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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
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**Bluetooth Retrofit Guide** for TCU and ULF
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03-01-2008, 12:41 PM | #89 | |
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Yes I had to purchase basically all the pars outlined in the *pdf installation. Bluetooth works with ienglish commands. I tested yesterday. |
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03-21-2008, 06:17 PM | #90 |
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Bluetooth needed Only
Hi Folks:
I've been reading the thread but it's still a bit difficult to absorb all this given the deep technical details. I'm looking to have bluetooth functionality in my BMW: 2008 328i Coupe (02/08 production). I don't have BMW Assist neither bluetooth nor premium package. I have iPod connectivity and iDrive though. I just need bluetooth and I don't want or need telematic/Assist/SOS stuff at all. My questions: First, what do I need to buy at a minimum to make bluetooth work (with English voice commands)? TCU or ULF? I've been reading some people also refer to MLUF. What's the latest part number/code I need? Second, is coding absolutely necessary or I might not need it in case dealer doesn't want to code? Thanks so much! -Ed Last edited by arorts; 03-21-2008 at 06:18 PM.. Reason: added details.. |
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03-22-2008, 05:37 AM | #91 |
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Hi,
I am also a little confused. I am collecting my 318d here in the UK on Wednesday. Does anybody know if the UK/Euro cars come pre wired as well? I am just interested in getting bluetooth working, no sos or assist. I do not have i-drive so is it just the case of getting the ULF and getting my dealer to enable it? Would i also need to get a mic and is antenna that is included with the TCU from Bimmernav required for the ULF? (what is antenna required for?) Im not worried about the voice command not being in english, as long as the steering wheel buttons work. Ive never seen bluetooth in a BMW before, do the numbers come up on the stereo display when someone calls, and is the phone book accessed via the stereo too. Thanks in advanced or your help |
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04-05-2008, 01:07 PM | #92 | |
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In Europe you can get the ULF (Bluetooth only module) in English by just ordering it at your UK dealer. The issue here in the USA and the ULF being in German seems to be a matter of USA dealer programming support (the ULF module is not an USA part) than the ULF itself being only issued in German. |
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04-16-2008, 04:14 PM | #93 |
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Just picked my 2006 E90 up from dealership. I installed the Bimmernav TCU and got the FZD from Tischer. Dealer cost was $147.00 for coding. Installed the kit myself following SIB. Everything works. Bluetooth, BMW assist (they called me on the way home to check if it works) Have all of the BMW services (Concierge, Emergency, Service Request, Auto request?) Thanks to the information in this thread I now have assist and Bluetooth for a little under $1000 including programing. Not Bad.
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05-08-2008, 05:40 PM | #94 |
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Does anyone know if i need to have an eject box with TCU retrofit from Bimmernav?
One guy from Bimmernav tells me that no eject box required, the other guy tells me that the eject box is required, because it has a pairing button and without it i would not be able to pair my blackberry with the car. That makes no sense to me, since all demo videos on BMW website show that the phone is paired via the radio... Who is right here? I have US Spec '08 E92 328i with a standard radio and no iDrive.
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05-15-2008, 01:52 AM | #95 |
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Bluetooth add on to 2008 328i sedan?
I'm interested in the bluetooth kit for a new 328i sedan, but I have ready conflicting posts regarding whether the bluetooth voice commands are only in German.
Does everything work in English or not? It also isn't clear if you need to install the phone cradle or anything else under the armrest even if you don't have a phone that fits the cradle. There is hardly any storage space under the armrest as is. I'm considering buying the kit, plus microphone. I'm not sure if a bracket is required because the site says: Kits do not come with BMW Mounting bracket as they may already be installed in your vehicle. So is a bracket needed for a 2008 328i sedan and if so, where do you get the bracket? If I order this, I would probably have a local stereo shop install it. I've heard it should take less than 30 minutes to install all the parts in the trunk and in the interior. I called the local dealer and the said will activate the bluetooth for no charge. I'm not sure having bluetooth installed is worth this much money. It's worth something, but maybe not $900-$1000 after all the parts, shipping and labor charges are added and when there are alternative bluetooth kits available that aren't quite as nice, but are a fraction of the price. Plus more and better alternatives are coming in the next year as more states ban drivers holding cell phones and more vendors jump into the market. |
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05-17-2008, 11:14 PM | #96 | |
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Do you have to pay for a year of Assist for the dealer coding to work? It looks like no dealer has been able to "code" the ULF to work in English because it's not a USA part and therefore is not "supported" by whoever they get their training and technical support from. Maybe it wouldn't even be covered by warranty because it isn't supposed to be installed on USA cars? Maybe Bimmernav is ordering the wrong part if it in fact works in English by default when purchased from a UK dealer or else they should just say up front that you will probably have to use German voice commands so there is no expectation that you can get it changed to English at your local dealer. |
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05-19-2008, 06:59 PM | #97 |
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I guess no one else here has anything else to say about this.
