Is my car all there? :)

Sarastro · 11-18-2017, 01:47 AM

Hello all - please be gentle, it's my first post! (Well I originally posted this in the wrong place and I’ve asked a mod to delete that...)

I've just picked up a 2010 320i Convertible, with Business Nav, and the CIC system. I've moved to Cyprus and taken the car with me.

I'm at a bit of a loss, and the BMW dealer in the UK is saying they need to see the car to help me, and the local Nicosia dealer is - um - not at usual BMW standard.

As I understand it, the CIC system always has a hard drive, with a USB in the glovebox. The USB in my glovebox does nothing - putting a drive (FAT32) in there with a single MP3 on it, and I can't play it, nor do I get any of the 'IMPORT' options on the display. I've just bought the updated maps for the car, and again, the USB stick is just ignored (I bought this through the BMW Connected site, so assume it should work!)

So do I have a dead USB, no hard drive or am I being thick?

Also - the car is listed as having Region 2 DVD coding - but any DVD loaded comes up as UNREADABLE (CDs are fine, but not MP3 CDs that I burn for the car). I thought all the cars had a DVD player?

Also also - sorry to bombard you all - but the car has the adaptor for the phone in the armrest, but no USB there, just the AUX socket. If I bought the Universal snap in adaptor (the one with the trailing wire) and put my iPhone6+ in that (I understand it won't be clipped to the adaptor so I won't get the better phone reception, since the phone is too big so will have to go in the recess in the armrest) - would that give me all the music functionality on the phone that the USB connection would normally give me (the great track nav and the album art etc)? (Or should I work out how to install the 6FL retrofit?)

I've tested the USB socket in the glovebox and it is powered - it can recharge my iPhone. So at least I know the wire hasn't come undone....

All help and ideas very gratefully received!

Thanks in advance

vespa · 11-19-2017, 08:37 PM

Sara, you can use a VIN decoder to find all the options your car should have. The glovebox USB is only used for map updates and MP3 transfers, you cannot play MP3s directly from it and there is no possibility of album art. Maybe yours is partially disconnected from the back of the CIC? All CICs have a hard drive and will not function at all if there is any trouble with it.

The center console USB can play MP3s directly with album art if you have the COMBOX but that was a 2011+ option. There are retrofit guides. The COMBOX is a separate module in the trunk that manages the glovebox USB, phone cradle, and Bluetooth music streaming. Your phone cradle might only do phone calls and analog streaming.

The CIC should play MP3s and DVDs. I've had no trouble with DVD+R DL discs on my 2011 and I'm not aware of any hardware differences in the 2009+ CIC. Your car should have reasonably updated firmware unless it's a salvage title with a void warranty.

The phone cradle is of very limited (zero) value on any car, especially one without COMBOX and Apps so I wouldn't recommend chasing that path. When it works, it's basically the same as the center USB port. Consider a COMBOX retrofit or aftermarket bluetooth adapter for more media options.

opjose · 11-21-2017, 10:36 AM

The USB port in the glovebox should never be used for charging your devices.
The power output limits are far too low.

It is there for firmware and map updates.

If you have no USB in the center armrest then you do not have a MULF nor TCU nor combox. You need one of these at least for this function.

Sarastro · 11-25-2017, 02:28 AM

Hello all, and thanks for your help. I finally managed to talk (via friends of friends and LinkedIn) to a guy at BMW in Munich.

I learned a lot and I'll pass it on here, hopefully someone else will find it helpful.

My car does have a hard drive, but not the 80GB one. It has a 20GB drive which stores ONLY the map data. It has no space for music, so all the import functions are just not there on the display, and the glovebox USB cannot be used to import or play music files. I've used the USB to update my maps, it was a real slog - it is incredibly picky about USB drives, the seventh one I tried was recognised by the car and the maps updated fine then.

There is no USB in the centre console; although this can be retrofitted (kit on order from BimmerTech!) It was simply not ordered by the original owner of the car. According to my guy, only about 5% of cars with Comboxes don't have them, and mine is one of them. The Combox is fitted, thankfully, in the boot. You can have the Combox without the USB, but you can't have the USB without the Combox.

He had the same views on the phone cradle as Vespa - he wondered why they bothered fitting them at all, especially with the new wireless charging options. The Bluetooth on the car (I have the enhanced version) works fine, and I've got an adaptor to charge the phone from the ciggy lighter in the centre console (until the USB is fitted anyway).

The only thing he couldn't help with was the DVD player. He thought that all the CIC cars had DVD playback. Mine clearly hasn't.

(Oh, and he was at a loss to tell me why BMW don't have GPS data for Cyprus, but that's another story!)

Thanks again!

