DIY- Rear Power Outlet DIY for US Cars

bmwexecutive · 10-01-2006, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KL2DC

bmwexecutive: from the new panel, there are 2 cables of each color connecting to the plug. When you cut off the plug, you end up with 4 cables (again, 2 of each color). You'd need to 'bridge' the two like color cables together via the connectors. After you've bridge the two, you'd need to bridge that onto the corresponding live cable.

Okay, so let me make sure I've got this:

There are four cables (two brown and two red) coming from the car and four cables (two brown and two red) coming from the new panel. I cut off the plug on the front of the cables coming from the car, strip those four cables to expose the wire and plug the two brown ones and the two black ones into two 3M quick connect things. Then I strip the four cables coming from the new panel and plug them into the other side of the two 3M quick connects.

Is this right?

Other than this, what's the deal about the blue air conditioning cable he was talking about? Just remove that after I pull it back a little and then plug it back in the same way when I reinstall?

Thanks!

FrankoQ · 10-01-2006, 10:09 AM

Exec,
There are 2 cables one red and one brown from the car.
those feed the center console plug.

From your new robot, there are 2 red and 2 brown wires.

If you are using quick connectors, you do not need to strip the wires.

1) connect the 2 red from your robot with one quick connector. Make sure one
red wire is sticking out at least 2 inches from the quick connector.
2) connect the sticking out red wire from step 1 to the red from the car with another quick connector.
3) repeat step 1 and 2 for the brown wires.
4) test plugs BEFORE you put the cover in place.
5) test plugs AFTER you put the cover in place.
6) enjoy your robot.

ksfrogman · 10-01-2006, 10:28 AM

I was at Long Beach BMW on Friday, and apparently this part is on backorder with 28 orders ahead of mine.

shragon · 10-02-2006, 01:47 PM

just placed my order with crown. guess we'll see how long it's on backorder for.

tiger9269 · 10-04-2006, 02:16 AM

Thanks Calvino for the nice write-up

(took less than 30 minutes from start to finish) and thanks to JD at Crown BMW for the $14.95 complete assembly (ordered 9/13, received 10/3)

rlc · 10-04-2006, 12:20 PM

I installed my panel today. I did things a little different than the DIY, but it was very easy and took only 20 minutes to complete.

Since I traded the ashtray for the sunglass tray I connected my power outlets to the vacant ash tray power connections in the front of the center console. My connection did not require the quick connectors or tapping into the center console power adapter or cutting any wires. I used some Radio Shack connectors (see Pics) and 16 guage wire to connect to the plug that comes with the cover part (the one with the outlets), ran the wires to the front (under the console compartment and around the gear shift) and connected to the ashtray power plug. The Radio Shack connector shown did not work with the ashtray plug so I just put the female metal connectors on the ends of the wires, wrapped them in electrical tape, and plugged into the ashtray power without the plastic connector plug (3 pins Left Brown, Center Red, Right unused - sorry I didn't snap pictures of this).

The other thing I did different was order the Storage Partition part that is installed in place of the rear ashtray. As you can see from the pictures it does not result in the cute robot face but I feel like it is a little more useful since it provides a compartment to put cables or a phone. This option requires two parts:

Storage partition (Part# 51 16 7 154 481) List $20.25
Foam Tray Insert (Part# 51 16 7 156 472) List $8.32

KL2DC · 10-04-2006, 12:50 PM

RLC: Nice discovery...you 1-upped the rear outlets mod

I wasn't aware of the storage compartment option, will have to look into it.

GreddyBoy858 · 10-04-2006, 01:01 PM

Now it's not a happy robot anymore... more like a yelling or hungry one.. hahahaha

bavarian19 · 10-04-2006, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreddyBoy858

Now it's not a happy robot anymore... more like a yelling or hungry one.. hahahaha

It is yelling because it has something in its eye

KL2DC · 10-04-2006, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bavarian19

It is yelling because it has something in its eye

neuronpetkowski · 10-04-2006, 01:22 PM

It was one of those, "I can do this before I go to work" mods (the other was the Rear Foglight Switch)...and all went well.
This was certainly the easiest and in my case, needed mod.

GreddyBoy858 · 10-04-2006, 01:44 PM

Hey rlc, how did you find out about these other parts?

rlc · 10-04-2006, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreddyBoy858

Hey rlc, how did you find out about these other parts?

Numbers 8 and 9 in the diagram at:

http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...25&hg=51&fg=35

They were cheap so I bought them to see if I liked it. I do.

tiga901 · 10-04-2006, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlc

They were cheap so I bought them to see if I liked it. I do.

