Materials to Maintain Your ZHP IIIII Hand Protection IIIII Tools to Maintain Your ZHP
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    SF Bay
    Posts
    613

    I'm retrofitting iDrive 6 into my ZHP: Here we go!

    If you have an F3x of F2x and are willing to do some data logging, please send me a PM. I will mail you an entire kit.

    Hey everyone! Oh man, this has been a hard secret to keep. I am retrofitting iDrive into my E46 and I can’t wait to share this journey with you guys. I also walked away from the project because getting recyclers to source pigtails was quite difficult. I figured a number of people will be interested in following this. As you can see in the video at the bottom of this piece, I have bought nearly every computer in an F30 so I can bench the entire system. There are some people who have attempted this on their own in E39’s, but only one or two into an E46. You can give this thing a wakeup code and it’ll be fine, but I want full integration.

    Here’s what I know for certain:
    ⁃The headunit will not fit in the dash, it’s a width issue before you think about anything else.
    ⁃Those without navigation will have to have an extension harness all the way to the trunk
    ⁃The above point hardly matters because the display is the only thing that will be in the dashboard, so you’ll need an extension harness for that anyway. I will likely try to make a mechanism to give it a storage pocket behind the screen for my SUNGLASSES! Which is the one thing I have hated about my car having a navigation system
    ⁃The system will require a one-way communication emulator. It will read messages from the E46, but not ever send any.
    ⁃You’ll definitely need the screen from a Mini Cooper, a screen control panel from an F3x/F2x, the headhunt itself and the matching ATM. My emulator will make sure you don’t need anything else. There ATM emulators as well. The ATM is the GPS
    ⁃I already know the wake-up codes and the E46 codes I need to verify and confirm F3x codes.


    Here’s things I have to learn:
    ⁃I’m not sure if I need something called the ICM. It raises the project cost by $100 so it’s not the worst, but this is an expensive project so $100 can hurt people following in my footsteps. Other people who do this retrofit this report GPS issues and I suspect it’s because of the lack of ICM. I suspect the car uses car sensors (speed, steering angle, car lean) and compares them against the GPS signal to avoid issues with roads really close together. We’ve all experienced it.
    ⁃How to mount the unit in the trunk
    ⁃How to mass produce connectors into the stock modules. Headunits are easier than more bespoke connectors like the ATM

    Things I’m unsure about:
    ⁃If I can get BMW connected services working such as weather. I’m told this is largely out of my control. If fuel level was communicated over CANBUS, I’d also get this working as well. Unfortunately it’s an analog signal into the cluster.
    ⁃If the Mini Cooper screen will even fit. Basically if it doesn’t, I’ll go above the dash and this project will be avoided by most.
    ⁃How to make the buttons. I’m already well over my head. I have some contacts about mass manufacturing. I aim to have a volume knob, prev, next and at least 4 favorites (preferably six) that support capacitive touch previews
    ⁃How to mount the control stick. I think it’d have to go where the cupholders go. That’s not an issue for me, but it may be for others. I’m open to ideas on this.

    Let me know what you guys think. If anyone wants to help and things they can, that’d be awesome. If anyone has an F30 they don’t mind tapping into PT-CAN for me and drive and do a few things while driving, that’d be awesome. I’d mail you an entire kit.

    Video of everything I've bought:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk5hmbWN7UE

  2. #2

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Austin TX
    Posts
    7,606
    This sounds interesting. I have a F30. What do you mean by "doing a few things while you drive" ?
    2005 IR / black / 6MT
    157,000 miles

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    SF Bay
    Posts
    613
    Quote Originally Posted by cakM3 View Post
    I have been waiting for you to post this
    It's been really hard to get what I need from recyclers unfortunately. It's also just "the right" time. I know, the big secret! I wanted to finish my research for this as well.

