Yes, you need to replace the diversity amplifier (it is located under the head liner between C-pillar and brake light).

 

I am at dealer and have radio cutting out on my 2006 530xi Sport Wagon. My independent doesn't do radio work. They want up to $495 to fix a wiring issue - yikes. Biting the bullet now and having it done as we plan to keep it a while. Maybe I should have gone to a stereo dealer?

 

I bought a new diversity antenna and installed it myself. Very simple to do. Radio still works perfect but still not getting any distance range from my key fob. I have to be right next to the car to make it unlock.


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Just got my E61 back after above issue. They found corrosion and water intrusion at the antenna site. Dealer replaced module and sealed with windshield sealant.


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HI,

My radio and key fob completely went out. I purchased a diversity antenna but cannot find anywhere online how to actually replace it. Would you mind letting me know how to do this?I thought to ask you since you said it was simple.

Thank you!

 

Google "bmw diversity antenna diy"

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=645962

For example.

 

I have a 2006 530xi sport wagon ... the key fob works great, even at far distances. But my FM reception is dismal compared to any cheap-o car with a normal antenna. Might there be a problem with my antenna that would warrant my opening up and cleaning the contacts? Or does it sound normal that this expensive car just has a poorly designed FM antenna?

All the posts I could find seemed to indicate the symptoms of the antenna problem are the key fob not working and mine works fine from a long distance away - so I'm thinking I don't have anything wrong. But I'm disappointed at how poor the FM reception is compared to other cars with the old fashioned antenna.

 

Sound like a Diversity Antenna?
My FM and AM radio started cutting out and completely went out. After doing a lot of forum searching, I was told that it was a diversity antenna problem. I didn't have any problems with the remote control to unlock the doors. The signal was still very strong.

I decided before buying a new diversity antenna, I would try some deox and clean the existing diversity antenna. Everything worked perfectly. I wasn't able to get my FM signal back however there are some instances that it's a little bit static but the FM signal came back nonetheless. But now, my remote to unlock the door, the signal is pretty much gone. I have to stand right next to the car in order for the unlock button to work.

Does it sound like I need a new diversity antenna? And do I only need the antenna part that is next to the third light in the back?

Mine is the opposite of your situation. My radio works, however I am very disappointed of the reception quality that I get compared to my other cars (non BMW). My comfort access and lock and unlock functions have completely given out on me. Last night I got in to the diversity antenna and nothing was corroded - it looked completely clean - thats not saying that its working fine - but in any case... Today I decided to give the entire car a reset and disconnect the battery for an hour - same as before. Ive tried countless times to re-initialize the key to the car, but no luck. I'm trying to think and find out everything that I can do before I have to resort to emptying out my pockets and selling out to the dealer... PLEASE... any thoughts?? Pretty PLEASE. Thank you in advance - distressed first time bmw owner...

 

Mine is the opposite of your situation. My radio works, however I am very disappointed of the reception quality that I get compared to my other cars (non BMW). My comfort access and lock and unlock functions have completely given out on me. Last night I got in to the diversity antenna and nothing was corroded - it looked completely clean - thats not saying that its working fine - but in any case... Today I decided to give the entire car a reset and disconnect the battery for an hour - same as before. Ive tried countless times to re-initialize the key to the car, but no luck. I'm trying to think and find out everything that I can do before I have to resort to emptying out my pockets and selling out to the dealer... PLEASE... any thoughts?? Pretty PLEASE. Thank you in advance - distressed first time bmw owner...

Classic symptom of failing diversity amplifier. I am 100% sure.
Replacement of diversity amplifier solved the problem on my car. I ordered the amplifier on BMWmercedesparts dot com and I replaced it. It's not that difficult...

 

Thanks!

Classic symptom of failing diversity amplifier. I am 100% sure.
Replacement of diversity amplifier solved the problem on my car. I ordered the amplifier on BMWmercedesparts dot com and I replaced it. It's not that difficult...

Thank you Pcy! I was on the fence of taking it in to the stealer, but I will go ahead with this first - because this is going to be a cheaper alternative anyways. Question though - when i went to the website you have recommended above, there are 4 different items that are under "diversity Antenna" Are you suggesting that its JUST the amplifier that I need to replace, or all 4 parts?? Sorry - I am an newbie and just so torn - I was so thrilled to get my first BMW and was so thrilled, but this is throwing me in the dump. Thank you in advance!

