chart505
01-04-2008, 09:33 AM
THought some might be interesed in this install since many have the same issue. I have an early 03 w/0 the sat pre wire. Considered doing the tuner mod for a direct audio input, but frankly the FM modulator sounds good enough. So this is really low tech but cheap and it does work great. Can be done for about $5 in parts and a couple hours. The biggest time soak was routing the wires.
Anyways, heres what you do. I used a Sirius Starmate.
1) Go to Home Depot and get black silicone sealant, black velcro and a grey or black 45 degree plastice pipe elbow, 3/4 inch size (see pic)
2) Get the starmate with the car installation kit
3) Epoxy the back of the starmate dock to one end of the 45 degreee fitting. Glue velcro to the other end (see pic)
4) Put velcro on bottom of ashtray. This setup will hold the unit fairly steady but also allow you to pull it out quickly if you are parking at an airport, etc. You could also expoxy the other end to the ashtray base for a firmer mount, however getting the plugs unplugged is a bitch. If you dont plan on removing it, that would be a better way to go.
5) Antenna- this is the cool part. I didnt like any of the exterior installations and the putting the sat antenna on the dash does not work well on our cars due to the metallic glass coating. Even worse if you have tint. You will notice 2 "cut out" parts up by the rearview mirror mount. I assume BMW put those there for toll, nav, radar detector mounts, as they know the coated glass is a problem. Anyways, cut the top off a black spary paint can lid. The sirius round antenna drops right in and is pressed against the glass by sealing the lid to the inside glass with the silicone seal. Put velcro on the bottom of the sirius antenna and the bottom of the can lid, that will keep the antenna from rattling around. Be super carefull with the silicone, jut dab it along the edge of the can lid. Make sure you prop something between the lid and the mirror to hold it while it dries. Also, clean all surfaces with alchohol for good adhesion.
I used clear silicone, which was a mistake- use black. The flash from the pics shows the silicone, however in normal light you cant see much of it at all, does not look ghetto at all.
6) FM modulator antenna- mount this by tucking under the headliner on the rear window. THere is a pretty big gap back there which hides it very well.
7) Wiring- tedious but not difficult. Antenna wire runs around the headliner, down the pillar trim then under the steering wheel to the trans hump. FM runs same in the rear, then under the door sills, under the drivers seats and under the trans tunnel trim. Get your power from any of the sources under the steering wheel (one trim panel to remove-easy)
All the wires end under the AC unit on the trans hump. Remove the 2 side trans tunnel carpeted trim panels and you have great access. Then I just zip tied the wire bundle up to the console.
The reception is 100% with this setup, I am very pleased. Sirius tells you the antenna has to be mounted on a metal panel but that is just not true.
The evolution of this is pretty funny; I paid Circut City to do the intall- what a disaster. NEVER DO THAT. They ran wires all over, mounted the unit to an AC vent and threw the antenna un on the dash. Funniest part was they mounted the FM on the front glass when it obvious to any idiot that the BMW antenna is on the rear of the roof panel! I wanted a more custom installation, so there you have it. Cheap and it works.:thumbup:
Anyways, heres what you do. I used a Sirius Starmate.
1) Go to Home Depot and get black silicone sealant, black velcro and a grey or black 45 degree plastice pipe elbow, 3/4 inch size (see pic)
2) Get the starmate with the car installation kit
3) Epoxy the back of the starmate dock to one end of the 45 degreee fitting. Glue velcro to the other end (see pic)
4) Put velcro on bottom of ashtray. This setup will hold the unit fairly steady but also allow you to pull it out quickly if you are parking at an airport, etc. You could also expoxy the other end to the ashtray base for a firmer mount, however getting the plugs unplugged is a bitch. If you dont plan on removing it, that would be a better way to go.
5) Antenna- this is the cool part. I didnt like any of the exterior installations and the putting the sat antenna on the dash does not work well on our cars due to the metallic glass coating. Even worse if you have tint. You will notice 2 "cut out" parts up by the rearview mirror mount. I assume BMW put those there for toll, nav, radar detector mounts, as they know the coated glass is a problem. Anyways, cut the top off a black spary paint can lid. The sirius round antenna drops right in and is pressed against the glass by sealing the lid to the inside glass with the silicone seal. Put velcro on the bottom of the sirius antenna and the bottom of the can lid, that will keep the antenna from rattling around. Be super carefull with the silicone, jut dab it along the edge of the can lid. Make sure you prop something between the lid and the mirror to hold it while it dries. Also, clean all surfaces with alchohol for good adhesion.
I used clear silicone, which was a mistake- use black. The flash from the pics shows the silicone, however in normal light you cant see much of it at all, does not look ghetto at all.
6) FM modulator antenna- mount this by tucking under the headliner on the rear window. THere is a pretty big gap back there which hides it very well.
7) Wiring- tedious but not difficult. Antenna wire runs around the headliner, down the pillar trim then under the steering wheel to the trans hump. FM runs same in the rear, then under the door sills, under the drivers seats and under the trans tunnel trim. Get your power from any of the sources under the steering wheel (one trim panel to remove-easy)
All the wires end under the AC unit on the trans hump. Remove the 2 side trans tunnel carpeted trim panels and you have great access. Then I just zip tied the wire bundle up to the console.
The reception is 100% with this setup, I am very pleased. Sirius tells you the antenna has to be mounted on a metal panel but that is just not true.
The evolution of this is pretty funny; I paid Circut City to do the intall- what a disaster. NEVER DO THAT. They ran wires all over, mounted the unit to an AC vent and threw the antenna un on the dash. Funniest part was they mounted the FM on the front glass when it obvious to any idiot that the BMW antenna is on the rear of the roof panel! I wanted a more custom installation, so there you have it. Cheap and it works.:thumbup:
