How to Retrofit a Bluetooth TCU to your car

Originally Posted by D4T_POM

Hi AceFx, sorry to be off topic but I wanted to change my M-ASK and MMI have found a BMW Breaker who has all the stuff I need which is from an facelift late 2006 E65.

I was wondering if I could get the Dashsoft software off of you, and also wanted to know if I could get all the relevent usb firmware or adapters files as well.

Im very impressed with your work which you have so far done on your E66, your videos are also very very helpful.

Many thanks in advance.

I found a link to the software on another thread that Ace was involved in, I can't remember where exactly now but will have a look.

Do you already have the interface? This software only works with a specific interface lead and not any of the INPA leads. I think the software looks for a code/serial number of some sort from the USB interface to validate the software. It's just a copy of the PA Soft interface.

Unless you have money to burn and have a serious fascination with HEX then I'd advise going the INPA route using the methods myself, Paper and Jeff have explained on this thread.

Good luck with the retrofit!

Stuart

Many thanks Stuart

I have been on eBay and have an item number is this the item i need to do the retro fit

Ebay Item No 180709221029

Originally Posted by Gadget760Li

I have been on eBay and have an item number is this the item i need to do the retro fit

Ebay Item No 180709221029

Hi Gadget760Li,

That TCU is an AMPS variant, are you in the US? My retrofit was using a GSM unit. I also believe this may not be the full bluetooth version, i.e. it only works with the BMW bluetooth phone, I may be wrong but the date is quite early (2005/6).

May be worth emailing the seller to see if he has any more info.

Hi
No I'm in the UK, had a 02 745i and just brought the 760Li 04 but the Bluetooth handset isn't registering and really can't be bothered to go to BMW to sort it. Read your post and I'm really impressed. I was thinking something. Is there a way to keep the original setup but upgrade the TCU to link up to whatever phone you have in the car. It only really needs to read the directory and allow you to dial from it using the SIM network in the car which would be a stronger signal than you phone which is shielded by the cars surroundings (a signal loss of about -10dB)
Could you point me into the right direction of where to purchase the TCU please

Originally Posted by Gadget760Li

Hi
No I'm in the UK, had a 02 745i and just brought the 760Li 04 but the Bluetooth handset isn't registering and really can't be bothered to go to BMW to sort it. Read your post and I'm really impressed. I was thinking something. Is there a way to keep the original setup but upgrade the TCU to link up to whatever phone you have in the car. It only really needs to read the directory and allow you to dial from it using the SIM network in the car which would be a stronger signal than you phone which is shielded by the cars surroundings (a signal loss of about -10dB)
Could you point me into the right direction of where to purchase the TCU please

Hi, well it depends on what system you already have installed. As you are in the UK you will need a GSM TCU.

GSM units hav an IMEI number on the label, as far as I know for full bluetooth functionality you need a TCU that has MOST 1.5 ECE on the label, if you see my earlier posts the label of the unit I have has an error! where the IMEI number is labeled as an ESN (just to confuse you!) If you have an 04 plate then you will have to upgrade the MMI iDrive display if you haven't already done so. The new TCU is not compatible with the older pre-facelift MMI.

To obtain the gain in signal strength you need to also install the phone cradle in the arm rest. I havent done this yet, I may get round to it in future, I have transmission issues at the moment!

I will try to help as much as possible, remember there are some TCU's that are kind of universal, they are used on many of the model range, thats the one I have. There is a post a few pages back that gives a list of compatible E65 TCU's search these on eBay but make sure you get a GSM one!

Thanks for your support I'll look into this and try to get the correct TCU from eBay plus the MMI. I will post my results on the site once I'm complete.

