[marosmith]

Ok, here is my situation.

1. When pushing the BMW assist button, nothing happens. I assume it is not active.

2. My phone connects via Bluetooth. I can scroll through my contacts just fine.

3. The speaker and mic do not work at all when the phone is connected.

My questions are this-

Does bmw assist have to be active in some way for the phone connection to work?

Is their one fuse that may control his feature (knowing that the Bluetooth works just fine)?

Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this?

I have reset the battery, plugged and unplugged the bluetooth module and have tried to connect different phones.

Thanks for the help.

[marosmith]

Anyone?

[jphughan]

More context? Is this something that just started happening or did you just buy this car and notice this behavior? I know that on some cars (specifically those that ordered nav as a standalone option rather than ordering the Premium Package and therefore have nav without Bluetooth or BMW Assist, a highly rare configuration), the Bluetooth module is fitted in the factory, but the speaker and mic wiring isn't. On those cars Bluetooth is also disabled in software, but it can be activated via coding -- but obviously for it to be usable you need the wiring from the Bluetooth module to the speaker and mic, which are otherwise there purely for nav voice recognition.

[fazman]

I had a similar issue once my 4yr subscription ended... They killed the BMW assist remotely and then I would have a lot of road noise when just using the bluetooth/speakers (for the person I am calling side).

After I had it re-activated... it was never the same, very often the BMW assist would not go thru and about a year after the event the entire system seems to have died (BMW Assist side, bluetooth is still the same). They are saying that my BMW Assist TCU had died and I would need to replace it for $1k (F that!).

My bluetooth still works tho... but I feel your pain. You may just need to get a refurb/ebay TCU and have a local coder just activate it for you. But instead of doing all that... why not just get a Dension Gateway which can do all that and a lot more (http://www.dension.com/products)?

[marosmith]

LOL, ok yes I bought the car recently (if that wasn't obvious).

It has the mobile phone and bmw assist options per vin decoder.

Like I said- the bluetooth works, the sound doesn't. When the phone rings it mutes the stereo but no sound.

So again, is there a fuse which controls the sound itself (and the fuse number?)?

Clearly the Bluetooth module works. Is there a way to he bmw assist activated without paying for the service, or maybe paying for a month or canceling, would this service being active really affect the phone though?

[marosmith]

After reading all the threads I could find, it appears that clearly the service has lapsed and the module is deactivated. Does this cause the Bluetooth to stop working? Threads are unclear about that.

How can I reactivated without paying the stealership $500- which I refuse to do.

[fazman]

The only service which "should" be deactivated is the button press for SOS. Your bluetooth "should" be working properly.

Your better off pumping $500 on the Dension which will give you the awesome USB/iPod/hard drive/usb stick song playing ability (it will act in the radio like a CD Changer). Plus you have the added benefit that the Dension is also a bluetooth phone with mic.

The alternative is to pick up a used TCU on ebay (get one from a newer car like a 2010 or something and retrofit it to your car (Have a local coder code it for you). You will still probably need someone at BMW to request new MIN/MDN/ESN numbers for you from BMW to code into the BMW Assist portion if you want that part activated so you can have the pleasure of spending $200 a year on being able to talk to some should anything bad happen (Not worth it in my opinion).

[marosmith]

I do not agree that the TCU is damaged and I don't want I buy another part. I just want to diagnose and fix the problem.

[MrPig]

Originally Posted by marosmith

After reading all the threads I could find, it appears that clearly the service has lapsed and the module is deactivated. Does this cause the Bluetooth to stop working? Threads are unclear about that.

How can I reactivated without paying the stealership $500- which I refuse to do.

You should still have Bluetooth functionality. I didn't bother renewing my BMW assist after my first (free) year expired and I'm still able to use my phone just fine (calling, music streaming over BT).

[marosmith]

Originally Posted by MrPig

You should still have Bluetooth functionality. I didn't bother renewing my BMW assist after my first (free) year expired and I'm still able to use my phone just fine (calling, music streaming over BT).

I understand, however I believe mine was deactivated so I want to know how to confirm that, and then what I can do about it.

[marosmith]

I guess getting answers is hopeless now that this is placed into the dark region of the forum. Lol

[NormE91]

Bmw does not deactivate the bluetooth functionality. I retrofitted an assist TCU into my last car so I could have bluetooth. Worked great and I never activated the assist service at all. Lots of people don't renew the subscription and it works just fine after the subscription lapses. You're module is likely not working properly.

[Technic]

Originally Posted by marosmith

I guess getting answers is hopeless now that this is placed into the dark region of the forum. Lol

BMW Assist is independent from Bluetooth.

Either take your car to your local dealer or contact forum vendor BimmerTech for a professional diagnostic.

[tony20009]

I can tell you for a fact that BMW Assist doesn't need a phone to be present to work.

If it's not working, call the 800 number and ask them about it.

[marosmith]

Originally Posted by NormE91

Bmw does not deactivate the bluetooth functionality. I retrofitted an assist TCU into my last car so I could have bluetooth. Worked great and I never activated the assist service at all. Lots of people don't renew the subscription and it works just fine after the subscription lapses. You're module is likely not working properly.

What is an "assist TCU".

[marosmith]

Originally Posted by Technic

BMW Assist is independent from Bluetooth.

Either take your car to your local dealer or contact forum vendor BimmerTech for a professional diagnostic.

But again to clarify, the Bluetooth works just fine. There is just no sound.

[Technic]

Originally Posted by marosmith

But again to clarify, the Bluetooth works just fine. There is just no sound.

Understood... your TCU needs to be professionally diagnosed to determine why both the audio input and output are not working but the pairing is.

[marosmith]

Originally Posted by Technic

Understood... your TCU needs to be professionally diagnosed to determine why both the audio input and output are not working but the pairing is.

Where could. Have something like his done outside the dealer?

[NormE91]

Since there's no sound, I would say it actually does not work just fine...

The TCU is the module that controls Bluetooth and BMW Assist. It is mounted under your trunk floor panel, you can google what it looks like. You may want to take a look at it, maybe even disconnect the cables and reconnect them. I'd also check all of your fuses. I don't think a fuse is your problem, but no harm in checking it. Aside from that, I think your TCU is likely malfunctioning.

Originally Posted by marosmith

But again to clarify, the Bluetooth works just fine. There is just no sound.

[marosmith]

Originally Posted by NormE91

Since there's no sound, I would say it actually does not work just fine...

The TCU is the module that controls Bluetooth and BMW Assist. It is mounted under your trunk floor panel, you can google what it looks like. You may want to take a look at it, maybe even disconnect the cables and reconnect them. I'd also check all of your fuses. I don't think a fuse is your problem, but no harm in checking it. Aside from that, I think your TCU is likely malfunctioning.

I asked, but no one seems to know which fuse controls it.