e88 MOST junction location?

[iantm]

So... I decided I wanted to have built in Sirius on my 128i. The car has the factory prewire for it (I checked the vehicle's build sheet to confirm this, as well as verified the antenna and MOST connection in the trunk where the module goes.

I picked up a used Sirius module for my car (the gen 2.5 DLP with the single antenna connection. Installing the module itself is easy... I need to connect the MOST connector to the car's MOST bus loop.

All of the guides I have found were for the e82 and e90 which indicated that the MOST junction was on the left rear between the back seat and the door jam. Will I need to remove the rear seat or the left rear door card to get at this? If so, does anyone know what's involved? Has anyone else here done this?

Some background on me - I used to be a BMW tech in Pittsburgh, PA where the 1 series coupes and convertibles weren't cars I encountered terribly frequently in those days - the e90 328i and e83 X3 were the two I spent 95% of my time dealing with. I even bought one of those X3's for myself. I ended up moving to Florida and retired from working as a mechanic. (went back to working in IT) I then got the convertible I've always wanted but could never justify before.

[Downeaster1]

You can really put in a MOST connection anywhere along the loop as long as the signal is repeated properly. If you are going the aftermarket route, I would personally hook it up next to the telematics control unit underneath the trunk liner. There is keyed power, a MOST bus line and enough room to hide a flat module. I'm not totally sure if programming will be required due to the build date on your car, options (CCC, CIC, or Business Radio). If you have the BMW Professional Radio (no I-Drive) I don't believe coding is required as they are all set up to receive signal. The iffy side is that there is no SDARS (satellite radio) module as the function is controlled by RAD2.

EDIT: I've done a lot of electrical tomfoolery with the E60/61, E7X, E8X & E9X cars and when people put in aftermarket headunits, the door gong is no longer present. To remedy that, I take the old RAD2 module that used to be located up front, and move it to the trunk (as it has power and MOST), that way the door gong signal is still sent from the RAD2 to the Amplifier, and all is well with the world.

Sorry for the rambling. There isn't a lot going on at work today.

[iantm]

It's cool. The car has the professional radio, top hifi amp, and HD radio. Thes build date is 02/09. I pulled the left rear interior panel with the speaker and armrest and the only thing under there was the amplifier and seat belt stuff. I haven't pulled the rear seat backrest yet.

Everything I saw for the e82 and e90 shows the MOST loop as being on top of the left rear wheel well behind a side panel of the rear seat. I'm going to try pulling the rear seat backrest in an effort to gain better access - the head restraint bracket will have to come out - that doesn't look like much fun.

[Downeaster1]

Just put it under the trunk. It takes 5 seconds to access. Maybe 30 seconds if you can't find your key.

[reisf]

Should be same spot as e82, e87, e90, e92, e93 etc... That is behind the left rear seat bolster.

Dont need to remove the backrest of the seat, only the bottom part - its comes out easy just pull it out (in an upwards direction). Then remove the bolster.

Side note: I haven't accessed the most junction on an e88, but i have on an e82, e87, e90, e92 and e93 and it is in the exact same spot in each of these cars, i dont see why it would be anywhere else in an e88.

[iantm]

The problem is that there is no bolster for the back seat on the 1 series convertible - it's rear seat backrest and then interior trim panel. I pulled the panel and saw the amplifier but no MOST loop, so I'm assuming the loop is behind the cushion.