the difference between the L7 and the standard US radio is exactly that- in the standard system, the m-ask or ccc drive the car's speakers, and a teeny little amp in the trunk drives the subs. in the L7, sound is fed optically to the amp in the trunk, where it is split out into two separate amp circuits, one for the main speakers, and another for the subs. I'm actually surprised you're getting ANY sound- the L7 shouldn't have the outputs at the rear of the radio on AFAIK.

edit- unless, of course, the donor CCC came from a euro-spec car with the basic sound system- that one didn't have any subs at all. That might explain it. can you see the L7 pages on the tone section of the audio screens?

 

Charles,

Is your e60 pre LCI? or LCI?

 

How can i get down on that action. I'm still rockin the 05 maps which plague me with restaurants that are no longer open

 

snap! count me in, if its like that !!!

BTW Charles! Awesome job on the install - I'll be looking at your posts all the time now. And I really understand about the zone - once you're doing something, it is very hard to break and distract yourself. I force myself to distract sometimes... like now, for example

 

This car is a 2004 525i - its my hobby car that will be sold soon because I have reached the limit of how much money I can put in it and not lose the farm when I sell it.

I have and appointment with Sterling BMW in Newport Beach on Thursday to have all the coding/retrofitting completed.

I know it is a sin to talk about these cars here but I am hoping to get either a 745li or maybe I will stop being so cheap and go for the S550 (I like being cheap)

They say there is not much you can do to a 7 Series and I beg to differ. Aside from adding 22's, VF has the supercharger kit, and the best is that I found a kit that sells in Germany and on eBay that is a complete facelift for the 2002-2005(?) 745's. It runs about 6 grand but includes everything, headlights, fenders, bumpers, deck lid, sideskirts - all of the exterior to give it the newer (not newest, Lexus-ish) look.

That should keep me busy for a bit...

 

icharles, where did you mount the GPS antenna?

 

i mounted mine just above the rear view mirror, it cant be seen from the inside and as long as its in the clear part of the windscreen (ie: away from the auto sensing film) it works perfectly and the wire tucks inside the rubber trim along the window frame.

perfect.

 

I know one of the guys at iforged was selling his custom tricked out and updated e65. I know another guy who sold his clean 02 for 13k. Tough economy.
http://r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php...;highlight=745i

 

Here is a small How-To that I wrote in a PM for another member and I thought I would share just in case it can help anyone.

I mounted the GPS antenna to the back side of the speaker grill in the center of the dash. I do not have Logic7 so that space was perfect and I have zero reception issues.

Thanks for the link Einstein!

------------------------------------------

The iDrive screen comes out by removing the two torx screws that you can see under the top flange. Once you remove those two screws, pull down from the top of the monitor towards you, and push back on the bottom of the monitor to release the plastic hooks that secure the bottom in place. Pull the whole assembly gently towards you and remove the two cables that plug into the back of it. The cable with the metal connector is the LVDS.

Next, remove the trim (wood, aluminum, whatever you may have) that goes above and beyond your stereo over to the passenger side. This is easy, open the passenger door, sit in the pass. seat, pull gently at the very edge of the trim (the whole thing slips into and out of place, you will see). Pull up only a quarter of an inch all the way down until you get to the steering wheel. Start again at the pass side, all the way back another quarter inch at a time, keep doing this slowly to avoid cracks in your trims varnish. Once you feel the trim become free, support it near the two center vents and push out the lock/emergency light buttons from the rear (you will feel pressure clips on the top and bottom). Once you release these buttons, gently remove the harness and set the buttons aside.

To get the trim out completely you need to be cautious of the duct foam behind, so lift the trim panel so the face of it goes up towards the roof of your car and pull the whole thing forward, set aside.

Now you will see 2 phillips screws holing the top of the dash bezel. Remove those, the rest of the bezel is held in place with clips. Tis can be tricky and intimidating, but you need to remove this, do so by gently prying with your hands down the sides and bottom, it may look like two pieces, but it comes out as one. The HVAC panel come free of the bezel if you unclip it along the top where it meets. You can plainly see this once the bezel is free, just separate the two and allow the HVAC panel to rest.

Then you will see two more screws holding your existing CD player in place. Remove those, pull the assembly out and unplug.

Replace both with the new components, making sure to either trim the tabs on the current LVDS cable or running the replacement that usually comes with these kits. You will need to wire in the CCC fan cable, this is easy, as you just need the PDF that is hosted somewhere in the forum. Search for Nav Pro Install Guide. You also need to wire in your GPS antenna, you will see a plug for it, how you install this depends on if you are doing an OEM BMW or an aftermarket antenna.

The iDrive, thats another beast, and by far the most difficult part of this. You need to remove the shift knob, remove the trim around the shifter, unplug the 3 cables under the trim (assuming you have auto trans). Remove the two torx screws in the hole that is now open, and gently pry on the center console trim as it is held in place virtually the same way as the larger trim you already removed, the difference is there are a couple clips around the ashtray. Speaking of which, make sure to remove the ashtray insert, as you would do if you were cleaning it out. When you have the center console trim up, push the iDrive MENU button up from the bottom and unplug the cable. Set the button aside.

Now you need to remove the two carpet strips along the base side of the console. They extend almost the whole length of the console and will need to be slid back towards the rear to be removed, clips hold this in. Now you need to remove the panel in the rear of the console that houses the 12v outlets, do this by putting a finger in each outlet and pulling back, bottom out first. Remove the wires that power the outlets and set the panel aside. You will see inside the hole that is now open back there, one 10mm bolt in each corner, remove those with a 1/4" socket. In the front of the console where it meets the carpet there is one silver bolt on each side that must be removed. Once you have doe all of this, you will be able to lift the console up about 10 inches, just enough to simultaneously support it and reach underneath to remove the 4 torx screws that hold the iDrive controller in. The iDrive knob simply snaps off if you pry gently with your fingers. Replace with the 'iDrive high' and reassemble the console.

 

iCharles great DIY guide !! have also found an instruction Pdf with some drawings (see attached)

i am doing the retrofit this WE and am still puzzled with this part :

For cars built before 09/2004 only:
Disconnect plug X10318 from the CAS control module. Connect the navigation system cable V to PIN 31, BR/RT cable, using a miniature connector.

Will surely find the CAS module and plan to plug a 0.3mm cable and plug it back into X13814 pin 12 do you guys think this will fit ? as I don't have a full retrofit kit so am unable to see what this "Navigation system wiring harness" looks like apart from a normal cable.

Also will build a "Voice control wiring harness" and buy the microphone from BMW today (well will order it and will install it later)

Also can anyone help on this :

Am in London UK, anybody knows an affordable progman/Autollogic garage in East/north London that would reprogram the new CCC ?
Totally out of subject : is there a BMW TPMS system module that could be retrofit on a 06/2004 E61 ? (As I can see many of these TPMS stems on ebay)
Is there a PDF retrofit for MULF2 ? (seems I have no Microphone in the microphone trim nor a bluetooth module)

Thanks all for your help