DIY Electric sunblind retrofit Pre-LCI
 

Just finished retrofitting an electric sunblind in my car. No coding is necessary. Its all plug and play. I also didn't take any pictures either.

This is for Pre-LCI. Here's a quick DIY.
What you need;
- Window switch with sunblind button.
- Parcel shelf trim with hole for sunblind or cut factory one. (All cut lines are hidden if you go this route.)
- Electric sunblind, the 2 little trim covers for each end (#14) and 3 screws for the sunblind mounting (#12).
- 20 feet of 18 gauge wire.
- 4 Bullet style connectors (2 Male, 2 Female).
- 2 Electrical pins (BMW Part# 61 13 8 366 260).
http://static.bmwfans.info/images/epc/MTI3Mjc2X3A=.png

Instructions;
- Remove drivers door panel and change window switch to new one with sunblind button.
- Remove rear seats bottom first then top.
- Remove c-pillar trim.
- Remove parcel shelf trim.
- Before you install new parcel shelf trim, make sure you remove the 3 removable tabs from the sound deadener sitting on the parcel shelf. The sunblind is screwed to the parcel shelf from in the trunk. If you don't remove these now you won't be able to get the screws in.
- Install new parcel shelf with sunblind and all speakers transferred over and bolt the sunblind down from in the trunk.
(#1 are the 3 screws)
http://res.bmwcats.com/tis/1089843.png
If your car didn't come with a sunblind installed from factory, you won't have the wiring pre wired already.
http://res.bmwcats.com/tis/1012914.png
So what I did;
- Cut connector off the end of the sunblind wiring.
- Connect some bullet style electrical connectors to the end of the sunblind wiring ( male on one side female on the other). I used these just in case I needed to remove the sunblind in the future.
- Connect your bullet connectors to roughly 20 feet of 18 gauge wire and run it from the top right (passenger side on LHD car) parcel shelf where the sunblind wiring is, down over the floor where the rear seat goes to the right (drivers side), under the sill trim and b-pillar trim to the dash, then under the drivers kick panel, to the center console where the SZM switch is (module that has the seat heater buttons and parking and DTC buttons.
http://res.bmwcats.com/tis/1089549.png
- Remove the trim on the dash so you have access to the wires on the back of the SZM. There's a DIY on youtube for an AUX install that shows how to remove the dash trim.
- Connect 2 electrical pins to the end of your 20 foot wires (BMW part# 61 13 8 366 260).
- Then unplug the x14058 plug from the SZM ( #4 in the picture above).
- Find #7 and #8 slots on the plug. Unhinge the little tab on the bottom of the connector where these slots are.
So the the wiring goes as follows -
- The plug you cut off the sunblind wiring has 2 wires, a blue and a black. The blue was connected into slot 3 on the sunblind wiring and the black was in slot 1 on the plug you cut off. So the blue wire goes into slot 7 on the x14058 plug and the black goes into slot 8.
https://5series.net/forums/attachmen...1&d=1376155473
- Push the new wires into the plug. Close the tab you unhinged earlier and plug the x14058 plug back into the SZM.
Thats it. Make sure your sunblind works. Then put everything back together. No coding required.

This can be done with LCI as well. The 2 wires just go to a different module.

LCI wiring diagram.
https://5series.net/forums/attachmen...1&d=1376158219

The summer heat had me thinking about a retrofit like this, seems like quite a lot of work. Roughly how much can one expect to spend on such a project?

I paid $100 for the sunblind, $40 I think for the parcel shelf trim, and $60 for the window switch. Not very expensive. The install sounds complicated but its not at all.

Wow nice write up 545iMike I was thinking about doing this install,
Thanks
-Lou

thanks for the write up, i got ahold of a interior with the blind and motor, and was about to scrap the idea of installing the rear blinds because i didnt think it was this easy. now thats my project on wednesday.

Hi guys,

I made this retrofit, replaced the driver's door windows buttons, the shelf, and even coded the $415 to the car VO, connected the blind to the SZM pins 7 and 8 and it's still a no-go.

It just wont work, and measured with my Multimeter the voltage on pins 7 and 8 and they stick on around 1 and something volts.

I'm sure it's not a problem with the sheld itself, because when powering the two cables with 12v it goes up and down without any issue.

May the problem be that my szm has only two Buttons, the DSC and PDC?

Thanks.

That's very strange. It should work. I didn't code the VO when I did mine. Also the SZM picture is just for reference. Mine only has DSC, PDC and heated seats. I would say triple check your connections. What year is your 5? Could the problem be from any of your LCI retrofits?

Hi 545iMike!

Thanks for the reply!

My car is from Jan/2004.

I don't know if it is caused by any of the other retrofits, but's it's unlikely, because if it was disturbing the wires, one would think that something else should be having errors right?

best regards

When you tested the voltage on the SZM was it with the wires for the sunblind connected? The only thing I can think of is maybe the wires came loose on the pins or the pins aren't seated all the way. Or maybe the door switch is faulty.