[gunman168]

I got the base stereo (4 Mids + 2 underseats, no amp). Now I learned here in the forums that I needed to recode my BMW professional headunit (non-idrive) to be able to get a decent upgrade to start with to flatten eq. I also wanted to recode for mp3 playback so I could at least run a mp3 CD on it. I wanted to do the recode first before jumping into buying the setup. (Though I already have the morel 265 installed but only ran by HU in the meantime.)

I then went to my local BMW service shop/dealer and tried to have HU recoded. But everytime we recode it displays message like the hifi harness is not detected so recoding fails everytime. Also, it needed to be recoded to hifi before it can accept mp3 playback recode as well because it falls under the hifi code.

It seems I need to get this "harness" it is asking for. I searched forums and found technic's harness for the base stereo. (http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=642579). Now my questions:

1. Is this exactly what I need to have HU successfully recoded to hifi?
2. Do I use this harness and connect everything from it? (DSP MS8, AMP).
3. But what if I inititally would just want to run everything with stock HU for the meantime with harness without amp (amp will follow), will the harness allow to connect all OEM speaker connections from HU to this new harness without cutting?
4. Will the harness + hifi recode make the speaker outs to low level output?


This is my first time to do a system upgrade on a bmw. Anyone's help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you guys!

[makkan00]

What hardware / software is your specialist using?
What year is your car?
Worth of changing your specialist.

[VP Electricity]

The car cannot tell if Technic's harness is present. I suspect his computer is looking for a coding harness. What is your BMW specialist using for recoding? Is he the authorized BMW dealer? Is he using an AutoLogic?

Once you recode to HiFi you cannot run the speakers without an amp. The voltage drops from 9V peak to 5V and your speakers will be faint and almost impossible to hear.

I categorically disagree with your statement that recoding is needed. We do these every day without recoding if done properly. I don't see how you're going to get better results with HiFi than with Stereo with an MS-8 myself.

[gunman168]

@ makkan00 and VP Electricity

I brought the car to an official BMW dealer to have it recoded. I am not sure what machine or software they used on it as customers are not allowed in the service bay and I just left the car with them. According to them it just displays the "cannot detect harness" when doing the hifi recode and so perhaps it is looking for the hifi harness. Will technic's harness solve this?

@ VP Electricity

Yes hifi recoding is not that needed when used with MS-8 since the ms-8 will fix the eq curve but I still need to have if recoded to hifi to be able to get mp3 playback as the dealer told be that mp3 recode falls under the hifi recode meaning I have to first make code to hifi before mp3.

[Technic]

Is this a Professional HU?

You need to go to another BMW Dealer or better, to either an Autologic shop or contact forum vendor BimmerTech. They will tell you exactly what's going on here.

Originally Posted by gunman168

@ makkan00 and VP Electricity

I brought the car to an official BMW dealer to have it recoded. I am not sure what machine or software they used on it as customers are not allowed in the service bay and I just left the car with them. According to them it just displays the "cannot detect harness" when doing the hifi recode and so perhaps it is looking for the hifi harness. Will technic's harness solve this?
@ VP Electricity

Yes hifi recoding is not that needed when used with MS-8 since the ms-8 will fix the eq curve but I still need to have if recoded to hifi to be able to get mp3 playback as the dealer told be that mp3 recode falls under the hifi recode meaning I have to first make code to hifi before mp3.

[taibanl]

Originally Posted by gunman168

@ makkan00 and VP Electricity

I brought the car to an official BMW dealer to have it recoded. I am not sure what machine or software they used on it as customers are not allowed in the service bay and I just left the car with them. According to them it just displays the "cannot detect harness" when doing the hifi recode and so perhaps it is looking for the hifi harness. Will technic's harness solve this?

@ VP Electricity

Yes hifi recoding is not that needed when used with MS-8 since the ms-8 will fix the eq curve but I still need to have if recoded to hifi to be able to get mp3 playback as the dealer told be that mp3 recode falls under the hifi recode meaning I have to first make code to hifi before mp3.

When I had to recode mine, they had to open a PUMA case because my car does not have a MOST bus..which may be the error your dealer is getting. Later I went to a different dealer and they had the ability to recode with no problem. the option showed right in ISTA/P....just look for Retrofits-->Alpine HiFi

Regarding VP's comment. Currently I am still struggling to get back the SQ with the HiFi signal that I once had with the Base signal. I think the potential is there, but from what I hear, a speaker level signal will be better at noise rejection, etc.

[gunman168]

Originally Posted by Technic

Is this a Professional HU?

You need to go to another BMW Dealer or better, to either an Autologic shop or contact forum vendor BimmerTech. They will tell you exactly what's going on here.

@ Sir Technic

Yes it is a BMW Professional HU. I cant bring it to someplace else. It is already the BMW official service center. The highest BMW shop here locally. I live in the Philippines by the way. The e90 is a european version.

Will your harness be able to make the hifi recode possible?

Thanks!