 

Amplifier can be either 315MHz or 868MHz depending on which one your car has.

When you see multiple rows for the same part [on RealOem or other site], that means that part has been revised. So, you need to look at the last row for that part.
First you need to confirm if your car has 315MHz or 868MHz. One way to find out is to pull out the part that is on the car. MHz number is printed on the part.

 

I have finally found the time to do some puttering work on my car. The symptoms are FM radio reception is crap and/ or the key fob remote doesn't work. Yup, it's the diversity antenna module which on an '06 E61 also contains the remote entry receiver. Took off the spoiler and found almost 1/2" of crud underneath along with lots of dried road salt around the module. I took things apart and found rusted screws and corroded copper traces. It's really ugly but I am going to try some repairs. I will probably have to purchase a new one as there are traces that are totally gone.

 

Did you have any success with a repair? My car seems to be giving me the rundown of all known electronics issues. I have the replacement for the failing Nav DVD drive already in hands, and now the diversity module is going out. :bawling:

Plenty of grime around the encasement of the module in my E61, but no evidence of moisture inside. Thanks to location, no road salt damage. Still have to remove the module and look inside. Anything you might have been able to learn from your repair attempt would be very useful.

 

while removing/installation, don't bend those pins/contact points on the diversity amplifier.

 

I have meanwhile found light at the end of the tunnel from across the big pond: http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/58717-remote-keys-not-working-2006-530d-touring/#entry724355. Posts #14 and #15 sound very promising. I'll give that a try.

 

I'll give that a try.

And try I did. Unfortunately, to no avail. :bawling:

Since torrential rainfalls and road salt are infrequent issues here in NorCal, it was not too surprising that there was no trace of moisture nor corrosion anywhere on the circuit board. I still removed the small amount of dust from the underside of the board, scrubbed it with a dry tooth brush and liberally treated it with contact cleaner spray. Rinse, repeat. No effect. :dunno:

This may suggest that one of the components on the board tends to go bad, and exposure to the elements merely accelerates this. Does anybody have the slightest clue which component it might be?

 

I have to say that I was not successful in reviving either the diversity module nor the remote entry portion of the circuit. The diversity module had suffered far too much damage from corrosion due to salt and water incursion. Traces were completely destroyed as were a number of other parts: capacitors and /or resistors, (its hard to tell) and at least one IC. Due to the fact it's all surface mount and some of the parallel traces and vias are totally gone, that portion of the circuit board is FUBAR. At the other end where the power entry was, the traces were a combination of rusted and salt corroded. That was repaired but I suspect the damage had been done to the remote entry IC's so it's also FUBAR. Replacement appears to be the only option in my case, but if I do purchase a new one I will be covering it with a conformal coating to protect it from the elements.

The other issue will be getting the coding right for the modules so they will work. I tried a low cost interface from a stateside supplier but so far no good.

Also working on a battery maintainer using a 1000 watt switch mode IBM computer supply (12V 85 amps). that will be in another post.

 

Different situation here, but the effect is the same. I tried it the hard way yesterday: Showed the solder iron to the module. Did not help. Plugged the solder iron in. That is normally as far as I have to go. Did not help this time. So I touched up all solder joints associated with connectors, and everything else that was big enough for my clumsy hands, all the time making sure I looked like I had the slightest clue of what I was doing.

The good news is that it is not worse than before. Bad news, it did not help either. Radio reception is OK, but the remote needs to be pretty close to the spoiler, and comfort access does not work most the time. :bawling:

I am kind of reluctant to drop 240 - 300 bucks while not even being sure the module is actually the culprit, as there is no corrosion or visible damage. Most boards in my computer look a lot less pristine than this one. The antenna in the spoiler is visually OK, too. Anybody had the antenna damaged?

Does the module need programming? I was under the impression it is a drop-in replacement. As I understand, the diversity module only relays the information, but is not responsible for the actual process of locking / unlocking the car. Is that correct, or does it need to be programmed, in addition?

 

I went thru the same song and dance...
The radio reception was good; however, remote didn't work unless it's next to rear window. I checked the diversity amplifier, looked perfectly ok. Checked all the soldering joints with a magnifying glass, didn't see anything obvious. I bought a new diversity amplifier from BMWmercedesparts dot com and installed it. Remote started working from a football field length (may be longer, but I didn't test further).

