[ksefton92]

Afternoon all,

Looking for some advice please. I'm going to be retrofitting CIC to my 2010 e90 next week. Now i'm fairly confident in the removing and installing the dash etc. however the main thing worrying me is the wiring. It's not something I've done before and i'm struggling to understand what harnesses I'll need to make etc.

Below is a list of parts I've requested from the seller:
Donor car VIN
CIC Head Unit
CID Display (8.8” Screen)
iDrive Controller & Bezel
Double Scoop Dashboard
Centre Speaker Bracket & Cover for Dashboard
Fakra 5.2m GPS Antenna Cable
Climate Control Relocation Trim
Glovebox USB port & cable
Armrest USB & Aux ports & cable
CIC to CID harness
iDrive Controller Harness
Any screws and fixings for the CIC etc.

Could anyone guide me on what wiring is required to get this to work please? Beer tokens are offered as I am drawing a blank on this at the moment! Thanks in advance!

[ptpending]

armrest usb and aux socket with wiring not connected to cic
centre speaker bracket also do not connected to cic, but speaker cover should come with dashboard because it is different for dashboards with idrive and without

[ksefton92]

Thanks, the aux/usb I asked for in case I get round to doing COMBOX. At the moment that’s 2nd on the list.

The most daunting thing for me is having to sort the wiring between the CIC and the JBE 😬 as I have no idea what needs to be done.

[lloydie]

I did the CIC retrofit but not from scratch so im not much help, however I notice you make no reference to the GPS antenna itself? You will need this if you have nothing at the moment. Also back when I installed the CIC, you needed an emulator to make the CIC think it was still in the car it came from, in the form of a short wiring harness with a black box in between. Not sure if things have moved on and you do it in the software now, but if not then you will need that too.

I have a Combox for sale should you be looking for one

[ksefton92]

Originally Posted by lloydie

I did the CIC retrofit but not from scratch so im not much help, however I notice you make no reference to the GPS antenna itself? You will need this if you have nothing at the moment. Also back when I installed the CIC, you needed an emulator to make the CIC think it was still in the car it came from, in the form of a short wiring harness with a black box in between. Not sure if things have moved on and you do it in the software now, but if not then you will need that too.

I have a Combox for sale should you be looking for one

Hi lloydie

Thanks for this! Having done a bit more reading you are right - completely missed the GPS antenna off! My question on this is do i have to use an aftermarket one, or is there an OEM version that wires into the TCU/Combox?

I certainly am still looking for one! Could you PM me details and a price please

[lloydie]

Well the OEM GPS antenna is in the shark fin on the roof - if you don't have one of these then cutting a hole in the roof isn't really an option. You can buy a generic GPS antenna from eBay and as long as it has a FAKRA connector it will work.
I know people have had issues in the past with aftermarket antennas not working when mounted under the dash, as some E9x were fitted with a UV reflective layer in the windscreen (I know mine did) which can cause issues, it was assumed. I would run an extension wire and stick it on the rear parcel shelf behind the back seats. PM'd you.

[ksefton92]

Originally Posted by lloydie

Well the OEM GPS antenna is in the shark fin on the roof - if you don't have one of these then cutting a hole in the roof isn't really an option. You can buy a generic GPS antenna from eBay and as long as it has a FAKRA connector it will work.
I know people have had issues in the past with aftermarket antennas not working when mounted under the dash, as some E9x were fitted with a UV reflective layer in the windscreen (I know mine did) which can cause issues, it was assumed. I would run an extension wire and stick it on the rear parcel shelf behind the back seats. PM'd you.

Yeah I'd like to keep it as OEM as possible just unsure what cable I need and where it needs routing to? I do have the shark fin on the roof

[lloydie]

Well good news then, the GPS sender is in the shark fin whether its used or not. You need to strip back the carpet/panels in the boot and see if it comes pre-wired but unused, or failing that drop the rear headlining and either trace the cable, or if it doesn't have one, add your own cable.

[ksefton92]

Originally Posted by lloydie

Well good news then, the GPS sender is in the shark fin whether its used or not. You need to strip back the carpet/panels in the boot and see if it comes pre-wired but unused, or failing that drop the rear headlining and either trace the cable, or if it doesn't have one, add your own cable.

Cheers, I'll be tackling this next weekend now so will take a look. I've bought a 5m GPS fakra cable to run from the CIC back to the Combox, so will I then need to connect the shark fin GPS cable to the combox also?

[ssshake]

Did you figure out the emulator part of this yet?

[ksefton92]

Originally Posted by ssshake

Did you figure out the emulator part of this yet?

This has been a big question mark over the last week or so. I'd heard conflicting information as to whether an emulator was required and I didn't really want to chuck more money at this than needed.

I've now decided to have it all professionally fitted (just in case I make the car go bang!) however the general consensus seems to be to use CIC Patcher v2 which will virginise the CIC unit and then flash your VIN to it.

If I can get some more info when it gets fitted at the weekend, i'll post it up here.

I'm also in the middle of pulling together a guide from a number of sources on here so it's all in one place if anyone is interested.

[Stoatmaster]

A guide would be very interesting!