[Beemermike]

In August of 2022 I have purchased my pre-LCI E92 that came with the CCC iDrive, at the time of purchase all I had was a CD with girly R&B music left by the previous owner, and the AUX port that was no good to me as the lightning port in my iPhone was knackered.

Oh, and also, the car came with the base (read: crap) sound system.

The need for an upgrade of the infotainment system was desperately needed, and so I decided to purchase the IMI-1000 unit sold by Integrated Automotive - with the predominant reason for purchase being the fact that it integrates with the existing head unit and screen, so I can preserve the originality of those components.

IMI-1000 has arrived professionally packaged, and the great support team at IA sent over PDF instructions (albeit I did not follow them, as the installation seemed simple enough from descriptions available on the website) to my e-mail address.

Installation

If you are a DIY'er, you will be pleased to know that the installation process is simple and essentially plug-and-play, there are only a few things to consider:

1. For automatic box users, ensure that you move the shifter as far back as possible, as it will be in the way of the head unit upon removal - do this before disassembling the dashboard, as otherwise you will have to fiddle with re-connecting the start engine button like me.
2. A set of plastic trim tools will be of great help, especially if you have a nice wooden trim that you do not wish to damage.
3. It is very tight behind the head unit and fitting the IMI is tricky, a popular solution to make this job easier is to cut part of the cage into which the head unit slides into to make more space at the rear, however you will have to judge by yourself where to cut it as I have not done this.
4. The AUX cable from the IMI unit must be plugged into the AUX port in the center console, I have bluntly run this cable from the console's aux port to the outside of the arm rest and tucked it in the side of the center console where it joins with the carpet. It is barely visible and does not bother me.
5. If there is no audio, ensure to set iDrive to use AUX as the audio source.
6. I opted to use the existing OE microphone rather than adding the aftermarket one, unfortunately that does not work for some reason, so it might be worth fitting the aftermarket one that comes with the IMI unit.
7. Test the unit before re-assembly!

Other than the above, the installation is straight forward.

Quirks, Features & Issues

A CCC screen cannot display images in high definition, which means that the quality of the display will be rather poor - that's the price you have to pay for preserving the original screen. A big positive, however, is that the OE screen is anti-glare, which means you can still see everything even if the screen is hit with direct sunlight, and this is a drawback of the aftermarket screens. I believe you will not have the same problem with CIC, which displays images in HD. Because of this, I would recommend running all apps in dark mode if available, as this greatly enhances the look.

I have only encountered two intermittent problems during my year long ownership of the unit, and before I proceed please bear in mind that it's difficult to distinguish whether the issue is as a result of your phone, the app, or the unit itself, so take this with a pinch of salt as you may not have the same experiences. Firstly, sometimes the iDrive knob input will not register whilst being in an app on the screen, however will work fine in the main app selection menu, and this issue is not resolved by simply restarting the car, it will eventually just sort itself out. Secondly, the unit can freeze, but this one is fixable by restarting the car, however the freezes are so rare that they do not bother me when they happen - these are the only issues I've experienced with this system.

Audio quality remained relatively the same, but again, my car did come with the most basic audio system available.

The CarPlay/Android Auto functionality is absolutely flawless, it re-connects to your phone each time you start the car, and you can switch to the original iDrive at any time you wish by holding the Menu button, with the bluetooth audio still playing in the background whilst iDrive is on. You will need access to iDrive to change settings in the equalizer which affects audio output of the IMI (IMI itself also has an audio settings menu that I recommend adjusting to your likening). The unit also supports a reverse camera if you wish to retrofit that, and a USB port for your USB needs.

Overall, I am really happy with this little box and support provided by Integrated Automotive, it is a perfect solution for somebody that wants a reversible mod to preserve the originality of the car and the "charm" of the good ol' first generation iDrive system with comforts of modern infotainment systems.

[Nex_Gen]

Looking into an updated head unit as I type. Thank you for the input as this is one of the top units I'm considering.

[Nex_Gen]

BTW, is this unit a touchscreen?

[Beemermike]

No, it is not touch screen, none of the OE BMW screens (CCC or CIC) have touch screen capabilities, you would have to go down the route of buying a whole aftermarket display unit that would be a direct replacement. IMI is just a box that goes in between the head unit and OE display, it doesn't replace anything.

You would have to go for something along the lines of Xtrons Head Unit if you're looking for a touch display that also has a nice HD video output - which you won't find with your stock screen.

[lnxguy]

Overpriced. It does nothing a $250 Andream MMI unit wouldn't do.

[Beemermike]

Originally Posted by lnxguy

Overpriced. It does nothing a $250 Andream MMI unit wouldn't do.

I think I'm inclined to agree with you, the IMI unit itself looks almost identical to something like the MMI and similar devices, they are all definitely sourced from Asia and re-branded and re-programmed for the right market and application.

But, the reason I went with the IMI is because it's sold by a reputable mainland (UK) seller with accessible premises local to me that offers warranty and clued in technical support - warranty was the main thing for me though as I did not think the unit was very reliable at the time, which it turned out to be pretty good and touch wood keeps being that way.