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      02-22-2012, 03:29 PM   #45
Dackelone
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smellthebeans View Post

Is there anyway for me to verify this by looking at the Idrive menu? Do the tone settings change?

Shouldn't you now have EQ settings in the Audio menu - where as in the base stereo you do not have an EQ.



Btw... I thought I would post these BMW pdf's on the Alpine unit - to help out in the future.

AlpineAmpRetrofitKit.pdf

Alpine Retrofit Kit II.pdf

Alpine_install_instructions.pdf
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      02-22-2012, 04:34 PM   #46
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Of the guys that self-installed this kit, did you have any previous experience with installing car audio?

Still very interested in this kit, but theres a bit of self doubt with removing the rear seat and mucking around with splicing the wiring etc together...

Has anyone got a shop to install after buying the kit (in melbourne)?
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      02-22-2012, 10:28 PM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dackelone View Post
Shouldn't you now have EQ settings in the Audio menu - where as in the base stereo you do not have an EQ.



Btw... I thought I would post these BMW pdf's on the Alpine unit - to help out in the future.

Attachment 648474

Attachment 648475

Attachment 648476
Nope. You don't get an EQ with the Alpine kit. You need to have the HK system for that...
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      02-24-2012, 06:00 AM   #48
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(this is on an E87 so may be abit different) Just installed the speakers only yesterday, will do the amp this weekend. But have ran into an issue. i did notice the doors were slightly harder to clip in, but they seemed to clip in ok..

Now this afternoon i noticed my drivers (right) door skin was pressed against the dash and it made a small indent in the skin (softish vinyl material), pretty sure it had some clearance before.

i have a feeling my the frequency switch isn't mounted correctly. The other side seems ok. It seemed a little hard to press the door back on, but it did click.
How has everyone mounted it? across the two bolts that are closer together? as pointed to by the install instructions. Or another two bolts?

if i install it on two bolts that are closer together the frequency switch seems to hang out of the perimeter of the speaker, maybe causing the door not to fit quite right?

i think if i were to go the longer bolts, it would at least sit inside the perimeter of the speaker, giving better clearance (is there other issues like interrupting the sound back wave? shrug).

Anyway just wondering if anyone else had this issue? and which bolts gives the best clearance.
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      02-24-2012, 07:57 AM   #49
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I'd check that all the white studs have gone into their respective holes properly - sounds like the panel isn't correctly seated.

I put the crossovers on the two closely spaced bolts as it suggests in the installation instructions and I didn't have any issues with getting the door cards back on correctly.
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      02-24-2012, 08:14 AM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by quasio View Post
...Anyway just wondering if anyone else had this issue? and which bolts gives the best clearance.

Did you watch the video on page two of this thread? post #42.

You can also go to wwwBavSound.com website and watch more videos on how to mount the speakers. Now granted they don't show the Alpine kit, but it might help you figgure out where you went wrong in your install.


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      02-24-2012, 05:24 PM   #51
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Would a novice audio person be able to install this themselves? Did you have to take the rear seat out completely (do you need to take out the front seats to get the rear seat out?)
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      02-25-2012, 05:21 AM   #52
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Superdaws View Post
Would a novice audio person be able to install this themselves? Did you have to take the rear seat out completely (do you need to take out the front seats to get the rear seat out?)
Yes, you need to take the rear seat out so that you can take off all the rear internal panels. You do not need to take out the front seats.

I am not a car audio guy or anything like that just someone who doesn't mind giving things a shot - though I have rebuilt engines and gear boxes and the like so I'm not a total novice when it comes to cars.

I promise I will do a write up with picks on the whole process but as it is I'm actually at my computer to do work - not surf the forums.....
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      02-25-2012, 05:29 AM   #53
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A write up/diy-guide would be very useful, mate. I will be ordering this kit soon and will attempt install myself.

How are you guys liking the kit so far? Oh and for the gents who didn't have tweeters originally (on the door card, near the mirror), how did you guys work out the connection - is it ready for pnp? Thanks
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      02-25-2012, 06:20 PM   #54
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ok all done, i flipped the crossover around and used the same two bolts, and made sure it sat flat rather than on its side (its a candybar shape inside).. the door went together much easier.

took me 7 hrs! lol.. (plus another 2hrs for the doors) but i was going very slow.. i like to examine the parts to see how they are made, and how each bit goes together... definately don't force anything, so make sure you leave a good part of a day.

you can do the doors first, then the amp second.
i used this guide as mines a E87:
http://www.babybmw.net/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=13605

some tips:
  • go slow.. the slower u go the more unlikely you're going to break something.
  • get plastic trim removers, very useful, good to wedge between things just to get it started, and the trim remover lever, they are useful for getting clips out stuck in doors
  • get a multimeter, easier to see which pair goes to the radio and which pair goes to the sub. for mine they were the same color and size of wires. Sub should measure about 4 ohms.

otherwise its pretty easy, but stay patient, coz i've learnt on previous cars, getting impatient breaks things easily..

one more thing, it was an absolute pleasure working with the trim of this car, everything is quite high quality, and well made. made everything come apart and back together very nicely. (no magic parts lying around)
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      02-26-2012, 03:04 AM   #55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CrustyNoodle View Post
Yes, you need to take the rear seat out so that you can take off all the rear internal panels. You do not need to take out the front seats.

