A few E90/E91 Pre LCI questions
Discussion
Hi all, I've just agreed to buy a 2006 335i Touring, msport trim.
There are a couple of bits and bobs I'd like to address on it once it arrives so I'm just starting to do my homework.
It has halogen headlights. Is it worth upgrading these in any way? Upgrading to full xenons would obviously be nice but it sounds like I'd need to fart around with wiring in level sensors and I'm not sure I can be bothered with that. I assume it won't be pre-wired? It does have washers fitted already though.
Worth upgrading the bulbs? Are LED bulbs also an option these days? I've never really looked into that.
Secondly, the stereo is a base setup with pro-nav. I understand the base set up is severely limited ad difficult to upgrade but most of the threads on this that I've read are years out of date. I was going to stick an Andream unit in to give me carplay etc but is there anything worth doing on the audio side or is it still a case of all or nothings? I can buy a dedicated amp and speaker kit for £600+ but I'm more in the the sub £200 mindset for this and I'm not sure there is anything worth doing at that sort of price point. Any ideas?
There are a couple of bits and bobs I'd like to address on it once it arrives so I'm just starting to do my homework.
It has halogen headlights. Is it worth upgrading these in any way? Upgrading to full xenons would obviously be nice but it sounds like I'd need to fart around with wiring in level sensors and I'm not sure I can be bothered with that. I assume it won't be pre-wired? It does have washers fitted already though.
Worth upgrading the bulbs? Are LED bulbs also an option these days? I've never really looked into that.
Secondly, the stereo is a base setup with pro-nav. I understand the base set up is severely limited ad difficult to upgrade but most of the threads on this that I've read are years out of date. I was going to stick an Andream unit in to give me carplay etc but is there anything worth doing on the audio side or is it still a case of all or nothings? I can buy a dedicated amp and speaker kit for £600+ but I'm more in the the sub £200 mindset for this and I'm not sure there is anything worth doing at that sort of price point. Any ideas?
The halogen head lights are crap so a better bulb is worthwhile. In my other half’s 125i I’m running a Philips LED bulb, technically they’re not road legal but it passed the MOT and the beam pattern is fine. It’s improved it no end.
The Andream screen is a great upgrade; I really rate mine. It plays via the AUX socket so upgrading the base stereo isn’t a bad call (I have the Hi Fi pro so can’t comment too much on the options you have mentioned).
The Andream screen is a great upgrade; I really rate mine. It plays via the AUX socket so upgrading the base stereo isn’t a bad call (I have the Hi Fi pro so can’t comment too much on the options you have mentioned).
I’m more familiar with the E82 (1 Series Coupe) but I think there’s a fair bit of read-across. I’ve looked into the Xenon upgrade on mine and it’s incredibly pricey to do with OEM parts and also requires you to be quite handy with wiring etc. so better bulbs or aftermarket retrofits are probably the way to go.
With regards to audio, on the E82 the Harmon Kardon door tweeters are an easy add-on, all you need is the obviously the tweeters themselves and the covering trim with a speaker grille- they plug straight into the existing door speakers. Apparently makes a big difference for a couple of hundred quid and a fairly quick job.
Since you’ll have CCC iDrive then an Andream screen as Court_S mentions is probably the way to go to modernise the infotainment- some people have retrofitted newer iDrive versions but that’s a ridiculous amount of work and money and will just get you a slightly less outdated system.
With regards to audio, on the E82 the Harmon Kardon door tweeters are an easy add-on, all you need is the obviously the tweeters themselves and the covering trim with a speaker grille- they plug straight into the existing door speakers. Apparently makes a big difference for a couple of hundred quid and a fairly quick job.
Since you’ll have CCC iDrive then an Andream screen as Court_S mentions is probably the way to go to modernise the infotainment- some people have retrofitted newer iDrive versions but that’s a ridiculous amount of work and money and will just get you a slightly less outdated system.
Another question.
What do people use for coding etc these days?
