X5 Stereo Replacement

akwoods · #1 01-26-2021, 07:24 AM

Hi, I have a 2003 E53 X5 diesel and the stereo display died, so I purchased a replacement off eBay. I know it’s a cheap after market unit and not great quality, but it has Bluetooth for my phone and a working display so I went with it.....and it is missing a cable. The write-up on eBay says that it may require what they’re calling an “extension cable” but when I contacted them they charged me $90 and I’ve been waiting since November for it to arrive. I have included screen shots of the cable connector I need, I was planning to try and order it through JayCar or somewhere, but I don’t know what it’s called. It’s the blue plug on the right of the second photo. If anyone can tell me what it’s called and/or where to get it, that would be great, thanks.

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crystalworks · #2 01-26-2021, 11:01 AM

File a case with eBay if it's not too late. You'll get your cable ASAP.

Can you link to the radio you bought? Probably a standard extension cable available from eonon or seicane but a look at the radio will help.

akwoods · #3 01-26-2021, 04:17 PM

Hi, thanks for the reply, the link is below, the eBay ad has ended but if you click “see original listing” once you open the below link you can still open it.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/for-BMW-....m46890.l49292

The original purchase of the stereo was made through eBay, via this ad, but the purchase of the cable was just through eBay messages, the cable wasn’t listed, the ad just requested that you make contact. They charged me directly for it. I’ll see if eBay or PayPal can refund, good idea, thanks. My more pressing issue is that I don’t have a working stereo at the moment, which is a bit annoying. Thanks for your help.

wpoll · #4 01-26-2021, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akwoods

Hi, thanks for the reply, the link is below, the eBay ad has ended but if you click “see original listing” once you open the below link you can still open it.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/for-BMW-....m46890.l49292

The original purchase of the stereo was made through eBay, via this ad, but the purchase of the cable was just through eBay messages, the cable wasn’t listed, the ad just requested that you make contact. They charged me directly for it. I’ll see if eBay or PayPal can refund, good idea, thanks. My more pressing issue is that I don’t have a working stereo at the moment, which is a bit annoying. Thanks for your help.

If you car had a Nav screen originally, then ignore the blue connector - what you need is a 6m extension cable like this...

It's available from many vendors...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Extension-C...-/362722673312

crystalworks · #5 01-26-2021, 06:10 PM

^What he said. The only thing with these harnesses is knowing whether you need the one with flat pins or round. Later model E53's used the flat pins. Earlier ones used round pins. Verify which yours needs though as that's just a general observation. Some harnesses come with both types of plugs (quadlock harness).

akwoods · #6 01-26-2021, 06:44 PM

That’s great thanks for this. I just jumped online and ordered a 6m extension that can take either type of pins. It appears that I need to plug this in at the back of the car, underneath the cargo floor and run it to the front of the car. Is this correct? Sounds easy enough, I think I can handle that. Thanks again to both of you for your quick reply!

crystalworks · #7 01-26-2021, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akwoods

That’s great thanks for this. I just jumped online and ordered a 6m extension that can take either type of pins. It appears that I need to plug this in at the back of the car, underneath the cargo floor and run it to the front of the car. Is this correct? Sounds easy enough, I think I can handle that. Thanks again to both of you for your quick reply!

That's exactly what you need to do. See my video on YouTube if you are feeling squirrely and want to run it along the factory wiring path.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1gV5QHJRs8&t=2s

akwoods · #8 01-27-2021, 01:31 AM

Great “how to” video, thanks for the link and for making such a comprehensive guide. I think I’m ok with the amount of work involved. My only concern is that my car didn’t have Navigation prior to the stereo swap, yet I’ve plugged in all of the cables that fitted and I have no power or anything at the unit. When the original ad for the new stereo said “if you have connectors that look like this” and shows a white and a blue connector, I think my car has the white connector (I’d have to pull the stereo out and check, it’s all installed, just not working) and nothing is connected to it because it won’t fit into the stereo anywhere. I’ve purchased the cable you suggested and it should be delivered in the next few weeks, but after watching your how-to I’m worried it won’t help, because you said in the video I should only need the extension cable if my car came with factory Navigation, which it didn’t. I may have mislead in my initial post because I said that my car had a plug like the blue plug in the picture I attached. As it’s been months since I had a working stereo and looked at the cabling, it could be white or blue, but it’s definitely that shape and size. Is there any other reason the cabling could be wrong other than factory Navigation?

wpoll · #9 01-27-2021, 01:44 AM

There are a number of factory stereo options around so it's possible you still need the extension cable.

There three basic (sort of) specs.

Simple. This is what I have. No Nav touch screen at the front, just a MID panel and a CD player that also contains an amp and a radio receiver. This system has the large 40-pin in the dash and is the simplest to upgrade. Plug and play.

Medium. This may have no Nav screen or only a MID but has a better amplifier and receiver in the trunk/boot. This system requires the extension cable to connect an android head unit to the amp/radio in the trunk/boot.

High. This is usually paired with Nav and has two amps in the trunk/boot. Requires the extension cable.

This is a rough guide only - there are other variations.

Btw, the white plug only indicates a MID unit (no Nav screen). Two plugs, one white and one blue, indicates a Nav screen was fitted.

akwoods · #10 01-27-2021, 02:27 AM

Ah, thanks for the outline, that makes sense. Mine was fitted with the flip-up CD player (hidden behind and opening panel) and a head unit with orange LCD screen. The LCD display died line by line and eventually became unreadable. It appears to have been hooked to some kind of old mobile/cell phone arrangement because the centre console has a section where a mobile phone can be inserted and I assume this connected it to the head unit somehow - being 2003 it was way before iPhone and appears to be the shape of an old Nokia phone. I’d imagine it’s the mid-level head unit you’re describing. I’ll give the cable a go, the worst outcome is that it stays not-working! Thanks again!

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