[aasd]

UPDATE BELOW.

Hi people,

Finally today I got a chance to attempt my DIY bluetooth/bmw assist. I ordered all the parts from Tischer (very nice customer service) and double-checked my vin and bluetooth prep both with Evan at Tischer and Savage BMW (basically the same route Aoshichanx took).. To my suprise I realized that the BMW assist / blutooth TCU harness in the trunk is missing the bluetooth cable (color-coded blue). [check picture]





Also, the MOST Junction blocks missed the number 4 outlet/inlet cables. [check picture]..



now I do realize that according to the SIB the setup of the FOC in MOST varies from car to car depending on their option but this also raised another question mark. I left it alone for future work and moved on to work on the under-dash panel.. once I opened the panel I realized the cable for the speaker is ready, however the cable for the BT antenna is missing... [check picture]



Now, in the process I found out about the part no. of my MULF 2 HIGH.



My question is this: Does this mean I am SOL with BT? Or because I have the MULF HIGH I have to take a different route. I got my car from a dealership in San Diego (built for US), so I assumed it was BT prepped and I since I saw the TCU harness in the trunk I stood firm on my assumption. I also have the cables for the Sirius radio FYI. This is really bizarre. Can somebody shed some light on this for me. I am lost and in desperate need of knowing if I can have OEM BT in my car or not!

Thank you so much!

[aasd]

Can someone knowledgable about this stuff PLEAASE tell me why BMW would pre-wire the car with the TCU harness but won't include the BT wire which is part of the TCU harness!? I am really puzzled.. once again, the car comes with MULF2-High SVS <-- whatever this is! thannnks like you have no idea!

[tintivilus]

If you've got everything but the antenna wire... why not just install an antenna wire? You've already got all the parts to test it out.

[aasd]

Originally Posted by tintivilus

If you've got everything but the antenna wire... why not just install an antenna wire? You've already got all the parts to test it out.

i don't believe it's just the BT antenna wire... the car is missing the enitre BT wiring preparation.. Unless, I am missing something critical here, and I don't what it is. Someone a while back wrote to me that MULF2-High has BT capabilities.. Even if that's true, where's the bt antenna wire..

P.S. I think I messed up on the title of this thread.. I know a lot of ppl are interested in discussing this!

[gIzzE]

If your car has MULF2 I take it that you have voice or usb and no navigation??

The MULF2 is a bluetooth module, so if you have that in your car you just need a software update to activate bluetooth.


I would guess that all you need to buy is a mic (if it is not there already) and the blue tooth antenna, and tuck it under the rear shelf.

[gIzzE]

The blue input is for gps isn't it??

if you plug the gps cable from the navi into this the system gets its position through it.


Have a look at this thread...

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153402

[aasd]

Originally Posted by gIzzE

If your car has MULF2 I take it that you have voice or usb and no navigation??

The MULF2 is a bluetooth module, so if you have that in your car you just need a software update to activate bluetooth.


I would guess that all you need to buy is a mic (if it is not there already) and the blue tooth antenna, and tuck it under the rear shelf.

- My car comes with navigation / i-drive.

- I also have the USB, iPod, and voice intergration.

- Under the dash as I've shown above there's no wire for the BT antenna.

[gIzzE]

If you have USB and Voice then you have all the hardware you need apart from the the antenna surely??

What did you get in your retrfit kit?

[gIzzE]

You sure the bluetooth cable is not under the armrest? Or under the glovebox panel??

[aasd]

Originally Posted by gIzzE

If you have USB and Voice then you have all the hardware you need apart from the the antenna surely??

What did you get in your retrfit kit?

The picture is above, but here you go:
1. TCU module
2. FZD ( roof unit) which provides the SOS button
3. Upgraded Mic
4. Loudspeaker
5. Bluetooth antenna made for the under-dash
6. the necessary bolts

Originally Posted by gIzzE

You sure the bluetooth cable is not under the armrest? Or under the glovebox panel??

err, I dunno! I haven't checked. I just went with the SIB Aoshichanx provided in his BT retrofit post!

[gIzzE]

What I was getting at was this, did your car already have the MULF2-Hi in it??

[gIzzE]

I would look under the armrest as it may be there.

Or under the trim on the opposite side, so under the glovebox.

[aasd]

Originally Posted by gIzzE

What I was getting at was this, did your car already have the MULF2-Hi in it??

YES, it did.

Originally Posted by gIzzE

I would look under the armrest as it may be there.

Or under the trim on the opposite side, so under the glovebox.

Should this be easily visible, or do I have to unscrew the parts out? by under the glovebox do you mean like the under-panel under the glovebox? thanks!

[Technic]

The OEM installation document that you are using (TCU retrofit) is generic; notice that the only requirement is that you car is pre-wired for phone. It doesn't say anything about iDrive or not.

So it is understandable that you are finding/not finding certain illustrated steps in your car.

The two main issues here are the fiber cabling and the BT antenna cable. The missing blue Fakra connector in the TCU area is a non-issue... that's the GPS antenna, which it is already connected to the GPS computer. Nothing to worry about, as once this TCU is connected and working it will get its coordinates/data thru the MOST network from the GPS computer.

The only fiber cable slots that you need to be concerned about are the #1 and #2 (top and bottom of the connector), the other slots are not to be messed with (#4 is not even referenced in the text) unless you need to move cables to insert those #1 and #2 cables. Notice that the text have several Notes telling you about finding more or less fiber cables than the pictures shown depending of the equipment of the car... but it doesn't tell you specifically about which equipment itself. That is what is messing you up, how generic this document is.

