non-paddle shift steering wheel retrofit to paddle shift...

ATTN: do at your own risk....

I'm just putting everything together in one DIY thread that other members have already done and adding more info. to make this easier.
This will be step by step...

I've been struggling to come up with a solution for early production cars to shift straight out of D.

For pre-LCI paddles (applies to both SSG and DCT), obviously the paddles just short their 2 wires (or 2 pairs with common center in case of SSG). But when these 'shorts' are sent through the MF button circuits, they come out as 1k for upshifts and 0.33k for downshifts at the steering column (resistance between the 2 wires; maybe I should have measured true resistance of each...)

These 2 wires (terminals 2 and 4 on the clock spring connector) are then sent to terminals 35 and 52 in the junction box. This is where it gets interesting--junction box has different circuitry based on production date, changing at 03/07 and then again at 09/07. 03/07 production just about corresponds to the proven production cutoff for D-shifting ability.

I bought an 05/08 prod. junction box for cheap to see if it could finally work but have yet to code it, car seems to work with it installed however. I think that maybe with the proper VO option $2XA added to the newer-production junction box it could work...

This seem accurate as mine is a 5/07 build and it will shift in drive.

Hello friend! My name is Luciano and i'm from Brazil. I did everything like you, but it didn't work out. Do you know which wire from paddle have to connect to ground (#1 or #3)? Tks

Doesn't matter. One goes to ground, then when you pull the paddle, the 2 wires are shorted, and the second wire is temporarily grounded. This grounded signal goes down to the gearshift and changes the gears.

If you're using the same style paddles (LCI with black face), they need to first be opened and modified to work following the procedure described in the several threads on the forum here.

This is the procedure: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10355838

Good luck.

My steering wheel have the LCI paddles. Well, i made all the stuffs and even that, the paddles didn´t work... I tested the shift paddles wires and all was working fine... So, the big one: i opened the shift paddles and i changed the resistors inside and..... BINGO! IT WORKS NOW!!!! I can even shift in D mode, awsome!!! You have to change the resistors to a lower ones. Tks for everybody and all DIY photos (and sorry about my english..)
Luciano/Brazil

I forgot to tell you: i own a 2007 335i sedã (e90). thank you!!!

So still no solution to software-code without wiring?

awesome....but Picture speak a thousand words

They're all here

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10355838

What resistors did you put in?

Hello friend! The original resistor in my paddles was 350R. I changed it to a 50R. Depending the wire resistance you have used in your installation, you even can delete the resistor and make a direct connection. it worked for me! Good Luck!

Easiest way, imo, is to just solder a small wire parallel to the resistor (that needs to be shorted). Then if/when you want to turn them back to stock, all you need to do is clip that wire at the center.

Yeah, but one resistor needs to be completely removed.
Can anyone with nexon modified paddles post a picture of the inside?

Just jumper the one resistor just like yakev724 said.

No, I was wrong. You need to remove the middle resistor completely. You can still short the second resistor with a small wire, but at that point it doesn't really matter.

So you say it's enough to just remove the middle one (and leave the other in place)?

Just a thanks for this DIY. I did this on Saturday with no issue. Only minor issue I had was the built up w/b that I bought was too short and I had to splice in a section of wire.
I love the paddle shift. Even though I'm used to a manual, I couldn't get used to the manual shift on the stick.
Thanks!

Just a word of advice to anyone doing this DIY - *especially* those under warranty - invest the extra 50 bucks and get the pins from (or less, just for the shifter side harness). On our Steptronic cars, the design of the shifter is quite bad in that the wires to it are tugged every time you shift into DS, and thereafter every time you shift up or down - so in a few years, they will break and it's either a $500 shifter assembly replacement, wire re-soldering, or warranty work - but if you splice the wires shifter-side, I could see a dealer complaining and rejecting the warranty work.

Thought I'd add I did this today and my car is a 2007 335i sedan late 2006 build and im able to shift it the paddles in d mode... I'm shocked as I thought early e90s couldn't