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Thread: E39 Auxiliary Input Installation

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
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    Chicago, IL
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    My Cars
    2002 BMW 540i

    E39 Auxiliary Input Installation

    For those of you who have been following the auxiliary input discussions on the forums then you've probably seen me posting questions and/or information that I've found from various sources concerning this installation. Since I bought my car I've wanted to use my iPod in the car but since moving to Chicago, the amount of available radio frequencies is next to nothing so I haven't been able to use my FM transmitter for about a year. I finally found out about this auxiliary input kit from the factory and it's been my mission to get this into my car. I never liked the idea of the DICE unit being controlled through the stereo since you had to use buttons that weren't correctly assigned, could only view one line of text, and made it seem to be a lot more difficult to scan through many gigs of music whenever I wanted.

    I found out my CD player (CD53) was a May 2002 build date and ran with the "42" version software. I kept hearing that you needed the "flat pins" and then you'd be ok for this to work. I also heard that the "50" version of the software was needed on the 2002 build CD53's for it to recognize the auxiliary plug. I wanted to verify this so I ended up buying an AUX plug kit (82 11 0 149 390) and a July 2003 build CD53 (65 12 6 927 908) off ebay. I wanted get both in case the AUX plug kit itself wouldn't work and I wouldn't have to take apart the control center for my dash more than once. Now on to the installation...

    Here's a shot of the dash as I'm sure most of the 2002 E39 owners out there see every day. My car came equipped with the Business CD with DSP and without the CD changer.



    As most of you have done already to check your software version, here the volume knob is removed and using a torx bit with a 1/4 turn the MID just pops off.





    After turning the 2 small allen head screws just below the face of the Business CD I pulled it out of the dash and removed the plug on the back of it. This is where the Aux plug kit snaps in to the plug





    To test to see if the "42" software would work, I just plugged the harness back into the back of the Business CD to double check.





    Shows Radio mode and then CD mode. No AUX mode so "42" software doesn't work. Luckily I had this on hand. From the looks of it I'm guessing this came out of an X5 (E53)





    Again, I turned on the car and tried it (without fastening anything into place) and sure enough...





    I now have my auxiliary input! It works just fine and here's a lil video of it...

    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qRf9xvAE1A[/ame]

    I waited on drilling and mounting the wires to complete the "factory look". I wanted to make sure I put it in a place that was easily accessible to plug/unplug the 3.5mm cable and also made the iPod easy to get to. The factory location may end up being the final spot, but with 3.5mm cables available in 3ft and 6ft, it's usually too short or too long to find a good location. It was cold this weekend and didn't want to haul my tools down 3 flights of stairs without having a plan set in place so this works for now. I ran the Aux cable behind the radio over to the glove box and then plugged in the 3.5mm cable and routed that wire towards the dash. You can see the panel that helped me hide the cable for now which makes it easy to hide the iPod next to the seat when I'm not in the car.



    Feel free to make any comments, questions, or suggestions that you think might be good spots for the plug location. I hope this helps a few of you guys out when it comes to this installation. I'm glad I did it and I'm impressed with the sound quality. I do have a couple gripes and/or suggestions for you guys...

    1) The volume really needs to be turned to full on the iPod and then turned up quite a bit on the stereo too. Remember to turn it down before switching to another mode

    2) Be sure you remember to take out the CD that's in your old CD player before installing your old one. Ask me how I know...

    3) Be sure to write down any radio stations you have preset within the MID. All of mine were reset (as you can see by the static in the video when first in radio mode) and had to find all those and reprogram them.

    4) Make offers! If you find the CD53 that you want on ebay for a buy it now/offer, throw them an offer. I was surprised I got it for what I asked, so see how low you can find it on ebay and throw out an offer for that price. What's the worst that can happen, they tell you "no"?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    CT
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    My Cars
    Bmw 525i 02
    i have the sam problem as you.. so what do i have to do now buy both the CD player and radio? or just update them idk what to do haha

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    Kenner, Louisiana
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    BMW 530i M-Sport
    Great job. Very easy once you actually did it, huh. I think that the most CONVENIENT place to put the AUX jack is in the side of the cupholders. Chiefwej and I have done this and i havent had any problems.

    This is what i'm talking about:
    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1193939

    Also, i purchased my CD53 from ebay as well. It was the same build date as yours, July 2003; and it was s/w version 40. No problems. completely plug and play. as long as the CD player has a build date of post 9/02, then it will be plug and play.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    nyc
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    2001 525it

    just did this last week

    just did this last week from a 03/03 build date with s/w 40

    sounds much better than tape deck with adapter

    tape deck with adapter/ 7/10 aux 10/10

    also thought to tell you guys ... some tape decks are compatible with aux cable

    anyone know which cd53's are mp3 cd compatible?

