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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > ConnectedDrive / I-Drive / Navigation Related Discussion > Can you use a Combox Telematics for only Media?



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      10-28-2020, 02:44 PM   #1
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Can you use a Combox Telematics for only Media?

Hello, my name is Thomas and this is my first post. I've already found a lot of information on this forum, like for my CIC Retrofit. I own a BMW E90 (2006) and I would like to do a Combox Retrofit now.

My car doesn't have a TCU or MULF and I don't need BMW Assist. Is it true that I should go for a Combox BN2000 Media? If so, these are rare for sale. I found a lot of Combox Telematics on websites. So, is it possible to use a Combox Telematics and leave the GSM ports unconnected without getting problems with coding or errors while driving etc.?

Thanks in advance!
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      10-29-2020, 12:30 PM   #2
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Nobody uses telematics anymore

All of the phone functionality of the TCU and combox for pre-2015 cars stopped working a while ago.

You can go ahead and use a telematics combox and just not use the telematics portions of it (but you might need to wire it up)
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      10-29-2020, 01:50 PM   #3
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Thanks for your reply! Why should I connect the GSM ports if I am not using Telematics? That means I would have to buy an Telephone/Emergency antenna, because my car doesn't have one.

And does the build year of the Combox matter? For facilities such as Connected Drive etc.?

Last edited by Toith; 10-29-2020 at 02:18 PM..
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      10-29-2020, 06:38 PM   #4
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If you keep Assist coded out, you can probably skip those antennas (along with the emergency speaker, assist microphone wiring, button/error LED and crash trigger)
The Combox might still record an error code that you can see with bimmerlink/inpa/ista, but it won't show up on the kombi/dash.
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      10-30-2020, 05:05 PM   #5
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quickest i've ever gotten an auto part from the internet!
will get started on the retrofit as soon as i can get the 26 pin connector
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      10-31-2020, 02:10 PM   #6
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Sounds good, you don't have a Combox yet?
What type have you bought? Are you going to connect the GSM ports?

And do you know whether the build year matters for features such as Connected Drive?
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      10-31-2020, 02:31 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toith View Post
Sounds good, you don't have a Combox yet?
What type have you bought? Are you going to connect the GSM ports?

And do you know whether the build year matters for features such as Connected Drive?
My car was prewired with a TCU and MULF.
I bought the above combox telematic from ebay. It was the cheapest i could find without calling auto parts yards, 70 bucks us shipped.
I'm going to code out assist.

The only features I care about are bluetooth audio w/album art and bluetooth calling.

I'm going to try only hooking up power, ground, MOST, bluetooth antenna, and handsfree microphone, a friend who used to sell retrofit kits says that's all I need.
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      11-01-2020, 10:35 AM   #8
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That's a great deal! Via which site? I only see Comboxs for $150 and more on Ebay.
What do you mean by 'code out'? Deleting code 'S612A' because of your pre-wired TCU?

Please keep me informed, I am curious!
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      11-01-2020, 01:14 PM   #9
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I think it is VO code +TELD, but I'll have to try a few things once I'm in there. It might also be removing S619A or S612A... will have to see what's in there first and try a few things, to make sure bluetooth calling still works.

I bought my combox on ebay. You can look for any of these part numbers, just make sure the actual part has the part number listed, sometimes sellers will list a TCU with a combox part number (look for it to say combox on it too).
These are all combox telematik. Newest is at the top, oldest is at the bottom, but they'll all support bluetooth audio and pandora and so on:
84102447926
84109257163
84109251750
84109248181
84109244201
84109234944
84109231667
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      11-01-2020, 01:21 PM   #10
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Another option is to go to car-part.com, search for a 2011 bmw 328i -> computer box (not engine), then "Communication, (Bluetooth)".

I see some for as little as 40 bucks.

If you find one for a 2011/2012, it's at least a 30% chance of being the right part. Could also be entirely wrong.
You could email or call whatever parts yard and ask for a picture of it and/or the part number.

If you look at my photo ^^ you can see that next to the antenna connections, there's a slot in the baseplate near where the mounting screws are. All combox models look like this. TCU does not look like this, nor does MULF or sirius/xm or whatever else the parts yard might "think" is a bluetooth module.
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Last edited by vilord; 11-01-2020 at 01:32 PM..
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      11-03-2020, 04:38 PM   #11
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oh right, sorry, car-part.com probably won't help you in the Netherlands.
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      11-04-2020, 10:53 PM   #12
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Combox installed and coded. Assist disabled.
I did not bother to connect the GSM antennas or the KCAN wires to the combox, it works fine with my CIC I now have bluetooth audio streaming!

Will have to figure out FSC to enable BMW apps when i'm not tired
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      11-06-2020, 04:28 AM   #13
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Great that your Combox works! And good to know that I can buy a Telematics variant. Currently I'm collecting the other parts, such as a bluetooth antenna etc. And unfortunately Carparts.com does not deliver in Europe

Is it correct that you only connected power, ground, MOST, bluetooth aerial, USB/AUX and microphone? Did you connect that like the picture below?
What about the coding, can you give a quick summary of this? Like the codes you had to add to your VO.
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Last edited by Toith; 11-06-2020 at 04:39 AM..
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      11-06-2020, 07:05 AM   #14
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These are the wires I connected to my combox. You might be able to skip the mic and aux shields(11 and 22) and the pin 2 constant power.