I am not a car audio guy or anything like that just someone who doesn't mind giving things a shot - though I have rebuilt engines and gear boxes and the like so I'm not a total novice when it comes to cars.

I promise I will do a write up with picks on the whole process but as it is I'm actually at my computer to do work - not surf the forums.....
Totally appreciate that Crusty and would like to thanks you up front for your input on the installs etc. Looking forward to seeing the pics etc as ill probably go ahead when ive seen whats its like. Wouldnt consider myself a "car novice" at all, just havent dont alot of car audio in my time. I saw in some of the install notes about splicing wires etc and thought that may get a bit complicated for me.

Thx quasio as well for the tips!
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      02-26-2012, 04:41 AM   #56
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PS Crusty - Did you go ok with the coding? was it just a matter of adding the kit to the VO and changing the prof radio to hi_fi settings? Do you get the really low PDC volume?
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Last edited by Superdaws; 02-26-2012 at 06:56 AM..
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      02-27-2012, 05:17 AM   #57
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Coding cable only arrived today so I'll try to do the coding in the next couple of days. Will report back here.

Coding is definitely necessary as without it, the system is almost unusable.
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      03-02-2012, 12:30 AM   #58
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Done as much research on this as i possibly can now. There are a couple of good DIYs on babybmw, so ive decided to jump in and give it a ripe old go myself. Orders in just gotta wait now!

There seems to be a few issues with newer cars with the Professional radio (all ours have it in Oz) and coding it. Low PDC and gong /BT volumes sometimes occur. Hopefully it wont happen.
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      03-22-2012, 06:04 AM   #59
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Got my 268 kit today and have got 80% through the install...

Most of it was fairly straightforward, i found the drivers side window control a real pain in the arse though! The clip at the front of it makes no sense at all as Crusty had described earlier. Only poor design bit IMO, the rest of the interior was relatively stright forward to remove and refit and was all of good build quality.

Still gotta finish running the wiring to the sub on the drivers side and then get it coded.
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      03-23-2012, 12:13 AM   #60
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Finished the kit install, and very happy with the results! My review is very similar to most others you read. Great sound quality for the price (just over $500 AUD). Coding made a huge difference to the sound quality and was quite straightforward to do with CIC, just one setting change to make the audio HIFI and all the EQ was back to normal. Having the tweeters makes a huge difference!

For those thinking about self installs, id recommend going that way for the price. BabyBMW has great pics of an install (although its the older kit), the newer plug and play kit is even easier as there is no wire cutting etc. Just make sure you have a set of plastic trim removal tools, as screwdrivers etc will do damage to your trim. Torx screwdriver set also required. The labelling on the diplexers that go into the door panels are poorly labelled, but if you follow the pdf instuctions and not the labels it will work out.

Hardest bit from my perspective was the window controls in the doors. As stated above the front clip seems to be a poor design and bends no matter how you try and pry it out. The BSM video on door trim removal will save you alot of time too. There is quite a bit of trim to remove to run the cables (rear and doors), but if you take your time its easy enough.

Coding IMO is definitely required for pos 03/2009 cars with the plug and play kit (268 kit), but is as easy as coding anything else if you have the cable and software. I didnt have any problems with PDC volumes / gong volumes or bluetooth for the record. Volume of these dropped only very slightly and really made it more bearable anyway (bluetooth volume remained unchanged). I didnt change the volume settings on iDrive for either.
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      03-23-2012, 12:37 AM   #61
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Great news and very reassuring to hear. Thanks for the thorough review mate! This upgrade is now bumped up a tad on my to-do list
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      03-24-2012, 12:09 AM   #62
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I had this installed and love it.

Beware though, the coding issue is real and you'll struggle to do it yourself. BMW Sydney had my car for 2 days while they tried to figure it out and they're an actual BMW owned dealer not a franchise. Its a set price for the install so theres no point in pretending it took longer for them to charge more because they can't.
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      03-24-2012, 01:29 AM   #63
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Quote:
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I had this installed and love it.

Beware though, the coding issue is real and you'll struggle to do it yourself. BMW Sydney had my car for 2 days while they tried to figure it out and they're an actual BMW owned dealer not a franchise. Its a set price for the install so theres no point in pretending it took longer for them to charge more because they can't.
What coding issue? It aint real, its probably that they had just never done it before. Took me no more than 10 mins, but its because i had coded other things on my car DIY before.

