[TeaAndBiscuits]

Hey folks,

Years ago, I had a newer e90, was a 2011 model, had everything, factory fit widescreen CIC etc, everything except DAB! So I bought a Fistune DAB+ Adaptor box thing for about £300, then bought a Diversity antenna module which had the DAB plug on it as well as the FM, then the guy who fitted it ran a cable to the back of the Fistune module, and voila, DAB on the iDrive.

Is that still the best way? My current car is the 2008 e90, it has a retrofitted CIC, apparently it has a DAB connector on the back (I will double check) Let's assume it does, if it does, would I jus tneed the Diversity module and feed a new cable down to the back of the CIC and that's it?

Has anyone ever tried those antenna splitter things, do they work?

https://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/conn...-splitter.html

Assuming would be too good to be true if so...!

Also, the Combox, is it still about £400 to get one retrofitted? My current car has factory bluetooth and a USB socket in the armrest bit, but no AD2P or iPod artwork etc.

Thanks in advance

[E60525d]

It's worth checking if you have the dab connection. I doubt it as you would have the dab option in idrive menu.

If you have, then you need a dab diversity antenna. The standard one doesn't have the dab connection.

I would advise to look at a combox retrofit yourself if you feel competent. It took me an hour to fit and code it.

[TeaAndBiscuits]

Hi mate, yeah the option is there but when I select it, no signal.

I am fairly competent (ish) as long as the combox doesn't involve feeding wires from the back to the front I may be ok to do it myself? Is there a lot of parts involved?

[E60525d]

Sounds like your cic has built in dab then, result!

You can try the splitter but best option is the dab diversity.

As you have USB already, you don't have to dismantle or feed any wires. You simply remove your current Bluetooth module and USB module with the combox.

The existing plugs won't fit into the combox though. You need to buy a connector, remove around 10 pins from current connectors and add to the new connector. Most people do this.

Or you can buy a plug and play lead.

Then you code.

[Teq]

The best way is to remove the cic and post a picture of the back of the cic unit.
Dab can be coded in even the hardware is missing.

[Teq]

The best way is to remove the cic and post a picture of the back of the cic unit.
Dab can be coded in even the hardware is missing.

You'll need the yellow and green plug.

[TeaAndBiscuits]

I will unscrew it and double check hopefully today/tomorrow.

Is this the right part for a Combox?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2526028225...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-COMBOX...cAAOSwVm5Y~dd2

Is that all I need? (Bar the coding part?)

I checked my VIN spec and saw these;

S620 Voice control
S633 Preparation, mobile phone, Business
S694 Provisions for BMW 6 CD changer
S6FL USB/Audio interface
S612 BMW Assist
S616 BMW Online

[Terraphantm]

Originally Posted by TeaAndBiscuits

Also, the Combox, is it still about £400 to get one retrofitted? My current car has factory bluetooth and a USB socket in the armrest bit, but no AD2P or iPod artwork etc.

In the US they've gotten quite cheap. I picked one up for $60

[TeaAndBiscuits]

Wow, it is indeed cheaper in the
Is this the correct one?

http://r.ebay.com/cHRrvQ

Are they any different in the US? I know a radio would be but a combox surely is the same wherever its from?

[Terraphantm]

Should be fine unless you want BMW Assist to work (in which case you'd need a European module I believe). If you just want the media functions, it'll work fine.

[TeaAndBiscuits]

Yeah I literally would just want the iPod artwork , Bluetooth audio and and web radio function, that's all!

[Hockey13]

so if I have 2011 e90 with cic and professional radio, this would give me BT audio and what exactly else? aside from coding what other harnesses are needed and est. cost? I didn't realize they're so low in price now. also, what's dab?

[Terraphantm]

Originally Posted by TeaAndBiscuits

Yeah I literally would just want the iPod artwork , Bluetooth audio and and web radio function, that's all!

I've been having trouble getting bluetooth tethering to work on mine (which I believe would be required for web radio), but I think that comes down to a coding issue on my part. iPod artwork and Bluetooth audio work great

Originally Posted by Hockey13

so if I have 2011 e90 with cic and professional radio, this would give me BT audio and what exactly else? aside from coding what other harnesses are needed and est. cost? I didn't realize they're so low in price now. also, what's dab?

If your car already has a TCU and/or MULF, it's largely a matter of removing pins from the old connector and adding them to the combox connector. I used this 6-series post as a general guide for the wiring. There are also two CAN-bus pins that are technically required for the telematics unit, but I think that's only important for the assist functions.

Coding wise it should be a matter of updating your VO and coding the CIC and MEDIA modules.

Main benefit IMO is Bluetooth audio. You can also hookup an iPod/iPhone to USB without needing the Y-cable like before. You can also use the "BMWApps" function. Also theoretically possible to get it to use your phone's data for internet, but I haven't been able to get it to work (possibly because I did this in an E60 which never had the combox from the factory)

[TeaAndBiscuits]

Oddly my iPod (both 3rd gen & 5th gen) connect using the normal iPhone USB cable, always thought that was strange as I assumed I needed a Y-Cable...

I may lift up the boot carpet to see what module is in there.

[Terraphantm]

You probably don't have any DRM protected music on there, so it's able to mount the iPod as a hard drive and play music that way. DRM music won't work without the Y-adapter (on a pre combox setup), and iOS devices also didn't work because they can't be mounted as a hard drive