[alexwhittemore]

Originally Posted by absinfl

Unfortunately is was unable to get the Bluetooth working. I had a local guy (rich) code the radio for BT but for some reason it didn't work. He tried a lot of different codes and combinations, to no avail. My last shot was to see if it would magically be working the next morning, others have posted that happening for them.
If anyone has gone through this and figured out why the BT wouldn't work,
I'd appreciate any help.
Thanks

Did Rich SG_RESET all modules simultaneously?

[gazosnic]

Originally Posted by absinfl

Unfortunately is was unable to get the Bluetooth working. I had a local guy (rich) code the radio for BT but for some reason it didn't work. He tried a lot of different codes and combinations, to no avail. My last shot was to see if it would magically be working the next morning, others have posted that happening for them.
If anyone has gone through this and figured out why the BT wouldn't work,
I'd appreciate any help.
Thanks

Where did you get the unit from? Was it already in your car or bought after the fact? Could be that its not coded for a E series car in which case you need to code the MULF module itself w an ICOM.

[absinfl]

Originally Posted by alexwhittemore

Did Rich SG_RESET all modules simultaneously?

Yes, he reset all the modules a couple times

[absinfl]

Originally Posted by gazosnic

Where did you get the unit from? Was it already in your car or bought after the fact? Could be that its not coded for a E series car in which case you need to code the MULF module itself w an ICOM.

It is the radio that came with the car that has a build date of 04/11. The head unit does say it has BT. The USB and the SAT radio are both working, if that makes a difference

[mschuler]

At he start of this thread by AoshichanX reference is made to a TCU PDF in which the following instruction is given "21. Connect the Bluetooth connector to the Bluetooth
antenna and clip onto the under-dash panel". My understanding of this is that the BT antenna is already in the car. But where is the BT connector? Do I have to pull a wire from the trunk? Maybe I am missing something.

[jkfromsa]

fares 52, I have a 2010 328i and was wondering, 1. Did you finally get your Bluetooth working and 2. where did you get your coding done? was it locally in DC/Baltimore area?

If anyone can recommend a coder in the DC/Baltimore area that would be extremely helpful

thanks!

[datbimmer]

So... this thread is 7 years old. Did it get any cheaper to install bluetooth and BMW Assist ?

[alexwhittemore]

Not really, no.

[absinfl]

In theory it should be easier since they incorporated everything into the head unit. I just need to dig a little deeper to figure out why my head unit won't allow me to use Bluetooth when it is coded for it.

[ssmith96]

Originally Posted by alexwhittemore

Not really, no.

Hows that so? The TCU is only 150 now on ebay. 200 in other parts and maybe 100-200 in coding.

[doogee]

Complete kit in case anyone was looking!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E90-E92-...7b2233&vxp=mtr

[fallred]

Is it possible to get coding done by inpa cable at home?

[AWD Addict]

Originally Posted by alexwhittemore

Exactly what I'd suggest. There's a good chance that there's no wire in the harness for the Mic. I have no experience with doing the radio- (rather than MULF-) based retrofit, but it's possible you'll need to run a Mic cable. You can check by pulling the headliner down as you would to install the mic, popping out the FZD, and looking around for a loose 3-pin plug.

I'm similar to that poster, as I have 6FL/usb, and I have voice commands.

So with just a simple coding change, that mic will work with BT?

[alexwhittemore]

Originally Posted by AWD Addict

I'm similar to that poster, as I have 6FL/usb, and I have voice commands.

So with just a simple coding change, that mic will work with BT?

No, you'll probably need to rewire your mic. That said, because you're pre-LCI and thus should have phone prep by default, you should be able to repin your mic in the glovebox (search for that) rather than needing to run a full new cable from the FZD to the trunk.

It's funny, I think if you have phone prep (implied with pre-LCI) AND 6FL AND voice control, you've literally got all the hardware for bluetooth already. You may need to reroute the mic signal to the MULF like I suggested, but in general it's only a coding change. Definitely cheap of BMW for leaving out something as basic as bluetooth in that case.

[gazosnic]

coding is pretty easy w the regular cable if you have the hardware in place. (you basically are adding the options to your vehical order (VO) + resetting the radio which should be all you need.

typiclly no need to code theMULF itself... however in this case you would need an OPS cable.

[AWD Addict]

Very helpful alex, thanks for sorting this out for me.

[alexwhittemore]

Originally Posted by AWD Addict

Very helpful alex, thanks for sorting this out for me.

FWIW, I should have mentioned I'm not certain on that - I'm pretty sure, but if you code it and everything works except the other side can't hear you and you've lost voice control, you'll know the mic needs rerouting to the MULF. I had this happen with one car I worked on (idrive + voice control), but it was an LCI and didn't have any mic wires in the MULF harness, so we had to run a new cable. Your car shouldn't have that problem.

[Augster]

I FINALLY had the time to figure all this out successfully...

Originally Posted by Augster

I followed Dracon's posts #265 and #266 and installed a 2011 GSM TCU, 2011 FZD with mic, plus requisite supporting components. Simply repowering the vehicle with no programming whatsoever I got telephone, voice recognition, and Bluetooth running and was able to pair my phone and make/receive calls, but the mic is not working.

