I just successfully completed my bluetooth retrofit for my 05/2003 production E39 530i. I have sports and premium package, no nav, no dsp.
If you're lucky enough to have one of these late model E39s, you'll appreciate that BMW decided to include a lot of the wiring that you'll need for various "retrofits". Hence, I was fortunate that my retrofit needed only the bare minimum of parts. The parts list that I needed follows, however, I suggest that you check to make sure you have all the other components before ordering your parts:
1. 9th Generation Bluetooth ULF (84 10 6 987 546) - i got this off ebay for $400
2. Bluetooth antenna (84 50 6 928 461) - included in my ebay purchase of the ULF
3. "improved" Mic (84 31 6 938 762) - $55 from Crevier BMW
4. Eject tray w/ pairing button (84 21 6 933 415) - $68 from Crevier BMW
5. Motorola V3c snap-in adaptor (84 21 0 415 023) - $125 from Creier BMW
Total cost = $648
An equivalent (including upgraded mic and snap-in) "kit" from some websites would cost about $850 (which includes a 10th gen ULF). So I saved about $200 by doing it the piece meal way. I think it's possible to get an even better deal on 9th or older generation ULF modules, either on ebay or classified sections of various forums.
Although older model E39s might require other parts such as the SES jumper plug, or additional wire harnesses, or amplifiers, the late model E39 have everything pre-wired. I actually got an extra bluetooth antenna wire from my ebay purchase, but I didn't even need it. I had no mic, so since I had to order a mic, I decided to get the "improved" version. Had i gone for the older mic, it would have been cheaper.
Interestingly, while in my trunk, I also noticed that I have GPS antenna and GSM phone wire harnesses. I will be doing a widescreen navigation retrofit soon (also piecing together a kit) so it's nice to know some of the wires may already be there.
The install was simple:
1) modify Eject tray and install the Motorola V3c snap-in.
2) install mic in roof panel
3) install eject tray into armrest (connect two connectors)
4) install Bluetooth antenna under armrest location
5) install bluetooth ULF in trunk (connect main harness and antenna)
Test everything is functional, and then clean up.
The various 'kits' being sold don't really list what is included in the kit, so I had a hard time finding part numbers and figuring out what exactly I needed. Anyway, it turned out that I really needed very little and so I wanted to share this info for the benefit of those who also own a late model E39 and want to do the bluetooth retrofit, but may have picked up a part or two from ebay or classifieds.
If you're lucky enough to have one of these late model E39s, you'll appreciate that BMW decided to include a lot of the wiring that you'll need for various "retrofits". Hence, I was fortunate that my retrofit needed only the bare minimum of parts. The parts list that I needed follows, however, I suggest that you check to make sure you have all the other components before ordering your parts:
1. 9th Generation Bluetooth ULF (84 10 6 987 546) - i got this off ebay for $400
2. Bluetooth antenna (84 50 6 928 461) - included in my ebay purchase of the ULF
3. "improved" Mic (84 31 6 938 762) - $55 from Crevier BMW
4. Eject tray w/ pairing button (84 21 6 933 415) - $68 from Crevier BMW
5. Motorola V3c snap-in adaptor (84 21 0 415 023) - $125 from Creier BMW
Total cost = $648
An equivalent (including upgraded mic and snap-in) "kit" from some websites would cost about $850 (which includes a 10th gen ULF). So I saved about $200 by doing it the piece meal way. I think it's possible to get an even better deal on 9th or older generation ULF modules, either on ebay or classified sections of various forums.
Although older model E39s might require other parts such as the SES jumper plug, or additional wire harnesses, or amplifiers, the late model E39 have everything pre-wired. I actually got an extra bluetooth antenna wire from my ebay purchase, but I didn't even need it. I had no mic, so since I had to order a mic, I decided to get the "improved" version. Had i gone for the older mic, it would have been cheaper.
Interestingly, while in my trunk, I also noticed that I have GPS antenna and GSM phone wire harnesses. I will be doing a widescreen navigation retrofit soon (also piecing together a kit) so it's nice to know some of the wires may already be there.
The install was simple:
1) modify Eject tray and install the Motorola V3c snap-in.
2) install mic in roof panel
3) install eject tray into armrest (connect two connectors)
4) install Bluetooth antenna under armrest location
5) install bluetooth ULF in trunk (connect main harness and antenna)
Test everything is functional, and then clean up.
The various 'kits' being sold don't really list what is included in the kit, so I had a hard time finding part numbers and figuring out what exactly I needed. Anyway, it turned out that I really needed very little and so I wanted to share this info for the benefit of those who also own a late model E39 and want to do the bluetooth retrofit, but may have picked up a part or two from ebay or classifieds.