I have Carista which is generally very good but I'm going to want to code in heated seats and maybe a couple of other things shortly and I assume that will not be up to the job.
What do I need to get hold of to do actual coding? This area is very much not my comfort zone so the more user friendly the better!
What do people use for coding etc these days?
I have Carista which is generally very good but I'm going to want to code in heated seats and maybe a couple of other things shortly and I assume that will not be up to the job.
What do I need to get hold of to do actual coding? This area is very much not my comfort zone so the more user friendly the better!
Halogens are s
t. But costly to retrofit hid.
I fitted philips led that were supposedly canbus compatible but still got errors on the dash. Swapped them out for osram lamps. I’ll try them again and disable the lamp fault with an obd2 reader.
These carplay upgrades connect via aux so if your an audiophile then the sound quality is poor. But does make the infotainment up to date and makes the. Ar much more usable as a daily.
I would get a fault code reader as well as these are getting on a bit and can save a fortune in diagnosing faults.
t. But costly to retrofit hid. I fitted philips led that were supposedly canbus compatible but still got errors on the dash. Swapped them out for osram lamps. I’ll try them again and disable the lamp fault with an obd2 reader.
These carplay upgrades connect via aux so if your an audiophile then the sound quality is poor. But does make the infotainment up to date and makes the. Ar much more usable as a daily.
I would get a fault code reader as well as these are getting on a bit and can save a fortune in diagnosing faults.
sam.rog said:
Halogens are st. But costly to retrofit hid.
I fitted philips led that were supposedly canbus compatible but still got errors on the dash. Swapped them out for osram lamps. I’ll try them again and disable the lamp fault with an obd2 reader.
These carplay upgrades connect via aux so if your an audiophile then the sound quality is poor. But does make the infotainment up to date and makes the. Ar much more usable as a daily.
I would get a fault code reader as well as these are getting on a bit and can save a fortune in diagnosing faults.
Cheers. I have a carista scanner and C110 so think I'm good on the actual scanning. Just the coding I'm not sure about. t. But costly to retrofit hid. I fitted philips led that were supposedly canbus compatible but still got errors on the dash. Swapped them out for osram lamps. I’ll try them again and disable the lamp fault with an obd2 reader.
These carplay upgrades connect via aux so if your an audiophile then the sound quality is poor. But does make the infotainment up to date and makes the. Ar much more usable as a daily.
I would get a fault code reader as well as these are getting on a bit and can save a fortune in diagnosing faults.
Gad-Westy said:
Another question.
What do people use for coding etc these days?
I have Carista which is generally very good but I'm going to want to code in heated seats and maybe a couple of other things shortly and I assume that will not be up to the job.
What do I need to get hold of to do actual coding? This area is very much not my comfort zone so the more user friendly the better!
Back when I had an E91, used NCSExpert with a laptop and a USB DCAN cable. Worked well, but learning the software does take a while. Can do VO changes to code in new options like heated seats.What do people use for coding etc these days?
I have Carista which is generally very good but I'm going to want to code in heated seats and maybe a couple of other things shortly and I assume that will not be up to the job.
What do I need to get hold of to do actual coding? This area is very much not my comfort zone so the more user friendly the better!
E90Post has some great sections on coding.
I've just bought a 330i SE (because it was a manual) and I've got the awful base system. Doesn't even have tweeters! I've just put some JL Audio 4" coax speakers in the front but the main upgrade is a Vibe Powerbox amp. It's plug and play with the factory audio and goes in somewhere behind the glove box out of sight.
VIBE POWERBOX65.4BMW3 BMW Compatible Amplifier upgrade https://amzn.eu/d/3Y760HQ
I reckon it's the best bang for your buck upgrade without changing your head unit.
VIBE POWERBOX65.4BMW3 BMW Compatible Amplifier upgrade https://amzn.eu/d/3Y760HQ
I reckon it's the best bang for your buck upgrade without changing your head unit.
