tuner section of the radio back to the antenna amplifier.

The antenna amplifier can switch multiple times a second to get the best signal, based on what the radio is telling it

This control signal is only present in the original BMW OEM radios

Yes thanks hotwire.

At this point I'm leaning towards one of these http://www.hyper.co.nz/drive/audio/head-un...d/13967/product

Looks to be the most cost effective option as it would otherwise add up by the time I got a replacement BMW CD business unit and a DICE unit.

Obviously I'll need a DIN fitting kit but it would hopefully tie in fairly well with the orange lights.

Any ideas as to what else would be needed such as wiring loom adapters? Any other feedback appreciated.

Many thanks!

Remember that with any non-OEM radio, you'll loose the diversity antenna function and your FM reception performance will be reduced. This is because the antenna system switches to the default antenna, as the new non-BMW radio cannot tell it what antenna to use.

Original BMW uses 2 or 3 FM antennas, constantly switching between them to get the best signal.

If you drive mainly in Auckland, you won't notice the lack of antenna diversity.

If you drive around the Waikato, you'll really really notice the lack in FM performance.

Forewarned is forarmed.

Bottom hose of the radiator.

You could always go the whole hog and fit the original BMW webasto fuel burning heater option.... then you have remote control heater starter and everything

The Panasonic DVD system is not original BMW.

It has been fitted by a previous owner

If your car is ex-Japan, the system will be for Japanese maps only. Google the model number

If Japanese only, throw it away. It cannot be used in NZ

That did cross my mind

Where abouts would I connect to the aerials, and can you elaborate on the DC blocker please

Thanks

Example DC blockers:

http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/940483/SZU-14-DC-BLOCKER

Here's one with SMA connectors:

http://www.minicircuits.com/pages/dcblk.html

You want SMB (same as the TV tuner antenna connectors at the tuner)

Here's a local NZ supplier:

http://www.supremeantennas.co.nz/view/conn...-dc-blocker.php

And another:

http://www.tradetech.co.nz/shop/Outdoor+Ae...or+Filters.html

The ones with F connectors are cheap at $5 each.

Connect to the antennas at the tv tuner. Adapters will likely be required to convert from the native SMB connector to whatever you will use.

Reception was definately better when car stationary, but I may be able to improve this by position of the aerials, and hey, you should only be using while stationary

Why not use the built in TV antennas?

Add a T-piece with a DC-blocker (available from most satellite installers) to the existing TV antennas

The DC blocker should be fitted so that the original antenna amplifiers continue to receive their DC power from the video module, and they can deliver the RF signal back to the new DVB-T tuner as well as the old video module

The existing on-glass TV antennas, tuned and engineered for best reception, should work better than any stick antenna inside the vehicle

the picture quality isn't to do with the lcd resolution ,

.its to do with the composite input being used , and not a s-video , component or hdmi input being , which your factory screen doesn't have.

so all the digital imformation is converted down to a rgb type signal then converted to a s-video type signal then down to composite signal.

so its like tring to empty the bath through a plug hole rather than cutting the bottom of the bath out

then going back the other way.

nice upgrade though when the analog signal gets turned off.

would be interesting to see if you can break into the signals from the factory tv tuner and see if there is a rgb or digital signal going to the factory screen

Remember the resolution of the screen: 400x240

So HDMI is simply a waste of time

What will improve the signal hugely is if you can feed it RGB, because the native screen has RGB.

Remember the native screen also uses sync on green, so an adapter will need to be used.

And if you feed it RGB, you loose the nav control over the video: ie: tapping into the RGB lines directly, and the nav won't be able to switch the video from TV to nav to show you the navigation instructions.

Hey, I just bought and installed some angel eyes but now Im trying to use the harness I bought to allow for the remote trigger for unlocking/locking the car. On all the pictures i've looked at online the diys have been for LHD. I assume my access hole would then be through the ecu box? or is there another place?

Is it easier to go through from the inside the cabin by removing the glovebox and having a look through that side?

Let me guess what BMW you drive, so I can provide the right information.

[Jochen puts hands to temple, concentrates, and a low long ommmmm is heard resonating around the lounge]

I can see that you have a BMW Isetta, one of the grunty 13hp ones made in 1962

They'd certainly look cool with angel eyes

Let me now look up the wiring diagram for the Isetta... I'l get back to you shortly

One option that people did with the aftermarkets systems was to move the MID into the glove box, but that was with the separate MID systems and don't know if that's at all feasible with the board monitor system.

Yes, that can be done, but you need to recode the vehicle for MID instead of nav

AFAIK, front speakers are single voice coil.

Not true - the early systems had a dual voice coil speaker in the woofers in the front doors. The second voice coil was used for the telephone audio.

Simply but extremely flexible in that you could feed any audio to it.

Not hifi, as it is only the woofer, but more than adequate for voice.

I also use the Telephone audio input to bring a commercial two way radio output to the front speakers. I thought I read somewhere that the front speakers have dual voice coils so hopefully I wont lose that.

Dual voice coil front speakers was only on the older vehicle fitted with old-generation radios, made prior to September 1998

If your vehicle is newer, the voice is fed via a separate channel into the radio, and the native BMW system switches the audio source to the telephone input when the tel mute line is activated

Instead of upgrading the Japanese Nav in my 2001 E39 touring, I am considering replacing it with a Dyanavin V5 (yes I know the Android models are just around the corner).

