I just got a 97 318i and the stereo does not turn on, I have checked the wiring and fuses. Seems to be getting 12 volts at the wire harness, But radio does not want to turn on. Not sure if there is anythign I can do to check other items with it to get it working. The anti-theft light flashes when car is off and key pulled.
I do like the look of the radio that seems to look nice in the dash. I am thinking of just getting a new head unit, but I want soemthing that looks nice in the dash, that fits in. Like the display, I would like it to have the same color as the climate controls and look. But I also want something that can use the existing harness with an adapter and utilize the existing speakers and amp for the meantime.
Any recommendations?
IMHO - if you drive the car regularly, go with a more modern Bluetooth enabled head unit. I'm usually a stickler for OE looks but wanted the convenience of hands free phone and BT connectivity. It's cheaper and better integrated to get this in the aftermarket than to try to cobble together add ons to a BMW cd43 or similar OE unit. I bought a used Alpine BT149 and wired it in with a $7 metra harness. Sounds great and looks reasonably decent too. The orange lighting is a close match for the dash lighting and the blue LCD screen while not "OEMish" has good clarity in sunlight. Kenwood and pioneer have some decent options in this price point too. They also have preamp outputs in case you want to add an aftermarket amp and speakers in the future.
There was a sony unit that used the exact same font and color but it is a very expensive head unit on of their premium tier units. It was a fairly recently made one too but the model number escapes me. As far was wiring goes, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out and any unit off the shelf works. Just gotta replace the stock shitty HK amp with something aftermarket and you're in business.
I have been looking for the same as you, also going back and fourth between a modded C43 and CD43..
Starting to think they are not worth it even though I love LOVE the OEM Looks.
Here are two alternatives that look great in an E36 :
Pioneer DEH-80PRS
HtRA5l5.jpg
Alpine CDE-164BT
cUCVctK.jpg
The Alpine looks right at home the only issue is the white / blueish LCD but people have opened up the faceplates and added an amber defuser
which makes it look perfect.. Modded Apline w/amber difuser - https://www.talkstuff.net/ipb/index....-colour-paint/
One of the above I think are going to be going in my E36 soon, Let us know what you choose!
Last edited by QUiKSR20; 03-17-2018 at 03:04 AM.
13 F30 328i Sport 6MT
95 E36 325i Vert 5MT
92 Sentra SE-R SR20DET DET Build Thread
08 E90 328i Sport [sold]
89 E30 325is [sold & missed]
That's not a 164BT in the photo. The Alpine 163BT and 164BT both have LCDs that change color, just like the buttons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QprxlWGtiFU
97 Estoril/Black M3/4/5
"Although we've experienced an M3 sedan with an automatic, our test car came fitted as God intended, with a 5-speed manual ..."
Road & Track May 1997, testing the M3 Sedan
Mine has a Pioneer DEH-X6500BT Mixtrax unit. It is Bluetooth with hands free capability and the LED color can be changed to red. I'm not sure about what wiring adapter was used as it was in the car when I got it.
My Apologies you are correct I meant "CDE-HD149BT " the higher model.
https://alpine-usa.com/product/view/cde-hd149bt
13 F30 328i Sport 6MT
95 E36 325i Vert 5MT
92 Sentra SE-R SR20DET DET Build Thread
08 E90 328i Sport [sold]
89 E30 325is [sold & missed]
I ended up getting a Kenwood that the colors change to match the colors of the dash and the look seems to blend well with everything. I will get a picture tomorrow showing what it looks like.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
If you are trying for the the stock look, the 163BT and 164BT have skinny pixelated letters that look more like the E36 controls. I'm sure the 149BT is a nice unit though.
g500CDE164B-F.jpg g500CDE163B-F.jpg g500HD149BT-f.jpg
97 Estoril/Black M3/4/5
"Although we've experienced an M3 sedan with an automatic, our test car came fitted as God intended, with a 5-speed manual ..."
Road & Track May 1997, testing the M3 Sedan
Hard to get the lighting to really show how close the orange matches, but it is really close and the display of characters matches so good too. Model number is Kenwood KDC-BT368U
I also love the big volume knob on the radio.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
The euro market Clarion Fz102e is the best match I have seen for an e36. I have this in one of my cars, the other two have c43 with aux added. Can't get a better match than the original stereo.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Ill keep you guys posted if anyone interested in my install, It wont be until the spring but in my goal to keep it as OEM looking ( Within Reason ) im going to do the following :
Alpine CDE-HD149BT w/ Modded Screen
ZBq6FTm.jpg
DIY - https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...to-amber/page2
And then something I found in another thread, Replace the Alpine Trim ring with a modified Metra 89-40-0500 ISO DIN Trim Ring which is matte and matches the console nicely.
Modded Trim Ring ( Metra 89-40-0500 ) Amazon Link
CAM00078.jpg
DIY - https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...-Audio-Upgrade
*** Little Disclaimer - Both of these ideas were from forum members, Im just putting it in one spot for others to enjoy like I did.
Last edited by QUiKSR20; 03-26-2018 at 03:28 PM.
13 F30 328i Sport 6MT
95 E36 325i Vert 5MT
92 Sentra SE-R SR20DET DET Build Thread
08 E90 328i Sport [sold]
89 E30 325is [sold & missed]
Just finished my install and even took it a step further, Besides modding the LCD ( EASY ) to be amber I also painted over the illumination
panel in the face to cover these extra lines that were of no use ( was trying to keep it as clean and minimal which is hard these days ).
Check out my two pics compared to the ones above, This is a really high quality deck that can match the E36 very well.
IMG_9923.jpgIMG_9924.jpgIMG_9925.JPG
I have tons of extra LCD Film left if anyone needs any it would be like $5 shipped, I had to buy in bulk..
Last edited by QUiKSR20; 03-26-2018 at 03:31 PM.
13 F30 328i Sport 6MT
95 E36 325i Vert 5MT
92 Sentra SE-R SR20DET DET Build Thread
08 E90 328i Sport [sold]
89 E30 325is [sold & missed]
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