2004 545i: CIC Upgrade Complete
09-20-2012 | 02:45 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Members
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Oceanside, CA
It is complete!
I have taken my stock 2004 545i with Premium & Sport & upgraded the MASK system to CIC+Combox!
I bought the product from Bimmertech / Patryk.
Install was done by Republic Wraps / Chris (umich_chris on board)
Pros: Bluetooth, New iDrive Controller, HD wide screen, improved PDC, Navigation, Menus/GUI, Voice Control, iPod Integration/6NR, Support from Patryk
Cons: LCI A/C, armrest audio/video sync
Thank yous: Nelson, Balbs, Patryk, MEN, Umich_Chris, Nomis, Bruce and the forum.
Synopsis
Order & Receipt:
After reading Nelsons original thread & verifying through many other posts I decided to throw in my lot with Bimmertech. This was no small decision as it was essentially a blind purchase to another country. I made the leap of faith based on everyones sterling reviews of Bimmertech & Patryk & was not disappointed. Somehow they get the packages to arrive fast, and when a piece was missing they quickly shipped out a replacement.
My Kit was: CIC, Combox, 6NR, 6FL, PNP modules for nav & combos
Install:
I spent 3 months piecing together a plan, bugging you guys (Special thanks to Balbs for endless support) & assembling various word documents from this site & others. I suggest this approach if you want to do this yourself & Ive posted my word doc w/ links below. Its not organized buy may be of help to others.
Ultimately I found Chris in LA at Republic Wraps to do the install. Great decision & Id highly recommend to anyone in the area. He was able to do the full install including the new iDrive controller cut in. Saved my bacon. If you want to do the GPS
Coding:
This was fairly straight forward. Bimmertechs rep had me install 5 programs on a laptop & then they take remote control & code through a BMW specific USB cable. I was in a SKYPE session concurrently so communication was back & forth on next steps. The language barrier got us mixed up on our times a couple times, but Id contact Patryk & we resolved it quickly. The rep was very knowledgeable & able to troubleshoot questions I had throughout the process, including images & directions that made it simple.
Use:
Ive had it in for about a week now & have loved every day of it.
Everything on the new HD wide screen is great. Such a step up.
Navigation I leave on as my default screen: the 3D renderings are very cool to have running as you drive about. When I use it for destinations, it works very well. BMW allows you to choose whats in the primary & whats in the side window. That?s a nice touch. The "arrow" window of turn by turn that accompanies Nav in the primary window is nice & accurate. A good countdown to when you turn & nice graphics for funky traffic / on ramp areas. Bimmertechs adding real time traffic activation & I look forward to that. Again: this has to be good to beat out my Android ICS phone & it does the trick.
Most suprising thing I love is the Voice Control. The buttons on the steering wheel link to this & allows for access of most all functions.
Voice combined with using the phone is great: it will auto look through your contacts & find the name you want to call. Voice also will input addresses into Nav for you as Bimmertech turns off "in motion" restrications. Very cool.
Connected Drive is kind of blah. The BMW apps arent my thing & don't add any real value (twitter, facebook, etc). Same with the internet as I have my smartphone in the car & its much faster. Im playing around w/ the news feeds RSS and thats kind of interesting. Seeing emails & texts in Office is kind of cool & works well for my commute.
Ipod Emulation is way cool: This takes your ipod content (from phone or pod) & spits it out in an Apple look & feel. This is for audio only, but its very cool with great graphics & a less "german" interface lol. Ive had ipod integration on all my beemers & this is definitely the best version of it.
PDC gets improved as it uses the same sensors but provides more of a detailed "heat map" of obstructions. Its greater detail & info.
DVD is great & Bimmertech codes it so you have inmotion activated. Also: They code it so you don?t get any of those annoying warnings when you start up the car: a little tweak but an important one.
