BMW 1 Series Coupe Forum / 1 Series Convertible Forum (1M / tii / 135i / 128i / Coupe / Cabrio / Hatchback) (BMW E82 E88 128i 130i 135i)
 





 

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      03-14-2011, 07:58 PM   #67
ianc
Ex '87 Carrera
ianc's Avatar
United_States
246
Rep
1,259
Posts

Drives: '10 TiAg 6MT 135i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Redwood Shores, California

iTrader: (0)

Well AW, I'm beginning to think you got lucky on your install. I forwarded your doc to Peter Pan and they wouldn't budge on the price. Next I called up Mountain View BMW and they also immediately said the one hour recommended install time didn't include coding. They, however, quoted me a .75-1 (rather than 1.25) hour install and 1 hour coding for a total cost of $330-360.

After perusing your install instructions, it looked doable but dicey. I could have easily seen myself with questions or breaking little $.25 trim mounting clips. Rather than sacrifice a whole weekend day that I could spend with my wife and daughter to do the install (although it would have been fun), I just reluctantly agreed and booked it in this Thurs. The fact that they'll also take care of the voluntary emissions recall and gave me no trouble about a loaner sealed it.

$180 labor\hr. Ouch...

Thanks again,

ianc
__________________
"I will tell you there is a big difference between driving money and driving blood, sweat and tears." - PorscheGuy79

"I got 328 loaner and was impressed with performance. It feels much faster than my 135i." - MOCKBA
Appreciate 0
      03-15-2011, 08:09 AM   #68
AW128i
Major
AW128i's Avatar
United_States
43
Rep
1,003
Posts

Drives: E82 N51
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Southeastern, PA

iTrader: (1)

Interesting. My dealer just seems to be more "honest" about quoting stuff, adhering to BMW's recommendations. When they installed my iPod adapter, they also only charged me for the quoted 1 hour installation, despite it taking much longer to complete.
Appreciate 0
      03-15-2011, 02:38 PM   #69
ianc
Ex '87 Carrera
ianc's Avatar
United_States
246
Rep
1,259
Posts

Drives: '10 TiAg 6MT 135i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Redwood Shores, California

iTrader: (0)

Yeah, the key question just seems to be whether the actual coding time is included in the installation time or not. Both the dealers I spoke with seem to feel that it's not, but yours did (lucky you). The doc you sent is not tremendously specific about this point. It states 'suggested install time' at the start, then when the steps for the actual physical installation are finished, you see the text 'Install complete'. It would be interesting to get BMW NA's take on this, 'cause I really don't know the answer...

Oh well, I think I would really have enjoyed doing the install myself back in my bachelor days, but these days I just can't swing closeting myself in the garage all day. Sigh...

ianc
__________________
"I will tell you there is a big difference between driving money and driving blood, sweat and tears." - PorscheGuy79

"I got 328 loaner and was impressed with performance. It feels much faster than my 135i." - MOCKBA
Appreciate 0
      03-16-2011, 01:22 PM   #70
JimD
Brigadier General
JimD's Avatar
367
Rep
3,547
Posts

Drives: 128i convertible
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Lexington, SC

iTrader: (0)

The mechanics of installing the bracket do not involve any clipped connections. There is a screw or two to take the gauges out and then 4 screws to take the hood off. Trimming the hood to create clearance is a bit unnerving but simple and quick. The wiring connections are far worse, IMHO. It is a bit confusing to find the right connectors and pins. A BMW technician would have little if any trouble with this part. Doing it yourself would take, I suspect 2-3 hours. I have no idea about the coding. Most things involving computers seems to either go very easily or not. When they don't they can get really time consuming.

I looked at the instructions and the above isn't right. To put the bracket in involves no clips but the A-pillar cover is held on by clips as are other dash pieces. The BMW mounting clips seemed more robust than I am used to on other cars but they are clips. I pulled the A-pillar cover to route my remote microphone cord.

