08/04 E53 With ULF But No BT Connectivity
 

Hey all,

The wife finally wants to try and do Bluetooth in the X5.

It is an 08/04 no NAV, Business CD, and I don't think it has the DSP. I found the ULF card with the passkey, and then checked and the module is there. It is a 84.11 6952218-01, but I do not have a pairing button in the armrest tray area. I still tried the key in position I and the phone trying to find a new device, but nothing was discovered.

What do I need to do to get the BT functioning? Is it just a matter of purchasing the oddment tray deal? Or can I get just the pairing button?

Thanks for any advice, I have searched the threads but either I am too dumb, or there are just way too many variables involved for me to know what to do next...

you will need the middle tray, to suit your phone, and possibly a retro-fit kit for the wiring. this is what i had to do. the retrofit kit was microphone wiring, centre console wiring, and the mounts for the BT module (which i bought 2nd hand from another car club member), and the BT antenna as well.

its not as simple as getting the centre console, there is more involved depending on how your car was configured from the factory

Hmmm...
 

I'm pretty sure that I have a mic, and I thought the ULF was the BT module which is already mounted... How do I check for the antenna and wiring?

Guess I need to start making a checklist...

You may not need the pairing button. Try this:

(see more ideas from http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...t=76028&page=2)


PAIRING PROCEDURE E46/E83/E85/E53
1. Turn Key off and then to KL-R or KL-15.
2. The vehicle is ready for pairing for the first 2 minutes of key on.
3. “Bluetooth Pairing” appears on the MID or Board Monitor.
4. During the pairing process, depending on equipment, the indicator lights on MID or Board Monitor
display flash.
5. Your mobile phone should now be set to search for BT devices. See the Owner’s Manual for your
handset.
6. A request to enter a password, PIN, or code appears on the handset display, depending on your
model. Enter the ‘BLUETOOTH PASSKEY” (supplied with the vehicle literature), using the
numerical keys on the handset and confirm the input. Look for a confirmation message on the
handset.
7. To conclude the pairing process turn the key off.
8. Wait approximately 30 seconds before turning the key back on. The phone will now be connected
when the key is turned on.

Tried the above, and re-read that link, still no go. I guess I just need to know what physical hardware is absolutely neccessary, and then verify them in the car.

Thanks again,

I think it was MY05 where the pairing button was no longer required. Someone with that year may be able to confirm this.

I have an early MY04 which retrofitted with a BT module and it requires the pairing button. However, from the thread I linked to earlier, it appears some cars may not have been coded correctly (see the picture that one guy posted from his service report).

There's also a wealth of information available on BT through the xoutpost.com home page.

read thru here?

http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/all-...-phone-guides/

Yep I read through there as well. I think I have read just about every link I can find, but most of them were pretty old post dates. I guess I am really surprised that there is still so much confusion as to how to get BT working... I was hoping that there might be a more definitive answer, maybe there was and I missed it. Guess I will just tear into the car and see what I can see...

have a look down where your cd changer is in the back of the car, there is a small silver box that is mounted on an angle (vertical angle). if you have that, then you have the ULF, from there, we can work out if you have the antenna etc.

take pics and post :)

jEster:

Did you look at the home page? (I'm not talking about Search)

You would find this link there:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bluetooth.php

which has some articles with detailed pictures of the BT hardware and a link to this MY05 BT FAQ:

http://www.bmwmotorsports.org/pdf/B841304FAQ.pdf

Gobbleoff, yep I already verified I have the ULF. I posted the part number in my 1st post (in case it makes a difference fuctionality wise). So how do I verify the antenna? The ULF has two black wires already connected to it, and a coax type fitting that has nothing connected.

haigha, thanks for all your input! And yes I looked through all those as well. Guess I will re-read...

One of the black wires will head up the cd-changer/nav unit mounting, and will connect to a square box (maybe something like an inch, 1.5" square and around 6,7mm thick?), thats the bluetooth antenna

You're welcome jEster. The MY05 FAQ says all have the BT antenna.

Too bad the warranty recently expired or you could take it to the dealer for free to see if it wasn't coded properly.

I'll check for the antenna, and see about getting the coding checked. If I have the BT antenna combined with the ULF that is already installed, is the last piece of the puzzle just the coding?

i would say so.

Thanks for all the help folks! Hopefully I will be able to get it in tomorrow to check the coding...

