BMW Audio expert needed!! advice needed about upgrading my business cd

[Tattz]

Hi All.

Im new to the site but am loving all the info i can get. am in need of advice to get my audio sorted tho.

i have a couple of questions i cant find the answers too.

i have an 2011 e82 with the business HU and the harman kardon upgraded speakers. id like to upgrade to the professional HU and add some bluetooth that can stream A2DP music as well.

i was thinking of buying the professional HU and Mulf bluetooth units from a breakers but not sure if there are different HU's and Mulf units. are they are all compatable with each other if i buy 2 random units? also do i need the specific leads that come with the units or can i pick these up 3rd party.

secondly how can i tell if my car has a mic installed by the interior light? the vents are there but i cant tell if there is anything to plug into.

also if there are any better retrofit options that you guys have completed id be pleased to hear about them.

thanks in advance

[reisf]

Originally Posted by Tattz

Hi All.

Im new to the site but am loving all the info i can get. am in need of advice to get my audio sorted tho.

i have a couple of questions i cant find the answers too.

i have an 2011 e82 with the business HU and the harman kardon upgraded speakers. id like to upgrade to the professional HU and add some bluetooth that can stream A2DP music as well.

i was thinking of buying the professional HU and Mulf bluetooth units from a breakers but not sure if there are different HU's and Mulf units. are they are all compatable with each other if i buy 2 random units? also do i need the specific leads that come with the units or can i pick these up 3rd party.

secondly how can i tell if my car has a mic installed by the interior light? the vents are there but i cant tell if there is anything to plug into.

also if there are any better retrofit options that you guys have completed id be pleased to hear about them.

thanks in advance

Ok i can help you out:

Installing a professional head unit should be plug and play.
Installing an MULF is a bit more intense, i think there should be a diy somewhere, it would be "retrofit bluetooth hands free" or something similar.

BUT, an MULF WILL NOT give you audio streaming, its only good for phone calls.

But a few questions so i can give you a more complete answer:
Does your car not have a hands free system already? If you don't, there won't be a microphone in the vent slot, but you can place it there. If you do, you already have an MULF
Do you have steering wheel controls?
Do you have the 6FL option? (ipod integration - there would be a usb slot and aux slot under the armrest)

If you have none of the above, i would recommend retrofitting an idrive system... Look at BimmerRetrofit's website

[Tattz]

Hi Reisf.

Thanks for your response, very concise

I definitely dont have the mulf unit ( i have checked and the space is empty) and therefore have no Mic either then. although i didnt realise it doesnt have audio streaming capability so would not be the way too go for me anyway.

i also dont have the USB slot (mine is probably the most basic option) i had a look at bimmeretrofit and they have exactly the kit im looking for but its around £900!!..plus the fitting hassle, im keen to keep the car looking original but at that price i think i might have to go for a 3rd party HU.

There are loads of good bluetooth/audio streaming/calls all in one Head units out there which are mostly plug and play with a little wiring for the mic and steering wheel function...

its a shame Bmw dont do a more competitive option. £900 to keep your car looking original or £300 for a top of the range 3rd party head unit.

Thanks for info Bud much appreciated

[reisf]

Originally Posted by Tattz

Hi Reisf.

Thanks for your response, very concise

I definitely dont have the mulf unit ( i have checked and the space is empty) and therefore have no Mic either then. although i didnt realise it doesnt have audio streaming capability so would not be the way too go for me anyway.

i also dont have the USB slot (mine is probably the most basic option) i had a look at bimmeretrofit and they have exactly the kit im looking for but its around £900!!..plus the fitting hassle, im keen to keep the car looking original but at that price i think i might have to go for a 3rd party HU.

There are loads of good bluetooth/audio streaming/calls all in one Head units out there which are mostly plug and play with a little wiring for the mic and steering wheel function...

its a shame Bmw dont do a more competitive option. £900 to keep your car looking original or £300 for a top of the range 3rd party head unit.