    Quote Originally Posted by fredo View Post
    This sounds interesting. I have a F30. What do you mean by "doing a few things while you drive" ?
    I just need certain actions to take place so I know how the car communicates said actions. Like, sit at 0mph turning the wheel hard left, then hard right. Turn your signal on, turn your lights on, hazards, reset trip. That's just to name a few. Hopefully these are otherwise normal behaviors. Nothing crazy like steering with your feed and pushing the pedals with your hands

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Independence KY
    Posts
    2,832
    Pardon my ignorance here but question:

    I was always of the understanding that a lot of BMW owners hated iDrive. My dad used to have a 2011 (I think) 550i and we jointly HATED the iDrive interface, layout, functionality, etc etc etc. IMO, carplay functions seamlessly. Are you just looking for a challenge in terms of retrofitting something that is factory or has iDrive gotten better?
    2005 BMW 330i ZHP - BMWP brakes/intake/strut bar/shifter, Coby wraps interior, BBS CHs, Eagle Eye LED tails, LED fog lights, GC coilovers, Sprint Booster/sport button mod, 4.5 LCM w/ programming, Xtrons 9inch HU, BSW stg1, dynamat, M3 sedan dead pedal, oCarbon CF interior trim, CF seat backs, 2x2 CF MTECH2 diffuser, CF cabin filter cover



  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by BADCLOWN View Post
    Pardon my ignorance here but question:

    I was always of the understanding that a lot of BMW owners hated iDrive. My dad used to have a 2011 (I think) 550i and we jointly HATED the iDrive interface, layout, functionality, etc etc etc. IMO, carplay functions seamlessly. Are you just looking for a challenge in terms of retrofitting something that is factory or has iDrive gotten better?
    The iDrive on the latest BMWs (lci f30s onwards?) is probably the best infotainment on the market, IMO at least.

    But I’m not a fan of the newest iDrive 8 with a giant rectangular layout.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


    2006 Coupe | Black Sapphire Metallic | Natural Brown | Gruppe M Intake | Corsa TSE3 | Michelin PSS on Apex ARC-8 | Koni Yellows |

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Branford, CT
    Posts
    16,055
    Quote Originally Posted by BADCLOWN View Post
    Pardon my ignorance here but question:

    I was always of the understanding that a lot of BMW owners hated iDrive. My dad used to have a 2011 (I think) 550i and we jointly HATED the iDrive interface, layout, functionality, etc etc etc. IMO, carplay functions seamlessly. Are you just looking for a challenge in terms of retrofitting something that is factory or has iDrive gotten better?
    BMW owners for the most part hated the original iDrive that came out with the E65 way back in the early 2000's. That was hot trash. But the newer stuff, particularly starting somewhere around the early 2010's was actually quite good compared to other systems.

    Sent from my SM-S901U1 using Tapatalk
    BP
    2005 330i ZHP / 6MT
    Imolarot / Naturbraun
    2003 330iT / 6MT
    Orientblau / Naturbraun




    It's not the car you drive, it's how you drive it.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Southington, CT
    Posts
    1,376
    Quote Originally Posted by az3579 View Post
    BMW owners for the most part hated the original iDrive that came out with the E65 way back in the early 2000's. That was hot trash. But the newer stuff, particularly starting somewhere around the early 2010's was actually quite good compared to other systems.

    Sent from my SM-S901U1 using Tapatalk
    +1 on the e65's iDrive. My first BMW was a 2002 745i (e65), the first year of the e65 lineup, which I finally sold after 14 years with 237K miles on it. It was an awesome mostly trouble free car for all those years, but the iDrive absolutely sucked. It was CD based and BMW did improve it several years later when they changed to a DVD platform. My 2011 M3 nav is outstanding in comparison
    Pete


  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Independence KY
    Posts
    2,832
    well, that clarifies things a little. I've just never seen it/played with it. the last time I drove anything newer than an E46 was when I worked at the dealership prior to being a deputy and drove an E90 M3 for the first time. The iDrive was garbage in that. Best of luck on the project, its always interesting to see retrofits of newer tech in older cars.
    2005 BMW 330i ZHP - BMWP brakes/intake/strut bar/shifter, Coby wraps interior, BBS CHs, Eagle Eye LED tails, LED fog lights, GC coilovers, Sprint Booster/sport button mod, 4.5 LCM w/ programming, Xtrons 9inch HU, BSW stg1, dynamat, M3 sedan dead pedal, oCarbon CF interior trim, CF seat backs, 2x2 CF MTECH2 diffuser, CF cabin filter cover



  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Austin TX
    Posts
    7,606
    The 2009 or newer E90 models have this controller. It's really easy to use. My F30 has a similar one.

    Name:  controller.JPG
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    2005 IR / black / 6MT
    157,000 miles

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