Iceman

In EU we have those two options.

Pro radio has two tuners. One is scanning all the time and you have an "all stations" menu... Also, it can play MP3's...

amigo525

It should work.
There are reports from the US that the E60 has pro radio as standard since March05. So, if you didin't ordered nav, you'll probably get pro radio and can play MP3's.
[/quote]

Thanks 'hombre de hielo ..or iceman in English'

dcarlile

So, when I go into a dealer and ask for a fully loaded car with the pro logic 7 and nav, I figure I am getting the unit that can play back mp3s. It's in the manual, it's in the marketing materials. I felt completely confident that my car would play mp3s. Why wouldn't it? Would it make sense for the standard radio to play mp3s but not the top of the line one? Of course not. This annoys the hell out of me. I asked my repair rep at my dealer about it today and her tone got very brisk where before she was very sweet. She just said mp3 playback is not available on my car and wouldn't elaborate even when I told her I had read here that it would be available in October via software upgrade.

So what are my options? an iPod in the glove box connected to an aux input that has to be installed by a 3rd party? Even if BMW can give me an aux input, I will have to select the songs using the iPod interface rather than the iDrive. Friggin unacceptable.

So I just did a quick search to see what a basic deck that can play mp3s costs... About 80 bucks.

marty530d

Not to rub salt in the wounds of you CCC equiped drivers - but I just got MP3 working on my car (Bus Navi + Pro Radio) and I just can't stop grinning. It works an absolute treat

Some notes :

- Read/Write CDs are OK so you can modify the discs.
- If you put the MP3s on the disc in folders then you can navigate the folders as if they are seprate albums.

Sound quality is pretty good too !

etmaniac

So, I decided to ask my dealer today as well, I have nav pro and gotten the guarantee it would be a software upgrade earlier on when I ordered the car (in June 05), hence decided not to install a CD changer (call me cheap but hey, I'm Dutch ;-) They told me today that there has been lots of confusion with the dealers as well but that now it is clear that with my car it will be a software upgrade in December. No hardware upgrade required.


go figure...

amigo525

In EU we have those two options.

Pro radio has two tuners. One is scanning all the time and you have an "all stations" menu... Also, it can play MP3's...
[/quote]

I did not get that too cleared. More information please?

As far as I know in usa we have hifi and logi7. I dont know how to distinguish between business and pro.

More information please or a link with explainations will be so appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Rutto

Left teh car to the dealer today... upgrading... I have Nav pro, will let you know, but they have said "no mp3" already...

E60Speed

For interest October parts programme shows no change for october built cars CCC

das

To further complicate the situation:

From: ProductQuestions@bmwusa.com
Subject: RE: Products and Services [1-311128111]
Date: October 4, 2005 10:53:35 AM CDT
To: das@doit.wisc.edu

Dear Mr. Schroeder:

Thank you for contacting BMW of North America, LLC. We appreciate your inquiry.

Actually, MP3 capability was available to E60 5 Series vehicles, with the navigation system, as of 9/05 production. After checking your production number, I have confirmed that your vehicle is listed as a week 40 production. The listing of the production week for a vehicle is dependent on when the production is completed, not when it begins.

Unfortunately, we do not have technical information regarding the software programs which are in your vehicle. We suggest discussing your inquiry with your service department at your local BMW center, once you receive your vehicle.

If you have any further questions, please reply to this e-mail or contact the Customer Relations and Services Department at 1-800-831-1117, Monday through Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M., Eastern Standard Time. Again, thank you for contacting BMW.

Sincerely,

Adam Fischer
Customer Relations and Services
Representative

Iceman

OK, once again...


BMW offers the following:

Radio Business, the standard radio in EU, it also has been the standard radio in the US until March05, AFAIK
Radio Professional, the new standard radio in the USA, AFAIK, which also comes as standard if you get Navigation. Radio Professional can play MP3's and has two tuners, is scanning the frequencys for radio stations that are listed in a menu "all stations".

The radios have nothing to do with the sound system. The sound systems are:

Standard
Hi-Fi
Logic7

In the USA the standard is Hi-Fi

Those sound systems can be combined with radio pro OR radio bus. They have nothing to do with MP3 playback availability.

Then there are two Nav systems:

Navigation Business, which is not available in the USA. It does not offer a map display, just arrows.
Navigation Professional, the standard nav in the USA, which has the map display and the bigger screen.

Both nav systems come with radio PRO as standard radio.


This means for US cars, if you order nav, you get nav pro, radio pro, Hi-Fi. If you don't order nav you get radio pro, Hi-Fi.

The nav bus comes with the small screen and the nav pro with the big screen with split screen. For the in EU optional TV tuner nav pro is required, since nav bus can't handle the images.

Without nav or with bus nav you get the MAS-K computer, with nav pro you get the CCC. MAS-K comes from BECKER and CCC from SiemensVDO.


For MP3 playback the radio pro is required, since only the radio pro can handle MP3 files. This has nothing to do with the nav you have or not, and it has nothing to do with the sound system you have or not. If you have radio pro, you have a radio unit that can handle MP3 files.
In order to do so, the software needs to be up to date. With MAS-K and radio pro you CAN play MP3's as of today, since the software now has the MP3 playback ability. With CCC there is a nav conflict! That's what they are currently working on. When playing MP3 music, the nav doesn't function correctly, or the music doesn't play correctly.


I hope now everything is clear...