My 06/04 E53 did not come with an ULF, it came with a TCU. Even had a bluetooth symbol and a passkey in the manual and on the module.

However, BMW could never get bluetooth working until late 2004. So my module never worked.

So, i bought a TCU (on ebay) from an early 2005 model and replaced the one in my car with it. Worked like a charm without any software/programming.

BMW Assist does not function, but i never used it also.

BTW, all the hardware needed should already be there , BT antenna, mic etc (except for a TCU with BT).No pairing button needed.

Dropped off the X5 this morning, so we'll see what happens... Either way at least it's getting the oil, and brake fluid service while it is there...

South Bay BMW just called, they are still working on it, but wanted to confirm that they were going to charge $165 for troubleshooting... And he said that there was no TCU in the car, I said "your right, as I told you earlier it has a ULF". to which he replies "oh, well let me talk to my tech, and I will have him run more tests". So I take it they wanted to hit me for $165 to tell me that the car didn't have a TCU... It's getting late in the day and the car has been there since 9:00am...:dunno:

Good luck, jEster :thumbup:

$165 for "troubleshooting" :yikes: Too bad it wasn't under warranty.

Just got the call, the BMW tech is telling the Service Advisor that the car has a TCU, but isn't BT compatible. He also said that they got a service bulletin telling them to ignore the BT documentation and symbols on the equipment that came with the car!:wow: He said that the tech told him that the only way I could get it to work, is if I get the "Bluetooth Upgrade" for $1050.00. I asked him what exactly is in the upgrade? He said he didn't know, that is just what the tech told him to tell me.

I am on my way down there now to hash it out and see what's what... Might have to pay $165 for nothing...:(

Here's another option that is considerably less expensive and adds BT 2.0 so you can play music from your phone wirelessly if it has that feature :)

It's probably compatible with more phones than the BMW unit.

Kensington Liquid Aux BT

http://www.amazon.com/Kensington-Liq.../dp/B0011UIX2K

I have one but haven't gotten around to testing it yet (I've maybe driven 2k miles this year). I didn't like the remote control on the steering wheel so I have it attached to the shifter. I saw a post where someone had attached it to the door handle (not sure if it was on an X5).

It requires the aux input but that is a relatively inexpensive option and easy self-install if you don't have it yet.

sorry to hear your news.

i was lucky whereby another car club member sold his BT unit (cheap! AU$100) and then i bought the retrofit kit for AU$400-odd, and installed it myself.

Well I'm back from the Stealership. Here is the write-up spelling errors and all.

CONCERN 51 CLIENT STATES BLUETOOTH IS NOT WORKING. PLEASE CHECK AND ADVISE

CAUSE CAR NEVER HAD BLUETOOTH COMPATABILITY

CORRECTION TRYED TO PAIR BLUETOOTH PHONE, WAS UNABLE TO PAIR. INTERROGATED FAULT MEMORY, FOUND NO FAULTS IN TCU. REMOVED TCU AND CONFIRMED PART # ON OWNERS MANUAL INSERT AND TCU WERE THE SAME. CONSULTED WITH SHOP FOREMAN AND REDERD TO SIB 84-13-04. VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE BLUETOOTH COMPATABILITY. NOTE: SEE ADVISOR FOR DETAILS. A BLUETOOTH UPGRADE KIT IS NEEDED WITH PROGRAMMING/CODEING AND RETROFITTING FOR BLUETOOTH TO WORK.

The Service Advisor told me the upgrade was $1050.00, I again asked what was exactly was the "upgrade"? He had to go ask the tech, then came back and said it was replacing the TCU with one that has Assist and Bluetooth, plus 1 hour to install the TCU, and 3 HOURS to code/program the car. I asked if he was kidding. I told him there is something very wrong if it takes his techs 3 friggin hours to code the car. He still charged me the $165 troubleshooting, but said he would talk to his manager tomorrow to see if there was anything he could to about it.

haigha: I am very interested to hear your results with your Kensington BT/Music unit. Pleaase let me know if you ever get around to testing it out. The last Kensington iPod FM modulator I had, I didn't have great results.

Gobbleoff: Lucky you! Guess I am the hunt for a good deal on a TCU, but there is no way I am going to pay over a few hundie to get BT in the car. For the money the dealer wants I could go Pioneer and get NAV to boot...

So if anyone has a line on a BT TCU for a reasonable price, let me know...

Thanks for all the help!