Jim
__________________
128i Convertible, MT, Alpine White, Black Top, Taupe Leatherette, Walnut, Sport
Ordered 5/22/09, Completed 6/4/09, At Port 6/9/09, On the Georgia Highway 6/13/09, Ship Arrived Charleston 6/24/09 at 10pm, PCD 7/21/09

Last edited by JimD; 03-16-2011 at 01:36 PM..
Appreciate 0
      03-17-2011, 07:54 PM   #71
AW128i
Major
AW128i's Avatar
United_States
43
Rep
1,003
Posts

Drives: E82 N51
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Southeastern, PA

iTrader: (1)

The A-pillar trim is referenced in the installation instructions because of the optional traffic receiver installation. The antenna is routed along the A-pillar.
Appreciate 0
      03-18-2011, 12:31 AM   #72
tiwahu
Gamertag: Boardwalk
United_States
35
Rep
82
Posts

Drives: 2019 M240i xDrive Convertible
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, PA

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by AW128i View Post
My dealer just seems to be more "honest" about quoting stuff, adhering to BMW's recommendations.
For future reference, which dealer is that?
__________________
• 2019 BMW M240i xDrive Convertible Estoril/Cognac/Hexagon ZPP, 20Z, 3YA, 674, 552
• 2015 BMW X5 xDrive35d Mineral White/Terra/Hexagon ZMM, ZPP, ZCW, 2VF, 417, 3AG, 688
Ũ 2008 BMW 135i TiAg/Coral/AgAl ZSP, ZPP, 205, 322, 494, 4MG, 677, 6FL
Appreciate 0
      03-18-2011, 08:36 AM   #73
AW128i
Major
AW128i's Avatar
United_States
43
Rep
1,003
Posts

Drives: E82 N51
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Southeastern, PA

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by tiwahu View Post
For future reference, which dealer is that?
Thompson BMW in Doylestown, PA.
Appreciate 0
      03-19-2011, 06:12 PM   #74
JimD
Brigadier General
JimD's Avatar
367
Rep
3,547
Posts

Drives: 128i convertible
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Lexington, SC

iTrader: (0)

I decided not to pay to keep it going a few months but the MSN Direct antenna in my power cord worked fine buried in the dash. Maybe it would have worked better in the A-pillar, however.

Jim
__________________
128i Convertible, MT, Alpine White, Black Top, Taupe Leatherette, Walnut, Sport
Ordered 5/22/09, Completed 6/4/09, At Port 6/9/09, On the Georgia Highway 6/13/09, Ship Arrived Charleston 6/24/09 at 10pm, PCD 7/21/09
Appreciate 0
      03-24-2011, 10:49 AM   #75
ianc
Ex '87 Carrera
ianc's Avatar
United_States
246
Rep
1,259
Posts

Drives: '10 TiAg 6MT 135i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Redwood Shores, California

iTrader: (0)

Well, I FINALLY got the thing back from the dealer yesterday. They were doing the HPFP recall at the same time (got a 446), so it took them ages.

Was not really that impressed with the level of the workmanship. They forgot to install the back cover on the bracket, and mounted the bracket in such a way that it didn't rest against the dash lip and hence vibrated. I had to remove the instruments and hood and drill a couple of new holes for it to move it slightly to make it more stable. They also hacked a big piece out of the hood to clear the bracket. You really only need to shave a small piece out of there, but the tech obviously did not test fit it, just hacked a big piece out and put it back on. I will call them to ask for a new hood.

The nav seems to work fine in all respects so far except that for me, the volume is insufficient. The nav announcements definitely mute the radio, but the volume level is not high enough to defeat a heavy rain or road noise. I have the master vol on the unit up to 100% and the Navi vol on the radio itself is set to +5, but it's just not adequate. Hmm... Anything I missed?

Still getting used to since I only got it last nite, will post more later...

ianc
__________________
"I will tell you there is a big difference between driving money and driving blood, sweat and tears." - PorscheGuy79

"I got 328 loaner and was impressed with performance. It feels much faster than my 135i." - MOCKBA
Appreciate 0
      03-24-2011, 11:08 AM   #76
AW128i
Major
AW128i's Avatar
United_States
43
Rep
1,003
Posts

Drives: E82 N51
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Southeastern, PA

iTrader: (1)

Regarding the install, that's a bummer. Mine is just about perfect and you can't even see where they cut the instrument cluster hood. The GPS does vibrate on really rough roads, but I don't exactly make it a habit of driving on those types of roads so it's been largely a non-issue. I actually ran the wires through the bracket and installed the cover myself before I took it to the dealer, so I can't give them credit for remembering to do that.