Now I do like the OBC functions for Consumption, Range, Time, Avg Speed etc and I think that they will display on the MID if I have a Dynavin installed. I actually prefer to glance down at the MID rather than across at the video screen and I have the Time displayed on the MID by default.

Now what I want to know is, is there a way to reset these functions and adjust the time if you dont have original the Video display?

I think Navcoder might be able to set the time, but is there a way to reset the others. OR do you lose these functions if you remove the Display, Radio, Nav unit and CD changer?

I thought I read somewhere that the Dynavin (well V5 anyway) supported OBC interface but Paul at Prestige tells me this is not the case.

Remember that when you remove the factory nav system or MID, you loose all the ability to control and reset following functions:

Vehicle clock (date and time)

OBC functions (all of them)

Auxiliary heating and ventilation (if fitted)

Immobiliser PIN code function (if you have the E39, E38 or X5)

Phone control (if fitted)

Assist function (if fitted)

All these are controlled by the existing factory nav system or MID.

Replace the nav/MID system with something foreign (non BMW), and you cannot control these functions any more, UNLESS the foreign system can specifically control these functions.

You must decide if you are prepared to live with that....

Remember, the push button on the indicator stalk allows you only to cycle through the various OBC displays. It does not let you reset or program any of the displays.

I want to add a reversing camera to my E39. I already have MK4 Nav and 16:9 BM retro fitted.

Just remember the native reverse camera input on the video module is NTSC

You can reprogram it to PAL with my NavCoder software

Does any one know how to install an OEM TPMS into an E39. Is it as simple as installing the four sensors and plugging the module in.

There are two types:

The tyre pressure monitoring system, which has the radio transmitters in the wheel valves, and actually monitors real tyre pressure in PSI. This requires the transmitters to be fitted, the antennas in each wheel well, cabling and a control unit

So you need a tyre shop to fit the valves (don't forget the spare tyre!)

And quite a job to fit the antennas.

The other system is the tyre failure detection system, which uses the ABS impulses and monitors variations in wheel diameter (due to eg flat tyre). It reacts to around 20% less tyre pressure between the wheels, but cannot show the actual pressures in PSI. This is much easier to install, requires no extra sensors, and can be readily fitted to the E39. It is standard fitting on the M5 (which has no spare wheel due to different boot layout and battery placement)

It has an extra switch on the dashboard.

Control units can re readily found on ebay.de

Both have as a prerequisite the High IKE (with the dot-matrix text display at the bottom of the cluster)

I'd go for the tyre defect system, much simpler to install.

You need to hard wire it to an AC sourse (violet switched wire) you can buy extra leads from d*ck Smith to do it.

Might also pay to add your location in your profile. I'm sure someone might be able to help you do this.

I would insert a relay in the existing lead, with the relay controlled by the Ign switched wire

Reason: the violet ign switched wires are often not designed to handle the current draw of the cig lighter socket.

And inserting a relay ensures that the fuse designations and descriptions remain correct

Unplug nav computer, turn car off, close and lock doors, wait 15min

On next boot up, the TV tuner will take over generating the screen graphics and the screen will be back

Hi Jochem, I have 2000 540i Motorsport with the wide screen, Japanese import and want to change the raio to NZ frequencies.

I've followed instructions as below and tried the 'selec't' button as no 'm'button - does not work.

Can you please advise any other buttons\sequences to try?

Check your build date. If prior to 09/2001, then you won't have the reprogrammable world tuner

For your 540i, it would have had the Becker BM23 Professional RDS radio fitted as standard in Europe.

This will be plug and play with your vehicle.

However note that sometimes the BM23 cannot display info on the Jap nav system,

if you downgrade to the Philips PH7851 Business RDS, then it will be plug and play with the Jap system BUT only has the single tuner, and is not as high quality as the Professional RDS:

Best solution:

Fit the Mk4 nav system

Fit the BM23 Professional RDS radio

Then you have full original-equipment and original Euro-spec car, as specified in the factory

and a fully functioning, totally integrated radio and nav systems

Greg, count me out for an answer here.

I agree of the IR receiver being sh*t & must admit converting had crossed my mind. That said - I quickly discounted as i couldn't be bothered researching to possibilities. I just put it in the "to hard" bin.

Yes the later diamond head keys a rechargable but not sure if that will work on the older version car - again never had to compare.

I also don't know the frequencies the systems run on either.

Soooo...Jochen?

Following items would need to be changed:

Antenna amplifier

Fit the coil on the ign switch

Maybe change the GM

Change the keys of course

Code everything

A bit job and messy - with likely complications - is it really worth it?

Just so you know, BMW is no longer going to release map updates on the CD format Nav systems.

they will upgrade DVD and CIC units only, so you are basically stuck with 2009 maps forever unless someone else makes something up.

Wouldn't that cheese you off if you had a 2009 NZ-new Z4 with Nav?

Came with a 2009 map, and no newer releases ever available.... and the car is not even out of it's warranty period...

Or course, if BMWTouring is strictly referring to "no more CDs, only DVDs" and the map is still valid for the E85 Z4... then not such a big issue.

It would only affect Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3 navs (CD only), and not the Mk4 nav (CD and DVD)

Provided the map format is correct for the Mk4 nav systems....

Cars fitted with Mk1 & Mk2 & Mk3 navs were E38 (all), E39, E46, E53 (to approx 2001).

All E83 X3, and E85/E85 Z4 came with Mk4 navs

(ignoring the Jap cars, which have Jap navs...)