Alpine Hi Fi Retrofit Kit?

[Bimmer-Bob]

Anyone know where to get the Alpine Hi Fi Retrofit Kit shipped to the US? I've heard of dealers in Germany and Denmark selling to US buyers, but can't find any info on this. I saw a guy selling the kit on eBay, but he was asking $600, which seems a bit steep to me. I am in Spain and plan on asking my local dealer about the kit, but their pricing always seems exorbitant, even for a BMW dealer. I want to see what other people are offering it for before I ask them. Thanks.

If you don't know, this kit allows you to upgrade the base stereo system to something like the mid-grade Hi Fi system. Adds an Alpine amp in the trunk, two tweeters by the side mirrors, and replaces the door speakers. It does not replace the subwoofer or rear speakers, nor does it add the rear tweeters. It is an official BMW accessory, offered in non-US markets. I'm assuming it is not offered in the US either because of licensing issues or because the US market traditionally did not get the Base stereo, which this unit upgrades.

I realize that there are better aftermarket solutions, but I'm looking at this because it is essentially plug and play, and I am not an audiophile.

[_dopehead_]

http://www.schmiedmann.dk/1er_serien...ide1.htm#19444

You can choose spanish on their site, so maybe they also sell/ship to spain.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Thanks for the info. It looks like if I ship to a US address, I can avoid paying VAT, which is a significant savings.