New LCI Air:
This is something Ive come to accept, but hated it early on. The ability to control each airflow path & intensity is lost. This is a BMW move not a failure of the retrofit. What they replace it with is the concept of: Set your temperature you want, push auto & let the car do the rest. The experience can be harsh as too much air comes from the center/dash vents to get to the desired temp. I liked the prior MASK way where I could control all vent pressure & use the dash sparingly (ie: don?t blow my face off) and put a lot through the upper & lower vents. Bummer, but Ive come to accept it & its not that bad. I do like how LCI, with the 21 pin fix, integrates w/ the Monitor & CIC systems.
Ipod/Phone Audio/Video sync:
For the armrest termination for iPod integration has a shortcoming. For whatever reason BMW has it set up that if you want to play video from this adapter, through the iDrive, you need the audio set to analog & the video to digital for this output. If they are both set to digital, you have the video ahead of the audio by about a second. It sucks & makes it useless. If you follow BMWs lead you have analog audio out of this important adapter area & lose some audio fidelity. Bimmertech was willing to work with me on either solution in the coding. It was initially done all digital, meaning I have great audio & out of sync video. There are various workarounds for this (thanks to Bruce Miranda):
1. Do what Im doing now: Keep the digital audio, avoid video from ipod/phone in the armrest, and use DVDs for video.
2. Change the audio to analog: This will sync the video/audio issue. Additionally, Im told you can do this in the armrest & STILL use the USB port in the glove box to connect a USB/Ipod cable & get digital audio from there. Interesting, not yet tested, Ill let you know.
Im waiting for my iphone 5 to arrive & test these scenarios & will report back in. Patryk has been supportive of coding me as needed.
Overall: 4.5 / 5 stars
Im very happy with this upgrade. I don?t really consider it a mod as its such a significant upgrade to the experience in the cabin. The concept of being able to do this to your car successfully is wild. It all works & it was very much worth it.
Notes:
When running the GPS antenna from your sharkfin to the CIC: If you don?t want to go through the center console/shifter area, you are going to need an extension cable. I chose to route it along the passenger side wall, up into the glove box & then into the back of the CIC. This was easier & requires a 5 foot extension cable from rfsupplier.com or similar shop.
To activate BMW connected drive (apps, internet, etc) you need tethering/hotspot activated on your iphone. I didn?t know this prior & it slowed my install/coding sessions down.
Below Ive attached several images taken throughout the installation process.
There are well documented threads on how to do install, Im trying to fill in a couple blanks with images maybe not seen before.
If you are near LA or in Cali, contact umich_chris at Republic Wraps so you don?t have to learn all of this
Please comment below if I missed anything or you agree/disagree with any assessments made.
THANK YOU
I have taken my stock 2004 545i with Premium & Sport & upgraded the MASK system to CIC+Combox!
I bought the product from Bimmertech / Patryk.
Install was done by Republic Wraps / Chris (umich_chris on board)
Pros: Bluetooth, New iDrive Controller, HD wide screen, improved PDC, Navigation, Menus/GUI, Voice Control, iPod Integration/6NR, Support from Patryk
Cons: LCI A/C, armrest audio/video sync
Thank yous: Nelson, Balbs, Patryk, MEN, Umich_Chris, Nomis, Bruce and the forum.
Synopsis
Order & Receipt:
After reading Nelsons original thread & verifying through many other posts I decided to throw in my lot with Bimmertech. This was no small decision as it was essentially a blind purchase to another country. I made the leap of faith based on everyones sterling reviews of Bimmertech & Patryk & was not disappointed. Somehow they get the packages to arrive fast, and when a piece was missing they quickly shipped out a replacement.
My Kit was: CIC, Combox, 6NR, 6FL, PNP modules for nav & combos
Install:
I spent 3 months piecing together a plan, bugging you guys (Special thanks to Balbs for endless support) & assembling various word documents from this site & others. I suggest this approach if you want to do this yourself & Ive posted my word doc w/ links below. Its not organized buy may be of help to others.
