I believe that this is a straight swap in the E46. You are correct that all the other devices store and do the stuff; the screen is just a dumb display, like a computer module. The radio module will automatically detect that it has a single-disk CD player instead of the tape player and change its behavior accordingly.

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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

Thanks, Appreciated.

Can anybody tell me, is the firmware version of the Nav etc also held in the DVD module in the boot? Im hoping changing the screen will have no effect on the versions etc.

Yes, the nav OS is loaded in the nav computer. The screen is just a dumb display with no major function. It is just buttons and display-- the nav computer is the brains of the whole A/V system.

__________________
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

Ok so I swapped the monitor, so for anybody wanting to know, it was a simple straight swap, everything just worked exactly as it was before, radio settings, Nav settings, everything.

I am having an issue with the CD player version that I just bought on ebay however. This is a little off topic I know, but I hoped somebody might have some experience of this...

I swapped the cassette monitor for the CD version as I said, but although the unit appears to load and play a CD OK, it is doing wiered things. The best I can do to narrow it down is that if I use the < or > buttons to select a track, that track will stop abrubptly after around 10 secondss, and there is just silence as if the unit has frozen until I select another mode, but if I use the steering wheel controls to skip it doesnt.

I cant really explain this, but it does it most times i use the controls on the head unit.

Anybody else experienced this ?

Thanks

This is good to know...i'm thinking of doing the same thing cause i'd like to get an AUX input added....my current 16:9 tape doesn't have one...and the dealer can't confirm if one will work with my current deck.

What year is your car? It is possible that you have an older radio module that does not fully support the in-dash CD player. That is the only thing I can think of. If that is the case, then you could try a radio module upgrade to see if that fixes it.

__________________
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

So everything else works fine? The cd changer and the mk3 nav still works after the headunit upgrade? i'm thinking i will do this too if all those other things work, i mainly want a newer deck for the purpose of adding an aux input. but still want the cd changer to work atleast..the nav i could care less for

Hmmm, thanks. Its a 2002. When you say "upgrade", do you mean swap for a new one, or is there a soft upgrade?

I actually have the Mk4 Nav in mine (DVD). I swapped a casette 16:9 for a CD 16:9 and everything worked for me, it was exactly as it was, the screen is just "dumb". The only difference is I now have a CD player (with the little glitch mentioned above)