Bluetooth microphone poor quality?
 

I finally started using the bluetooth in my '05 M3, and the microphone is horrible. People on the other end of the phone say that it sounds like I am in a wind tunnel. Does anyone have any suggestions how I can fix this issue? I have the most updated mic, switched the mic and the sunroof switch, and put some sound dampening material between the mic and the roof. I know that the technology is relatively old, but I cannot imagine that the sound quality should be this bad. Any help is appreciated.

Maybe you have a bad mic. Ordinarily, the BMW hands-free microphone is the best in any car at any price. You might try checking the wiring connections at the phone module. Maybe there is a bad connection there. Finally, make doubly sure that the arrow embossed on the microphone is pointing forward toward the windshield.

The mic is 5 years old. Maybe I will buy a new one and hope that works.

It is not uncommon for you to sound quiet on the other end. It is just the old technology in the E46 unfortunately.

Does anyone know if there is newer technology (bluetooth hands free kit) that be upgraded into the e53? A friend of mine bought the BavAuto kit and it sounds horrible. Anyone have any success stories to share?

Which BevAuto kit? The BMW OE kit is excellent by any standard. The sensitivity and noise canceling technology in the the mic and telephone modules are still better than any other car's BT system that I have tested. Many of the BevAuto kits use the Parrot system as the foundation. The Parrot is very cool, and it is a lot cheaper, but it does not perform nearly as well as the BMW OE system.

Yes, He has the Parrot based kit. The noise cancelling is very poor, and the volume on the mic is very low. He's stopped trying to get it to work.

Does anyone have the part numbers for the OEM kit, including any controllers and harnessing? The main controller is under the spare in the trunk right? I've got an empty compartment where the BT module should be so I would need it and the harness.

The problem I am having isn't me sounding quiet on the other end; it is all the background noise heard on the other end. Everyone says it sounds like I am in a wind tunnel.

There are two different systems, TCU or ULF based. They have some cost and feature trade-offs. Here is a great post that lists the key parts for both types of installations. Much of the additional installation and part selection details are located in posts both in this forum and the forum referenced by this post.
Consolidated Bluetooth ULF and TCU Parts Lists…

All U.S. specification and most other international market cars are pre-wired for phone. I think that the phone module is located in the compartment with the CD changer, nav computer, and DSP amp in the X5. I think that it is only the radio and Sirius module located near the spare.

This was a known issue and an upgraded microphone which helps with this is available. I installed the new mic and it made a world of difference. It was less than $25 from the dealer and is an easy swap. Hope this helps. I dont have the part number for the upgraded mic with me now but just ask the dealer to ensure that you are getting the upgraded one.

Nathan

I think I have the upgraded mic. Someone gave me the part number of the upgraded one and it was the same as the part number on my mic. Maybe not though.

When you get the new mic, post the results. I also feel the mic is lousy and am looking for a better alternative. One amazing fact is that microphone has been in use by BMW since 11/2003 and it is the same one still used even in the newest E70 X5 and 7 Series F07 !

Awesome! Thanks for the list! It looks like the TCU is used if you have "BMW Assist" right? Is BMW assist the telephone button on steering wheel? or the subscription service from BMW?

I have the telephone button on the wheel and the radio unit. I hope to get the right equipment to pair my iphone with the car.

You can use either system in your car. Assist is totally separate, and is only available in 2004+ cars (I think). The TCU supports Assist, but you can use either option in any car. Here are the major differences between the two systems.

ULF has voice recognition enabled in the factory default coding
TCU has voice recognition disabled in the factory default coding
NavCoder can enable and disable voice recognition in both TCU and ULF modules

ULF has the complete VR instruction set that includes navigation commands
TCU only has the telephone-related Vr instruction set

ULF requires a pairing button, typically with an eject box and and adapter wiring
TCU does not require a pairing button or eject box

TCU seems to have better in-car volume than the ULF (my own personal experience comparing my ULF to two other TCU installations).

TCU shows signal strength on the navigation screen telephone menu.