Ultimately I found Chris in LA at Republic Wraps to do the install. Great decision & Id highly recommend to anyone in the area. He was able to do the full install including the new iDrive controller cut in. Saved my bacon. If you want to do the GPS
Coding:
This was fairly straight forward. Bimmertechs rep had me install 5 programs on a laptop & then they take remote control & code through a BMW specific USB cable. I was in a SKYPE session concurrently so communication was back & forth on next steps. The language barrier got us mixed up on our times a couple times, but Id contact Patryk & we resolved it quickly. The rep was very knowledgeable & able to troubleshoot questions I had throughout the process, including images & directions that made it simple.
Use:
Ive had it in for about a week now & have loved every day of it.
Everything on the new HD wide screen is great. Such a step up.
Navigation I leave on as my default screen: the 3D renderings are very cool to have running as you drive about. When I use it for destinations, it works very well. BMW allows you to choose whats in the primary & whats in the side window. That?s a nice touch. The "arrow" window of turn by turn that accompanies Nav in the primary window is nice & accurate. A good countdown to when you turn & nice graphics for funky traffic / on ramp areas. Bimmertechs adding real time traffic activation & I look forward to that. Again: this has to be good to beat out my Android ICS phone & it does the trick.
Most suprising thing I love is the Voice Control. The buttons on the steering wheel link to this & allows for access of most all functions.
Voice combined with using the phone is great: it will auto look through your contacts & find the name you want to call. Voice also will input addresses into Nav for you as Bimmertech turns off "in motion" restrications. Very cool.
Connected Drive is kind of blah. The BMW apps arent my thing & don't add any real value (twitter, facebook, etc). Same with the internet as I have my smartphone in the car & its much faster. Im playing around w/ the news feeds RSS and thats kind of interesting. Seeing emails & texts in Office is kind of cool & works well for my commute.
Ipod Emulation is way cool: This takes your ipod content (from phone or pod) & spits it out in an Apple look & feel. This is for audio only, but its very cool with great graphics & a less "german" interface lol. Ive had ipod integration on all my beemers & this is definitely the best version of it.
PDC gets improved as it uses the same sensors but provides more of a detailed "heat map" of obstructions. Its greater detail & info.
DVD is great & Bimmertech codes it so you have inmotion activated. Also: They code it so you don?t get any of those annoying warnings when you start up the car: a little tweak but an important one.
New LCI Air:
This is something Ive come to accept, but hated it early on. The ability to control each airflow path & intensity is lost. This is a BMW move not a failure of the retrofit. What they replace it with is the concept of: Set your temperature you want, push auto & let the car do the rest. The experience can be harsh as too much air comes from the center/dash vents to get to the desired temp. I liked the prior MASK way where I could control all vent pressure & use the dash sparingly (ie: don?t blow my face off) and put a lot through the upper & lower vents. Bummer, but Ive come to accept it & its not that bad. I do like how LCI, with the 21 pin fix, integrates w/ the Monitor & CIC systems.
Ipod/Phone Audio/Video sync:
For the armrest termination for iPod integration has a shortcoming. For whatever reason BMW has it set up that if you want to play video from this adapter, through the iDrive, you need the audio set to analog & the video to digital for this output. If they are both set to digital, you have the video ahead of the audio by about a second. It sucks & makes it useless. If you follow BMWs lead you have analog audio out of this important adapter area & lose some audio fidelity. Bimmertech was willing to work with me on either solution in the coding. It was initially done all digital, meaning I have great audio & out of sync video. There are various workarounds for this (thanks to Bruce Miranda):
1. Do what Im doing now: Keep the digital audio, avoid video from ipod/phone in the armrest, and use DVDs for video.
2. Change the audio to analog: This will sync the video/audio issue. Additionally, Im told you can do this in the armrest & STILL use the USB port in the glove box to connect a USB/Ipod cable & get digital audio from there. Interesting, not yet tested, Ill let you know.
