[nabeel.m07]

Hi guys, I'm looking to do a CIC iDrive retrofit to my e92 2010 lci, which came with the BMW professional radio. To my understanding all I need is the iDrive unit, screen, controller, new dash, trim piece for the centre console, combox and all corresponding wiring for the combox and iDrive system, and the gps in the shark fin antenna (correct me if I'm wrong). Will this work as plug and play using all of the original BMW harnesses from the donor car that I plan to pull all of the components from? I do also understand that some coding is necessary but that's a separate issue. The donor car is a lci e90 335i. Kind regards, Nabeel

[kolopn]

Hi,

So basically you are correct apart from shark fin. I did CIC retrofit to my 2006 non iDrive, and I just basically used universal gps antenna with fakra connection and put that under cover where there could be dash speaker. So: Dash, A/C trim, CIC trim, screen, CIC unit, LVDS screen to CIC wire, LVDS CIC to USB Socket in glovebox wire, USB Socket for glovebox, wiring for screen and some additional mounting screws. This will be working CIC. If you want also to have phone and BT media for combox you will need microphone for FZD, combox mounting frame, combox wiring (basically 2 most wires, 3 microphone ones, ground and power supply), BT antenna under the dashboard (driver side), faker connection between bt antenna and combox, USB/AUX socket for armrest and USB/AUX to combox lvds wire.

[nabeel.m07]

Hi, thanks for the reply! I currently have Bluetooth calling available as standard with the BMW professional radio and combox currently in the car. Should I just keep this combox then and will it also now be able to work with Bluetooth audio as well as calling with the new cic once that is installed? I’m also slightly confused with the navigation? I’ve seen that there’s meant to be a module for nav in the booth near the combox (I think) and that a wire runs from the cic module to the boot and connects to that nav module? (This is apparently how it is as standard) Is this correct and if so I should be pulling that nav module too? Not entirely up to speed on the nav system and combox stuff yet, sorry. I do have usb and aux currently in my glovebox as well if that helps. Kind regards

[kolopn]

In topic of USB you have to have two separate ones. One in the glovebox which is USB only (And it only used for Navi update, or music update), second one is used only for media and it's in armrest together with AUX. USB from glovebox is connected to CIC directly, and USB in the armrest is connected to Combox. So you have to have both.

To have navi working you really do not need anything in the trunk. Combox or mulf are only modules for media. To be honest I don't think that you have combox right now. Probably you have MULF and TCU. Mulf is module for USB socket and aux in the armrest, and also for phone BT (only for calling), and TCU is as far as I remember for SOS function.

Combox is module which is basically connection of MULF and TCU together, but also have new functions like music via BT.

You can easily check which module you have, by checking your FA equipment codes. As I remember 6NF is code for combox.

[nabeel.m07]

Oh okay thanks, I’ll do some more research and then in a few weeks when I plan to buy the parts if I get them for a good price I’ll message again on the forum. I think I do indeed have MULF, makes the most sense according to what you’re saying. Thanks for the help

[don3lau]

Hi guys,

I'm actually looking into doing the same retrofit soon. However, finding the right parts is driving me insane. Does any of you have the part numbers? I also have the LCi version but mine is the E91 from 2009, but this should be the same.

This would help me out a lot, thanks!

Greetings,
Daan

[kolopn]

What you need? I can prepare something

[don3lau]

Originally Posted by kolopn

What you need? I can prepare something

Would be great if you could help me out!

I currently also have the regular professional radio, so with the dashboard without a bump.

My list so far is this:

• dashboard with bump
• CIC display unit
• CIC iDrive controller
• Center console trim to fit iDrive controller
• CIC radio
• Plastic panel around the radio
• Plastic panel around the climate control
• Gps antenna

I’m not sure what else is needed apart from wiring. Though I can’t find a clear source for what to buy for this.

Like I mentioned, finding these parts somewhere online is a real challenge, so that’s why partnumbers would help a lot.

[Dynamics99]

Did a CIC retrofit with my 2011 E90 335i that had professional radio.

For CIC:

Screen,
Double Dash,
Climate Control trim panel
CIC Headunit and trim panel
Pink cable from Screen to CIC Headunit
Connector cable from screen to JBE.
idrive controller
idrive controller harness (you can splice it with the screen connector cable and make it oem)
center console trim

COMBOX:
Combox harness (don't need the SOS system)
Combox BN2000
Bluetooth (if you have it already then good)
USB/AUX port
USB/AUX harrness that goes from armrest to combox
MOST fiber optic cable if you don't have fiber optic system
Microphone and mic cable


I recently did this swap like last week. Pulling out the system from my friends car was a pain since it was a lot of wire unwrapping.

The stock combox harness wrap from the driver side:

Bluetooth is mounted on the foot panel.
USB/AUX wire goes routes under the center console dash and under the rear seats.
I would highly recommend getting a automotive depin kit.


When I did my CIC swap I joined the can wires together with the screen wires. Same for power and ground and had it pinned to the OEM JBE connectors and used fabric tape to make it OEM.

As for combox wiring I routed it through the passenger side while the MOST fiber optic was routed to the driver side along with bluetooth. I would try to pull as much wire as you can and retain the OEM wiring connectors and pins. If you can depin the SOS system then you should be able to keep an OEM setup.


As for coding there are several guides but get the BMW Standard Tools from BimmerScene. It gives you everything. Sign the certs with FSTools2 and use FSTool or DrGini B021 to install them. You can decode the Navigation FSC code with DrGini once you install the patch and certs you can grab the FSC with DrGini and save it to a file and drag and drop onto the box area in the MAP Code section. Make sure you change the vehicle manufacture date to #0311. Then add $609, $6FL, and other respective codes. There is a guide on e90 for step by step instructions. You can use CiC Mafia that comes installed with the BMW Standard Tools package to check if your certs and fsc are accepted.

Just make sure the CIC is on C1A. You can use NCS Expert to verify it. If you have a THOR wifi adapter I have a post that lets you use it for any edibias software (ISTA, INPA, DrGini, FSTools, NCS Expert, etc) since I didnt want to run a cable to the car for diagnostics.

[don3lau]

Thanks for your writeup! Can you explain what you need the combox for? To me this is something that I didn’t come across on earlier posts and video’s I watchers.

[kolopn]

For combox (where mulf retrofit will be very similar) you have to:
- Get socket 61136913626 and 61136913644
- Put BT antenna under steering wheel trim 84506928461
- Get MOST wiring to combox from rear left distribution box behind back seats,
- Get power supply from fusebox,
- Get ground from the same place as MOST (near most box there is ground distribution box)
- Create microphone wiring from combox to FZD microphone (remember that this is shielded wiring)
- Install HSD wire from combox to usb in the armrest,
- Install BT antenna wire (fakra one) from combox to antenna,

and basically that is it. Combox is coded via MOST and not via CAN or something, so after installing it and coding you have to save MOST ring configuration in ISTA to avoid any wired codes.