Your comments about the volume don't match my experience. If I have the actual nav volume up all the way and also have the nav setting in the radio set to +5, the darn thing is near screaming at me, even at highway speeds. I currently have the radio setting down to +2 and that seems to be a good compromise between audibility and not screaming at me. Did you set the GPS volume while it was powered on by the car? I ask because I believe you can set the volume separately for when it's docked and when it's not.
Appreciate 0
      03-24-2011, 02:09 PM   #77
JimD
Brigadier General
JimD's Avatar
367
Rep
3,547
Posts

Drives: 128i convertible
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Lexington, SC

iTrader: (0)

I would definitely start with the volume setting on the nuvi, it is available on the settings menu of mine if I remember right, and then adjust the aux port of the radio. That is a button beside the radio presets and then the knob at that end if I remember right. You should be able to set it to play equal to or louder than the radio.

Glad to hear it mutes things. Are you getting navi instructions out of the car speakers? Your lack of volume makes me wonder if there is a wiring issue and you may be listening to the navi instructions coming out of the nuvi itself? That would not be very loud but would be due to an incorrect install.

Jim
__________________
128i Convertible, MT, Alpine White, Black Top, Taupe Leatherette, Walnut, Sport
Ordered 5/22/09, Completed 6/4/09, At Port 6/9/09, On the Georgia Highway 6/13/09, Ship Arrived Charleston 6/24/09 at 10pm, PCD 7/21/09
Appreciate 0
      03-24-2011, 02:31 PM   #78
AW128i
Major
AW128i's Avatar
United_States
43
Rep
1,003
Posts

Drives: E82 N51
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Southeastern, PA

iTrader: (1)

Good point, Jim. OP, make sure the GPS audio output is setup for the car speakers and not the internal speaker. I think that setting is accessed through the navigation>automobile section in the Settings menu. The documentation that comes with the nuvi may tell you where that setting is, also.
Appreciate 0
      03-24-2011, 04:00 PM   #79
ianc
Ex '87 Carrera
ianc's Avatar
United_States
246
Rep
1,259
Posts

Drives: '10 TiAg 6MT 135i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Redwood Shores, California

iTrader: (0)

Thanks for the tips guys, I cannot actually say whether the nav announcements are coming from the stereo or the unit itself; I'll check on the way home, and check the setting you mention AW.

Jim, the coding on the car adds a 'Navi' option to the radio's volume settings which I've adjusted to the max already.

Will report back. I did call and complain about the hacked-up instrument hood and they promised to send me another...

ianc
__________________
"I will tell you there is a big difference between driving money and driving blood, sweat and tears." - PorscheGuy79

"I got 328 loaner and was impressed with performance. It feels much faster than my 135i." - MOCKBA
Appreciate 0
      03-24-2011, 09:51 PM   #80
ianc
Ex '87 Carrera
ianc's Avatar
United_States
246
Rep
1,259
Posts

Drives: '10 TiAg 6MT 135i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Redwood Shores, California

iTrader: (0)

Well, no breakthroughs I'm afraid. Nav guidance is definitely coming through the vehicle speakers rather than the unit itself; I switched the two and was able to hear the difference. Navi vol is still cranked at +5. I tried turning it down to 0 and didn't hear any appreciable difference in the volume level though. Master vol is still set at 100%. I mentioned it to the dealer this afternoon, and the SA I spoke with said that he believed the tech working on the car had noticed the issue as well during the installation; apparently they had some trouble getting the car coded. Maybe a reflash? Dunno, but will continue to pursue it...

The problem is that as AW has postulated, muting only occurs at louder volume levels on the radio. Yesterday when I had Dire Straits cranking, it would mute it, but today at a lower volume level, it didn't. If the stereo vol is not loud enough to mute, then the nav can't be heard over the music. Sucks...

ianc
__________________
"I will tell you there is a big difference between driving money and driving blood, sweat and tears." - PorscheGuy79

"I got 328 loaner and was impressed with performance. It feels much faster than my 135i." - MOCKBA
Appreciate 0
      03-25-2011, 08:07 AM   #81
AW128i
Major
AW128i's Avatar
United_States
43
Rep
1,003
Posts

Drives: E82 N51
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Southeastern, PA

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by ianc View Post
Well, no breakthroughs I'm afraid. Nav guidance is definitely coming through the vehicle speakers rather than the unit itself; I switched the two and was able to hear the difference. Navi vol is still cranked at +5. I tried turning it down to 0 and didn't hear any appreciable difference in the volume level though. Master vol is still set at 100%. I mentioned it to the dealer this afternoon, and the SA I spoke with said that he believed the tech working on the car had noticed the issue as well during the installation; apparently they had some trouble getting the car coded. Maybe a reflash? Dunno, but will continue to pursue it...

