I have a 2004 530i (March '04 Build) with NAV. I recall, when I took delivery, that Bluetooth was not immediately available, so I had them install a CPT9000 GSM phone. It works pretty well when installed, but the V60 phone is clearly old technology.

My question: What is involved in changing to Bluetooth at this point?

Because of the initial problems, I assume I need bluetooth installed...or do I already have it installed?

I would need a new cradle...and eject box? Would they need to reprogram the system?

Any advice would be appreciated.

We're in the same boat, and about the same build time. I had to have the cpt9000, because some of the march builds were just being cut over to the bluetooth enabled tcu. In my case, my TCU didn't make the cut and my car isn't bluetooth capable.

Yours might not be either. You have to have the dealer check for you. I hope you get lucky.

James

To elaborate on what James correctly said, you may be able to get BT on your car by a software only change. The TCU that supports BT began to be installed around March 2004 so it's likely that you have it. If you do have it, they can change the software to support BT but you will lose the CPT9000 functionality as soon as they do.

As far as cradles, with BT, you technically don't need one but they do make them to fit some phones. Even though it's not required, the cradle is nice because it charges the phone's battery and it usually interfaces with the shark fin antenna to help give you better signal strength.

Quick question, how does the CPT9000 work for you? I still have problems with the phone syncronizing. If the car sits outside on a hot day, when I start the car, it won't sync until I physically cool down the v60. Other times, it just needs to be ejected and reinserted in the cradle to sync. This problem has been ongoing since I got the car and I've had a new cradle installed at least once...

Thanks for the advice. To answer your follow-up question, the CPT9000 has worked pretty well, including the synch of the address book. Only 4-5 times in the last year have I had problems where the phone is not recognized. I assumed it was because I hadn't inserted it correctly in the docking cradle. I had a GSM world phone before I went to the CPT9000 and when I moved over my SIM chip, I learned that the CPT9000 does not function (as my previous phone did) overseas. Also, I lost the Internet browser functionality.

By the way, when I received my car, I had a small card in the glovebox which gave me some information on Bluetooth pairing. Is this an indication that I have BT, or did all vehicles come with the card.

All cars had the card but it doesn't mean a thing. It's all about the version of the TCU -- ones installed in March 2004 and later will work...