Im waiting for my iphone 5 to arrive & test these scenarios & will report back in. Patryk has been supportive of coding me as needed.
Overall: 4.5 / 5 stars
Im very happy with this upgrade. I don?t really consider it a mod as its such a significant upgrade to the experience in the cabin. The concept of being able to do this to your car successfully is wild. It all works & it was very much worth it.
Notes:
When running the GPS antenna from your sharkfin to the CIC: If you don?t want to go through the center console/shifter area, you are going to need an extension cable. I chose to route it along the passenger side wall, up into the glove box & then into the back of the CIC. This was easier & requires a 5 foot extension cable from rfsupplier.com or similar shop.
To activate BMW connected drive (apps, internet, etc) you need tethering/hotspot activated on your iphone. I didn?t know this prior & it slowed my install/coding sessions down.
Below Ive attached several images taken throughout the installation process.
There are well documented threads on how to do install, Im trying to fill in a couple blanks with images maybe not seen before.
If you are near LA or in Cali, contact umich_chris at Republic Wraps so you don?t have to learn all of this
Please comment below if I missed anything or you agree/disagree with any assessments made.
THANK YOU
09-20-2012 | 02:55 PM
#5
Thread Starter
Members
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Oceanside, CA
Installation!
Note Chris covered the gearshifter & other danger areas from scratching.
Here you see the main dash vents coming off w/ the MASK being removed.
Also the mid consul area being lifted out to place the new iDrive & the new armrest ipod cabling & adapter.
Note Chris covered the gearshifter & other danger areas from scratching.
Here you see the main dash vents coming off w/ the MASK being removed.
Also the mid consul area being lifted out to place the new iDrive & the new armrest ipod cabling & adapter.
09-20-2012 | 03:09 PM
#8
Thread Starter
Members
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Oceanside, CA
combox install & integration.
Took out the original TCU. replaced with the new combox.
Note the purple plug that is hanging (not connected) in this image is the GPS antenna cable & is ultimately connected to an extension that runs to the back of the CIC. READ Balbs posts (links are in my word doc) for the Combox portion for install guidance.
Last Pictures: 6NR & 6FL coming together. the armrest solution for iPod/Phone has 2 connections & cable from Bimmerfest that terminates into the ipod dock connector. the usb port in the glove compartment speaks for itself & is used to transfer data from a thumb drive during coding, & can drop songs to the cars HDD post coding, & can plug an iPod in here using a ipod/usb cable (not supplied). I believe it shows us as an external HDD when plugged in this way.
Took out the original TCU. replaced with the new combox.
Note the purple plug that is hanging (not connected) in this image is the GPS antenna cable & is ultimately connected to an extension that runs to the back of the CIC. READ Balbs posts (links are in my word doc) for the Combox portion for install guidance.
Last Pictures: 6NR & 6FL coming together. the armrest solution for iPod/Phone has 2 connections & cable from Bimmerfest that terminates into the ipod dock connector. the usb port in the glove compartment speaks for itself & is used to transfer data from a thumb drive during coding, & can drop songs to the cars HDD post coding, & can plug an iPod in here using a ipod/usb cable (not supplied). I believe it shows us as an external HDD when plugged in this way.
09-20-2012 | 03:12 PM
#9
Thread Starter
Members
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Oceanside, CA
Install all done!
New screen, guts, cabling, & only coding left to do.
This is a bit anticlimatic, but there are many cool shots of post install functionality in other threads & in my word doc links.
Cheers!
New screen, guts, cabling, & only coding left to do.
This is a bit anticlimatic, but there are many cool shots of post install functionality in other threads & in my word doc links.
Cheers!
09-20-2012 | 03:16 PM
#10
Thread Starter
Members
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 107
Likes: 0
From: Oceanside, CA
It would not let me post my word doc, so here are the contents cut & pasted in all their glory.
