It is a shame the replacement parts are so costly for you in the UK. In the US, BMW dealers sell replacement ULF modules for $480 (~355 Euros) and replacement TCU modules for $340 (~250 Euros). Of course, we get ripped off in many other areas, so it all works out in the end.

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2000 E38 750iL Highline Edition, Upgraded with the lastest 2006 X5 Electronics
MKIV Navigation, 16:9 Display, Bluetooth, TV/Video with Backup Camera, Sirius, and Aux Input

It's a TCU.


The EU model is GSM, the US model is CDMA, and the two are not the same unit. Any CDMA recall will never come over here.

With Bluetooth TCU, the vehicle should be in pairing mode for a few minutes after the car is started.

Delete any existing pairings, turn on the ignition, perform a BT discovery from your phone [you may need to do it a few times].

You may also need to use Navcoder to see if your BT is turned on in the TCU.

been reading up on navcoder for different things really including turning the tv on whilst in motion, ideally though would like to see some1 perform this for me first as i would hate bugger the thing up completly

Dozens of folks have used NavCoder to do all these function and feature changes. I have it all in my car, for example. It is very reliable and proven. Plus, kiwijochen is a great guy and highly responsive when anyone has had a software issue. (I am not aware of any car issues at all.)

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SOLD
2000 E38 750iL Highline Edition, Upgraded with the lastest 2006 X5 Electronics
MKIV Navigation, 16:9 Display, Bluetooth, TV/Video with Backup Camera, Sirius, and Aux Input

Playfuldodger and all, I had to come back on as soon as I had some news.

Thankfully, once and for all managed to get this working. Obviously may be a different problem for you, but as the issues seemed so alike just wanted to share in case it works for you as well.

The carkit installer arrived today to fit the Parrot system. Fair play to him, when I explained the problems I had and that I had a full BMW BT system, he got to work on nailing down where the problem lay after about an hour checking everything including fuses etc. For me, the problem was all down to the center console. As I say may be totally different for you, but this was the issue with me.

Specifically, while it says elsewhere that you dont need the eject box (even if it has the blanking plate in it) it seems you do. I had mine removed and needed to put it back. Despite it saying elsewhere that the car should go into pairing mode itself when turned on, it didnt and you need to follow the ignition procedure to get it to pair.

What resolved the issue was, in the center console, we removed the plastic cover and one by one went through each of the wires (of the cable with the big black connector, not the antenna cable) to see which had a live current and where the current stopped. By removing the blanking plate/eject button the current circle of the circuit doesnt complete. We figured this out by passing that part in creating our own complete circuit. After plenty of trial and error, once the circuit at the center console wiring was tested and confirmed had a live current, turning the ignition off, holding down the centre console talking head button for 3 secs, then turning the key to ignition 1, immediately showed the 3 LEDs on the nav screen. I released the button after 3 secs, it came up on my phone firstly as "Handsfree", then I put in the BT key, then it paired showing "BMW12345". Job done.

Suffice it to say that guy got a big tip, and saved me from having to get the Parrot system. I dont seem to have any voice recognition, so I may also invest in the NavCoder to see if that will allow that functionality.

But for the moment I am chuffed to bits. As I say, may not be the solution to your problem, but definitely worth the time to double check the wiring in the center console thoroughly and perhaps have a carkit installer or auto electrian help out in getting it working.

Certainly beats the crazy prices BMW were talking about for a TCU replacement!

Best of luck and Ill keep an eye on this post to see if you have had any success.

Cheers to everyone for their help up here, hope I was able to give something small back in return.

Gib

Yes, NavCoder can code your TCU as follows:
Any name of your choice (not just BMW12345)
Any passkey of your choice (0000 or 1234 is easy to remember)
Switch on voice recognition and set the language
And more

Can you expand a little? What circuit did you need to make? You found the Eject Box plug and shorted the power on pins maybe?

Mine seems to be a different problem all together. Mine asks for the phone number I want to dial. When I give it a number, it says phone active, but, does nothing after that.

I also do not see a pairing or BT symbol to pair anywhere, not in nav screens, not in phone screens, or even in info screens. The last owners contact and last calls are in there, but no luck!

Any help would be welcome!

If ULF: use pairing button to initiate pairing
If TCU: pairing mode is active for first 2min after ign on, so pair your phone then