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2002 540i, need iPod and Bluetooth

4K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Solo12 
#1 ·
I love my E 39 but I want the new dashboard technology. Local car stereo guy suggests Pioneer Avic Z140. Nav system with 7 inch touchscreen, replaces my radio and nav system.

Perhaps it is time for a new 550 but I think I prefer old 540.

I wonder if the forum has suggestions on this kind of retrofit. Thanks in advance for advice and help.
 
#2 · (Edited)
There are many many routes to take when it comes to this.

Dynavin
Double DIN
DICE Media bridge (no nav)
AUX retrofit

The aux is good if your on a strict budget. The Iphone 4s IMO works well since it has good voice command for music and phone (Nearly hands free) sucky part though is that you have to "Slide to answer", but on the good side, all audio gets voiced through the speakers
 
#4 ·
iPod in E39

You will lose the steering wheel control of the radio if you upgrade the head unit.

I bought an $80 adapter from Crutchfield that connects to the CD changer wire in the trunk. You plug the box into the factory wire, reboot the system by pulling the neg off the battery and the radio will select the changer with the MODE button. Next, run a stereo cable through the hole for the ski bag into the cabin from the trunk and you are able to play music from a mini plug. The sound quality is excellent with no ignition squeal.

There are speaker phone boxes that are stand alone for bluetooth.

Crutchfield is helpful to explain what is involved with radio upgrades.
 
#5 ·
Hi,

Bob dueb - that's actually incorrect! premium brand head unit manufacturers will have a steering wheel control interface they sell to use with their head units. There's also aftermarket solutions from the likes of PAC, Connects2 and Paser.

Fricchione - The issue with trying to interface new technologies with 10-15 year old designed systems is compatibility. Certain things can be done, and other's cannot. Those items which can be done, are often expensive in relative terms compared to other solutions which have a different direction. I'll explain a little more..

You sound as though you want to 'add on' to the oem audio/GPS system in the car. You have a 2000 model year E39, did it come with the 16:9 widescreen monitor / GPS setup? if so, you'll most likely have a Mk3 CD disk based GPS computer. The one most owners go for is the Mk4 DVD disk based GPS unit from the later E46 and E53 cars which plug n play in the E39 with the oem audio/GPS setup above. They do cost around £300-400 over here in the UK and the US pricing is likely to be around $500-700 USD. It's ONLY that oem setup which is able to have the oem Bluetooth module retrofitted as well, so if you have any other oem setup, you cannot add oem bluetooth. Assuming you do have the 16:9 monitor/GPS setup, then you'll need to find the last version of the bluetooth module which had the last 'Bluetooth Stack' - given that these modules will be from around 2005/6 from E46 and E53's they're coming onto 7/8 years old. New mobile phones might not be able to 'pair' and 'connect' with such an old bluetooth version, so perhaps the next round of iPhone 6 or 7 just 'wont work' - if you do find a module, they'll be perhaps $300-400 USD (plus any fitting charges) and you might need to buy looms. For an iPod connection, you'd need to look at solutions from DICE, Dension, mObridge, GROM - expect to pay perhaps $250-400+ for this.

As mentioned above, there are such things as aftermarket bluetooth hands free car kits available from the likes of Parrot, Motorola etc. They can be connected to the existing audio setup you have and can stream iPod as well. You'll have to mount a control screen somewhere in the dash though, so if you are more of the wish to keep the dash with uncluttered looks, you might not want it, but if there's no other way, you may well have to!

The chinese all in one replacement head units which have GPS, iPod and Bluetooth built in are a 'possibility' - the best of these are the Dynavin's and if you do consider this route buy from Jeff out of Fresno Calif. as he's the US official importer/dealer, his website is here - http://jandtdistributing.com/dynavinsolutions/ - any of the other cheap chinese units, are more risky to buy as their quality is much lower with much less support.

If you prefer an easier life and want products that a high quality and work well, then consider getting a premium brand double DIN head unit fitted. Ipod and Bluetooth are pretty much standard features on most units out there. Those who want to 'add' a navigation module have the choice to do so - with software like Co-Pilot and TomTom available on Android and Apple markets at like $50-70 USD, many people use their smartphones for GPS duties.