Thanks for info Bud much appreciated

Yep the car is an absolute pain to upgrade! But for what its worth, i did the CIC idrive retrofit in my car and its 10000% worth it. Also, you don't have to buy the one from BimmerRetrofit - if you can find the navigation computer, CID screen and idrive controller for cheap you can still fit it, all the parts will work together. The only thing you need to think about is that the CIC itself (the computer part) is hard coded with the vin of the original car, so if you want the navigation to work you will need something called a "navigation emulator" which is wired between the CIC and the car and provides a sort of hack for the vin number issue. However all other aspects of the iDrive system work.

Also, stay very far away from this sort of thing http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Android-4...item41946ce40c
I bought that before i did the CIC retrofit and it was horrible - it was slow, unresponsive and the interface had typos!

One more thing - the chimes and steering wheel controls might not work with a third party head unit, and if you take the car to the dealer for a software upgrade, they might refuse to do it because you have removed the factory head unit.

All the best on your project

[mechavore884]

^ Just chiming in, you can run the head unit in the trunk (if the software updates are that detrimental per say)

and +0897304983 for aftermarket HU I ditched my factory one eons ago

[Tattz]

i def wont be going for one of those then, thanks for pointing it out . i will have a look at the prices of the separate parts then and see if i can make it more financially viable.

i dont like a lot of the new 'flashy' Hu's. the interior of the car is quite refined and im not keen on adding a garish all bright lights and neon style HU and spoiling the look.

although if i can find a quality unit that looks good and not too showey the ease of fitting and all the functions are hard to ignore.

A top of the range Kenwood/pioneer ect has bluetooth/calls/phonebook/A2DP and mulitfunction steering wheel ready all in one package for under £200. and if you want a sat nav then a cradle for your phone will give you a screen that will play the navigation voice through the car speakers.

mechavore what HU did you go for?

[reisf]

Originally Posted by Tattz

i def wont be going for one of those then, thanks for pointing it out . i will have a look at the prices of the separate parts then and see if i can make it more financially viable.

i dont like a lot of the new 'flashy' Hu's. the interior of the car is quite refined and im not keen on adding a garish all bright lights and neon style HU and spoiling the look.

although if i can find a quality unit that looks good and not too showey the ease of fitting and all the functions are hard to ignore.

A top of the range Kenwood/pioneer ect has bluetooth/calls/phonebook/A2DP and mulitfunction steering wheel ready all in one package for under £200. and if you want a sat nav then a cradle for your phone will give you a screen that will play the navigation voice through the car speakers.

mechavore what HU did you go for?

I just thought of something, have you looked at the Parrot Asteroid Smart Head units? I think that may be perfect for you...
Have a look: http://www.parrot.com/usa/products/a...steroid-smart/

And heres what it looks like in an e82 (most of this video is about the sound upgrade so just skip to about the middle)

[dubluv17]

Originally Posted by mechavore884

^ Just chiming in, you can run the head unit in the trunk (if the software updates are that detrimental per say)

and +0897304983 for aftermarket HU I ditched my factory one eons ago

Did you use the BMRC-01 to retain the chimes? I'm going to be doing an aftermarket HU soon and was just curious as to what all I need to get it done, from a wiring standpoint. Thanks for your input.

[mechavore884]

well in my case I went with the JBL chameleon (since i had it from a previous setup) but im sort of a 1 off because I NEED and I mean NEED as many EQs and controls as possible LOL but I used that HU cuz my pioneer 80prs would look a little dated in this vehicle

To answer the door chime question I personally went without however there are a legion of OEM-esque looking HUs to keep said feature, similar (and some even closer to OEM) that reisf posted above..if not you can get a doubledin dash kit and run a nice DD HU...it all kinda boils down to budget and what you want out of the HU...the beauty of our cars is that its the same as the e9X and even older 3 series regarding wiring and dashkits etc etc

[mechavore884]

dubluv17 Personally I always bypass factory wiring LOL (i trust knuconeptz over OEM but thats just me ) I just said F**** it to the chimes and such hahaha

however there is a harness for the steering wheel controls thats relatively straightforward to install, shoot me a PM I can expand a lot more with my current setup (been thru a couple since my original audio thread on here) and hopefully answer more question or try to lead you on who can