BILLYBOB

I just took delivery of my first bimmer - a 2004 530i, titanium silver with gray leather, premium group, auto trans, xenon headlights, dealer-installed CD changer.

The owner's manual states the following about MP3 playback:

"Currently not available:
The CD player can also play CDs with MP3 contents. Depending on the directory and file structure, it may take up to 50 seconds to read in the data."

There are several references to MP3 playback under "Selecting a track" and other sections of the CD instructions, leading me to believe that the changer also will read MP3 files when the new software is released.

My obvious question is: Does anyone know when the software will be released that enables the MP3 playback features? Delivery of my bimmer was delayed a day so that the dealer could obtain and install the latest software for the CD changer, but neither the changer of the in-dash player reads MP3 files.

Secondary question: Until the CD player can read MP3 files, I plan to use my iPod as the player, which I played through the excellent audio system of my Infiniti G35 via the audio cassette recorder. Of course, the 530 does not have a cassette player, so I need another means to get the signal to the audio system. I had an unsatisfactory experience with a plug-in FM modulator a couple of years ago (I believe it was a Rio brand (?), about $40 at RadioShack -- the reception was poor and unusable, given that the G35 FM antenna is in the rear window glass). Has anyone had any experience using an FM modulator to play an MP3 player through the audio system in an E60, given the relatively remote location of the shark fin antenna?

Final note: My bimmer is fantastic (although the G35 was quicker from 0-60, the 530i overall performance is undeniably superior). I have had absolutely no problems using all of the features of the iDrive, and find the other controls on the dash and steering wheel to be perfectly adequate -- the iDrive settings are mostly one-time "just for fun" settings anyway. I did find matching the garage door opener buttons to my opener to be a little more of a challenge, but far from insurmountable.

sj3

billybob: Those fm doodads at radioshack were replaced with new ones. It might be worth a try to see if it works any better. As long as you keep the packaging, you can return it within 30 days.

Sam

BILLYBOB

Sam, Thanks for the feedback. Shortly after I posted the first note, I picked up a new doodad (it's actually an "irock Beamit wireless music adapter") at RadioShack. Turns out they've come down in price (sells for $30) and now includes a 12-volt adapter to supplement the AAA battery. The unit looks the same and I suspect is the same -- I think the issue is more likely the location of the antenna and the general sensitivity of the FM tuner. From what I've seen online about BMW tuner sensitivity, I'm not too optimistic. I'll post the results after I try it out in a day or two. Hopefully it's just an interim solution until the next software update hopefully enables MP3 playback in the CD player.

sj3

Good luck. I think it has a choice of stations or some type of adjustment on it. Is there an outlet in the passenger footwell to plug it in to, if the cord's long enough?

Sam

BILLYBOB

I'm guessing the best location for the irock will be the outlet in the back of the center console, since it's closest to the shark fin antenna and allows the iPod to be close at hand to the driver. The irock has four distinct, adjacent operating frequencies -- 88.1, .3, .5 and .7. Of course, the need for the irock goes away when the software is updated to enable the CD player to read CD's with MP3 files. Hopefully someone will have an idea of timing on the software update, assuming BMW is serious about since they included info in the Owner's Manual. I sent an email to the BMW Owner's Circle tonight, but I'm not optimistic that I'll receive anything more than a vague reply.

BILLYBOB

The irock doodad goes back to RadioShack tomorrow. Reception was OK-minus, and the sound was definitely below mp3 and cd quality. Worst of all, after a couple of minutes it emitted a high frequency background noise through the speaker system.