If you have coded ANYTHING else on your car before at home, then the alpine kit (or any aftermarket kit really where you just need to output Hifi via CIC) is certainly no more difficult!
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      03-24-2012, 02:40 AM   #64
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I disagree. If your car is build date 2011 onwards you'll run into problems, there's loads of write up's about this in the main forum and on Alpine's own site.

If your car is an older one, happy days mate, it's not a concern for you.
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      03-24-2012, 02:53 AM   #65
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Marcus View Post
I disagree. If your car is build date 2011 onwards you'll run into problems, there's loads of write up's about this in the main forum and on Alpine's own site.

If your car is an older one, happy days mate, it's not a concern for you.
Mine is a 2010 with CIC, and most of the so called "problems" that are reported are for CIC models or with Professional Radio (which all aussie 135s have). Most reported problems ive seen are low PDC/gong volumes after coding the 268 kit. Are there other problems i am not aware of? Theres also quite a few that have had no problems.

There is an issue with the diplexers installed in the door panels not being wired correctly. Theres a silly label on them that says "radio" on it that is actually the tweeter connector. If you wire it by what it says on the installation diagram and not by that it says on the cable, it seems to be ok. Ive read a couple of reports where people have had these hooked up the wrong way and that has been the possible cause, reconnecting them fixed the problem.

I could be quite wrong, but after just having it done it all on my own and had no problems, i find it hard to believe the stealerships would have so many problems? Did you actually run into any issues with yours or did they just take a long time to code it. I guarantee you coding it is the easiest bit (at least on NCSExper)...

Also Mornington BMW have done quite a few of these and coded on the newer kit and new cars (i spoke to them re before deicding to go it on my own) and never had a problem. Im not trying to say there are no problems whatsoever, im sure there is, but it should be rectifiable.
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      04-08-2012, 08:12 AM   #66
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HAPPY DAYS!

Well, with Easter giving me a bit of time to do some investigation, I finally got an opportunity today to take another look at things to see if I could work out what was going wrong with my Alpine upgrade.

Like many of you, I was experiencing issues with the volume of the Gong, the PDC beeps and the Bluetooth phone sounded terrible and very tinny.

It turns out that the trick to fix pretty well all of these issues (for me anyhow) came from a little hint from Superdaws :goodone:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Superdaws View Post
Hey guys, i got my 268 kit and have done 80% of the install. One thing i noted with the crossover cables that get mounted int he door panels. One of the cables (single one out) was labelled as "Radio", but that was different to what it instructed me to connect it to in the manual. I went with the manual and connected the tweeter to the single cable end. I had read of it happening beofre and aparently its a labelling problem with the kit?

Mids and tweeters working fine after test, just gotta finish off drivers side cables and then code... Do you remember how you hooked up the diplexers?
Of course I was convinced that I had wired everything up correctly but this little tid bit was enough to convince me to take another look. I pulled the drivers door card off again and took a look.

Here is the label on the wires for the crossover:


As you can see, it clearly says "Radio/Headunit" which of course is how I had it connected. Interestingly though, the wire colours didn't seem to match particularly well - as in, the tweeter wires were yellow with coloured stripes and so was the crossover wire that was labelled as above, yet the wires that were connected to the mid and the tweeter were both blue with a white stripe (just like the original wires that came from the head unit).

Here's another pic.:

The blue wire comes from the head unit and the yellow one goes to the tweeter.

So, armed with Superdaws comments, I decided to swap the wires around so that the yellow wires from the crossover coupled with the yellow wires going to the tweeter and the blue wires from the crossover connected to the blue wires coming from the head unit like so:


I connected everything up and without even putting the card back in place, fired up the stereo....

The difference in volume and sound quality was like chalk and cheese! All of a sudden, I could hear the mid working and the over emphasised tweeter was banished - job done!

I put everything back together and then quickly corrected the passenger side connections. I've tested all the key items and I'm VERY VERY pleased to say the least.
  • The Gong volume is back (now set at 50% in the volume setting menu).
  • The PDC volume is mostly back (set at 100% in the volume setting menu) but if I could have it a bit louder then I would. It's certainly a lot better than it was.
  • The Bluetooth phone volume and sound quality is back to where it used to be.


And most importantly, the stereo finally sounds the way it should have from the start. The sound quality is a marked improvement over the standard (Professional) stereo but still not as good as the B&O system in our Audi. I suppose it goes to show that a fair amount goes into getting these stereos to sound good.

So many thanks to Superdaws for drawing my attention to the wire labelling issue
The moral to this story is, if you are experiencing the same issues as I was (low gong and PDC volume and terrible Bluetooth phone sound) then I can pretty much guarantee that you have the same connection issues I was experiencing.

Now that it is sorted, I think that I might see what difference changing the CIC module back to "stereo" - just because I can!
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