Radio keeps switching to phone

[X5Cat]

Please help! The radio in my wife's 2001 X5 4.4 keeps switching to "PHONE" every few minutes, stays in phone mode for a few minutes, then switches back again, and repeats the cycle over and over. She really can't use the radio due to this annoyance. The vehicle has the BMW phone in the console, but we don't use it. I have tried every button I can find to push while it is in phone mode, but it will not go back to "FM" (radio) until it has decided it is ready to. Anyone know how I can stop the radio from cutting out and going into phone mode every few minutes? Thanks!

[TerminatorX5]

disable the phone? disconnect the 54-pin from the phone module in the trunk, see if that helps... do you know how to get there?

[upallnight]

Perhaps someone is trying to call her.

[X5Cat]

TerminatorX5, I'm not sure which is the phone module -- I'm guessing it is one of the ones on the driver's side, behind the panel near the rear gate. ANYWAY, you did inspire me to just try a simpler version of that, maybe -- pulling the telephone fuse(s). I pulled fuses 73 & 74. The radio did then play continuously, without the phone trying to take over. However, when I turned off the ignition, the radio kept playing, instead of shutting off like it usually does. Guess she could live with that, but I went back and played around with the fuses until I decided that 74 was the one to leave out. I left 73 in and the radio shuts off with the ignition, as normal. It will take some time to see if this is the real fix, because this problem would sometimes come and go in "spells". We'll also have to watch to make sure nothing else is affected.

Thanks for the inspiration!

[X5Cat]

upallnight, I just hope he is a decent BMW mechanic!

[TerminatorX5]

fuse 73 feeds into "unloader" relay, whatever that is... and the fuse 74 is the telephone interface, so yo did right... you can either keep it as is, or, if want to troubleshoot it further, come back here and we will try to help you...

[X5Cat]

Originally Posted by TerminatorX5

fuse 73 feeds into "unloader" relay, whatever that is... and the fuse 74 is the telephone interface, so yo did right... you can either keep it as is, or, if want to troubleshoot it further, come back here and we will try to help you...

Thanks! I think we'll try as is for now, but I'll hold on to that help voucher. At one time, I was thinking we'd like to figure out some sort of bluetooth interface for her own cell phone in place of the BMW phone. But now, with the smartphones and all they do being all the rage, I somehow just don't see the need to bother. We could change our minds, though....

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by X5Cat

upallnight, I just hope he is a decent BMW mechanic!

LOL