    --Drew

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    Western MA
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    535xiT, 325iT, '07 L322
    I just did this last week with my MK2 navigation head unit.

    btw, mounting the aux input jack in the cup holder unit is probably the way to go. I put it in the buttons unit -- IE heated seat buttons, dsc button, etc -- and it was sort of a PITA.

    had the same issues with volume, but my hookup was much more ghetto (IE soldering the input directly to the circuit board). nice to see that a proper install has the same hassles? then again, I may have to live with the monitor telling me that I have a TAPE ERROR at startup. maybe I have a tape error because my tape player is in a box in my basement

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Northwest, IL, USA
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    10
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    e39
    Do i have to buy another CD53 player with SW/NO. 40? because my is SW/NO. 42 and HW/NO.44. thanks. the above procedures dont work with my cd player. thanks

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
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    Ottawa
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    Maliboo
    I'm so screwed with DSP....
    540i-sold, 325is-sold, Econo boat 2011 Civic-sold
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  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    nyc
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    2001 525it

    sw 42 and dsp

    i have dsp it is 100% compatible with dsp

    as long as you have spade connectors ... i belive some '00's have them but was standard on '01 and later it's all plug and play

    however if you have round connections ... you need the adapter kit from bmw (round to spade or flat pins)

    only thing important is build date and s/w #'s

    must be from search 9/02 build date or later i would jump to '03's to be safe

    and only s/w that seems to not work is s/w 42

    --Drew

    also i was going to do the cup holder mod for output but i kinda like it tucked in the corner of cd player ... looks oem and no modification needed ... wood trim closes too ... i might add a small notch for cable in wood trim

    GL

    your inbox is full

    here is a manual reply

    Quote Originally Posted by gameover
    Hi,

    Saw your post on one of the thread here, you were saying that there were some tape decks that are compatible with auxiliary input!

    Which are these tape deck? I have one, wonder i have that capability!

    Thanks
    well if you are gonna upgrade to aux eventually go out and buy the cable from bmw

    42 retail

    as long as your tape deck is spade connection '01 and after all have spade radio connection it might work

    i searched and found before people who said thier '02 tape deck worked with aux cable

    see if your tape deck has the connection on back of radio (5mins total time to check)

    also if it doesn't work you can tap/splice into your radio harness (the one behind the dash connecting to your cassette deck) to the left and right channel cables (there was a post earlier showing which cables to splice) with rca cables and run an aux manually from your tape deck ... you will have to run a dummy tape to get sound but it works and sounds better than tape adapter

    GL

    --Drew
    Last edited by bluespot; 10-22-2009 at 12:07 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2009
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    salt lake city
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    '03 525i, '06 R350
    As far as addressing the lack of volume out of your iPod, there is a way to adjust the gain for the AUX input. In bed, so can't recall exactly, but if you access the TONE controls while in AUX, there is an adjustment that allows a 1-5 range. Putting it at "5" will allow you run the head unit at more reasonable levels. I did this when I did mine and it made quite a bit of difference.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Sacramento
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    30
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    2003 525
    how do you run the cable behind the climate control? I want to run aux to center console or cupholder. Thanks

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    JERSEY CITY, NJ
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    2003 525I/1965 BUGGY
    thanks muddy4dsm

    great info with great pics. this is my next mod.

    i hope it works, my car is a 2003 525i and it was built in 12/02.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
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    LP SoCal
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    02 e39 5spd
    interesting. how much is the aux plug kit?

  13. #13
    Join Date
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    Lawrenceville, GA
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    I thought Aux needed SWNO: 50 In the pics he shows the SWNO is 40... What gives?
    2001 Z3 3.0i -Oxford Green/Sandbeige
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  14. #14
    Join Date
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    02 e39 5spd
    So i checked my cd player:

    CD53
    SW/NO. 42
    HW/NO. 44
    KW: 10/02

    Will it work with mine?

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    Kalamazoo
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    '03 530i
    When the cupholder unit is out, it is easy to fish the cable behind the controls.

  16. #16
    Join Date
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    bump

  17. #17
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    was OP playing keller williams in the demonstration video??

    Going into my TENTH YEAR of providing high quality reproduction BMW fabrics!

