Trouble with Dice on '06 X5 4.4i with Nav

[MiB]

Picked up my 06 X5 4.4i with Nav about a month ago. Loved my ipod in my E39 540i using icelink plus with text to MID, so I gave Tom at EAS a call to get me hooked up for the X5.
He suggested the Dice was the way to go and that the Icelink was too buggy and now discontinued, replaced by the much better Dice. I was excited.
Tom is a great guy to deal with, we need more people like this out there, so I place my trust and order with him.

Received the Dice a few days ago and but have been severely disappointed to say the least.

Relevant info:
2006 X5 4.4i with Nav & bluetooth, analog DSP
Ipod: 3G fw:v2.1
Dice

The Dice has been extremely buggy and unreliable. It seems to have a mind of it's own.
Sort of goes like this:
Start car, playing mp3 fine, drive. Turn the car off come back 15 minutes later, start car it's on FM. Change mode to CD changer, it's back to the Dice but initializing wait. Have to press CD6/track6 to get text back onto Nav again it was gone.

Turn off car. Get some lunch come back to the car. It's still on Dice but PAUSED. No way to play so press-> skips to next track. Noticed text on Nav is gone again. Press CD6/trk6.
Cell phone rings, handsfree bluetooth answer, headunit auto mutes, finish up phone convo and hangup, expect Dice to resume. Nothing, no music. Press R/T says PAUSED. Press -> skips to next track. Woops nav text is gone again says CD22 instead. Next phone call, end convo, woops it's back to FM.

Anyways I won't bore you with the rest, but you get the idea. This thing is not stable at least not on my brand new X5. Not happy at all.

[Tom G.]

Replied to your post on Bimmerfest - the firmware version posted needs to be 2.3, your version is very old.

[dcast1]

I installed a dice in my 2006 x5 with new ipod... I can get it to work fine in ipod mode but have to control everything from the ipod. No display or steering wheel control. Can't for the life of me figure out how to get it out of ipod mode. CD 6 doesn't do anything...

[tbrezin]

Tom:

I sent you an e-mail a few days ago regarding the problems I am having with my Dice and I have not received your reply yet so I am thinking you did not get my e-mail. I have a Gen 3 ipod with 2.3 firmware. I am having issues with the sound dropping 2 short times in a row after the start of every new track and it is very anoying. It has also even completely faded minutes into a track and not come back until I FF to the next track. What's up with this thing?

[Tom G.]

Originally Posted by tbrezin

Tom:

I sent you an e-mail a few days ago regarding the problems I am having with my Dice and I have not received your reply yet so I am thinking you did not get my e-mail. I have a Gen 3 ipod with 2.3 firmware. I am having issues with the sound dropping 2 short times in a row after the start of every new track and it is very anoying. It has also even completely faded minutes into a track and not come back until I FF to the next track. What's up with this thing?

Thanks for your patience, we were at SEMA for a few days last week and am catching up on email.

Have you tried testing with another iPod to see if you get the same results? If so, try reinitializing the system with a battery reset:

1. Disconnect iPod from cable
2. Remove battery cables, negative first
3. Touch battery cable terminals together (away from battery) for +5 seconds, a small spark is normal as this is stored power draining from the system.
4. Allow cables to remain disconnected for about 5-7 minutes
5. Reconnect battery cables onto battery, negative last.
6. Reboot iPod by pressing on MENU and CENTER buttons for +5 seconds and then reconnecting to the DICE cable after the reboot process is completed.

Let me know if these steps correct the problem.

[Tom G.]

Originally Posted by dcast1

I installed a dice in my 2006 x5 with new ipod... I can get it to work fine in ipod mode but have to control everything from the ipod. No display or steering wheel control. Can't for the life of me figure out how to get it out of ipod mode. CD 6 doesn't do anything...

Try rebooting the iPod by pressing the MENU and CENTER buttons for +5 seconds and rebooting - then reconnect to the iPod cable.

Also, verify the DIP switches are all set to the OFF position.

[GeneArch]

Not intending to jump on the bandwagon. But... if I didn't share my experiences, I would be doing the group a disservice.

I'm extremely happy with everything about my X5 with the exception of the DICE unit. I've done the battery deal, I've verified firmware, dips switches and so on.

IMHO, DICE is a very poor solution, but it is pretty much the only solution. I have every issue you describe above as well as the problem where you cannot switch from AM/FM to the iPod without pressing the "mode" button 10+ times.

Getting back in the car after a stop is a crapshoot.. sometimes the iPod will be selected, others it's back on the radio. Often, I'll get in the car and the iPod is playing and no matter what I do, I cannot change tracks, playlists or anything.

How I long for an X5 solution that is the equal of the factory setup I have in my E63. I really enjoy my music and while I want to wait for the new E70 to go through its paces, it may just push me over the edge to buy one sooner than later...

[Tom G.]

Originally Posted by GeneArch

Not intending to jump on the bandwagon. But... if I didn't share my experiences, I would be doing the group a disservice.

I'm extremely happy with everything about my X5 with the exception of the DICE unit. I've done the battery deal, I've verified firmware, dips switches and so on.

IMHO, DICE is a very poor solution, but it is pretty much the only solution. I have every issue you describe above as well as the problem where you cannot switch from AM/FM to the iPod without pressing the "mode" button 10+ times.

Getting back in the car after a stop is a crapshoot.. sometimes the iPod will be selected, others it's back on the radio. Often, I'll get in the car and the iPod is playing and no matter what I do, I cannot change tracks, playlists or anything.

How I long for an X5 solution that is the equal of the factory setup I have in my E63. I really enjoy my music and while I want to wait for the new E70 to go through its paces, it may just push me over the edge to buy one sooner than later...

Gene,

There was an appointment made for datalogging in your case, what were the results?

[GeneArch]

Originally Posted by Tom G.

Gene,

There was an appointment made for datalogging in your case, what were the results?

Nothing... they made a "custom" frmware patch to solve the bluetooth issue. An incoming BT phone call no longer removes the track data.

[Tom G.]

Originally Posted by GeneArch

Nothing... they made a "custom" frmware patch to solve the bluetooth issue. An incoming BT phone call no longer removes the track data.

I'm aware of the Bluetooth fix, were the other problems presented when the vehicle was being logged?