I heard back from one dealer today and they say they will program the TCU for $330 or install and program it for $578 (an extra $248). So, it would probably be about $1500-$1600 fully installed by the dealer. Maybe $100-$150 less if I found a local independent stereo installer to do the installation. A Parrot CK3000 can be had for about $115 and the Multican steering wheel control kit is about $185. So $300 in parts. Maybe $100-$150 labor at most, so for less than $450) I could get that kit with integrated steering wheel controls and, as far as I can tell, the only thing I would miss is having the caller-id displayed on the radio screen. I would probably not activate the BMW Assist function, so that's no loss to me. I would have to use my cell as the caller-id screen. Not sure it's worth $1100-$1200 more to have caller-id show on the radio screen. I might consider the ULF kit instead if it isn't too much trouble to learn the German commands. |
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05-20-2008, 02:25 AM | #98 | ||
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Otherwise, you may range from needing a few parts from the SIB to all of the parts. Again, it all depends on your dealer. I apologize for being mean spirited but I swear I covered all this in my opening post... I get the same questions over and over again in PMs and I wonder if any of you guys who ask questions actually read any of the information. Is it the repetition that somehow provides reassurance to people or something? And no to assist. TCU will give the option of activating Assist, but will not force you to get or give you BMW Assist. Quote:
Well I'm glad you worked it down to one watershed issue. Again...as I stated in my opening post, only you can decide if it is worth it for you... FWIW I have never used voice command ever except for "stop guidance". So having German voice command would not have bothered me if it meant saving $800. Also, if I did not have iDrive I would not have ever considered this retrofit. |
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07-01-2008, 03:53 PM | #99 |
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Is FZD necessary if I don't need BMW Assist??
Hi:
Today, I went to the dealership and asked them if they can add bluetooth retrofit for a '08 328i. I do have voice commands already though. They said they can get me installed the TCU with all parts and service and all of it for about $1,600 total. One of the parts is the Switch Unit Roof (I think it's also called 'FZD'). I'll check with dealer later but from your experience, if I only need bluetooth w/voice commands (I don't need BMW Assist), do I have to buy the 'FZD' component necessarily? (this piece alone is about $390.00!!)? Thanks for your help. -Edgar |
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07-01-2008, 05:41 PM | #100 |
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I think you can get the Parrot kit installed with the steering wheel controls for less than the FZD part alone.
The only disadvantage I can see with the Parrot kit is that the caller ID doesn't appear on the radio display. It is spoken verbally through the stereo. I'm tempted to just get the brand new BlueAnt SuperTooth 3 instead of any of the built-in kits. http://www.n1wireless.com/BlueAnt_Bl...akerphone.html |
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07-09-2008, 03:43 AM | #101 | ||
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I've had a lot of PMs regarding the FZD. The short answer is that the necessity of the FZD depends entirely on the level of expertise within your dealership. Tischer claims to be able to retrofit bluetooth with only the TCU unit and sometimes an upgraded mic. However, I tried that route with Savage BMW. They forced me to purchase all the parts within the SIB, including the FZD. I did not get BMW Assist by choice I think the other successful retrofit that was posted on this thread required the FZD module as well. The FZD module is in the low $200s through Tischer fyi. Quote:
I also think there is more incentive for retrofitting bluetooth on a car equipped with iDrive because you can scroll through contacts and mess around with some other stuff. |
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07-17-2008, 02:12 AM | #103 |
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Some quick input on needing the FZD. Dealerships use the software service station (SSS) as you all know from reading posts here. The software is somewhat automated in that when you do a software update or you do a retrofit it scans all of the modules and their data and then comes up with a "measures plan." It also reads the Vehicle order or "VO" from the vehicle which is basically a list of all of the option codes of the car, the pro date, the region etc so that it knows what software to install. Obviously it needs to know if it has nav, etc so that its not trying to program a module that doesnt even exist in the car.
That being said what will happen when you have an incorrect module in the car or if a module is missing it will come up with a measure plan that will say "replace xx contol module with xx part # and then restart. Basically the SSS locks you out of doing any programming or retrofitting until it sees the correct module in the car. When doing a retrofit for the bluetooth what is going to happen is the SSS is going to modify the vehicle order to reflect SA639 which is BMW assist. Once it modifies the VO it will then determine a measures plan to program/encode all the modules that need to be updated in order for the assist to work properly. My guess is what is going to happen is it will scan the module info and see that the FZD is incorrect and lock out any coding until the proper FZD is installed. I have done a couple of these retrofits but I have always installed the correct FZD. I have never tried it with the old FZD, therefore i cant confirm for sure that this is what would happen but from experience common sense tells me that it would. If this is the case then its not the saavyness of the dealership or the tech but just the fact that their hands are tied by the equipment.
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07-17-2008, 09:22 AM | #104 | |
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07-22-2008, 05:54 PM | #106 |
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09-30-2008, 10:06 AM | #107 | |
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BT Retrofit Works
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I must emphasize this - BUY EVERY PART. I cannot find any documentation on the net - and I poured over this crap for hours - of anyone having total success without the FZD and the TCU. I tell you though, especially those with 6 SPDs like mine, Bluetooth is a must and don't cheap out using aftermarket options. The Lo-Jack functionality using Assist will pay for the price difference in insurance savings. |
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10-02-2008, 07:25 AM | #108 | |
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Full kudos for my tech for trying. His hands were tied. |
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10-31-2008, 10:30 PM | #109 |
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Just did a TCU retrofit. Can see my fun at:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=175658 Funny thing, the backup antenna didnt have a cable to connect it too, so its sitting in the box still. Still works! Wonder what that thing is for.
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11-22-2008, 04:30 PM | #110 |
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Hello everyone,
Although I am new here, I have been following this thread for some time now. It is without a doubt a lot of research has been consolidated here. So thank you for your hard work. Anyways, I just purchased and signed for my first BMW today and I noticed there was no SOS button (so no bluetooth for me I guess). In doing some of my own research I can see that the BMW part # for the TCU has been superseded to 84109126533. In the coming months I hope to contribute more information as I plan to create a DIY write up on this topic. (Obviously, the programing will be done by the dealership) Again, thank you for compiling this information. I believe it will make the process of documenting this retrofit easier. Sincerely, Blue |
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