Yes there is a microphone up there as well. I guess the key phrase is " working TCU". It must be inop because even using your last procedure it simply does not ever show up on my iPhone. What else would be a symptom of an inop TCU?
No message appears on the MID unit about pairing either. Is BT a subscription type feature that I must pay for?

Check the area around the TCU for water damage. That area is known for filling up with water if the sunroof drains are blocked. The TCU might have shorted out from the water.

Do you also have the BT antenna hooked up? It's #4 in the diagram and link to the part number index below.

well no water damage in the bay, but i cannot see any module that looks like the bluetooth antenna as in your depiction. Where is it located? My ULF has the 54 pin connector on one end and has three cables (that look like antnenna cables) on the other end. They all run under the panel (the one immediately forward of the removable access panel) but I dont know how to remove this panel. I have found and removed the 2 hidden screws under the forward tiedown ring holder but it seems attached at the top somehow and there are no apparent screws/bolts/snaps that i can see...anyone ever removed this panel before??

Did you install a ULF or TCU module? The instructions and BT install I'm speaking and answering questions about is for the TCU (telematics control unit) that was installed in latter built e53s. The ULF modules were used in earlier models e38s/e39s/e46s/e53s that usually had a physical analog BMW phone installed.

Have you seen this DIY thread that has pics of the e53 BT setup (and BT antenna)?

https://xoutpost.com/articles/all-bm...03-bmw-x5.html

well i didnt install either. This is just what the car came with. I'm not sure if it's a TCU or ULF (not sure why I thought it was a ULF) but it's just a long aluminum flat unit as previously described. But there ius no antenna on top of the bracket either. If you could point me where to find out how to post pics I can put some up.

You should buy a multimeter that can measure current and find out how much of a draw you have and exactly where it is coming from. You have spent way more time posting than it takes to find the problem and fix it properly and confidently.

I do have a multimeter and have measured the current, as well as the voltage drops across every fuse in the vehicle (yes I waited the 16 minutes until the vehicle went to sleep and the door switches were bypassed as well). The numbers are exactly as called for in several posts and BMW specs - sleeping draw was ~ 40 mA.

Yes, I have spent a lot of time on the forum posting and reading posts. I still have no answer. But the info one can get from these forums is invaluable. Mostly.

Qsilver7 thank you for all the quick and detailed responses. I think everyone on this forum has benefited from your informative replies and schematics at one time or another and we all appreciate your input greatly.

Holy crap!, my point exactly, if sleeping draw is 40 ma. there is no problem other then maybe your battery!

To the mods: What's the deal with people trying to get a lot of attention/posts/responses for ridiculous things ?? Is there somehow money to be made or is it that they just like attention ??