powers545

Hope everyone had a good holiday. I just got an IPOD MOST adapter for Christmas for my 04 545. After doing extensive research on these forums, (Thanks everyone) I decided to do the very easy instal (15 minutes) and prayed to God that it would work. Unfortunately, I have not been to church in quite a while, so my car did not recognize the IPOD. Oh well, my IDRIVE has been crashing since I had 27.02.01 and Bluetooth installed so I was hoping that South Bay BMW would cut me a break and update my IDRIVE to recognize the IPOD all at the same time. NO LUCK!!! My service advisor insists that I have to pay $480 to have the IPOD adpter installed CORRECTLY before they will address my crashing IDRIVE issue. He insists that the glove box must first come off, and that an additional connection be made behind the radio - which is why he is quoting me the $480. I very politely tried to explain that he is misinformed on the procedure yet he very rudely told me that his tech guy has installed these many times and that the process is very detailed and not as simple as it looks! Am I wrong? I simply open the glove box, loosen two bolts, slide out my CD changer, plug in my MOST adapter, and resecure with supplied zip ties. Process took 15 minutes. Is all I need a software update? (IPOD lights up with BMW logo so I know connection is secure) And if so, What would be a reasonable amount of labor to do the update? Also, was I asking to much to to have them do this while addressing my crashing IDRIVE problem? Thanks - Without this forum, I would be terrified to see what the dealerships could get away with!

JSpira

Hmmm, a dealership here in NY told a friend of mine today that, simply because his car was out of warranty (just out of warranty incidentally), they would have to run a diagnostic at a charge of 2 shop hours ($240). His problem: coolant light was on and he needed a new sensor. They didn?t end up charging him for this but it was ,,interesting`` how this was the first thing the SA said.

Re your issue, in general terms, it should work since you had a CD changer. However, there are no guarantees and something is wrong.

That having been said, iPod installation for the MOST bus interface is rated by BMW at 1.5 hours last time I looked. And it should be less on the 5er (compared to the 3er for example) since the MOST bus port is far more accessible on the 5er than the 3er.

The rate they quoted would be highway robbery.

JSpira

One additional thought: it could be that the interface itself is defective.

BMWcare

If you have the iPod retrofit interface installed correctly you'll know easily... The BMW logo appears on the iPod when fitted... You have this, so your MOST connection is OK (leads connected correctly).

The next thing to be done is to code the iPod retrofit to the M-ASK in the car etc.

Depending on the level of software installed in your car this can take as little as 15mins or hours...
Using the dealer equipment (SSS/Progman), if it detects that the software of the car is outdated it will only let you update the complete car. Depending on the Actual vs. Target status this could take 2-5 hours. Then you can code the iPod retrofit.
This update often improves the speed of the iDrive etc.

Using the Autologic system you can just code the retrofit without updating the software of the car if you wish. However, "BMW recommend updating the complete vehicle" before you do so...

Kind Regards,
Eddie.

rudeja

$480 , did you wear your " I AM A SUCKER" shirt to the dealership again? was $$$ falling out your pocket ?. Those are the only reason I could think of why a dealership would give you all that bull, your ipod interface in connected correctly. the only issue is that you may need a software upgrade, 1 to 1/2 hour the most. You may want to check to see if your Sealership is listed on this site http://www.dealerrater.com/

JSpira

I didn?t think of this but fortunately Eddie did.

Upgrading the car?s software is normally covered by warranty - even if you have the dealer install the iPod Interface.

However, if you install the Interface by yourself and then need a software upgrade, BMW does not cover it.

That would account for the high cost the dealer quoted.

Kenn45

I just bought a CPO '04 545i about a month ago. An iPod interface was to be part of the deal. I took it in on the 26th to have it installed. When they attempted to reprogram/update the computer, it crashed. Hopefully, the new computer will arrive and be installed today. I also had one installed on an '06 325i. It was also problematic in that it took them about 8 hours including the computer update time. The price on that one was $530, which included the $320 price of the interface and the shop time. Your price sound very high since you already own the interface. The bottom line is that this does not seem to be a simple an install as it should be. On the positive side, the interface in the 325i works great, and I am looking forward to even better functionality in the 545i due to the bigger screen with the iDrive.

Rudy

Eddie,

Welcome to the forums and very informative first post! Are you a BMW tech?

(You may not fully understand this next part but for the veteran members of the forum, I must say that my RWB sensor went off when I initially read your post...hope it was a false alarm!)

JSpira

Every time I see this I at first think how patriotic you are, Rudy.

kearflex

lol oh nooooes!!!