[kin_wills_2005]

Hi guys,
I have an E46 318 2003 saloon. it has the BMW 'business' tape player in it. i want to get the standard CD changer for the car, firsstly, anyone know wheres best place to find second hand one? ebay? i have looked and there are a few, alot are USA imports tho. would an import work in the car? how much is a reasonable price for a second hand changer?

secondly, does anyone know if the changer, through the tape player head unit is any good? do they work ok? does it change cd's quickly?
are they hard to fit??

lastly, does it play copied CD's?? what about Mp3s?

thanks for any help guys

 

[RichardP]

E-Bay is your best bet.

Import would work, they are all the same.

£50 tops for an old one, £175 for a new one (after September 2005, see later as to why!), the production date is on the part number/serial number sticker.

They work pretty well, but do have a tendemcy for the mechanism to wear and then they just give a 'No Magazine' error, sometimes this can be fixed with a new magazine.

CD Changes in about 5 seconds.

Very easy to fit, as long as you don't have a continental European car, these are not prewired. You will also need mounting brackets unless they are in the car already, and maybe a replacement left side boot carpet to finish the job off fully. Remember to set the correct mounting orientation with the mechanism on the sides of the changer, if you don't it will skip like crazy.

They will play copied CD's, if made from September 2005 then they will play MP3 CD's (hence more desirable).

You can also get adapters so you can use CD Changers from Sony, JVC or Alpine. Some of these will play MP3 CD's for exmple you can get a new Alpine CHA-S634 and interface for about £175 it is the same size as the OEM Changer and will mount using the same brackets.

 

[kin_wills_2005]

ok thats really helpfull thanks.
i was wondering, where do you mount the changer? is there a place in the car specially for ir? is it under the passenger seat?

 

[xXNealXx]

Changer is mounted in the boot on the near side. You will see a carpeted flap there....nice work RichadP :thumbsup

 

[kin_wills_2005]

all on ebay for around £80+ before delivery! (£10+)
but i have seen one:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-CD-Multip...3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66:2|65:1|39:1|240:1318

its for sale for only £30!!!!!
is it to good to be true? is that part number the correct one for teh E46 ? i think it is?
(65. 12-6 913 388 ) just wondering now if it has the cartride with it? and what year it is?
would anyone advise me to go for it? buy it now before it goes?

 

[xXNealXx]

That looks like a unit that lies on it's side in the corner of the boot. Part number you want is 65.12.691.3.390 and it looks like THIS.

 

[RichardP]

65.12-6 913 388 should work fine, there are loads of different part numbers for these things, that part number is late 2002 vintage. You should ask the seller if it includes the cartridge and that it actually works - "Briliant Condition" may just apply cosmetically!

These are the mounting brackets you'll need :

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=AY72&mospid=47632&btnr=65_0458&hg=65&fg=10

 

[kin_wills_2005]

wow, thanks for al the help guys.is the car already hard wired with the wires for the changer then? i just bolt it in, then theres a connector already there that i plug into the changer? and it works?

 

[kin_wills_2005]

have i got a flap like this with a compartment that the changer slips straight into like in this pic?
http://www.users.totalise.co.uk/~deepstar/BMW-E46-CD-CHANGER-BOOT-FIT.jpg
will the one that this guy is selling fit straight into the compartment? no brackets required??

 

[kin_wills_2005]

hes messaged me back
said it works fine, he said it just slots into one of the two compartments.
im going to check the car today but i think i do have these compartments! are there wires in the compartments that i pull out, and plug into teh back of the changer, before sliding it in?
think im gona go for it guys

 

[xXNealXx]

Correct me if I'm wrong Richard, but once he fits the changer in, he will require a re-program to activate it, right?

 

[kin_wills_2005]

:/ how do i do that?

 

[xXNealXx]

:/ how do i do that?

Dealer or independant/specialist.

 

[kin_wills_2005]

well i know a good specialist, he was the guy that repaired the car when the timing chain slipped. replaced chain tensioner and guides, and did a good job. he would pprob be able to do that for me?

 

[xXNealXx]

What head unit have you got? Has it got a tape player?

 

[kin_wills_2005]

yes BMW 'business' with tape player

 

[xXNealXx]

Ok, I don't think it needs activation by dealer...only for the later models I believe.

The CD changer is activated by pressing the TAPE CD button on the stereo head unit. This button alone toggles between cassette or CD changer. Once in CD changer mode, the six station preset buttons along the bottom is used to select disc. Pressing the left or right arrow button will skip tracks within the selected disc. Pressing the M button prior to an arrow button will allow scanning within a song. Hitting the SCAN button will cause the CD changer to play an intro from each track on all the discs.

Also, look at this DIY to get an idea of how to install it.

 

[RichardP]

No, it should just work in the E46. The CD Changer responds to an iBus poll message from the head unit which it sends every 20 seconds, if the radio sees the reply then it activates the CD Cahnger source. It's only the newer iDrive (MOST Bus) cars that need codeing.

There are several different BMW Business tape head units, from 2003 I'd guess yours looks like this :

Not one of these :

 

[kin_wills_2005]

HOLY SH*T how do you guys get this info and these pics so quick? YES, its the top one. with the dual screen and the scan mode button.
should the car be hard wired with the wiring for the changer? i have the dual compartment in the boot, i just need to remove the plastic compartnts, then recover the wiring, plug intop the changer and slide it in right? i wont need to get brackets or anything no ?

 

[RichardP]

You might require the right angle brackets that go between the CD Changer itself and the large brackets in the car (part 3 in the RealOEm link I posted), maybe the seller has them, maybe not, it depends exactly what car the Changer came out of. You may also need the bolts and 'Speed Clips' that connect to the main bracket (some have welded on bolts, others just holes).

If you don't get any of these bits then a dealer can sell you them for a few £'s.

Should be all plug and play otherwise, if the car has never had a CD Changer then the wires will be wrapped in foam backed cloth in a small bundle.