About that BT antenna cable, I would get a very bright lamp and start poking under the dash for that cable. Most often than not cables like this are black-taped to harnesses that don't have anything to do with the BT antenna. There are three different BT retrofit OEM documents (ULF module installation without telephone pre-wire, with telephone pre-wire, and TCU module installation with telephone pre-wire) posted in this forum and all three locate the BT antenna right where the speaker is, and the cable being in that area... somewhere. Just keep looking, it should be there.

The connection under the armrest is for the OEM phone cradle cellular antenna, shared with the TCU.

By now you should be getting a clearer picture about this document: just because it is in the picture doesn't make it correct or accurate in your particular case.

[aasd]

Originally Posted by Technic

The OEM installation document that you are using (TCU retrofit) is generic; notice that the only requirement is that you car is pre-wired for phone. It doesn't say anything about iDrive or not...By now you should be getting a clearer picture about this document: just because it is in the picture doesn't make it correct or accurate in your particular case.

wow! this is really thorough!!!! thank you Technic! I looked for 20 minutes under the dash today, trying to unwrap all the cable bundles, but no dice! and as for the GPS connector, thank you. so I am not concerned with that. what is left now, is to find the antenna and deal with the MOST Junction blocks! two lines to write, many hours to spare to get it right!

P.S. could the BT antenna be in a different compartment as gizi says? why would it be anyways?!

[gIzzE]

I don't know as I am just guessing, I have never seen a retrofit, but you say you have the MULF-HI in your car already??

I can't undertsand why you are now buying another bluetooth module?? The TCU.
You will now have two bluetooth modules, the latest MULF2 and the older TCU.

Surely all you need to do is find a local workshop that has the Autolgic system or the GT1/SSS system and get them to change your vehicle order and activate the phone part??

Should take around 20 minutes of coding. In fact you will have to code the TCU anyway, so why not just code the MULF-HI to give you bluetooth??

[Technic]

By doing a search it seems that MULF module in the USA is not the same as the separate ULF module of Bluetooth. There's no standard Bluetooth feature in US E9x...

What we have is Option 640 (Telephone pre-wiring) standard, though. So the cables are supposed to be there already in the vehicle waiting for a TCU retrofit. No BT ULF has been officially offered in the USA for retrofit.

Originally Posted by gIzzE

I don't know as I am just guessing, I have never seen a retrofit, but you say you have the MULF-HI in your car already??

I can't undertsand why you are now buying another bluetooth module?? The TCU.
You will now have two bluetooth modules, the latest MULF2 and the older TCU.

Surely all you need to do is find a local workshop that has the Autolgic system or the GT1/SSS system and get them to change your vehicle order and activate the phone part??

Should take around 20 minutes of coding. In fact you will have to code the TCU anyway, so why not just code the MULF-HI to give you bluetooth??

[gIzzE]

I understand that, but find an independant workshop who has the Autologic system, or someone who has GT1 and an OPS head and you can activate bluetooth on any car that has the MULF2.

I would guess there is at least one workshop in every town with the needed system.

[Technic]

Originally Posted by gIzzE

I understand that, but find an independant workshop who has the Autologic system, or someone who has GT1 and an OPS head and you can activate bluetooth on any car that has the MULF2.

I would guess there is at least one workshop in every town with the needed system.

One way to determine the extent of this MULF2 capability (BT or not) in USA vehicles such as this one is by looking at what type of connections and how many it has, no need to check/try activation thru software. If this MULF2 has at least one Fakra (SMB) connector in it then there is in fact some kind transmitter/receiver in it. If it has two Fakra connectors then it could have a BT module in there (one for the BT antenna and one for the external cellular antenna).

That could explain why there is no BT antenna connector where it is expected to be in this particular case; a complete BT antenna already connected could be installed somewhere else in the vehicle. There is already a precedent for this: US MY2004 E46s manufactured between 03/04 and 08/04 equipped with the Assist TCU came from factory with a BT antenna already installed and wired, although there was no functioning Bluetooth in the TCU.

[aasd]

Originally Posted by Technic

One way to determine the extent of this MULF2 capability (BT or not) in USA vehicles such as this one is by looking at what type of connections and how many it has, no need to check/try activation thru software. If this MULF2 has at least one Fakra (SMB) connector in it then there is in fact some kind transmitter/receiver in it. If it has two Fakra connectors then it could have a BT module in there (one for the BT antenna and one for the external cellular antenna).

That could explain why there is no BT antenna connector where it is expected to be in this particular case; a complete BT antenna already connected could be installed somewhere else in the vehicle. There is already a precedent for this: US MY2004 E46s manufactured between 03/04 and 08/04 equipped with the Assist TCU came from factory with a BT antenna already installed and wired, although there was no functioning Bluetooth in the TCU.

I can take pics of the MULF2-High installed in my car with all the cables connected

[Technic]

Originally Posted by aasd

I can take pics of the MULF2-High installed in my car with all the cables connected

Let's see what you got...

[aasd]

Originally Posted by Technic

Let's see what you got...

OK. So, I redid the entire process today, and I managed to find the BT wire -- after all -- tucked in way high up in the under-dash [ thanks for your help gizzi and technic, and dtbimmer.]. very hard to find.. I did not re-arrange the fiber optics in the MOST junction blocks. Once I reconnected the battery and turned on the car, I immediately switched to the Bluetooth in the i-drive and saw the system searching for phone, but eventually it event back to the pre-TCU installation window prompting that there's no phone installed.

NOW, before disconnecting the battery I opened all the windows and the moonroof to keep the car cool while i was working inside.. after installing the new FZD and reconnecting the battery, the moonroof doesn't work properly.. I also don't get the moonroof malfunctioning alert! the moonroof doesn't slide with one touch to close or open. i have to push the button several times to get it closed, each will make the moonroof slide about 2 or 3 inches! it's really strange! is there something wrong with the FZD? or does it just need to get programmed?!

Technic here are the pictures for the MULF2-High: