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OK guys, after speaking with Neil who had done this conversion, I tracked down the appropriate parts and started at it. Now this is for people who want to keep the factory standard look, but want bluetooth or ipod integration into their E36s. A lot of cars look fine with an aftermarket headunit, especially one which colour matches the standard red colour, however some people like to keep things looking nice and stock - you can't really find many head units with the right colour and also the matte finish that the factory centre console has (most aftermarket units have a polished look with polished buttons etc which make it stand out. Also as a theft deterrent to keep things looking standard inside. Now here is my factory radio FM transmitter sucks because of quality and also having to plug my phone in, and having to control tracks from the phone etc. Also takes up the 12v cig lighter which I need for ... uhh something else. Now you need the following Anycar Link AL-1080C You can choose a BMW 10pin option if you use the CD43 radio which we'll get to. It comes with a harness which intercepts the factory radio loom, so you plug one end of the harness into the factory loom, then plug the other end into the CD43. The harness then has two outputs which splice out - one to plug into the CD changer port in the back of the CD43 and the other to plug into the Anycar Link box above. Harness: Then you need to source a CD43 head unit. This is a single CD business radio from later model bmws. this has a 10 pin plug at the rear, so you should check your existing radio to make sure you have a 10 pin output. this is a CD43. Don't bother with the Ebay radios, they run for 250USD+ .. there are plenty at local bmw wreckers .. the only catch is that you need to have the code (any time battery runs flat or you disconnect the radio, you will need the code to unlock it again). recently BMW dealerships in nz have stopped giving out codes, you can try some overseas sites etc, or last resort buy one of the expensive ebay units with the code included. I lucked out and asked the wreckers to check the CD43s they had in stock until they found one with a code written on it. a lot of people write the code onto the units!!! so check various wreckers and ask them to check if any of the ones they have also have a code written on it by hand. Without the code, you can't use the unit. once you have those. its very easy. Pull out the existing headunit by opening the little flaps on each side, and using a 2mm hex/allen key. sometimes it slides out easy, sometimes you have to wrestle with it for a while. took me a while to shimmy it out (with a bit of swearing). but there are no hidden clips or anything, just those two hex screws. then unplug the big black plug on the back, you have to pull the clip surround UP as shown on the plug itself. this was a big pain in the a.. thought it would break, but after a while it came loose. as soon as you pull the clip up, the plug comes out. then use the harness and intercept the loom, and then plug the other end of the harness into the new CD43. same install as before .. push the clip down and the plug fits in. then plug the cd changer from the harness into the back of the radio into the cd changer port just below the main plug. turn your ignition on, input the code for the radio and then you should see the anycar link box power up. there is a lot of room in the back there to stow the anycar link box. I stowed it to the right, and the harness extra bits to the left. The anycar link also adds hands free bluetooth calling, you accept a call with the + and decline or hand up with the -. I was wondering where to put the microphone, most people run it up the b pillar to sit up near the visor, but it was a bit of a hassle, so instead I pulled out the centre vent and ran the wire through there. Here you can see the vent (two screws from the bottom and a clip to the top right, so pull at the bottom left). then there is a bit of tucking and twisting to slide the new unit back in (the wires and everything usually get in the way) so its a bit of a stow and try slide in. here is the finished product you can control tracks using the radio, even switch between playlists etc. just select the CD option.
