iPhone -Fitted to Old Style Eject Box
 

Couple of shots showing an iPhone docked and ejected in a console eject box for an e38. Received a new iPhone adapter and console eject box from Bimmernav. Then experimented on a couple of old test pieces to see what is possible for the iPhone. What was done is the console eject box was taken apart and the top out side rails were machined down to allow the iPhone to fit in the console eject box. This process allowed the rails to remain a uniform thickness, thus maintaining a factory appearance. So it is possible to retro fit the iPhone.

Craig

Great job, Craig!

Thanks. Nothing like being able to fit a square peg into a round hole. And not having any hammer marks show.

That looks great. Does the Iphone charge when installed?

Ron

Ron
Installing the unit in friends car next week, so I can give you a definite answer then. But the iPhone snap in adapter does have a connection for the iPhone at the bottom that the iPhone plugs into. So I would say, yes the iPhone will charge. In opening up the adapter it uses the same componets as the other snap in adapters. Antena pick up is like the razr snap in adapter, a proximity (sp) type pickup. I'll take some pics of the insides and final install and post them in a couple of days.

Craig

Installed Pics
 

Pics of installed eject box and console. iPhone does charge.
Craig

Nicely done. :thumbup:

What car was that iPhone paired with?

I've got a 2004 330Ci and a 2004 X5 4.8is which both have problems pairing.

I can pair an iPhone in the normal way and can call up contacts but when I place a call the bluetooth connection drops out when call is connected. Same happens when recieving a call.

I'd love an iPhone and I already use an iPod Touch as the iPhone won't work in my cars.

Can anyone help?

The car the phone is paired with is a friends '98 e38. It was converted a while ago to bluetooth and is running a first generation ULF.

awesome job Craig.

Hi,
I´m from Germany and hava a original eject Box in my E85 Z4 and a iPhone.
Can I buy a Snap In for the iPhone and only take away the side rails to fix the iPhone in the Adapter or must I do some changes in the eject Box ?

thx for the Answers

great job! I wonder if this can be done on my E53?

Appologize for the delay. Have not been on here for a bit. Your assumption for fitting the iPhone is correct. The only changes required to the eject box is a sliming down of the top side rails to allow the iPhone to fit when docked. I modified an eject box for a fellow in the UK for his Z4 and it works fine for him.
Craig

Yes. e38, e39, e46, e53, e83 and e85 all use the same console eject box. Pretty sure on this statement, but I could be mistaken.
Craig

Thx for the Answer.

I´m waiting for my new iPhone 3G, then I take a look if the Ejekt Box is compatible.
If it´s compatible, I will try to modify it for the iPhone in my E85 Z4.

Hello, Is there any benefit to getting the Iphone plug in if you only have the ULF Bluetooth solution? Does it charge the phone and does it extend the antenna? I do not have Assist.

Thanks,

jknj

you will get charging, and mild signal boost.

Have you tried charging?

I heard Apple changed the iPhone 3G to use USB charging (5V) instead of the original iPhone/iPod Firewire charging (12V) and that the snap in module uses Firewire.

I would love to know since I would like a snap in adapter for my E53 and iPhone 3G...

Update 8/15/08: I tested my iPhone 3G and the cradle. It uses the USB 5V and charges the phone...Way to go BMW.

Thanks.

I received my iPhone cradle adapter, now I need to machine down the rails.

Craig, what tool did you use to achieve that perfect job?

I made a jig to hold the top of the eject box (fingers out of harms way) and used a flush trim bit with an oversized bearing in the shaper table to remove about a 1/16th of an inch of material.

Craig.

Thanks Craig, looks like a job for my woodworking buddy...

i just picked up the BT retrofit, and the iphone cradle. anyone got any hints on how to remove the centre piece of the bits under the armrest? there are now 3 'pockets' there, and apaprently the centre one is easy to remove, but its not! i can get under the armrest to the wiring, but the actual part that has to come out, for the iphone cradle to be put in, just wont budge

Did you look through the reference materials here.

awesome! one of those documents i didnt have. the dealer gave me another one showing the install, but its not as detailed as that.

thanks again. also, i was told the eject box only works for 1st gen iphones, if its of any interest to anyone

i installed my adapter, BT module, and mic yesterday, and all works fine.... the pairing is still not able to connect. the phone specifies that its connect to the car, but the X5 just wont pair.

i tried my gf's n80, and that worked perfectly, so i know im not doing it wrong.

ive printed out about a half dozen guides for the iphone connection routine, with WLAN off, with WLAN on, so im at wits end at the moment.

thoughts?

