Well bad news, I’m now trying to take my console apart to find the roller blind covers. They broke into so many pieces I cannot get the last few out to have the new ones slide all the way in. The TIS instructions mentioned here are gone, the site says its no longer exists.

Yeah, BMW has been scrubbing the internet and removing every instance of TIS instructions they can find. They simply don't want us working on our own cars without them getting a piece of that pie. They'll be more than happy to sell it to you for a few hundred bucks though, or rent it to you by giving you access to it online for a couple days.

I moved on to an F15 X5 M-Sport in 2021. Thankfully all I had to do in a set of spark plugs, and put a new oil pan on it. Transmission is due. BMW wants to buy it from me and sell me another overpriced lemon. Not happenin.

Removing the center console without the TIS instructions would be quite a challenge, as the order of removing parts is important. The TIS can still be found online via a Google search, and the TIS is also embedded into the ISTA diagnostic tool which is invaluable when working on these vehicles.


A few years ago I removed the console (extra interesting with the rear seat entertainment built in) to get at the cup holders so that I could lube the rollers properly and get them rolling again. It worked for about 2 years, then they got sticky again, then they broke altogether. I've just left them open ever since as I've not built up the desire to spend a boat load of money on new cup holders nor take the 5+ hours to put them in.