Adding Aux Input
 

I want to add an aux imput to my 2005 X5 with the business radio. I have 2 questions.

1. Can I add the aux imput and keep my already installed iPod Your BMW kit?

2. How much should this cost and where is the best place to get it installed. (I do not want to install myself - no time and no DIY skills.)

Thanks for your help.

Yes!

Business Radio takes less than two minutes to remove. These instructions will show how to gain access to the radio:

http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/s...bluetooth.html

Very easy and its Fun. I did on mine but it did not work coz my cd was 2002 model so i will leave it there till i get a new cd player the latest. Good Luck. It cost $59 including tax from the dealer

I called 2 local Boston BMW dealers to quote an install.

Dealer 1, BMW Gallery: $75 for parts, 1 hour of labor , total cost = $183.

Deler 2, Foreign Motors West: $40 parts, 2 hours labor, total cost = $259.

Are these prices fair or am I getting hosed by the dealers?:confused:

Yes. BMW's MSRP is $39.95 for the part alone, this will cancel out #1. Installation time is booked at 1.5 hours. Honestly, I would be very suprised if you could not do this job yourself - is it one of the easiest mods to perform on your X5.

Feel free to email me directly and I'll send you instructions and you can determine if this job is something you want to tackle or not. It may even shave off .5 hour at dealer #2 if you bring him a copy.

HOSED this is a simple DIY

I'll take a look at the directions, however I am an idiot with no patience when it comes to things like this.:tsk:

Spend the money and have them do it then. honestly, ive found that if people are like this, its well worth just spending the money and having it done, then going through the aggravation of trying to do it yourself.

My time is worth more than that i think. 200 bucks and its done, instead of 50 bucks and 3 hours into it and not being done yet.

I did mine last night, 45 mins from start to finish , and I have never had the cd player and mid out before, very very easy.
I fitted the aux input in the small area just below the cig lighter in the ash tray area, looks nice and tidy.
I have a Sony HD5 and it has a true Line out so the sound quality is pretty good, much better than using a standard headphone socket.

:) :) :)

Steve,
Do you have to take the CD player out as well? Or just the MID is enough to fit the AUX connector? Do you have a picture of your install of the Aux input jack below the cig lighter area? I just got the Aux kit myself and will install it over the weekend. Thanks.

Hi Ken,

Yes you have to take out the CD player aswell, there are two small allen screws, turn them anti clockwise untill they are loose and then slightly grip again.The most difficult job was removing the 3 pins from the aux harness plug, even with a small screw driver releasing the tiny pins they were quite tight to pull out, but be gentle and it is fine,but you might not need to do this.The instuctions with the kit explain why. .Feeding the cable down to the ash tray area is easy.I will take a picture and add it here later.PM me if you need any further help.
Steve

would this work if i got nav?

You can add Aux input to a vehicle with nav as long as the radio module is from a 2003 or newer.

I retrofitted AUX into my 2001 by swapping in a radio module from a 2003 and it works great. The 2002 model year is easier to do because it already has the harness with the flat pin connectors. The 2000 and 2001 will require, in addition to an updated radio module, adaptor harnesses to convert the round pin connector style to the flat pin connector style.

no i mean how hard/easy would it be to remove the nav screen to get to the rear to install?

It's not that hard to do. See http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/all-...n-removal.html

Also note that on a vehicle with nav, the radio module itself is located in the spare tire well. So you can also hook up the AUX input connector there rather than behind the nav screen, if that works better for your situation.

that would be nice but dragging the entire thing through the car i dunno my idea is to get an aux for my ipod (dont feel like getting ice link just yet)

pictures of aux installed in the ash tray area.Sounds great using the Line out connection.
:) :)

Very nice aux install. Did you do this yourself or have it installed. What was the cost?

Steve, Thanks for the pictures and tips on the install. Very nicely done, by the way :thumbup: I will attempt the install today, though, I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to drill a hole in the location that you've pictured.

My experience is that the CD player isn't as easy to remove as people think. I've loosened the screws, etc... But the trim door keeps getting in the way. I'm trying to be gentle with it, but does it all come out as one piece? What am I missing?

The CD player does simply slide out as one piece. Although, I thought I ran into the same problem that you have described, but it just turned out that I had to loosened up the screws some more. The trick is that you have to keep turning those 2 screws (counterclockwise) below the CD player until they start making a "click"...that's when they are completely loose.

Steve,
I never realized that one would need to transfer the 3 pins (wires) over to the connector that was already installed behind the radio (CD player). I've always thought that it would just be "plug and play" using the connector that came with the kit. But luckily, I had some previous experience with removing/installing this type of pins/connectors...so it wasn't so bad.

Thanx, yes I did it myself, took about 45 minutes.The aux input cable was $35 from crevier.

How did you get on, where did you put the input in the end.Drilling the hole was ok,it was a 1/4" , just took it nice and carefull.
Taking out the pins was a bit of a pain, 1 was v easy, 1 was a little tight and the 3rd was a bas***d and it damaged a little .But they all went back in the connector behind the cd, I just wrapped some insulation tape around the 3 cables so they all stuck together,to stop the loose one not pushing out.
The Amp and sub project is still " in progress ", I am waiting till I get a quiet friday and then take the car to work on my dime and do the work in the workshop, it will be so much easier with all the tools, I also have the OEM hitch to fit and my Reactive tips to do,,,,, so many projects and so little time ( with 2 small children anyway !!!! ).
Steve.

Steve, I really wanted to put the jack in the same location as you did, but I didn't trust myself with the drill. Instead, I decided to hack into something that is somewhat more "disposable"...like the ashtray itself.

Well done Ken, enjoy.What type of music player do you have.I would have done the " I pod your BMW " thing if I had one.But I am very happy with my Sony HD5 , the battery life is amazing, about 35 hrs and the songs are seamless when played back !!.
:) :)

I have the Alpine MP3 6disc changer for the everyday commute, but for the longer trips...I'm using the archos AV500 => http://www.xoutpost.com/attachments/l...g?d=1139086262, which provides all of my albums at my fingertip.

Can someone post step by step instruction on how to install the aux input?? I bought the cable but have absolutely no clue where to start???

well, i GOT IT DONE! But i guess the hardest part was not knowing that the 3 aux cables that you end up taking off of the aux connecter actually go in to 1( the black one not the white one ) of two 12 pin connectors that are attached to the CD PLAYER NOT THE RADIO ITSELF.
I ended up running mine to the ash tray! Here are some pictures.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...o/DSC01601.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...o/DSC01596.jpg

I installed my aux input today, decided to place it in the rear cause I don't like having cables around center console and because I often plug the portable DVD player for kids. (I have confort seats and panoramic sunroof, therefore no possibility to retrofit entertainment system)

The OEM cable is long enought to go through the center arm rest:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/jmagne/SFPVoc4J...0/DSCN7096.JPG

I did mine this way, too. The little cig snuffer cone pops out and the aux ID plate covers the hole. The screws that come with the kit are tiny so you have to drill the exact right size pilot hole through that steel top plate.

It is easy to feed the aux cable to this location and the lid closes. I was thinking of one of those ash tray iPod stands that hook up to a Dice. I think you could drill a hole in its base and still have access to the aux.

It figures that I finally have a vehicle that has all this electronic stuff and I end up screwing with it.

What mode do I need to be in to activate the AUX input? CD?
Thanks

After installing AUX, it will be presented as an additional mode when pressing the MODE button.

Is that just the screen that needs replacing then? or the unit in the boot?