HI

stuartjohn24

Do I need to remove $638S(638A CAR TELEPHONE PROFESSIONAL) from FA
I have this phone in drawer, and bluetooth connecting only with this phone
I`m already add $633 removed $638 changed MMIGT and also in TCUM but wont work I reckon need different module as yours i have at the moment 84116946328
cheers

Hi 7-Drivers,

i done it all today, but reading or conding with NCS dosent Work my TCU has Codierindex 21 end of 2007 any Idea's. My Phone found the TCU and in the MMi it Works like a Chamre only Paring is Impossible.

best regards

Originally Posted by masa52

HI

stuartjohn24

Do I need to remove $638S(638A CAR TELEPHONE PROFESSIONAL) from FA
I have this phone in drawer, and bluetooth connecting only with this phone
I`m already add $633 removed $638 changed MMIGT and also in TCUM but wont work I reckon need different module as yours i have at the moment 84116946328
cheers

Hi,

Yep, looks like the TCU is the older bluetooth unit that only supports the phone supplied in the drawer. You will need a TCU 1.5 MOST ECE unit.

When attempting to code remove VO options for the original phone and add $633 (for ECE bluetooth prep) do a dummy change and dont actually write this VO to the CAS/LMA

You will most likely need to edit the production date too so that NCS loads the correct daten files for the new TCU.

Originally Posted by CrashOverrideSE

Hi 7-Drivers,

i done it all today, but reading or conding with NCS dosent Work my TCU has Codierindex 21 end of 2007 any Idea's. My Phone found the TCU and in the MMi it Works like a Chamre only Paring is Impossible.

best regards

Whats the part number of the TCU you have fitted? You will need to make some dummy changed to the VO so that NCS can communicate with the new TCU. I am getting alot of questions about this, I will compile a more detailed DIY on this subject in the week.

Hey stuartjohn24

84.109171347-01 its from 21.08.2007

i hope you can help :-)

Originally Posted by stuartjohn24

do a dummy change and dont actually write this vo to the cas/lma.

hi stuartjohn24 thanks for answer
could you explain what mean "dummy change"
and also why not write to FA car? I did this already
I`m bought this unit 9174261 waiting for delivery.

cheers

So it Works,

After a Reflash with WinKFP the Unit Works very well. But BMW Assist dosent Work anymore. I have coded SA633 on aktive in NAV but is it Grey any ideas ?.

bet regards

So I finally found the time today to make the TCU transplant. True to the well proven principle of nothing ever being as easy as one hopes for, of course it was not a plug and play affair.

My car is a 750i built on Feb 28, 2005 so an early facelift car and it had the crippled Bluetooth TCU (p/n 84.11 6946328-01) manufactured in Feb '05.

Because of this I expected the new TCU to just drop in - which it did not. I had already checked that the old TCU had a 54-pin connector. So I expected the 54-pin plug on the car end to easily plug into the TCU - but as it turned out the new TCU's 54-pin receptacle is just a little bit different. The guide tracks for the plug are a little bit narrower on one end, which stopped the car's connector from being pushed all the way down. I did not realize this because the difference is so small that you won't see it unless you know about it, so I just figured I needed a little more force. With the result that I broke off the little white locking lever on the plug.

Rather than attack the TCU's connector with a knife, I slid the two contact blocks out of the cover and pressed them directly onto the pins. Now I just hope the pinout is the same and just the connectors different.

Also the new TCU has four antenna connectors while the old only had 2 (black and white). I matched the colors with the new TCU. What are the other 2 for and do I need them?

I ran out of time so I haven't done any coding. Right now the Communications display in the MMI looks just like it did before, with most selections grayed out, and it just says "NO NETWORK!"

I suspect (hope) this is just because the MMI still expects to see the old TCU because the old SA638 option is still in the VO. I just hope the TCU pinouts are the same so I don't have to take the trunk apart again and rebuild the connector.

At least the new TCU has power, because the MOST connector (which is the same) lit up red. So the power part of the pinout seems to be the same.

So any suggestions about what my next step should be would be greatly appreciated...

Sorry about the awful pictures, my phone is all scratched up right where the lens is...

Back from the car after I tried to read the new TCU and it didn't go all that well.

If I try to read it with INPA I get an error message about finding a TELE60_3 unit while epecting a TELE60_2. Makes sense and confirms that there is at least a communications link present.

I then made a "fake" change of the production date to #0904, and removing option 638 and adding 633. I then read the MMI and the trace confirmed TEL_BLUETOOTH and BLUETOOTH_HANDY are set to active (I had coded the MMI previously).

