abarruda

I'm considering purchasing a 2006 530i from a relative of mine. Great car, yet the only thing bugging me is that the audio system is a bit dated. Ideally I would love to be able to play music from my iPhone. From my research, I think I've narrowed it down to a few options:

1. Install an AUX cable that would allow me to play music from any device with a headphone jack.
2. Install the BMW iPod adapter that would plug directly into my iPhone and would allow me to control the music with iDrive.
3. Have the very expensive iDrive Navigation CIC Retrofit performed.
4. Replace the stock audio receiver with an aftermarket one.

I'm leaning toward the second or fourth options. With the second, I'm limiting myself to just iPhones and iPods. The fourth sounds like a great option (assuming it would be a device that I could stream bluetooth audio to, play mp3 CDs, maybe even have an AUX in jack), however I haven't been able to find many aftermarket options, perhaps I'm just not looking in the right places...any suggestions? Am I correct in assuming that I would no longer be able to use iDrive or the controls on the steering wheel to control the music playback with an aftermarket system?

When I went to test drive the car, I burned an audio disc from iTunes (not an mp3 disc) to use to test the sound system. I was a little shocked that the CD player did not recognize the disc that I had burned. I then tried it in the DVD player and it recognized the disc, however I then had to do without the navigation. Is this something that should be expected? Is the sole purpose of the DVD player just for navigation? The navigation DVD that my relative was dated from 2005...is there anyway to get an updated DVD?

I'm very excited about owning my first BMW. There's a wealth of knowledge out there that I'm only beginning to tap...any suggestions or advice would be warmly welcomed!

BlaSTiWi

to the forum! ... now that you are looking for suggestion it's the best time for you to start utilizing the search function.

You can go w/ option #2 but using aftermarket product called Gateway 500 from Dension and you can search for that term on the upper right corner of the screen, the device not only give you iPod hookup but also give you USB port for thumb drive or Hard Drive and also RCA AUX input, better song search and no song limitation as the OEM interface suffer.

GL!

abarruda

Thank you, that's exactly what I'm looking for. I did come across that while searching the forums, yet I didn't realize how fully featured the device is. From my research, I gather that the Denison BTA 1500 adapter in conjunction with the Gateway 500 will allow me to stream music via bluetooth. Will that conflict with the built in bluetooth existing in the car already?

The car doesn't have a CD disc changer, so will that require activation of the device by a dealer? If so, what's the general cost of that? I've found a lot of information on installing the device on these forums, hopefully I'll be able to use them to install the device myself, despite never having done something like this before. Very excited to find what I was looking for, thanks again for the suggestion.

abarruda

Do I need the BTA1500 Bluetooth adapter if my car has stock bluetooth capability already?