X3 Bluetooth Retrofit

Hi Guys, new at this forum. I have a 2006 E83 X3. No NAV. I want to install the bluetooth TCU. I found in the trunk area a Black Female connector and 3 Coax Cables. Are these the connectors required to install the TCU? What are the 3 coax cable for? Where on the CTU do I plug these three Coax Cables? Do they all go to the TCU? I do not want the armrest cradle. Do I need to make any mods to the coax or the cables in the armrest?Would I need anything else to complete this install? Other then the MIC? Do I need a Antenna module? If so where does it go? I cannot seem to find a retrofit guide for a TCU in a 2006 X3.

Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by serop

Hi Guys, new at this forum. I have a 2006 E83 X3. No NAV. I want to install the bluetooth TCU. I found in the trunk area a Black Female connector and 3 Coax Cables. Are these the connectors required to install the TCU? What are the 3 coax cable for? Where on the CTU do I plug these three Coax Cables? Do they all go to the TCU? I do not want the armrest cradle. Do I need to make any mods to the coax or the cables in the armrest?Would I need anything else to complete this install? Other then the MIC? Do I need a Antenna module? If so where does it go? I cannot seem to find a retrofit guide for a TCU in a 2006 X3.

Thanks in advance.

In the left rear there should be a 54 pin connector and a purple and cream coax (anntenae) connector. Both these cables plug into the ULF or TCU. As you said you need a mic in the overhead console. If you don't have the eject box then you'll need a pairing button to plug into the connector under the armrest. BMW no longer makes a pairing button but Bimmernav makes a retrofit. Here's a link to the installation instructions:

http://www.bimmernav.com/BMW_X3_Blue...tructions.html

thanks for the info. What is the third coax for? Where does the Bluetooth Antenna go? the link you posted does not have any info for the antenna.

This is the unit I'm looking at buying. It looks like the antenna is fixed on the unit. I understand the 54pin plug goes on one end of the TCU but the 3 coax cable that are in my car, where do they plug into this unit?

Originally Posted by serop

thanks for the info. What is the third coax for? Where does the Bluetooth Antenna go? the link you posted does not have any info for the antenna.

The purple and cream coax goes to the bluetooth antennae. I believe it's in the left side c pillar (just behind the rear seats). I believe the extra cables are for BMW assist. The BMW assist module I had before I replaced it with the ULF used all 3 coax cables. Bottom line is if you have the purple and cream coax connector you have a bluetooth antennae.

Sorry If I'm being annoying here, but I still do not understand where all the cables go. The TCU has 4 Coax ports and the antenna module has one. I do not have the Purple/Cream colored coax. I have 3 coax connectors I believe , Black, Purple, and Blue (or maybe one of them was cream). All the retrofit documents I find are for ULF modules and not TCU modules.

There has got to be a PDF of someone that has done this before with a TCU in a X3.....any one???

Again sorry if I'm being a pest here......

What you have pictured looks like an Assist module. You may want to try the bluetooth forum as those guys are the TCU specialists. I'm only familiar with the ULF.

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/bluetooth/

there is nothing on that forum. Anyone else? I really want to sort this out.

Thanks

Find out the part number of the unit you are buying and enter it into http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do . If it comes up as an Assist module as Legalfee suspects (as do I), then you're out of luck. A TCU will not have all those coax connectors, just one, along with a 54-pin connector that it clearly not a coax connector.

The first photo you posted is of three items, the likely Assist module (big silver box), the microphone (left) and the BT antenna (right). Neither of those two items are actually attached to the unit.

The other coax cables in the rear are for prewired Sirius and (possibly) navigation. A post here described that the sharkfin antenna is actually a combination of GPS+satellite+radio antenna and that the wires are there to simplify upgrades. I suspect BMW felt it was cheaper to simply install one antenna group and all the wires rather than have each car customized for that.

I also suspect your car is prewired for phone so all you will need is a TCU and maybe the microphone.

Let's get you a TCU and then we can talk about installing it. If you see an installed TCU (head to a used car lot that has an X3, perhaps) and you will see that installation is a few screws and connecting the cables.

-pd.

Thanks for the help guys, I appreciate it. Now, I'm on the hunt for a Bluetooth TCU and a Mic.

If you know of any place that has them for a good price please let me know.

Thanks again for the help.

Oh one more question would I absolutely require the pairing button?

Ebay for ULF or TCU. Bimmernav for mic and pairing button. The button isn't but like $15. If you don't want to spend the $15 try to pair without one and buy it later if you can't.

Serop-

A very similar thread is over on Bimmerboard (with Legalfee's good input as well): http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/730026

If you search that board there are a number of examples of how to pair without a pairing button on a ULF; the TCU should have a similar combination of pins to connect (most likely the same since the TCU and ULF use the same harness).

One other note: since I installed my eject box (which has a pairing button built in), I've never been able to pair a phone using the eject box button -- in fact, the button seems inoperable in total. I don't know whether I have a bad eject box, bad connection, or if it's working as designed. In any case, it hasn't affected my use of BT, so I'm not going to worry about fixing it.

-pd.