I'll try to look at it this week. For $30 after rebate for the Kensington, you can't lose :dunno:

Also, look at the reviews on Amazon. The only major complaint was some hiss but that may be a problem with the Aux in on the person's Civic.

After all, you paid $165 for "troubleshooting" :yikes:

If I'm not mistaken, all they had to do was hook your car up to the diagnostic computer and look at a read out. Sounds like a few minutes work to me.

coding? i never had to do anything on mine. As soon as the BT ULF is plugged in, the Telephone option came up on the NAV screen.... installed the cradle, spent a week trying to pair (which was successful eventually), and that was it. No trips to the dealer for anything to be coded.

No coding was required for me on my 10/03 (MY04) build (replaced the Assist module).

And pairing was a pain here too :rolleyes:

You don't have a ULF. You have a TCU. I looked up the number you posted. I am in the same boat because I have a 04 X5 with a Bluetooth TCU but no functionality. Your options depend on the build date of your vehicle.

Mine is a 09/03 and cannot have an updated Assist module. I believe is is the 10/03 and beyond where you can get an updated Assist unit with bluetooth and assist included and it will function. Some on this forum have not needed recoding where others did not.
My only option is to use a ULF. Once I install the ULF, I will lose the Assist functionality. It is really a shame that BMW sold a vehicle with this feature and never attempted to make the owners who thought they paid for bluetooth whole.

A few people have used the Parrot BT module and I considered it but eliminated it because I have a friend who has one installed in their vehicle and the sound is not good at all. It also does not use the BMW built in microphone. You can get the steering wheel control module too.

Good luck!

I actually wondered about this. Has anyone tried to "push" their dealer into updating your vehicle with functional Bluetooth? I may be a little slow, but the documention that came with my car when purchased from BMW (albeit a used X5) stated that it has Bluetooth. I just don't know how to effectively put this to the dealer making a good argument for a no cost upgrade... Any ideas? Loosing battle? Shut up and go buy an alternative solution?

Later build of 8/04 received the BT/assist. I think you have the assist only like mine (7/04 build). Post 3/04 build may be upgraded to the MY05 TCU BT/assist combo.

"In order to do this mod you will be replacing your Assist module with the
combo Assist and Bluetooth module - part # 84-11-6-946-993. The part
itself should likely run about $440, but you will also have to pay your dealer
to have the vehicle coded to make this work. Per SIB 84 13 04, the
vehicle must be recoded in order for it to function, which will likely run you
at least an hour labor. So you might as well have the dealer install the
module too."

Link to the thread: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80391
The TSB is in http://bluetoothyourbmw.com/. #16 and #17 under
Installation and Retrofit Guides and Information

This should not require a pairing button from what I've been reading as it will not wire up correctly. It's also written in the SIB 84 13 04. Hope this helps you out. Keep us updated.

Another option to add Bluetooth for 10/2003 to 03/2005 build X5 is by adding a CPT9000 phone cradle and a BTUM module.

The CPT9000 cradle runs a bit over $100 and the BTUM module is about $200 new on Ebay. You still need the dealer to code the car correctly - see SIB 84 01 03. This is what I did... though I haven't found a good list of phone compatible w/ the BTUM module.

============================
PORTABLE PHONE CODING PROCEDURE FOR ALL E46 (3 SERIES) FROM 9/03, E83 (X3) FROM 9/03, E85 (Z4) FROM 10/03, AND E53 (X5) FROM 10/03, EQUIPPED WITH THE PREMIUM PACKAGE (ZPP) OR BMW ASSIST (SA639) ALL UP TO 3/05 PRODUCTION

E53 (X5)
The retrofit coding procedure now works properly with the release of DIS CD38 or higher.
1. Select "3 ZCS/FA Coding".
2. Select "8 E53 Series".
3. Select "2 Retrofit".
4. Select "26 Telephone professional US"
5. Continue until coding is complete and new ZCS code is displayed on screen.
6. In some instances an error message "Not possible to retrofit TCU according to coding code" is displayed. If this is the case then manually change the ZCS code according to the attached chart.
7. 2005 MY vehicles have Bluetooth activated from the factory. In order to retrofit a CPT9000 (V60) telephone and deactivate Bluetooth the ZCS code must be changed according to the
attached chart for 2005 Model Year.
8. Turn ignition off for 10 seconds.
9. Install handset and check functionality of the phone.
==============================================