11-18-2017, 01:47 AM	#1
Sarastro New Member 0 Rep 8 Posts Drives: 2010 320i Hardtop Convertible Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Sunny Cyprus, was UK iTrader: (0)	Is my car all there? :) Hello all - please be gentle, it's my first post! (Well I originally posted this in the wrong place and I’ve asked a mod to delete that...) I've just picked up a 2010 320i Convertible, with Business Nav, and the CIC system. I've moved to Cyprus and taken the car with me. I'm at a bit of a loss, and the BMW dealer in the UK is saying they need to see the car to help me, and the local Nicosia dealer is - um - not at usual BMW standard. As I understand it, the CIC system always has a hard drive, with a USB in the glovebox. The USB in my glovebox does nothing - putting a drive (FAT32) in there with a single MP3 on it, and I can't play it, nor do I get any of the 'IMPORT' options on the display. I've just bought the updated maps for the car, and again, the USB stick is just ignored (I bought this through the BMW Connected site, so assume it should work!) So do I have a dead USB, no hard drive or am I being thick? Also - the car is listed as having Region 2 DVD coding - but any DVD loaded comes up as UNREADABLE (CDs are fine, but not MP3 CDs that I burn for the car). I thought all the cars had a DVD player? Also also - sorry to bombard you all - but the car has the adaptor for the phone in the armrest, but no USB there, just the AUX socket. If I bought the Universal snap in adaptor (the one with the trailing wire) and put my iPhone6+ in that (I understand it won't be clipped to the adaptor so I won't get the better phone reception, since the phone is too big so will have to go in the recess in the armrest) - would that give me all the music functionality on the phone that the USB connection would normally give me (the great track nav and the album art etc)? (Or should I work out how to install the 6FL retrofit?) I've tested the USB socket in the glovebox and it is powered - it can recharge my iPhone. So at least I know the wire hasn't come undone.... All help and ideas very gratefully received! Thanks in advance Last edited by Sarastro; 11-18-2017 at 02:03 AM..
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11-19-2017, 08:37 PM	#2
vespa First Lieutenant 217 Rep 245 Posts Drives: 2011 335i Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Thousand Oaks iTrader: (0)	Sara, you can use a VIN decoder to find all the options your car should have. The glovebox USB is only used for map updates and MP3 transfers, you cannot play MP3s directly from it and there is no possibility of album art. Maybe yours is partially disconnected from the back of the CIC? All CICs have a hard drive and will not function at all if there is any trouble with it. The center console USB can play MP3s directly with album art if you have the COMBOX but that was a 2011+ option. There are retrofit guides. The COMBOX is a separate module in the trunk that manages the glovebox USB, phone cradle, and Bluetooth music streaming. Your phone cradle might only do phone calls and analog streaming. The CIC should play MP3s and DVDs. I've had no trouble with DVD+R DL discs on my 2011 and I'm not aware of any hardware differences in the 2009+ CIC. Your car should have reasonably updated firmware unless it's a salvage title with a void warranty. The phone cradle is of very limited (zero) value on any car, especially one without COMBOX and Apps so I wouldn't recommend chasing that path. When it works, it's basically the same as the center USB port. Consider a COMBOX retrofit or aftermarket bluetooth adapter for more media options.
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11-21-2017, 10:36 AM	#3
opjose Major 242 Rep 1,354 Posts Drives: 335xi Join Date: May 2016 Location: Md iTrader: (0)	The USB port in the glovebox should never be used for charging your devices. The power output limits are far too low. It is there for firmware and map updates. If you have no USB in the center armrest then you do not have a MULF nor TCU nor combox. You need one of these at least for this function.
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11-25-2017, 02:28 AM	#4
Sarastro New Member 0 Rep 8 Posts Drives: 2010 320i Hardtop Convertible Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Sunny Cyprus, was UK iTrader: (0)	Hello all, and thanks for your help. I finally managed to talk (via friends of friends and LinkedIn) to a guy at BMW in Munich. I learned a lot and I'll pass it on here, hopefully someone else will find it helpful. My car does have a hard drive, but not the 80GB one. It has a 20GB drive which stores ONLY the map data. It has no space for music, so all the import functions are just not there on the display, and the glovebox USB cannot be used to import or play music files. I've used the USB to update my maps, it was a real slog - it is incredibly picky about USB drives, the seventh one I tried was recognised by the car and the maps updated fine then. There is no USB in the centre console; although this can be retrofitted (kit on order from BimmerTech!) It was simply not ordered by the original owner of the car. According to my guy, only about 5% of cars with Comboxes don't have them, and mine is one of them. The Combox is fitted, thankfully, in the boot. You can have the Combox without the USB, but you can't have the USB without the Combox. He had the same views on the phone cradle as Vespa - he wondered why they bothered fitting them at all, especially with the new wireless charging options. The Bluetooth on the car (I have the enhanced version) works fine, and I've got an adaptor to charge the phone from the ciggy lighter in the centre console (until the USB is fitted anyway). The only thing he couldn't help with was the DVD player. He thought that all the CIC cars had DVD playback. Mine clearly hasn't. (Oh, and he was at a loss to tell me why BMW don't have GPS data for Cyprus, but that's another story!) Thanks again!
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