The problem is that as AW has postulated, muting only occurs at louder volume levels on the radio. Yesterday when I had Dire Straits cranking, it would mute it, but today at a lower volume level, it didn't. If the stereo vol is not loud enough to mute, then the nav can't be heard over the music. Sucks...

ianc
I'm not trying to rub it in, but as I've stated before, the nav announcements on mine are plenty loud enough to be heard over the radio at normal listening volumes and this is with the nav setting on the radio not turned up all the way. I suspect there is an incomplete coding in your car or similar. Also, out of curiosity, what stereo do you have in your car? I see you have a '10 and mine is a '08 with the standard 10-speaker HiFi stereo.
Appreciate 0
      03-25-2011, 10:24 AM   #82
ianc
Ex '87 Carrera
ianc's Avatar
United_States
246
Rep
1,259
Posts

Drives: '10 TiAg 6MT 135i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Redwood Shores, California

iTrader: (0)

Hi AW, my car is a '10 with the standard six speaker stereo.

I did play with it further this AM and found that basically the Navi volume setting on the radio is just completely inop. I set the volume down to -5 and there is no difference in the level from when it's at +5, so that function is just broken.

I'm supposed to call the dealer back today with more info and the SA seemed ready to work with me, so we'll see where it goes. Will keep you posted...

ianc
__________________
"I will tell you there is a big difference between driving money and driving blood, sweat and tears." - PorscheGuy79

"I got 328 loaner and was impressed with performance. It feels much faster than my 135i." - MOCKBA
Appreciate 0
      03-29-2011, 05:23 PM   #83
ianc
Ex '87 Carrera
ianc's Avatar
United_States
246
Rep
1,259
Posts

Drives: '10 TiAg 6MT 135i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Redwood Shores, California

iTrader: (0)

Well, I just got a call from the dealer. They said they reflashed just the retro, but that did not help, so they called BMW regional, who said to try reflashing the whole car, which they did (great, now I've gotta redo all my settings...), but that did not help either.

After more phone calls to tech, they are claiming that the volume control will just not work with the 2010 6-speaker base audio; it needs an external amplifier for it to function properly. Fishy? Maybe, but I guess I've just gotta suck it up...

Kinda disappointed...

ianc
__________________
"I will tell you there is a big difference between driving money and driving blood, sweat and tears." - PorscheGuy79

"I got 328 loaner and was impressed with performance. It feels much faster than my 135i." - MOCKBA
Appreciate 0
      03-29-2011, 07:31 PM   #84
JimD
Brigadier General
JimD's Avatar
367
Rep
3,547
Posts

Drives: 128i convertible
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Lexington, SC

iTrader: (0)

ianc,

My installation is a "normal" nuvi 885t (and a 760 in my other vehicle), not the BMW unit. So I am guessing a little. On my 885t there is a setting called "volume". It appears on the main menu. If I am looking at the map, there is a button right in the center for "menu". Pushing that brings up a screen with an option called "volume". This may not be where you will find this function on your BMW 3790 but I bet it has a "volume" somewhere. I would make sure "volume" is "100%". On my two nuvi's this setting controls the volume regardless of whether I am listening to the nuvi speaker (rare) or taking the headphone output to the radio's aux port.

My guess is your volume is set much lower than 100%.

I really doubt it has anything to do with your sterio. The navigation unit should easily be able to play as loud as the radio. Mine (both of them) do in two different vehicles. I've also used them both in rental cars of a variety of makes without issues. Any radio with an aux port should be capable of working with the nuvi's output.