At $14.95...I wholeheartedly agree!

FrankoQ · 10-04-2006, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlc

Numbers 8 and 9 in the diagram at:

http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...25&hg=51&fg=35

They were cheap so I bought them to see if I liked it. I do.

What's the difference between #6 and #8?

FrankoQ · 10-04-2006, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankoQ

What's the difference between #6 and #8?

Never mind...
#6 for the top
#8 for the bottom

KL2DC · 10-05-2006, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankoQ

Never mind...
#6 for the top
#8 for the bottom

Yep...it seems not all E90s come with rear AC outlets. RLC's got the same gameplan as you. So, as discussed it seems easy enough to thread the wire from the back to the front without molesting the center console bits too much. When are you going to do the install?

FrankoQ · 10-05-2006, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KL2DC

Yep...it seems not all E90s come with rear AC outlets. RLC's got the same gameplan as you. So, as discussed it seems easy enough to thread the wire from the back to the front without molesting the center console bits too much. When are you going to do the install?

I will do the mod as soon as I get my robot.
I might go ahead and get that diff. tray to make it a screaming robot.

If you want, we can fix yours at the big meeting.

KL2DC · 10-05-2006, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankoQ

I will do the mod as soon as I get my robot.
I might go ahead and get that diff. tray to make it a screaming robot.

If you want, we can fix yours at the big meeting.

It looks more like a hungry, hungry robot ...

Frank, is it ok to remove the current connectors. Wouldn't they have bitten through the cables?

I am also thinking of reserving the front outlet for a possible XM radio unit install. gazi8 is coming to the meet and showing us his XM setup. He has the antenna on his rear shelf so now it seems entirely possible to have a clean XM install without tapping into the shark fin. Its also possible to have both if you already have sirius tapped into the fin. You might want to see his setup to get some ideas...

FrankoQ · 10-05-2006, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KL2DC

It looks more like a hungry, hungry robot ...

Frank, is it ok to remove the current connectors. Wouldn't they have bitten through the cables?

I am also thinking of reserving the front outlet for a possible XM radio unit install. gazi8 is coming to the meet and showing us his XM setup. He has the antenna on his rear shelf so now it seems entirely possible to have a clean XM install without tapping into the shark fin. Its also possible to have both if you already have sirius tapped into the fin. You might want to see his setup to get some ideas...

It's ok to remove the connectors. You can cover the exposed wires with electrical tape.

calvino · 10-05-2006, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KL2DC

It looks more like a hungry, hungry robot ...

Frank, is it ok to remove the current connectors. Wouldn't they have bitten through the cables?

I am also thinking of reserving the front outlet for a possible XM radio unit install. gazi8 is coming to the meet and showing us his XM setup. He has the antenna on his rear shelf so now it seems entirely possible to have a clean XM install without tapping into the shark fin. Its also possible to have both if you already have sirius tapped into the fin. You might want to see his setup to get some ideas...

does he has pictures of his setup ? I also want XM

KL2DC · 10-05-2006, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calvino

does he has pictures of his setup ? I also want XM

Calvino....

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30762

gazi8's setup works best when you want to have dual-sat radio setup or no sat. prep. prewiring in the car. He has his XM antenna on his rear shelf

If you have sat. prep....there are ways to tap into the shark fin antenna.

Check out RLC's XM setup...

