it's not like the pictures!!!!
 

OK, I bought the bluetooth kit from bimmernav, including the extra parts for a pre-2003 build. I printed out every DIY bluetooth install posted here. I open up the armrest, remove the phone cradle, and lo'n'behold, THERE ARE NO PLUGS! All the wires running up thru the armrest swivel arms are directly wired to the cradle!

What do I do NOW???? (12/2000 build) HELP!!!!

The connectors are there, they could possibly be tucked away.

From the your description I am guessing that your vehicle came with the original BMW phone system (CPT8000).

If so and there are no connector plugs on the old cradle in the armrest then you may have to remove the console and make your connections down by the shifter. See my descriptions here - http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/all-...01-bmw-x5.html

yeah, yeah, yeah - I printed out all the bluetooth DIY instructions - my problem is the wires to the cradle run up thru both the swivel arms of the arm rest, thru the opening in the metal plate, then hardwired to the cradle - So there is very little play to access where the wires run into the cradle - tomorrow I'll try dismantling the center console, but how do wires down there get up to the cradle - and am I to just snip off the old cradle?

Also not listed is the replacement cradle that accepts the new snapin phone adapter for my V710 phone????

Or should I replace the whole arm rest/console???

O-o-h-h-h! I get it now, The snap-in adapter eject box is not the same as the snap-in adapter for the individual phones (which also ejects the phone) - the eject box is the cradle that the individual snap-in adapters snap into.

This was the epiphany I came to last night. It's almost like learning a different language. (lead,led,lead) Unless you know the full explanation, it's easy (at least on my part) to be misconstrued.

So now I need to order the snap-in adapter eject box for a 2000-2003 X5 E53

Of course that still leaves me with the dilemma of a hardwired factory installation - time to look for a wrecked 2001-2003 X5 to splice a plugged version to my unplugged version???