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Thread: bmw e39 530i aftermarket hu help needed

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
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    cumbria
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    E39 530i-E34 M5-E60-E61

    bmw e39 530i aftermarket hu help needed

    hello
    need some help with my e39 530i 2001
    current hu is standard buissiness ed with the tape deck no cd changer in the boot, i plug my new hu in and no sound at all, its a double din chineese speacial unit off ebay lol.
    there are alot of threads on this already i know but ive spent hours reading still got no where any help would he appriciated thanks in advance

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    2018 BMW M240i
    I bet your car has an amp in the trunk (boot). Check behind the trunk liner. If I’m right the problem is likely that the new head unit isn’t sending a 12VDC “turn on” signal to the amp. The amp has power as long as there’s a battery in the car. But it needs the turn on signal to operate.

  3. #3
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    Apr 2019
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    E39 530i-E34 M5-E60-E61
    yes it does mate behind where a cd changer should be, is there a simple way to power this up or is it a nightmare either way ? doesnt seem to be a dsp system tho ?

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    03 530dT - Ex Police Car
    Hi,

    Marco - All US spec E39's had an amplifier in the rear of the car I believe, but here in the UK, there's many E39's without a separate amplifier.

    aarongj93 - As you've confirmed there is an oem amplifier there, and that you have a tape unit in the dash, take a picture of the amplifier unit itself, I suspect it 'is' a DSP amplifier and possibly, someone previously has changed the MID panel in the dash area for one that doesn't have the DSP button.

    You can check if the Chinese unit works by wiring it up directly to a Power Supply, you might have to connect a speaker as well, ensure you connect correctly and if 12V electrics isn't your thing, speak to a local mobile auto electrician etc. if it still doesn't switch on, it's more likely it's faulty unit. Hopefully you'll get your money back !

    Will you purchase another similar clone unit ? or will you perhaps buy a high quality head unit and reduce chances of dead on arrival/issues/problems ?!

    In my E39, I currently run a Parrot Asteroid Smart;



    Cheers, Dennis!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
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    Australia
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    02 530i 05 156SW 05 166
    Quote Originally Posted by DennisCooper View Post
    Hi,

    Marco - All US spec E39's had an amplifier in the rear of the car I believe, but here in the UK, there's many E39's without a separate amplifier.

    aarongj93 - As you've confirmed there is an oem amplifier there, and that you have a tape unit in the dash, take a picture of the amplifier unit itself, I suspect it 'is' a DSP amplifier and possibly, someone previously has changed the MID panel in the dash area for one that doesn't have the DSP button.

    You can check if the Chinese unit works by wiring it up directly to a Power Supply, you might have to connect a speaker as well, ensure you connect correctly and if 12V electrics isn't your thing, speak to a local mobile auto electrician etc. if it still doesn't switch on, it's more likely it's faulty unit. Hopefully you'll get your money back !

    Will you purchase another similar clone unit ? or will you perhaps buy a high quality head unit and reduce chances of dead on arrival/issues/problems ?!

    In my E39, I currently run a Parrot Asteroid Smart;



    Cheers, Dennis!
    Interesting, did you modify the 16 9 nav surround and buttons and shoehorn the Parrot in there or something? Looks pretty good and I guess aftermarket service would be better from Parrot over those ebay guys.

    I have a business tape hu and all the OBC is in the cluster. Only a cd stacker in the boot. Australia got the same sort of E39s as the poms, except the diesel.

  6. #6
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    Hi AusE39er,

    I'm happy you asked this question, it means my design has done what I set out to do !!

    The answer is no, there's nothing from the OEM monitor in the fascia there, everything is custom designed and manufactured and is available to all E39 owners

    It's a fascia/fitting kit that I designed, developed and manufacture. It allows fitting of a double DIN head unit and to then give close to OEM looks in the dash. Full details of how and why I provide this product is here - https://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/13564...le-din-fascia/

    Cheers, Dennis!

  7. #7
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    Dennis, nice!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
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    Melbourne, Australia
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    2003 BMW e39 540i
    2003 540i here, Aussie. Still thinking of what to do for an aftermarket stereo. Sat nav, DSP etc in the boot.

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    03 530dT - Ex Police Car
    Hi,

    MarcoZ - Thanks !

    Blacck540 - Depending on what you want, the level of quality needed, value for money, the budget you have in mind, reliability all will be factors. If you wish to retain the oem DSP amp and speakers it limits your choices alot. If you are willing to remove all the old oem setup then you have a lot of choices. You can see the solution above that I've created, so you could go for it. Alternatives are the chinese units, a car PC/tablet/raspberry pi.

    Cheers, Dennis!

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