I understand that the iphone is a bit iffy with some generations of the ULF module. What gen module did you install? Has someone else got an iphone you can check pairing with? Just thoughts....

i got the part number, it says 6-915563-02, and it came from a e46 m3.

also says HW-3 on the side, and SW-2 on the sticker.

dont know anyone else with an iphone to test.

http://www.bimmernav.com/ulfchanges.html
can't find that part number on the bimmernav list. Probably prior to 5th generation though, but you make get a better idea from the age of the car.
Maybe try emailing martin at bimmernav with your details.

ill give that a crack. i spoke with a guy in my car club who did the same thing. he apparently got his to work after driving around for 15mins waiting for the thing to pair, i wasnt that patient :)

will be trying it during the week hopefully, see how it goes.

GL

My 1st gen iPhone works perfectly in my 05 X5. Except once. It turned out that iTunes was playing in the backround. It was after I had turned iTunes off using just the top button, not with that silly two-button technique.

I discovered this because the phone was mysteriously hot. After turning it off and restarting it, all worked well.

If iTunes is playing normally, through its own speaker or through an Aux connection, the phone works fine. It must be when it is in limbo that it screws up.

Perhaps your phone was in iTunes, not all the way off, but was when you tried it in another car.

I asked questions about all this on iPhone forums and got no good answers. So, the limbo mode is the only answer I have. I should test my theory and turn a guess into science. Maybe later...

I have heard that in some cars you have to do the BT connection thing more than once for it to "take".

Hope this makes sense and helps.

ok, just gave it a try from our restaurant for dinner, on the drive home (approx 10 mins) and no luck. this was just a spur of the moment "why not try it"

didnt do a reset, just turned BT on, and got the "pairing" screen and on the instrument cluster, but nothing by the time i got home.

ill try on a longer drive either tomorrow or on the weekend, and trying the iTunes theory as well.

i might be able to source another iphone and give it a crack, and a friend of mine might be buying a newer model BT unit, so if i can convince him to swap his with mine to test my theory, it might eventually work.

who knows, fingers crossed

today, we went on a long drive, got in the car, tried to pair, and nothing! :|

thought on the way home, ill turn the BT off on the phone, retry the car pairing function, turn the BT on, on the iphone, find the car, pair it... and bingo! got the PAIRING SUCCESSFUL words on the screen :)

got home and found my directory had been uploaded, and it all worked (to the annoyance of my partner having to answer calls im making from the car to the house, from the driveway :)) she'll live ;)

now i just gotta get the sides of the eject box milled down so the iphone fits in the case proper.

thanks to all who helped

pairing the iphone........ better than sex!

Hi, forgive my English but is bad enough. Please podriais explain the steps to be done to enable the Iphone as comentais in this post.
thanks
Greetings

isyc, do you have bluetooth in the car?

Hi Gobbleoff, If I have bluetooch, and I box ejectora and I have asked the snapin the Iphone, but do not understand as adaptais. Greetings

Will this fit in a 2002 4.6iS X5 ???

can some one post some pics of how the adapter looks before and after ( i mean showing the modified bit)?

many thanks!

I know this is a bit old but, I would be interested to see the iphone in the adaptor and installed in the E53 X5!

:iagree: me too

Does it also work with the 3G iPhone?

In the write up, he mentions his own iphone being 3G so I gues so! Looks great and another mod I'll have to do! lol

Thanks for the link!

look good
 

Wow, it fit really good according to the picture, Do you have a charger build in. I think you can make a extra plug inside the box.

good luck and thanks for sharing.

please send me a link to e38 post / I want to do this to my e38