[taibanl]

As posted above. The hifi harness (technic/oem/or otherwise) is analog and is not detectable by ista/p. it is most likely the most bus that ista is looking for. Does your vehicle have one?

[Technic]

Your problem is something other than a harness.

Originally Posted by gunman168

@ Sir Technic

Yes it is a BMW Professional HU. I cant bring it to someplace else. It is already the BMW official service center. The highest BMW shop here locally. I live in the Philippines by the way. The e90 is a european version.

Will your harness be able to make the hifi recode possible?

Thanks!

[everlast]

Can you code a base radio to hifi by adding it to the VO with NCSExpert and sleeping the car, like you do with the bluetooth retrofit?

[gunman168]

Originally Posted by taibanl

As posted above. The hifi harness (technic/oem/or otherwise) is analog and is not detectable by ista/p. it is most likely the most bus that ista is looking for. Does your vehicle have one?

I am not sure if I have that MOST. Im not even sure what it is. My car is just the basic car with no amp, no navigation, no steering stereo controls, no idrive etc.

What else is there to do to be able to detect that harness it is asking for and possibly recode to hifi?

[VP Electricity]

The US dealer computer's can't recode to HiFi, and the aftermarket methods don't ask for a harness. I wonder if it thinks you're installing the Alpine "HiFi" upgrade?

[Technic]

Originally Posted by everlast

Can you code a base radio to hifi by adding it to the VO with NCSExpert and sleeping the car, like you do with the bluetooth retrofit?

Correct. Add $676 and process car.

[Technic]

Originally Posted by VP Electricity

The US dealer computer's can't recode to HiFi, and the aftermarket methods don't ask for a harness. I wonder if it thinks you're installing the Alpine "HiFi" upgrade?

It could be if the dealer selected the wrong menu. Now, I do not see any CAN bus wires in the Alpine kit harness so the OEM amp can be "talked to" for verification. But the computer technically could look at the front channels impedance and determine if the Alpine amp is connected or not. VW radios can do that.

[makkan00]

Originally Posted by gunman168

@ Sir Technic

Yes it is a BMW Professional HU. I cant bring it to someplace else. It is already the BMW official service center. The highest BMW shop here locally. I live in the Philippines by the way. The e90 is a european version.

Will your harness be able to make the hifi recode possible?

Thanks!

You need to establish first of all which HU you have.

You may have this headunit.


Can you confirm if you have this headunit?

I reckon its to do with your HU and if you have headunit like the one in the link above, then you cannot code it to hi-fi.

Your other option would be to change your HU to 'professional' OEM headunit.

[gunman168]

Originally Posted by makkan00

You need to establish first of all which HU you have.

You may have this headunit.


Can you confirm if you have this headunit?

I reckon its to do with your HU and if you have headunit like the one in the link above, then you cannot code it to hi-fi.

Your other option would be to change your HU to 'professional' OEM headunit.

I have the BMW Professional OEM headunit. No amp, no nav, no everything lol. Though mine is different from that in the link.

My dealer tried to transfer my HU to another car (with hifi setup) and it was able to accept the recode. This means it actually can be recoded to hifi. But the moment they transfer it back to mine then the recode error'ed or went back to orig configs.

I just dont know how to make the hifi recode to work.

[taibanl]

Originally Posted by gunman168

I have the BMW Professional OEM headunit. No amp, no nav, no everything lol. Though mine is different from that in the link.

My dealer tried to transfer my HU to another car (with hifi setup) and it was able to accept the recode. This means it actually can be recoded to hifi. But the moment they transfer it back to mine then the recode error'ed or went back to orig configs.

I just dont know how to make the hifi recode to work.

Sounds to me like there is a module in he car that is not accepting the code.

Have they opened a puma case?

[makkan00]

Originally Posted by taibanl

Have they opened a puma case?

+1

Your dealer would be instructed to update your modules and retry.

[taibanl]

For what it's worth. I have having more issues getting good SQ with my HiFi coded system than when it was in the "Stereo" configuration (both into MS-8). You may really wish to reconsider recoding.

[makkan00]

Originally Posted by taibanl

For what it's worth. I have having more issues getting good SQ with my HiFi coded system than when it was in the "Stereo" configuration (both into MS-8). You may really wish to reconsider recoding.

I truly think thats to do something with MS-8.

Without MS-8, I cannot imagine of getting decent sound from base sound system to amp.

[taibanl]

Originally Posted by makkan00

I truly think thats to do something with MS-8.

Without MS-8, I cannot imagine of getting decent sound from base sound system to amp.

Of course this is true. I'm only saying the MS-8 was able to do a better job with the High Level EQ'd signal, than the Low Level, Flat one. I assume its primarily due to the lower relative noise floor.

[Technic]

Originally Posted by taibanl

Of course this is true. I'm only saying the MS-8 was able to do a better job with the High Level EQ'd signal, than the Low Level, Flat one. I assume its primarily due to the lower relative noise floor.

Are you skipping input setup?