I've read about many experiencing non-functioning mics requiring wiring/connection modifications, but it seems this is for MULF-only Bluetooth retrofits.

My US non-iDrive 2008 335i has 640A Telephone prep and 6FLA USB/Audio Interface, meaning it already has a MULF with Bluetooth.

Originally Posted by alexwhittemore

I think, but I'm not sure, if you installed a TCU that takes over telephone functionality from the MULF. If that's true, it may require rewiring the mic to the TCU instead of the MULF. If it's not true, I don't think there's any reason you needed to buy and install the TCU (unless you want BWM Assist).

Originally Posted by alexwhittemore

Have you seen their retrofit guides though? The difference between repinning the mic and not repinning it is like, two minutes tops when you have perfect, explicit step-by-step instructions

Unfortunately it's a PITA when you don't know whether or not you have to do it in the first place.

Originally Posted by PichaDis11

Alex is right and I can account for that. You are actually doing an exact retrofit as Alex did with his car. If I remember correctly you'd have to gather a mic wiring to your fzd unit as well for the mic to work. Now why not just use one of the modules only since you are looking to add only Bluetooth functionality. Kind of redundant to have both modules when one can do the same. Not that they can't coexist in the same car but your gonna have to do a lot of reconnecting and figuring where wires go.

And I didn't have to custom-build wiring from the mic back to the modules in the trunk, like a few threads here and on other forums did when a Bluetooth MULF module was already in-place (e.g. 6FLA USB/Audio Interface package), nor modify any of the connections or wires at the modules themselves.

After scrutinizing the electrical schematics for a Bluetooth MULF setup versus a TCU setup then realizing they both use the exact same wiring, connector junctions, and pin-outs, the key breakthrough came when I was relentlessly searching the internet for similar issues and came across a BMW Universal Hands-Free Kit Upgrade, Installation Instructions 01 29 0 430 250, for a 1-series E82! And there it was on page 11, step 6, under "All Cars:"



This priceless bit of information was missing from all BMW E90-specific literature and DIY guides.

After removing the trim panel and glove box, connector X14087 was in plain sight:



I disconnected the female connector on top and confirmed that the wires coming down from the mic were in the disabled pin locations of 4, 5, and 6:



The male connector on the bottom was correctly wired (according to BMW's WDS schematics) with yellow, black, and grey wires at pin 1, 2, and 3 respectively, with nothing at pins 4, 5, and 6:



I used a jeweler's screwdriver to undo the pin clamps:




Re-pinned the yellow, black, and grey wires to positions 1, 2, and 3:



Snapped the pin clamps closed and reconnected the plugs together. A successful telephone call out verified the mic was now fully functional, and a sigh of relief was let out!

It's probably a safe assumption that all US-spec Bluetooth equipped MULF's only need to re-pin X14087 and some INPA magic to have a fully functional hands-free system; if a TCU is co-installed with a Bluetooth MULF, then just a re-pin with no coding is probably all that it takes because all my telephony functions worked "out-of-the-box" before I coded (except the mic, of course), although I'd still recommend coding to ensure no issues arise later.

I'm not sure why BMW positioned the mic wires in "non-functional" pin locations (perhaps a devious way to prevent customers from easily enabling hands-free functions?), but at last I can finally close this project on my "To Do" list...

[challengestage]

hello all... i recently acquired an 09 328i equipped with hifi sound and satellite prep, but no phone prep. my main goal is to add bluetooth for handsfree calling. i am not a huge fan of the sound system, but i'm not overly picky. i have a kenwood bt955hd headunit with 6 output channels that i pulled out of my last vehicle, (totaled, RIP) that i could use, but i prefer the stock look, and it sounds like i might be doing more harm than good by swapping out the stock headunit. i do have the mulf-2 hi basis svs in the trunk. like everyone else, i have read about 1300 posts about how this should work.

it seems that the most efficient (and least expensive) way to go about this is to replace the headunit with one of the newer models that has bluetooth in the headunit, add a mic, and then recode. my question then: does anyone have a part number to order, or at least a way to identify the bluetooth-equipped radio?

thanks in advance for any tips!

[doogee]

Originally Posted by challengestage

it seems that the most efficient (and least expensive) way to go about this is to replace the headunit with one of the newer models that has bluetooth in the headunit, add a mic, and then recode. my question then: does anyone have a part number to order, or at least a way to identify the bluetooth-equipped radio?

thanks in advance for any tips!

All the radios with Bluetooth should have the Bluetooth logo on the label. I went this route and it was by far the easiest.

[cpnbnanamn]

Originally Posted by doogee

All the radios with Bluetooth should have the Bluetooth logo on the label. I went this route and it was by far the easiest.

I think I remember reading that the '11+ HU's and up were equipped with BT. Will they fit into a '10?

[datbimmer]

Ok so I have a 07 335i with idrive,nav, voice control, What do I need other than the MULF2(or something else for 07?) and some coding (I am able to code the car no problem with my software&cable. ) so I should be able to do this myself ?