X34130/26-pin
1 - +12v 10a 30G
2 - +12v 5a 30G_F
10 - Aux GND
11 - Mic 1 Shield
12 - Mic 1-
14 - Ground
22 - Aux Shield
23 - Aux L
24 - Aux R
25 - Mic 1+

X34128/1-pin
1 - Bluetooth Aerial

X34139/2-pin
1/2 - MOST optical link

For the VO:
My car is an '09, it had #0908 as the build date variant, I replaced that with #0311.
I made sure I didn't have $612, $616, $633 or $639
Then I added $614 $615 $644 $6FL $6NF $6VC $7SP and -TELD
Finally, I default coded the CIC and KOMBI (kombi to get rid of the SOS error), then went into bluetooth pairing and was able to see the 4 phones that the previous owner of the combox had paired to it.

When I removed them and paired my phone, it showed the bluetooth code for the combox's vin. I didn't bother changing it, paired my phone, and was able to play music
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      11-06-2020, 09:20 AM   #15
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FYI I just read that installing this carplay box, combox is not needed!
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001038593180.html

I'm not sure if that is true, but if so, this would be a much better direction to go!
Here's the discussion:
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...7#post26881287
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      11-07-2020, 12:24 PM   #16
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I see you added the codes $644 (Preparation for mobile phone w. Bluetooth) and $7SP (Nav Professional/cellph. Prep. Bluetooth). What is the difference between these two? And do you need both?
I read for $6NF you need a cradle. Is that right? And did you do the coding with a K+DCAN cable?

Thanks for the tip. I'll go for the Combox, I prefer OEM and Bluetooth streaming is enough for me!

----

Can I ask you an other question?

I have done a CIC retrofit. The unit and navigation works, only I don't have SA609 in my VO yet. Is this just a matter of 'FA_write' to CAS and FRM? Or do I also have to code this to an ECU?

Last edited by Toith; 11-08-2020 at 03:28 AM..
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      11-08-2020, 06:13 AM   #17
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Adding 609 is just a matter of an FA_write to CAS/FRM, yes.

I don't have a cradle. I might try taking out 6NF and re-coding just to see if it removes the BMW apps, or if it just removes the useless cradle menu item.

I'm not sure what 7SP does... the first time I coded everything I skipped the 7SP code and everything worked fine.

I used an ICOM, but a K+DCAN cable would work equally well.


One thing to keep in mind about the VO is that the car doesn't actually do anything with the VO. It is the computers that plug into the car that care about the VO.
Each individual module cares about its own program/data settings only.

The VO is used by NCS EXPERT to figure out what program/data settings to put on each module when doing factory/default coding of that module.

When I first coded this to see if it would work, I didn't actually run FA_WRITE at all. I opened NCS EXPERT, read the VO from the CAS, added and removed the VO items above in NCS EXPERT (but did not FA_WRITE anywhere), then ran SG_CODIEREN on the CIC. That was all I needed to do for the combox to work.
The next day, I added 7SP based on things I read on the forums, and re-ran SG_CODIEREN on the CIC again (not that I noticed any difference...), then I also ran SG_CODIEREN on the KOMBI to get rid of the SOS error.

To fix the VIN on the combox, I ran FGNR_SCHRIEBEN and AIF_SCHRIEBEN, then SG_CODIEREN on the combox/cmediar.

Then I went back and used FA_WRITE on the CAS so the next time I open NCS EXPERT or ISTA or INPA it will know what modules are in the car, and finally I opened ISTA and checked the car for codes/errors and cleared all the errors.

My FRM still has the original VO.
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      11-08-2020, 12:39 PM   #18
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I'm curious! As far as I've been able to find, 6NR is for BMW Apps and you do need an FSC for activation. But I'm just a layman!

I will outsource the coding. I would like to broaden my knowledge in coding, hence my questions. Hopefully I can code more and more myself in the future.

Is changing the Combox's VIN an easy process? Changing the VIN on my CIC was quite a complex process ... Someone else did that trick for me.
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      11-08-2020, 07:14 PM   #19
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Yes you do need an FSC to activate BMW apps!
Any time that the VIN is changed in the CIC, new FSCs are needed also, so it is possible that when you had your VIN changed they included apps!

I did the FSCs myself, it is not a complex process once you understand the tool (FSTOOL)

Changing the combox VIN is *much* easier than the CIC vin. It was like a 10 second process that is done with the same tool as is used to update the VO (NCSEXPERT).
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      11-09-2020, 04:04 AM   #20
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Please let me know if you removed 6NF and how it affects your system.
Do you have BMW Apps (6NR) working now?

I have collected all parts except for the Combox. I hope to receive the unit this week. Then the fun work will begin!
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      04-14-2022, 08:39 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vilord View Post
These are the wires I connected to my combox. You might be able to skip the mic and aux shields(11 and 22) and the pin 2 constant power.

X34130/26-pin
1 - +12v 10a 30G
2 - +12v 5a 30G_F
10 - Aux GND
11 - Mic 1 Shield
12 - Mic 1-
14 - Ground
22 - Aux Shield
23 - Aux L
24 - Aux R
25 - Mic 1+

X34128/1-pin
1 - Bluetooth Aerial

X34139/2-pin
1/2 - MOST optical link

For the VO:
My car is an '09, it had #0908 as the build date variant, I replaced that with #0311.
I made sure I didn't have $612, $616, $633 or $639
Then I added $614 $615 $644 $6FL $6NF $6VC $7SP and -TELD
Finally, I default coded the CIC and KOMBI (kombi to get rid of the SOS error), then went into bluetooth pairing and was able to see the 4 phones that the previous owner of the combox had paired to it.

When I removed them and paired my phone, it showed the bluetooth code for the combox's vin. I didn't bother changing it, paired my phone, and was able to play music
Hello
Can you help me?
Originally i had mulf(no high) and wires from aux direct from the CCC
Now i have a CIC with a Combox
I have power on pin 2
All mic wires like you but no one hear me via bluetooth,streaming audio and other funtions are ok
Where is the problem?
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