Jim
__________________
128i Convertible, MT, Alpine White, Black Top, Taupe Leatherette, Walnut, Sport
Ordered 5/22/09, Completed 6/4/09, At Port 6/9/09, On the Georgia Highway 6/13/09, Ship Arrived Charleston 6/24/09 at 10pm, PCD 7/21/09
Appreciate 0
      03-29-2011, 08:53 PM   #85
ianc
Ex '87 Carrera
ianc's Avatar
United_States
246
Rep
1,259
Posts

Drives: '10 TiAg 6MT 135i
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Redwood Shores, California

iTrader: (0)

Hi Jim,

Yeah, I really doubt it has anything to do with the stereo either. If the stereo has enough punch to play my MP3 player at ear-splitting volume levels through the aux port, it seems like it should have enough juice to amplify the signal from the Nuvi. I don't see why it should be dependent on an external amplifier. Of course, this is not my area of expertise so I can't say for sure, but to me it smells like a line of bullshit that gets tossed out when they can't solve a problem and have spent too much time on it. What can I do though; I can't call my SA a liar to his face... Additionally, AW does have a 2009, which has a better 10-speaker stereo than my 2010. Not sure if the 2009 has an 'external amplifier' or not, but his car and mine aren't an apples-to-apples comparison.

As for the volume on the unit itself, it is definitely at 100%. You have a volume icon on the main screen. If you touch it, you're right in the master volume screen, which is definitely set to 100%. Although at this point, I've just wasted the $180 BMW coding money and am listening to it through the internal speaker, which, while sounding tinny and nasty, is at least audible...

So, to anyone with a 2010 and up with the base audio, save your money and don't bother to pay the dealer money to code the car for this unless you get a thrill out of seeing 'Navigation Announcement Active' on the radio...

ianc
__________________
"I will tell you there is a big difference between driving money and driving blood, sweat and tears." - PorscheGuy79

"I got 328 loaner and was impressed with performance. It feels much faster than my 135i." - MOCKBA
Appreciate 0
      03-29-2011, 09:16 PM   #86
AW128i
Major
AW128i's Avatar
United_States
43
Rep
1,003
Posts

Drives: E82 N51
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Southeastern, PA

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to hear about all your troubles, ianc. My car ('08) does have an external amplifier as the '08 (possibly the '09, also) came with the HiFi stereo standard, which has an external amplifier and 10 speakers. This could very well be the difference in how your nav sounds compared to me.
Appreciate 0
      06-23-2011, 07:03 AM   #87
Sea4tec
New Member
1
Rep
11
Posts

Drives: BMW 123D E82
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Lisboa, Portugal

iTrader: (0)

Hello from Portugal, i have just installed myself the Garmim 3790T bought from BMW GERMANY and mounted it on my E82 123D 09", i have gone to a BMW Dealer here in Portugal in order to code it (i thinks it needs the NAVP option installed in order for the sound to come out from the car speakers but they said they have never done that and that they have connect it to the computer and find no way to do that....i thing they just donīt know what they are doing... Can anyone give me some light about this? Many thanks!!!
Appreciate 0
      06-23-2011, 11:27 AM   #88
AW128i
Major
AW128i's Avatar
United_States
43
Rep
1,003
Posts

Drives: E82 N51
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Southeastern, PA

iTrader: (1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sea4tec View Post
Hello from Portugal, i have just installed myself the Garmim 3790T bought from BMW GERMANY and mounted it on my E82 123D 09", i have gone to a BMW Dealer here in Portugal in order to code it (i thinks it needs the NAVP option installed in order for the sound to come out from the car speakers but they said they have never done that and that they have connect it to the computer and find no way to do that....i thing they just donīt know what they are doing... Can anyone give me some light about this? Many thanks!!!
I just responded to your comment in the Coding thread. Oddly enough, my car is in for service today for, among other things, two problems I am experiencing with the nav. The first is that frequently the traffic receiver isn't recognized. I get an error message that says either traffic receiver disconnected, or accessory not supported. Working with Garmin, they believe it to be an installation issue so my dealer is looking into that today. The other problem I have is that at times the nav announcements are so faint that I can literally barely hear them, even with the engine off and the cabin sealed. Cycling the GPS power doesn't do anything, but if I cycle the ignition it's fine, which leads me to believe that it's somehow related to the amplifier or stereo. We'll see what they come up with!
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:58 AM.




1addicts
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST