Avic F90Bt 2005 x5 install question
 

I went to have avic f90bt installed on my 2005 x5 ..the guy told me that they would have to run wires to all the speakers. I dont have DSP and dont believe that i have an amplifier. my research on this site had showed that i just had to connect the new unit to existing harness.

he also said that the radio antenna in my car is in the rear. is that true?

thanks

You do indeed have an amplifier and it is in the rear. The antenna is also in the back, it is actually build into one of the rear side windows in the back. There are a couple members here that have installed pioneer double din radios, maybe search around for threads... they might already have the needed info posted, possibly with pics.

Like Weasel said, all of your speaker connections are ran to the rear wiring harness. Once you find the harness the best way to find which wire pair goes to which speaker is to use a 9v battery, just touch it to the wires and listen for which speaker clicks and label. Although your antenna is located in the rear, the connection for it is up front, you just need a antenna adapter so it will work with the Avic.

Also if you become a premier member you have access to the online WDS wiring diagrams and can look up the wire colors and pin #s in the connectors etc. The top of the page would have this drop down.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r...icture1-41.png

Thanks for great info. unfortunately (fortunately for my X), i dont have skill or time to learn. will have to get it installed.

My understanding ( from extensive reading in this forum ) was that for a non-dsp x5, all one had to do was to remove the oem harness from the oem radio, connect that harness to a 3rd party harness and then connect the wires from this harmess to the wires from the avic. And this is all in the front ? is that correct?

i did get a antenna adapter from the bay.

my installers says he has to run wires to all the speakers and the run the wires from the antenna in the rear. obviously he doesnt know what he is talking about!

by the way , are the wiring diagram better than one can get from this site WDS BMW Wiring Diagram System - X5 E53

Same diagrams, the online WDS wiring diagrams is the same thing the dealers get directly from BMW. That's what I have to work with all day. But if the installer doesn't seem to know off hand what to do in a BMW, DO NOT USE HIM!!!

I have seen and had to repair so many butcher hack jobs done by BS installers that think it's ok to cut and splice wires etc. It would really be worth your time to find someone with good BMW experience, access to the right resources like the WDS, and know how to make their own pigtail harnesses if necessary. (like I have done on all my BMW accessory installs) and knows not to cut/splice any wires.

:iagree:I second that!!!!!!!

I installed a pioneer head unit about 2 weeks ago and you can view my thread here. http://www.xoutpost.com/electronics/...tall-pics.html

The Speaker wires are definitely in the back right off the harness on the factory amp. The OEM Amp has built in crossovers for each speaker. You will send all frequencies to all the speakers and will cause more distortion and eventually may break the speakers.

Your installer may need to find the high input wires for the factory amp to feed it the audio signals OR feed the speaker outputs of the Avic to the speakers wires but you have to install a passive crossover for each door. I did not connect the dash speakers on mine.

I would prefer to remove the OEM amp since the Pioneer headunit is pretty powerful by itself.

A small concern I may have for you when using the Pioneer speaker output is the fuse on the OEM radio. It is only 7.5A. The pioneer uses a 10A fuse so if you listen loud then there is a chance it may blow the OEM fuse.

PM me if you need more information.

Im saving up some cash to have mine installed as well, I figured id go to best buy to install the same F900BT. I purchased it for an old car but now id like to be in my X. Best Buy takes 150 for installation so its a fair decent price. Im going to save up and try and find a cheaper bazel tho :/

Besides all that I cant figure out, What a DSP is? DSP stands for Display? :/ and what differences would it make with the installation of the navigation system?

I just installed this amp with my friend who is a professional installer. He did have to tap into the amp, but did not have to connect directly into the wires for each speaker. When I upgrade my speakers we will obviously install an aftermarket amp, so the speakers will be running to the amp. But for the stocks and the time being, did not run any of those speaker wires directly to the HU.

Good luck with it, I love mine :)

Just get it in writing that best buy holds responsibility for any damage to the vehicle in the case of a bad install, and will cover repair costs in such case. And make sure you don't sign any papers of the opposite releasing them from the potential of damage to the vehicles electronics.

And DSP stands for digital sound processing. It gives the vehicle a whole different sound including factory subs etc. The differences for audio install would be different vehicle wiring.

went to local B east Buy ..just to check out. didnt feel comfortable there...they were asking $200 plus... i have F90bt, HD radio PAC-SWi and rear view camera (boyo)... i guess it is YMMV with b buy

eventually went to dealer recommended shop.. very experienced both with pioneer products as well as beemers. he, however, admitted that he had never worked on an X5. he will be charging between $250 to $375 .. He is on the higher side but i felt very confortable with him. Will drop off my truck as soon as my parrot mic arrives. I heard the stock pioneer mics are terrible.

will keep you guys posted. thanks very much for very helpful tips/suggestions

Good choice, I wouldn't take my ride to BestBuy especially knowing that some of the installers are not even certified.

From reading FE's posts, it sounds like he said something along the same lines. He also mentioned that he moved the mic from the far rightside of the panel to the far left side. Has anyone rewired the Pioneer connection to work w/ the stock mic, or maybe even drilled a hole the same size as the mic and put flushed it w/ one of the blank inserts? I've got a blank insert on each side of the sunroof controls, then to the far right is the factory mic.

Just seeing if this is something someone would be interested in purchasing my bezel. It is a VERY solid piece, about 3/4"-1" thick, has universal bracketing attached for use w/ I'm guessing just about any double din deck. I'm 6'4" and have been accused of reclining my seat back enough to appear that I'm in the backseat :) If I sit upright like a "normal" person the angle is great, but that simply isn't how I sit in my X, especially on 8hr roadtrips back and forth from Seattle and Reno. I bought this from Sobi (his X5 in the pics, it's too cold in the garage to take new pics w/ my black interior ;)...unless that'll make or break the sale), I definately sit further back from the screen than he does, and he can confirm that it's a studry bezel and in great shape...for someone under 6' or sits more upright. I'm looking to sell this bezel and force myself to pay the difference to get a mybimmer.net bezel instead. I'd like to get at least like $150, maybe even shipped for it. Any takers?