how to get FM radio back?
 

I was wiping the dash and somehow I must've pressed something and now I can't get FM. pressing the FM button doesn't do anything as well.

When I first turn on the screen, the first screen is the "accept" thing which I do accept and then it goes to a screen with several selection like GPS (for selecting destination), settings (for setting time/date format and etc) and other options.

My unit is the one with the GPS.

Any ideas on how to get back normal functions?

thanks! :)

I think you push the mode button to get it to change from CD & Radio.

tried that already. I pushed all the buttons :/

are you in the OCE mode? or the US? in either mode you should have the FM but maybe, just maybe, you have changed the mode and it somehow lost the FM...

turn off the radio, then turn it on and hold MENU button as the radio comes on... in about 10 seconds or so, you should see the serial number of the radio... as you go through available options, one of them should be country, toggle to the desired country then turn the radio off, and then back on... any preset radio stations will be wiped off but maybe you can get your FM back... let us know how it went...

how do I turn off the radio? I've recently got hold of the car and not familiar with stuff yet. thanks!

the left knob that regulates the volume - press it in...

which makes me think...

is your radio ON to begin with? is little orange light next to volume knob on? push that knob once, see if the light comes on... your radio might simply be turned off...

imgur: the simple image sharer (not my car)

the light beside the left knob is on and the light beside the cassette eject button (top right) is on as well.

thanks again :)

you said the light next to cassette eject buttonis on... it is a bluetooth light... it is green when there is an active call, the radio is muted but the radio functions still work, you can dial into frequency, you can go to CD changer or TV tuner, but can't hear anything, while the call is active, as is evidenced by the green light...

if the light is red, the BT unit is connected to the cell phone but there is not coverage and thus the light is red... not sure about stand alone orange light... but when all three are blinking, then you have pairing in progress...

tell us more about your issue:

radio is on - amberlight next to volume is on

using MODE key on the left, can you select CD changer? can you play the CDs?
using the AM key, can you select AM radio station, is the frequency visible on screen, can you dial to a station and listen to it?
using the FM key, can you select FM radio station, is the frequency visible on the screen, can you dial to a station and listen to it?
using the same FM key, can you get into next FM screen, FM2?
what about FMA? can you press FM key again to get to FMA?
are any of those things visible on the monitor?

when you go to the TV function (if you have TV), can you tune to a broadcast station? can you hear it?

when you are navigating, can you hear the navigation lady (i have a lady, do you have a lady?) telling what to do?

when you have BT call, can you hear your BT conversation over the factory speakers and the microphone?

will check those suggestion when I get home. thank you very much! :)

Just tried now. No light beside left knob. Pressing the left knob in for more than 20 secs doesn't do anything.

Above the left knob is mode/fm/am and numbers for station selection. I can access the menu for computer/GPS/tv and other settings but no radio.

Only menu, tape eject and right knob works

If you don't know how to turn the radio off...you don't need us, you need the owners manual.

Read thru this first, so that you have the basic understanding of how everything works...then if you're still confused...feel free to ask for clarification of what you don't understand. Click the following link to download & save a copy of the Nav owners manual to your computer or other mobile device: http://e38.org/BMW-2004-NavOwnersManual.pdf

As mentioned, when you accidentally pressed a button on the Nav when you were cleaning the dash...you may have initiated BT or the Phone which will mute the radio and other audio functions. You need to get a working understanding of what all the buttons do so that you're not just pressing buttons all willy nilly. :)
PS: don't worry about the model year of the Nav owners manual...if you have the wide screeen nav...then whatever model year you have (I see you STILL haven't created a signature that includes your model/model year/build date)...the instructions are the same.

mr jay, if the light next to knob is not on, the radio is NOT on... if the radio is not on, it will not work.
can you go back to my questions and go line by line and answer them - it is rather hard to decipher the telegraphic messages that you are typing - you are probably on a smart phone... try to get to a computer and do a comprehensive run on the buttons and tell us what is happening...

at this point it looks like that you just turned off your radio, and now you do not know how to turn it on. Holding the left knob for 20 seconds does not resolve anything. you just press it once, the radio should come on...

if it does not come on from a short press, not a 20 second long press, then you might have a blown fuse, however, since you did not tell us if the TV sound works, or the navigation sound operational, it is hard to tell if the fuse is blown or not...

not trying to come hard on you, but if you want quality help, please follow the troubleshooting instructions and let us know about the results for further guidance.

Welcome to the club, this is a very nice vehicle that you have, but please remember, this is not a manufacturer's help line, this is a "club" of folks who love the marque, the cars and like playing with their toys...

we like to show off our cars...

so, it would be nice to see your ride - we'd like to see pictures of your car...

if you had done any mods, cosmetic or performance, we would like to drool over those...

over the years we have accumulated wealth of knowledge rivaled by the original design engineers - we are capable of helping you, and each other to enhance the performance and appearance of our cars... But we are not obligated to do so...

Qsilver7 has suggeested that you create a signature line that would include some basic info like the year, the engine size and the approximate mileage of your ride - this helps us to narrow the advice suited to your ride... Please follow his suggestions, as there are many members reading these posts and not replying because they do not know what you have...