 

My radio reception is absolute crap. It only works well when I am in the 1000uv/m RF contour of the broadcast station, and is horrible in urban areas prone to multipath issues. As I understand the diversity system, there are 4 antennas in the back glass of the car. Those are connected to the module through the red and black connectors. The feed to the radio is via the miniature co-ax on the left end of the module so maybe the co-axial cable is damaged since it is the main antenna wire to the radio and goes through the lift gate hinge. Not sure about the antenna connections for the CAS but I think the antenna is in the RR side window.

As an aside, you can rinse the circuit board under soapy water with out damaging it. You have to make sure it's totally dry before you power it up, though. The best way to dry it off is to put it on a warm air vent for 24 hours or so. I have also used my windshield defroster to dry off my cell phone, that I sent through the washing machine by accident. It was fine.

 

As an aside, you can rinse the circuit board under soapy water with out damaging it. You have to make sure it's totally dry before you power it up, though. The best way to dry it off is to put it on a warm air vent for 24 hours or so. I have also used my windshield defroster to dry off my cell phone, that I sent through the washing machine by accident. It was fine.

Considering that the board is not filthy, I think I'm gonna skip this step.

I went thru the same song and dance...
The radio reception was good; however, remote didn't work unless it's next to rear window. I checked the diversity amplifier, looked perfectly ok. Checked all the soldering joints with a magnifying glass, didn't see anything obvious. I bought a new diversity amplifier from BMWmercedesparts dot com and installed it. Remote started working from a football field length (may be longer, but I didn't test further).

That sounds exactly like what I am seeing. So this is the confirmation I have been waiting for. I think I should be pulling the trigger then. Thanks also for pointing me to the cheapest source: $225 is the best price I have found anywhere. I assume they carry the OEM part, right?

 

...
That sounds exactly like what I am seeing. So this is the confirmation I have been waiting for. I think I should be pulling the trigger then. Thanks also for pointing me to the cheapest source: $225 is the best price I have found anywhere. I assume they carry the OEM part, right?

BMWmercedesparts dot com is actually the parts department of an actual BMW dealer. They only sell genuine parts. If the part is not in stock, they will order the part and ship the part to you.

 

Thanks for the info. Order placed.

 

Great thread, folks. Remote not working + AM/FM not working => must need a new diversity amplifier. Do I still need to check the frequency or can just go by year, make, model on the site? Punching in bmwmercedesparts dot com redirects me to huskerparts dot com, though. Just making sure I'm sourcing this from the right place.

 

Yep, that's the place.

My buying experience: Good thing, they called me to verify that I knew what I was ordering. They would have been happy to confirm by the VIN if necessary. Not so great, they did not have the part in stock, expected to be able to ship to me last Friday, but did not ship until today. A status update request earlier this week remained unresponded. The part will arrive next Tuesday.

 

That's the only issue with BMWmercedesparts dot com - it takes longer time for the part to arrive. However, they have the lowest prices for Genuine OEM BMW parts.
Although they are parts dept at dealer, they typically have to order the parts (since most of the parts we order are not in stock), wait for the parts to arrive (typically 2 or longer depending on which warehouse it's coming from), and then they ship, that can take 3 to 5 business days. If you are in a hurry, shop elsewhere.

 

So, folks, in order to access the diversity amplifier I have to open the rear window latch. But I can't open it without the remote key working. It must be asking for a remote confirm before it unlatches. But the remote doesn't work because of a bad diversity amplifier(??!!). Quite the pickle. Suggestions?

 

It's relatively simple to remove the diversity amp/ remote module. You need to have the correct size of torx driver bits. You do not need to use your remote to open the glass part. If so, you probably have a wiring issue in this case. You can also gain access by lifting the tail gate. A second pair of hands is helpful to accomplish the work.

There are 4 plugs to be removed and 4 torx screws.
Slide the spoiler towards you gently.
Raise the spoiler up and away from you a slight amount. You will need to remove the electrical connectors, the washer hose and the electrical connectors under the diversity amp cover to remove the module.
The diversity module is the black rectangle directly in the center. It has a part number that corresponds to the frequency your system uses for the remote.

 

Thx dharma. I also found the instructions in the service manual (which I bought a few years ago and almost forgot I had.)
I miss not being able to open the glass part and I think it stopped working at about the same time the remote key and the AM/FM stopped working. So I'm thinking they all must be somehow connected with the diversity amplifier/antenna. Any other simpler (cheaper) cause/diagnosis to check before I spring for a new diversity amplifier? ($225 + sh/tx)