DSP took a swim

[NextGen]

I wouldn't let that guy near my car. That electronic part is an LOC (Line Out Converter). This part will take speaker level audio and convert it to RCA level audio. This allowed him to put an aftermarket amp in your car not a BMW amp. Also that part is not a BMW part. I don't think BMW makes any LOC components as they don't need them. You must have a BMW amp to get DSP.

[Weasel]

Looks like the indy hacked up your harness, installed a cheap atermarket amp with rca/high level converters. I'd have an estimate made to make it fully right by the dealer, including correct DSP amp and harness repair... Then have the indy pay the bill to fix what he screwed up and refund what you paid him, taking back his parts once removed by qualified technicians. Blatant hack job, obvious butcher. I'd strongly consider not using that shop for anything in the future.

And everything Brian-BMW has said is spot on.

[Brian-bmw]

Originally Posted by beepbird

There appears to be a few cables cut and a strange clear box with a circuit board inside was installed.

What would you say my options are right now?

Oh NO! It appears that you have been ripped off. And they damaged the wiring.

The posts by zerochief, NIGHTMAREuki, NextGen, and weasel56 pretty much sum it up. First, I would never take anything I care about back to that mechanic. If he promised you a DSP amp replacement, what he did was unethical and borderline criminal. Basically, he installed $200 worth of parts and charged you $1,000.

I would confront the indy and let him know that you investigated and determined that his work is fraudlent and that he damaged the car's wiring. Then, I would tell him that you are taking the car to a qualified BMW dealer to install a DSP amp and repair the wiring. Tell him you want a full refund for all the money you have given him, and you expect him to pay for the BMW dealer's repair costs. If you paid via credit card, carefully document everything promised and performed, and then dispute the charges. We can help fill in the details to make your case. The credit card company will most likely support your position if you are business-like and thorough.

Next, you will have to suck it up and get the wiring repaired and original amp replaced. This is something that many of us hobbiests could do in a couple hours. However, I am guessing you may not be comfortable doing it yourself. A good BMW dealer ought to be able to fix it in two to three hours of labor. I would expect no more than $600, and as little as $200.

Lastly, start shopping for a new BMW mechanic. And, if you have had any recent work done, you might want to get that checked by someone else as well.

[beepbird]

Thanks for all the advice! My contact at the BMW dealership says the DSP unit 65.12-6 940 977 is about $1800.

The indy is willing to take the part back. I didn't ask about putting back to normal.

I wish I had found you guys earlier. I am an engineer and would have followed your instructions instead of taking it to an indy.

I'll keep you informed as to what the dealership says.

Lindy

[Brian-bmw]

The dealer price is high for a DSP amp replacement, but not totally out of line. DSP amps retail at most dealers for around $1,300. However, BMW dealers that discount sell them for only $1,100. Installation only takes about an hour, but I would not be surprised if most dealers charge 2 hours labor for installation and coding.

However... you can easily do the replacement yourself and worst case pay a dealer for 1 hour of labor to code it.

Here's an eBay search that does a pretty good job finding DSP amps. You can use any amp made by either Loewe or Lear. BMW used the same parts in the E38 7 Series, E39 5 Series, and X5. They are 100% interchangeable with only coding differences. If the amp came from a car just like yours (X5 without navigation), then you could install it without any coding. Expect to pay somewhere around $75 - $150 for a used amp on eBay.

bmw amp dsp, digital, e38, e39, x5, 740 , 750 -e32, eBay Motors, Electronics items on eBay.com

Good luck,
Brian

[beepbird]

Status now

So I went back to my indy and printed out this forum and handed it to him. Since the indy never touched the car, he is lamblasting his audio vendor who works closely with a dealer in So Cal. He expects that the audio guy will be paying for the repairs and taking back the aftermarket amp.

In the mean time, I am waiting for the insurance company claims adjuster to review the damage and for them to determine how best to get a replacement part for the DSP (either full price dealer or via e bay). My comprehensive policy was going to cover the difference over my $250 deductible.

I did notice last night that when my radio is tuned to AM 980, there was a terrible buzz associated with that channel. Haven't run the full spectrum yet but that will probably be next.

Thank you all for your great advice and I will give you an update after I get the right part installed.

Lindy

[beepbird]

Here are a couple more pictures of how they tried to install the substandard part.

My friend at a dealer thinks it will cost $600-$800 to get the wiring back to factory.

The insurance company wants me to work with a dealer to get this straightened out.

The indy is supposed to provide me the cut off wire connector.

What a mess!!!!

Lindy

[Brian-bmw]

Wow, what a mess. The dealer's estimate is probably not too far off. Your car has 14 pairs of speaker wires, so they could have potentially made spaghetti or the factory wiring to connect that turd of an aftermarket amp.

There were three plugs on the DSP amp: a big 15-pin plug, a medium-sized 26-pin plug, and an 18-pin plug. It looks like only the 18-pin plug remains (from the picture). Be sure to get the other two plugs.

[NextGen]

The part that bothers me is that this guy knew exactly what to cut. I wonder how many other X's have been butchered by this guy?