Bluetooth Questions

[Adi]

Frank,

Thank you very much for all your input. It looks like maybe I should just let go of the need for the FM Radio to automatically mute when a phone call comes in. In which case the Connects2 Device is probably the one I would go for.

[Adi]

Just adding in the link to the thread that discusses Frank's experience with the Zemex: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showt...ighlight=zemex

I will probably buy the Connects2 product: http://www.incarconnections.co.uk/bm...connector.html

Will post a review when I get it.

[Adi]

Hi Guys,

I thought I would bump this thread. I have finally received the Connects2 bluetooth adaptor and I have just installed it.

I have only tested it while stationary in the car, but so far it does everything the product promised. Bluetooth music streaming works well with seemingly good audio quality. The steering wheel and head unit controls work for skipping tracks. I made a phone call to my friend and he could hear me fine, but I will have to see how well it works when I am actually driving.

So far, very happy. Will post some more thoughts after I have used it properly in the real world.

[BMWCurves]

Thanks for checking in and giving an update! I'm idly looking for a decent BT option, this might be one route I go.

[Adi]

Thanks for checking in and giving an update! I'm idly looking for a decent BT option, this might be one route I go.

I'd like to test it thoroughly before giving a final verdict.... things like pairing reliability etc.

[Adi]

OK an update after a few days of real-world use.

My iPhone 5S pairs every time the ignition is switched on without fault. No issues here.
Bluetooth music streaming is reliable, and works nicely.
I have taken some phone-calls while driving, and the other called could hear me fine, but I was in the city at low speeds. Not sure how call quality is at highway speeds. I have mounted the microphone at the top of the A-pillar, angled perfectly towards me. I also sit quite far forward because I have short legs.

The only issue I am having is the following. The first time I switch to the unit (ie cycle the radio into CD Shuttle mode), the track up/down buttons on both the steering wheel and headunit do not work. I can easily solve this by cycling to radio and back to the cd shuttle mode and then it all works flawlessly.

This unit does this every single time I get into the car (only the first time I try use the device), and I am certain it should not be this way. Connects2 already asked me to reset the device by disconnecting it for 10 mins but this made no difference. I have opened a line of communication with business that sold me the item, and they are in communication with Connects2.

I will update with further progress.

[Adi]

Anther update. I ended up buying a second unit and installing it to see if the tracking skipping issue was a faulty unit. Unfortunately no change. Connects2 say that they have never had this issue before, and given that the behaviour is identical between the two units that I have purchased, they speculate they it could be something to do with my headunit specifically. At this point, I don't know. I have just sold the one of the units to a friend of mine, so will see if he has the same issue in his E46 330i.

Otherwise, I am still happy with the device even though the track skipping issue on first power on is a bit annoying.

[Minnesota]

Somewhat off-topic here but pertaining to bluetooth:

I am researching buying a car and would like to get one that has factory bluetooth pairing installed. Is this an option? If so, what do I need to look for? Is there a specific head unit that does this? Are there only certain model years that have this option? I think I've read that 2004 or 2005 saw bluetooth arrive in the E46 models. I am looking at a 2003. Are there any '03 cars that had bluetooth from the factory?

[KevinC]

I am researching buying a car and would like to get one that has factory bluetooth pairing installed. Is this an option? If so, what do I need to look for? Is there a specific head unit that does this? Are there only certain model years that have this option? I think I've read that 2004 or 2005 saw bluetooth arrive in the E46 models. I am looking at a 2003. Are there any '03 cars that had bluetooth from the factory?

Bluetooth was part of the Premium package on the coupe for 2005, as far as I can tell. Curiously, it's not listed on the Monroney sticker, but from what I've gathered, all ZHP's with Premium in 2005 have the module. Presumably the final 2006's would have had it too. No idea on the sedans.

Also note that MP3 support arrived in 2004. This is kinda a big deal since without it you only have a factory CD changer as an option for going high capacity (other than aftermarket iPod adapters and the somewhat crummy BMW offering of the same). If you buy a pre-2004 model and want the MP3 support, newer head units that support it are pretty readily available on Ebay.

The head units are the same with or without it. Note that this is a phone/voice hookup only - you can't stream Bluetooth music (not a very good concept anyways IMHO since the stream is compressed, and your source material is likely compressed already too). It works well enough for answering voice calls, is awful for navigating your phone book on the standard head unit's tiny 1-line display, and only slightly better on the nav's now-ancient display.

It's crazy how far infotainment technology has come in the last decade. The system in my new Golf R is like something from Star Wars compared to the Fred Flintstone technology of the E46 era. Extremely competent factory nav with SD card-based maps, super-fast, lag-free operation, Sirius a standard feature, SD card & USB stick support as well as a CD player mounted in the upper glove box area. Great screen resolution, and easily readable in all light conditions, including with sunglasses on - the display on the factory nav on my E39 M5 was useless in many lighting situations. The SD/USB interface supports just about every format under the sun including FLAC. I have my entire iTunes library on a 32gb card (supports up to 256gb) including playlists, and everything functions flawlessly, including album artwork. And CarPlay and Android Auto are supported as well. It's fantastic.

[Minnesota]

Bluetooth was part of the Premium package on the coupe for 2005, as far as I can tell. Curiously, it's not listed on the Monroney sticker, but from what I've gathered, all ZHP's with Premium in 2005 have the module. Presumably the final 2006's would have had it too. No idea on the sedans.

Also note that MP3 support arrived in 2004. This is kinda a big deal since without it you only have a factory CD changer as an option for going high capacity (other than aftermarket iPod adapters and the somewhat crummy BMW offering of the same). If you buy a pre-2004 model and want the MP3 support, newer head units that support it are pretty readily available on Ebay.

The head units are the same with or without it. Note that this is a phone/voice hookup only - you can't stream Bluetooth music (not a very good concept anyways IMHO since the stream is compressed, and your source material is likely compressed already too). It works well enough for answering voice calls, is awful for navigating your phone book on the standard head unit's tiny 1-line display, and only slightly better on the nav's now-ancient display.

It's crazy how far infotainment technology has come in the last decade. The system in my new Golf R is like something from Star Wars compared to the Fred Flintstone technology of the E46 era. Extremely competent factory nav with SD card-based maps, super-fast, lag-free operation, Sirius a standard feature, SD card & USB stick support as well as a CD player mounted in the upper glove box area. Great screen resolution, and easily readable in all light conditions, including with sunglasses on - the display on the factory nav on my E39 M5 was useless in many lighting situations. The SD/USB interface supports just about every format under the sun including FLAC. I have my entire iTunes library on a 32gb card (supports up to 256gb) including playlists, and everything functions flawlessly, including album artwork. And CarPlay and Android Auto are supported as well. It's fantastic.

With the MP3 support does that mean you can play CDs that have music burned onto them? Or is there another way to get the tunes to the unit? I don't think there is an aux input on these cars and certainly not a usb port.

And a good reminder about streaming music via the bluetooth connection. I had an early Alpine head unit that could link to my phone via bluetooth. The sound quality of the music wasn't terrible, but it was much better if I connected with a wire.

I guess the take-home from all this is that if I want to connect my iPod to the car to listen to music I'm going to have to buy some hardware to make it happen.