Have a look around this forum and other BMW forums as much can be done to an E39, all depends on what you want, how much you'd like to spend and if you *must* keep the oem looks in the dash.. or not!

Cheers, Dennis!
 
#6 ·
A few questions....

I'd like to upgrade it, but not spend a ton of money. The Dynavin unit seems fine, but I'd like to confirm a few things..

1. The dash I have looks like the one in this picture. Mine is a six speed and a different wood grain, but the style is the same..

It *SEEMS* like the Dynavin unit replaces the wood grain section around the existing screen and rearranges the position of the buttons for radio presets, etc. Does anyone have a picture of what this would look like once in? I'd like to see if its a good fit. I'm less concerned about losing the wood grain, but it has to look like it belongs there.

2. The unit seems to be plug for plug compatible with the existing unit. Is this the case? Are there any adapter cables or mounting hardware that do not come with it that you need to buy?

3. Any advice on the install? I've done this on other cars before, but not an E39. Is there some part where you need the help of a spaghetti armed, plier fingered alien? Does half the dashboard come off, or something reasonable? I looked for a PDF or something from a posting which describes the replacement of an OEM NAV system on an E39 and couldn't find one. Is there something out there?

Thanks in advance.

Rick
 

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#8 ·
I'd like to upgrade it, but not spend a ton of money. The Dynavin unit seems fine, but I'd like to confirm a few things..

1. The dash I have looks like the one in this picture. Mine is a six speed and a different wood grain, but the style is the same..

It *SEEMS* like the Dynavin unit replaces the wood grain section around the existing screen and rearranges the position of the buttons for radio presets, etc. Does anyone have a picture of what this would look like once in? I'd like to see if its a good fit. I'm less concerned about losing the wood grain, but it has to look like it belongs there.

2. The unit seems to be plug for plug compatible with the existing unit. Is this the case? Are there any adapter cables or mounting hardware that do not come with it that you need to buy?

3. Any advice on the install? I've done this on other cars before, but not an E39. Is there some part where you need the help of a spaghetti armed, plier fingered alien? Does half the dashboard come off, or something reasonable? I looked for a PDF or something from a posting which describes the replacement of an OEM NAV system on an E39 and couldn't find one. Is there something out there?

Thanks in advance.

Rick
Check out this thread if you are interested in Dynavin it is the main Dynavin thread. It should answer most if not all of your questions about Dynavin and I think it has some install info and pics too. You should be able to find pics of what the Dynavin will look like in the thread. But in answer to your question yes that whole rectangular area with the wood gain (Nav screen buttons and all) is removed and the Dynavin goes into that slot.

Important
Please consider these two things before proceeding down the Dynavin route

1) Unless there has been a recent update/solution if you have the OEM DSP sound option, the Dynavin will most likely not work. I think one or two people might have figured out a work around, but I am not sure.

2) Your OBC functions (mpg, avg mph, distance to empty ect) will not work once you remove the factory headunit. Dynavin does have some of these features, but they do not work in the same way as the OEM ones (not necessarily worse or better just different). To many people this is a non issue, but if all the different OBC functions are important to you/your daughter it is something to think about.

A couple of people have relocated their MID to the glovebox so they can still keep all the OEM OBC functions. Although I am not sure if that will be useful with the low OBC cars as I am not sure if they have that LCD screen on the instrument cluster to displace the OBC info. Also you don't have a MID since you have NAV so you would have to purchase a used MID which would be a lot of money for something to sit in the glove box just so you can have OBC functions.

What happens to the CD reader in the trunk? Its certainly not fast enough for a new technology unit. Is it simply disconnected and the drive is internal to the unit?
Rick
You should be able to find the answer in the Dynavin thread. But my guess is you just disconnect it as I doubt it would interface with the Dynavin. Even if it would I don't see the benefit. I am sure your daughter will just use the ipod interface with Dynavin or the in dash CD player that is built into the unit. Or she might just stream her music via bluetooth as I am pretty sure that is a supported feature of Dynavin.
 
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