BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum - View Single Post - e90 Alpine Hi-Fi upgrade

bmwaddiction · 01-07-2013, 06:17 PM

Has anyone else got the BMW Alpine Hi-Fi upgrade for their e90? It seems that I have an ongoing issue with it since it was installed in mid-2010.

The upgrade was installed by Rolfe Classic in Canberra and worked perfectly fine for over a year. I was very happy with the quality of the sound etc...

However, over time the system started 'clipping' or cutting out, particularly in the heat. It seemed that the problem got worse over time. Initially it would happen maybe 1-2 times a month, and then it would start increasing in frequency to 1-2 times a week, and so forth.

In the end it was simply unusable as it would cut out every 1-2 minutes for a period of a second or two and then come back on. The problem also seemed to occur one the amp was warmed up after 10-20 minutes of driving with music on.

Figuring that it was out of warranty I bit the bullet and purchased a new amp from Schmiedmann.com at the start of 2012. It seemed to fix the issue and the stereo system worked fine until the end of the year. However, by October as the temperatures increased the 'clipping' / cutting out issue re-emerged.

I approached Rolfe BMW to see if they would warranty their part since it was a genuine BMW part. However, they stated that the part would not be covered under BMW warranty since it was not purchased from BMW dealer.

So once again - lesson learnt. I bit the bullet and purchased a replacement amp from the dealer at nearly $500 figuring that it would be covered under warranty and prevent any further issues. Now - barely a month later the problem has re-appeared.

I spoke to Service Advisor and he stated that they will charge $190 minimum diagnostic fee just to have a look at the issue. I said that I was not happy with that since the system was installed by the dealer and I just purchased a replacement amp from them. He said he will speak to BMW Warranty people and get back to me to let me know if the charges will apply or not.

I have a few questions:

1. Has anyone else experienced the cutting out / clipping issue?
2. Is it likely that three amplifiers would be faulty or is something else causing the issue?
3. If the amplifier is not at fault why does the issue go away after a new one is installed?
4. Why does the problem seem to be much worse in the heat?
5. Should BMW use a bit of good will to sort out this issue?

01-07-2013, 06:17 PM	#1
bmwaddiction Lieutenant 25 Rep 421 Posts Drives: Lexus IS350 F Sport Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: ACT iTrader: (0)	e90 Alpine Hi-Fi upgrade Has anyone else got the BMW Alpine Hi-Fi upgrade for their e90? It seems that I have an ongoing issue with it since it was installed in mid-2010. The upgrade was installed by Rolfe Classic in Canberra and worked perfectly fine for over a year. I was very happy with the quality of the sound etc... However, over time the system started 'clipping' or cutting out, particularly in the heat. It seemed that the problem got worse over time. Initially it would happen maybe 1-2 times a month, and then it would start increasing in frequency to 1-2 times a week, and so forth. In the end it was simply unusable as it would cut out every 1-2 minutes for a period of a second or two and then come back on. The problem also seemed to occur one the amp was warmed up after 10-20 minutes of driving with music on. Figuring that it was out of warranty I bit the bullet and purchased a new amp from Schmiedmann.com at the start of 2012. It seemed to fix the issue and the stereo system worked fine until the end of the year. However, by October as the temperatures increased the 'clipping' / cutting out issue re-emerged. I approached Rolfe BMW to see if they would warranty their part since it was a genuine BMW part. However, they stated that the part would not be covered under BMW warranty since it was not purchased from BMW dealer. So once again - lesson learnt. I bit the bullet and purchased a replacement amp from the dealer at nearly $500 figuring that it would be covered under warranty and prevent any further issues. Now - barely a month later the problem has re-appeared. I spoke to Service Advisor and he stated that they will charge $190 minimum diagnostic fee just to have a look at the issue. I said that I was not happy with that since the system was installed by the dealer and I just purchased a replacement amp from them. He said he will speak to BMW Warranty people and get back to me to let me know if the charges will apply or not. I have a few questions: 1. Has anyone else experienced the cutting out / clipping issue? 2. Is it likely that three amplifiers would be faulty or is something else causing the issue? 3. If the amplifier is not at fault why does the issue go away after a new one is installed? 4. Why does the problem seem to be much worse in the heat? 5. Should BMW use a bit of good will to sort out this issue?
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