Center console AUX-IN stopped working

lucardo · #1 09-07-2015, 09:13 AM

Hello, I have been using the center console AUX-IN with a standard male-male audio cable and setting the input on the radio to front aux. All of a sudden it has stopped working. i´ve tried a different cable eventhough it plays fine on a regular speaker with audio in.

I took the usb/aux-in connector apart yesterday to check it with a multimeter for continuity and the connector seems OK. i cannot use the usb because i dont have the combox.

I want to trace the cable to make sure everything is connected properly but cannot find wiring diagrams or pictures. any idea where i can find that or how i can troubleshoot?

Thank you!

apw2607 · #2 09-17-2015, 01:17 PM

I'm a bit lost. When you say you can't use the usb why don't you have combox.

What year is your car and have you upgraded any of the infotainment systems

Depending on year .... The aux cable can go directly to the back of the cic or ccc. Can go to combox or go to the MULF2.

lucardo · #3 09-17-2015, 03:18 PM

Its a 09/2010 so dont have the combox and no usb playback. When i plug in the iphone i get a 'incompatible device' or something like that.

jfoj · #4 09-17-2015, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucardo

Its a 09/2010 so dont have the combox and no usb playback. When i plug in the iphone i get a 'incompatible device' or something like that.

I think you need a special interface cable rather than a standard USB cable when connecting to the console USB.

If you use a standard iPhone USB cable you can charge your phone, but not hear music, control it or see song info.

BMW and other aftermarket suppliers sell the iPhone interface cable for the BMW.

I have a 2008 E70 and I bought an older non Lightening interface to use with my older iTouch.

Also do not forget via the IDrive menu you can change or switch between the USB and Aux input. Did you switch to USB by accident and forget to change back to the Aux input?

lucardo · #5 09-18-2015, 07:47 AM

The special interface cable will Split the firewire iPod/connector into USB power and aux-in, so I would be in the same spot after spending a few €...

How tough is it to swap the combox? I would love to change it but i dont want to spend as much €€ as beemertech is asking for.

jfoj · #6 09-18-2015, 08:18 AM

So not sure if you have a problem with your vehicle or the interface was changed in iDrive.

At least here in North America, I think the majority if not all the vehicles support the iPod interface cable which is somewhere in the $50 USD range?? I have not checked lately, but I purchased my old style iPod interface cable for about $15 used as I recall.

I do not believe you will need the combox to get the end result you want, but I may be wrong if the vehicles in your area are optioned out differently.

I may need to check the options on my vehicle and report back if there appears to be something specific for USB/iPod/iPhone support.

apw2607 · #7 09-20-2015, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucardo

The special interface cable will Split the firewire iPod/connector into USB power and aux-in, so I would be in the same spot after spending a few €...

How tough is it to swap the combox? I would love to change it but i dont want to spend as much €€ as beemertech is asking for.

If your x5 is a 9/2010 then it has the CIC correct ?

You will have the MULF2 that handles usb and aux input. You can still plug in a usb stick and listen to music - correct ?

So in order to use the iphone with Mulf 2 you need to purchase the y-cable as others have mentioned. The problem is that unless the mulf2 firmware is not upgraded by the dealer you still may run into issues. Another issue with mulf2 is that although it appears to charge iphone5 and newer, infact it doesnt. It only maintains the battery level. Probably because newer iphones require more current to charge them.

One cheap option is to use the tune2air wma3000b interface for bluetooth audio streaming. Plug it into the usb and aux jack and you will be up and running.

lucardo · #8 03-07-2016, 04:20 PM

Thanks for all the suggestions but we´ve drifted off the original post.

The issue is the AUX-IN on the centre console has stopped working. It worked before with a male-male standard audio cable, I need help troubleshooting. The Y cable and the tune2air won't work because they rely on the Aux-In audio working.

Where does the connector on the console go to? the receiver on the dash? or the trunk where the MULF and the rest of the stuff is? I would really like to get this working again.

Thanks again everybody of the suggestions.

lucardo · #9 03-09-2016, 12:43 PM

Ok, so it seems like the usb and the aux-in cable go to a USB hub (part number 84 10 9 200 503) which apparently is under the console, that hub connects to the fiber optic circuit.

This would mean that either there is a fault with the wiring to the USB hub or there is a fault with the USB hub.

Can anyone confirm if this is correct, how to test if the hub is at fault, if so, where exactly is the hub located?

Thanks again!

lucardo · #10 03-28-2016, 04:09 AM

Had some time to troubleshoot this weekend.

I was wrong about the previous setup, the USB, AUX, and bluetooth antenna plug in directly to the MULF2 in the rear of the car. I tested connectivity of each of the cables of the AUX plug to the back of the car and all work fine (bridged the cables on the back and tested continuity with a mini-din cable plugged in and a tester).

So the problem lies from the MULF onward. Software related? is there a way to restore the CIC to Factory defaults? could having the aux cable plugged in cause a short that has damaged the MULF?

going nuts here!!