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...t=16587&page=3

10-01-2006, 10:09 AM	#112
FrankoQ Deny everything 219 Rep 11,378 Posts Drives: 2006 330i; 2015 X6, S1000RR Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Beautiful MD iTrader: (5) Garage List 2015 BMW X6 [0.00] 2006 330i [0.00]	Exec, There are 2 cables one red and one brown from the car. those feed the center console plug. From your new robot, there are 2 red and 2 brown wires. If you are using quick connectors, you do not need to strip the wires. 1) connect the 2 red from your robot with one quick connector. Make sure one red wire is sticking out at least 2 inches from the quick connector. 2) connect the sticking out red wire from step 1 to the red from the car with another quick connector. 3) repeat step 1 and 2 for the brown wires. 4) test plugs BEFORE you put the cover in place. 5) test plugs AFTER you put the cover in place. 6) enjoy your robot. __________________ I need a drink
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10-01-2006, 10:28 AM	#113
ksfrogman Major General 576 Rep 6,750 Posts Drives: E90 330i 6MT Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Torrance, CA iTrader: (12) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00] 2006 330i [0.00]	I was at Long Beach BMW on Friday, and apparently this part is on backorder with 28 orders ahead of mine. __________________
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10-02-2006, 01:47 PM	#114
shragon Moderator 497 Rep 27,441 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (7)	just placed my order with crown. guess we'll see how long it's on backorder for. __________________ www.cardomain.com/id/shragon
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10-04-2006, 02:16 AM	#115
tiger9269 Member 2 Rep 39 Posts Drives: '12 Space Grey 335 Coupe Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: NorCal - Bay Area iTrader: (5)	Thanks Calvino for the nice write-up (took less than 30 minutes from start to finish) and thanks to JD at Crown BMW for the $14.95 complete assembly (ordered 9/13, received 10/3) __________________
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10-04-2006, 12:20 PM	#116
rlc Captain 34 Rep 713 Posts Drives: '06 E90 - '04 E85 - '16 F15d Join Date: May 2005 Location: Escondido, CA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2016 BMW X5 35d [0.00] 2006 330i [0.00] 2004 Z4 2.5i Roadster [9.00]	Rear Power Outlet w/Storage I installed my panel today. I did things a little different than the DIY, but it was very easy and took only 20 minutes to complete. Since I traded the ashtray for the sunglass tray I connected my power outlets to the vacant ash tray power connections in the front of the center console. My connection did not require the quick connectors or tapping into the center console power adapter or cutting any wires. I used some Radio Shack connectors (see Pics) and 16 guage wire to connect to the plug that comes with the cover part (the one with the outlets), ran the wires to the front (under the console compartment and around the gear shift) and connected to the ashtray power plug. The Radio Shack connector shown did not work with the ashtray plug so I just put the female metal connectors on the ends of the wires, wrapped them in electrical tape, and plugged into the ashtray power without the plastic connector plug (3 pins Left Brown, Center Red, Right unused - sorry I didn't snap pictures of this). The other thing I did different was order the Storage Partition part that is installed in place of the rear ashtray. As you can see from the pictures it does not result in the cute robot face but I feel like it is a little more useful since it provides a compartment to put cables or a phone. This option requires two parts: Storage partition (Part# 51 16 7 154 481) List $20.25 Foam Tray Insert (Part# 51 16 7 156 472) List $8.32 Attached Images __________________
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10-04-2006, 12:50 PM	#117
KL2DC Moderator 318 Rep 17,767 Posts Drives: F36 428i,E90 328i, E85 Z4 3.0i Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: DC Metro iTrader: (23) Garage List 2015 F36 428i [0.00] 2011 E90 328i [0.00] 2006 E85 Z4 3.0i [0.00]	RLC: Nice discovery...you 1-upped the rear outlets mod I wasn't aware of the storage compartment option, will have to look into it. __________________ Official DC Metro Registry - Current, New & Prospective Area Members Roll Call!
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10-04-2006, 01:01 PM	#118
GreddyBoy858 Mack 28 Rep 209 Posts Drives: 2006 325i Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: San Diego iTrader: (0)	Now it's not a happy robot anymore... more like a yelling or hungry one.. hahahaha __________________ 2006 BMW 325i / Jet Black / Black Dakota / Step / Nav w/ iDrive/ Premium / Sport / Sat Radio/ Adaptive Xenon Headlights / Debadged / Chrome Exhaust Tips / Rear Foglight Mod. / Rear DC Power Outlet Mod. / 20% Tint
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10-04-2006, 01:22 PM	#121
neuronpetkowski Captain 96 Rep 761 Posts Drives: 2008 e92 M3 [Sold] Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Greater Detroit Area iTrader: (13)	Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto Calvino and ALL! It was one of those, "I can do this before I go to work" mods (the other was the Rear Foglight Switch)...and all went well. This was certainly the easiest and in my case, needed mod. __________________ Last edited by neuronpetkowski; 10-04-2006 at 01:41 PM..
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10-04-2006, 01:44 PM	#122
GreddyBoy858 Mack 28 Rep 209 Posts Drives: 2006 325i Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: San Diego iTrader: (0)	Hey rlc, how did you find out about these other parts? __________________ 2006 BMW 325i / Jet Black / Black Dakota / Step / Nav w/ iDrive/ Premium / Sport / Sat Radio/ Adaptive Xenon Headlights / Debadged / Chrome Exhaust Tips / Rear Foglight Mod. / Rear DC Power Outlet Mod. / 20% Tint
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