2 GKC said:
How easy are these andream screens to fit? My idrive has been knackered for a while so I have no radio
They’re dead easy to fit. You just need to make sure you plug the two connectors in the rear in tge correct order. I trimmed a bit of the plastic cage that holds the idrive in place to give me more room for the cables.ladderino said:
Back when I had an E91, used NCSExpert with a laptop and a USB DCAN cable. Worked well, but learning the software does take a while. Can do VO changes to code in new options like heated seats.
E90Post has some great sections on coding.
Cheers. I remember using NCSE on my old Alpina. It's definitely not an area I'm comfortable with but needs must. I'm happier if I'm following exact instructions online rather than trying to actually understand it for myself. E90Post has some great sections on coding.
I've been reading up a bit about bimmercode which seems like it can do all coding tasks, either via pre-defined standard options or allowing for full scary coding. Seems a good option on hte face of it but I'm going to watch some tutorials first before making my mind up.
TroubledSoul said:
I've just bought a 330i SE (because it was a manual) and I've got the awful base system. Doesn't even have tweeters! I've just put some JL Audio 4" coax speakers in the front but the main upgrade is a Vibe Powerbox amp. It's plug and play with the factory audio and goes in somewhere behind the glove box out of sight.
VIBE POWERBOX65.4BMW3 BMW Compatible Amplifier upgrade https://amzn.eu/d/3Y760HQ
I reckon it's the best bang for your buck upgrade without changing your head unit.
Interesting. This is the first time I've seen this amp mentioned. I like the idea of a set up like this as I would think I'd get more bang for buck out of a £150 amp and half decent speakers in the doors vs £100 on tweeters. VIBE POWERBOX65.4BMW3 BMW Compatible Amplifier upgrade https://amzn.eu/d/3Y760HQ
I reckon it's the best bang for your buck upgrade without changing your head unit.
How does this deal with the fact that the standard base system output is pre-amplified? Does it just live with that or do you have to code the stereo to give a flat output?
I assume there is little to be gained from changing the subs or rear door speakers?
To be honest I think they're all worth upgrading, but the amp is the biggest upgrade you can do. Even stock speakers will sound better with that. It takes the signal from the stereo directly and amplifies that before outputting back to the speakers.
There's a few YouTube tutorials. Looks like a fiddly job but not a difficult one. I may even attempt to fit mine today.
You can actually replace the "subs" with proper ones and attach a Vibe Powerbox 400.1 monoblock to the Powerbox 65.4 amp if you want to go all the way. I'm going to just fit this amp first and see how I feel. I'll be replacing the rear deck speakers anyway as I've some sat around spare in the garage.
There's a few YouTube tutorials. Looks like a fiddly job but not a difficult one. I may even attempt to fit mine today.
You can actually replace the "subs" with proper ones and attach a Vibe Powerbox 400.1 monoblock to the Powerbox 65.4 amp if you want to go all the way. I'm going to just fit this amp first and see how I feel. I'll be replacing the rear deck speakers anyway as I've some sat around spare in the garage.
Court_S said:
They’re dead easy to fit. You just need to make sure you plug the two connectors in the rear in tge correct order. I trimmed a bit of the plastic cage that holds the idrive in place to give me more room for the cables.
So no other bits required. Looks like £275 to get a stereo back?2 GKC said:
Court_S said:
They’re dead easy to fit. You just need to make sure you plug the two connectors in the rear in tge correct order. I trimmed a bit of the plastic cage that holds the idrive in place to give me more room for the cables.
So no other bits required. Looks like £275 to get a stereo back?2 GKC said:
Ah that’s what I was worried about, no I think it’s all kaput. Occasionally the screen flickers but that’s it otherwise nothing. Controller just spins with no resistance. Local specialist wanted about £1,500 to sort so I left it
Bugger. I'm afraid the Andream is just a replacement screen with some extra functionality. I think you're going to have to fix what you have first. 
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