UltimatePeter

Last summer I bought a 2001 330xi, and I had a lot of fun with it!


- I installed the alarm and coded it:


- I installed a Pioneer CD / BT head-unit (don't worry, I changed the LED to amber):


- I installed a 200 amp alternator.
- I went through a few speaker configurations:

and settled with a Kicker L7 15"


I liked the car, it was nice.



But hey... On to bigger and better.
Here is my newer 2006 530xi.


I had to stick with the XI, because I live in Minnesota. My 330xi was awesome and ate right through the snow last year! Can't have RWD here in MN...


Looking forward to:
- Somehow hooking up my phone music... This is a MUST!
- Looking into the rear sensors.
- Probably getting around to bringing that 15" over... Bigger trunk means I can work in a bigger box for better sound!
- I'm tired.

seablue550i

Nice pick up! Any future mod plans for your E60?

info@trinityautosport

welcome =)

UltimatePeter

I'm open for suggestions...

Also, looking for advice on the music from my phone. People who have researched and taken the journey before me?

ModBargains.com

Nice Upgrade.
Looks good

UltimatePeter

Hey there Folks,
Thanks for the warm welcome!

Here are some new pics I took --

The Old and the New:


Thought I better get this before it got dirty:




Lookin' sharp!



So in other news:

• My AUX jack is on the way, and I'm trying to figure the best place to put it.
• I have BMW tools installed in virtualbox on my Linux machine and speaking to K-CAN adapter.
• I have a Q Power 15-inch Kicker Solo Baric box on the way. It is 32.5 inches wide... So, I am crossing my fingers, because that is the exact width of my trunk floor. It may be a tight squeeze. (
  Amazon.com : Qpower Single 15" Extra Large Vented QBOMB Square Hole - QBOMB15VLSINGSQ : Vehicle Audio Car Mounts : Car Electronics
  Amazon.com : Qpower Single 15" Extra Large Vented QBOMB Square Hole - QBOMB15VLSINGSQ : Vehicle Audio Car Mounts : Car Electronics
  )

armaspeed

welcome to the family

rice_rocket88

I have the factory aux and usb.. and i didn't have a lot of luck getting good sound out of the phone. I had a lot of line noise interference... plus it went wonky via bluetooth connection to the phone when the phone rang.

I'm curious if you can get something to work well...

UltimatePeter

Yes, I would agree that it is hard to find an optimal setup with this e60 being halfway between bluetooth standards.

-Bluetooth works for handsfree calling, although noise suppression and feedback loop technology had not evolved yet... which can make the hands-free through the radio not that fun anyway. Half the time, I just grab my phone and turn off "headset" so I can put the phone to my face and not have to repeat myself.

-Another caveat of the AUX cable is that while my phone is plugged into AUX, it will believe that I have it hooked up to a wired headset, and then a call coming in goes through the speakers, but not through the bluetooth, but then I believe I am using the phone mic, which makes me have to hold the phone up near my face anyway.

-I also tried a bluetooth dongle that just plugs into a usb lighter plug for power and the AUX cable to attach to my radio. So, my phone is paired to the dongle, and the audio is fed through the AUX cable. This works to play music through bluetooth to the E60 stereo without having to hook a cable up every time, however sound quality is slightly degraded so I usually just end up hooking the cable directly to the phone because I want the music quality to be all it can be (with my Kicker 15 in the trunk). Hmmm... It may be that I bought a very cheap dongle, like $8 on Amazon, because I wanted to check out the theory of this being a viable option. Maybe a more expensive one, like Rockford would work better?

Long story short, I mostly just run with my phone plugged straight in to AUX and then rip everything apart when a call comes in. This is a sad departure from the Pioneer I put in my e46, where I wouldn't even have to take my phone out of my pocket, but could play my music from it and send/receive phone calls hands free. I went from a 2001 to a 2006 and have to take a step back in my ease of use for music and phone calls, because there is not much you can do aftermarket with the iDrive system.