    PRICE CUT on ALL FABRICS
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  18. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Sacramento
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    2003 525
    I seem to be having a problem.. I put in the AUX cable but I do not get the AUX Mode.. tested the cable and it works fine.. the cd model is cd53 and sw is 40 hw 41.. any ideas? is there anything else that needs to be enabled for this to work .. i thought that this was just plug-n-play .. :-(
    Last edited by mwalam; 01-29-2010 at 07:50 PM.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
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    Milwaukee, WI
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    '01 525i, 93 MX-5 autox
    software version 40 and 50 will work, NOT 42
    Does HW # ( does that stand for hardware? ) matter?

    keeping my eye on one on the evilBay

    I do know that you need to have a build date of at least Sept of 2002
    I do know that part number
    65. 12-6 927 908 will work

    I searched in ebay and found one for 180 shipped!

    Just need this adapter because I've got the old round pins....
    http://www.europeanautosource.com/pr...roducts_id=291

    although I do believe that you can order the parts individually

    http://www.bimmernav.com/bmw_mp3_cd_changer.html

    a little before halfway down the page.
    Last edited by Camarok; 08-31-2010 at 04:16 PM.
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  20. #20
    Join Date
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    Eastmanville, MI
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    Quote Originally Posted by bluespot View Post
    also thought to tell you guys ... some tape decks are compatible with aux cable

    Does anyone know which (flat pin) tape decks are compatible with the aux cable? I have the CD changer, and want to be able to play just about any audio format... also planning to add bluetooth, and man this is all confusing...

    cj
    JuzWerkz Motorsports
    2001 BMW 540i 6-speed
    1969 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster
    1972 Jeep CJ-5

    1985 Honda VF1000R
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  21. #21
    Join Date
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    Eastmanville, MI
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    2001 540i-m6 sport
    The flat pin tape deck I bought P/N 65.12 6914867 does not recognize the AUX input cable, though it does physically plug in. There is clearly a visible difference externally (fewer buttons) with the flat pin decks vs. the round pin decks, but I have not seen one yet with a readable date code on it like the CD players have. Anyone know a way to decode the serial numbers, etc to know the date of manufacture of these units? Can anyone confirm they have AUX function on the MID with a non-Nav tape deck? If so, what is the p/n of the deck?

    thanks a million!

    cj
    JuzWerkz Motorsports
    2001 BMW 540i 6-speed
    1969 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster
    1972 Jeep CJ-5

    1985 Honda VF1000R
    2015 Chevrolet Silverado K3500HD LTZ
    1995 S-10 LeMons Racetruck
    2000 Black Thunder XT430SC
    1986 Formula 357 SR-1

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
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    2003 540iA

    Help, Aux input trouble.

    Well, my build date is Feb 2003 CD53 with SW40. Plugged in the aux input cable and nothing. Shouldn't this work on this software?

    Thanks.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    Eastmanville, MI
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    2001 540i-m6 sport
    Quote Originally Posted by wantabmwtoday View Post
    Well, my build date is Feb 2003 CD53 with SW40. Plugged in the aux input cable and nothing. Shouldn't this work on this software?

    Thanks.
    You did also plug an mp3 player or something to that effect into the jack of the AUX cable, correct? I haven't been able to experience this yet myself, but other posters have said that the AUX feature only shows up if there is a source actually plugged into the jack. Personally, I don't think it should have been designed that way. If there's not a CD in the player or the changer, it says so. This should say "AUX- NO SOURCE!" or something to that effect, but we're clearly not going to redesign that here... Let us know when you figure out what the issue is here...

    thanks,

    cj
    JuzWerkz Motorsports
    2001 BMW 540i 6-speed
    1969 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster
    1972 Jeep CJ-5

    1985 Honda VF1000R
    2015 Chevrolet Silverado K3500HD LTZ
    1995 S-10 LeMons Racetruck
    2000 Black Thunder XT430SC
    1986 Formula 357 SR-1

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    Seattle Wa
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    01 530i

    DSP button needed for AUX input to work?

    Hi, I've read the thread and thank you everyone for the helpful information, I agree this can get confusing.

    I have 2001 530i (E39) with the buisness CD and CD changer in the trunk, I do NOT have the DSP button.

    I'm going to take out he buisness CD to look at the hw/sw verions and will get another if need to.....BUT, the questions i have is:

    1. Does the unit need to have the DSP button for AUX capablity or will they all work with the correct cd player?

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Sacramento
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    2003 525
    U can buy different aux kits based on whether or not u have dsp. Check when u order.
    Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but ur car would need to be 09/2002 or newer model to have aux support unless the previous owner had upgraded the cd player.

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