But when I try to read the TCU the job runs for maybe 30 seconds and then throws an error referring to the wrong coding index. I tried C03 first, then C06. C03 is what NCS put up in the dialog box - I guess that's what it wants to use based on the FA?

Any suggestions? I haven't changed the VIN of the TCU yet, could that be the problem?





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hi
are you sure that production date is correct? 0904?
and also NCS is setted right? does it connect with other stuff in the car?did you update SP-Daten?
I can send you my NCS which is working fine for me
I reckon VIN is not important, but should be changed using tool 32

cheers

I got the 0904 date from a post on this thread but I just realized maybe that is September 04, not April 09. Forgot if it's MMYY or YYMM.

I have used NCS to successfully code the MMI (e.g. VIM) so I know it works. It also both read and coded the MMI today using the 0904 production date, it's just the new TCU it will not read.

I assume NCS communicates with the TCU over the MOST network, so even if the 54-pin connector is not wired right they should communicate since I know the TCU has power and its MOST is active.

Please share your NCS setup, much appreciated!

MMYY
will send you tomorrow
PM yours email
try to use WINKFP RE-FLASH SOFTWARE AND TRY CHANGE VIN

Originally Posted by politby

I got the 0904 date from a post on this thread but I just realized maybe that is September 04, not April 09. Forgot if it's MMYY or YYMM.

I have used NCS to successfully code the MMI (e.g. VIM) so I know it works. It also both read and coded the MMI today using the 0904 production date, it's just the new TCU it will not read.

I assume NCS communicates with the TCU over the MOST network, so even if the 54-pin connector is not wired right they should communicate since I know the TCU has power and its MOST is active.

Please share your NCS setup, much appreciated!

Thats correct, you will need to use a newer production date, try #0307.

Yes the TCU is coded via the MOST bus via the central gateway module, which in turn communicates to the OBD interface.

Well done on getting it fitted! you may need to change the chassis info like mine, depends on what BMW it was salvaged from.

Originally Posted by masa52

MMYY
will send you tomorrow
PM yours email
try to use WINKFP RE-FLASH SOFTWARE AND TRY CHANGE VIN

Why are you re-flashing the module? VIN can be changed in Tool32 using the FG_Schreiben job in the TELE60_3.prg file.

Originally Posted by masa52

hi stuartjohn24 thanks for answer
could you explain what mean "dummy change"
and also why not write to FA car? I did this already
I`m bought this unit 9174261 waiting for delivery.

cheers

Hi, I guess you have answered a few of these questions by now, Dummy change is edit the VO but without writing it to the CAS or LMA.

Why not??? I bricked my original LMA while writing the VO! low system voltage, be warned! just retrofitting an LM2 at the moment.

Hope the retrofit goes well!

Progress!

I managed to read the TCU today by changing production date to #0307 and changing the index from C02, which NCS wanted to use, to C03.

It resulted in the following trace file:

** Trace File Removed as it was locking up the thread **

It has the two bluetooth parameters set to active but the MMI would still keep looking for the old TCU and I had no phone fuctions at all.

I then connected to the TCU with Tool32 and found I could run all the read jobs successfully, so I decided to see if my iPhone could see the car, and to my surprise it did. I initiated a pairing from the phone, which completed instantly!

This brought the comms screen on the MMI partly to life, and I can now make and receive calls using the popout keypad, the hands free works perfectly, the iDrive displays the name of my iPhone, signal strength, caller ID, etc.

What I do not have is any of the menu items corresponding to the new phone system. There is no pairing menu, only a non-functional "Bluetooth" item in the settings menu, and none of the Missed, Last, A-Z etc selections work. And of course no phone book synchronization.

So what is obviously the case is that the TCU works and talks to the keypad, microphone, etc. but the MMI still expects to talk to the old model TCU. Could this be because the TCU still has the donor car's VIN?

Or maybe it is because the (facelift) MMI is still coded at the C02 level and ignores the Bluetooth parameters? How can I fix this? Simply changing the number in the popup box won't work.

Can someone look at these traces and see if I have missed anything?

Is it safe to write the new VIN to the TCU using Tool32? How long does that code take (afraid of running into the low battery issue)?

Test

Test post
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