If anyone out there has a 2004 5 series with a build date of 03/04 to o8/04 you can most likely get the bluetooth function retrofitted via software for about an hour of shop labour. I just recently had my dealer do the retrofit. The shop guru didn't seem convinced it was possible until I showed him one of their tsb's. He then called bmw (engineering department?) who responded that the retrofit may work but issues with the operation of the system could arise. Needless to say, the sevice advisor told me they could try the retrofit for an hour's shop time but if it didn't work they would need to charge an additional hour's labour to return the software to the original state. I went ahead and had it retrofitted. When I got the car I paired it to my older razor and the system seems to work great. The only issue I had was it seemed to echo during calls until I placed the phone in the trunk near the tcu. Now it works great. Voice recognition also works. Well worth the hour shop labour.

See step 4 on the first page.
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so u can get the bluetooth setting through a software upgrade? what did you show them.. I have a build date of 4/04.. and they told me it cant be done.. i will try to see what they say.. how much did they charge you

They told me the same thing intially. About a month later I showed up with a copy of the bluetooth service bulletin and specifically highlighted the paragraph following #4 on the first page. It clearly states that builds from 03/2004 to 08/2004 can have the bluetooth feature retrofitted via software. It also states that it is at the owner's expense. They charged me $125 plus taxes (1 hour labour) to complete the retrofit. I am located in toronto, canada. The cost should be the same anywhere else as well. As stated before, the only thing I noticed was it seemed to echo with the phone in the center console. I put mine in the trunk on the left rear side of the car and also plugged in the 12 volt adapter in the trunk. (bluetooth enabled on my cell. drains the phone battery much quicker) The telecommunications unit is located in the left rear of the trunk. I'm assuming the echoing stopped since the signal strength is much stronger back there. After your first call using bluetooth your phone book from your cell is automatically loaded into i-drive. There isn't really a need to have your cell phone with you in the front. You can do most things through i-drive.

Grab a copy of the service bulletin from my original post and bring it to your dealer. They can't deny their own bulletin.

I have a feb 2004 model e60 530i uk spec - anyone know if i just need a TCU/ULF and Mic and just dealer coding to get my bluetooth wokring?

I have a 9/03 production date E60. It has a newer production date TCU and the dealer did the retrofit procedure for it no problem. Voice recognition works as well. Total cost was $112 including tax. As for the UK spec 2/04 E60, I do not think you will need to upgrade your TCU, but you may need to install the ULF and Mic for sure. Just do a search and you will find many threads and posts that deal with this exact thing.

Whats the difference between ULF and TCU - is it something to do with BMW assit - as is do not want BMW assist - and will i need any cabling / brackets or just a MIC and one of ULF or TCU

Hi guys i do a lot of Retrofit work on BMW from business sat nav to full on professional nav upgrades.

The Bluetooth system all depends on the spec of the car if your car has telephone prep or pre wire then you will need to purchase MULF or ULF unit and a retrofit kit which includes mic bluetooth antenna, cradle and mounting brackets etc.
Once you have retrofitted the unit you will then need to code the unit to the car which depending on the software the car has may need to be updated before the car will accept the retrofit option !

Recommended labour time from BMW is 3.5 hours if the car has pre wire.

If your vehicle does not have prewire then its a very costly upgrade as you have to purchase a full wiring loom phone power supply module plus the above parts ! so you are into big money cheaper alternative would be a Parrot or Nokia kit with steering wheel control input !

Any questions or if you require and parts then please drop me a line !

Has anyone got the code for the telephone prewiring ?
one of the bimmer nav forums say e60 are prewired anyway for Bluetooth, so hopefully i just need a MULF/TCU/ULF and mic and brackets, ive already had the latest software for idrive done for a fault i had under warranty

guys plz, i have a 09/04 production.how can i check if i have the correct TCU. i remember somebody posted it but cannot find the thread anymore.

If i do have it, then i need a ULF(have no clue wht that is,anyone care to explain plz) and a mic as someone said here. Plz help me out.this is very important to me and i have been posting a while and no replies.THANK YOU

you must be lucky ur came with bluetooth - i dont have a ULF or a mic,
checked the overhead area for a mic and its just an mepty panel only got overhead map lights
Mine was a feb 04 model too