Note this is the diary of a madman so read & understand at your own risk.... ha ha
Maddog99 CIC Install Cheat Sheet:
iDrive Knob Installation:
https://5series.net/forums/topic/994.../page__st__360
Step by Step on new iDrive cutout:
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e60...torial-19.html
CIC Install Summary w/doc (no Combox)
https://5series.net/forums/topic/109...t-compilation/
Balbs Combox install pics portion
https://5series.net/forums/topic/123...p/page__st__45
How to Remove Trim:
https://5series.net/forums/topic/943...&#entry1115596
Page 35 & 40 of Nelsons Thread for Combox & 6NR:
https://5series.net/forums/topic/994.../page__st__510
Great CIC Install Walk Through (Pics & Labels)
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e60...pictorial.html
Key Data from 6NR/6FL:
This post shows where the GPS cable plugs into the CIC:
http://forums.5serie...ost__p__1443823
This post shows how the combox is connected. Blue jack on Combox goes to the USB 6NR to the armrest. The white existing antenna plug, pluts into the cream jack on the Combox. Blue GPS cable from the sharkfin is plugged into your new extension cable to the black jack on the CIC.
http://forums.5serie...ost__p__1454958
Pin 21 Power Tap Fix: for new LCI controller:
https://5series.net/forums/topic/994...0#entry1244430
Secret Menu
Up 15 seconds
Right 3 clicks
Left 3 clicks
Right one, left one, right one
Press button
Fix for Audio/Video Lag on iPod:
In the combox trc you'll find:
USB1_IPOD_AUDIO
digital
USB2_IPOD_AUDIO
digital
Change it to:
USB1_IPOD_AUDIO
digital
USB2_IPOD_AUDIO
analog
Rfsupplier.com GPS extension cable order instructions
Custom cable assembly using:
RG174 cable
Fakra C Straight Jack on one end
Fakra C Straight Plug on the other end
60" or 152.4cm
I use this to extend the cable that came with the kit.
Link for LCI Issues on UK site:
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e63...etrofit-2.html
Note this is the diary of a madman so read & understand at your own risk.... ha ha
Maddog99 CIC Install Cheat Sheet:
iDrive Knob Installation:
https://5series.net/forums/topic/994.../page__st__360
Step by Step on new iDrive cutout:
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e60...torial-19.html
CIC Install Summary w/doc (no Combox)
https://5series.net/forums/topic/109...t-compilation/
Balbs Combox install pics portion
https://5series.net/forums/topic/123...p/page__st__45
How to Remove Trim:
https://5series.net/forums/topic/943...&#entry1115596
Page 35 & 40 of Nelsons Thread for Combox & 6NR:
https://5series.net/forums/topic/994.../page__st__510
Great CIC Install Walk Through (Pics & Labels)
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e60...pictorial.html
Key Data from 6NR/6FL:
This post shows where the GPS cable plugs into the CIC:
http://forums.5serie...ost__p__1443823
This post shows how the combox is connected. Blue jack on Combox goes to the USB 6NR to the armrest. The white existing antenna plug, pluts into the cream jack on the Combox. Blue GPS cable from the sharkfin is plugged into your new extension cable to the black jack on the CIC.
http://forums.5serie...ost__p__1454958
Pin 21 Power Tap Fix: for new LCI controller:
https://5series.net/forums/topic/994...0#entry1244430
Secret Menu
Up 15 seconds
Right 3 clicks
Left 3 clicks
Right one, left one, right one
Press button
Fix for Audio/Video Lag on iPod:
In the combox trc you'll find:
USB1_IPOD_AUDIO
digital
USB2_IPOD_AUDIO
digital
Change it to:
USB1_IPOD_AUDIO
digital
USB2_IPOD_AUDIO
analog
Rfsupplier.com GPS extension cable order instructions
Custom cable assembly using:
RG174 cable
Fakra C Straight Jack on one end
Fakra C Straight Plug on the other end
60" or 152.4cm
I use this to extend the cable that came with the kit.
Link for LCI Issues on UK site:
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e63...etrofit-2.html