Hi all this is my first post so be gentel with me. I have recently bought a 850i (1991) which I am very very pleased with. However the previous owner had decided to change the original radio to a new one and as such cut yes cut the original radio connector off and crimped a new style on. My question is this I plan to buy a re-condition single CD player (bmw) possible off ebay but I will need to get hold of an original plug. I can buy a harness designed to enable you to use a BMW radio in another car but I need to know what the variuos wires are by colour. Also is there an easy way to get an original connector. If I get one from a lesser BMW(3 or 5 series) will the wires be the same and thus allow me to just match anc connect? 
Re-fitting a radio
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Hi
I moved this up to the Main section for more attention.
Where are you located?
It seems to be a common connector-found it in the E36 also.
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Terry are you saying that if I cut one out of a 3 series (any particular year) the wires will be the same colour etc allowing an easy re-fit. As for my location it London GB
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The '92 318 (happened to be on the same disk as the
showed the same connector drawing.BMW tends to standardize as much as possible, most likely for cost. So lots of parts are standards across several series.
But that said, some things that look the same may not be when you look at them closely. The MID for example looks just like the high end 3 series part from the front but has different connections on the back
You may find a stereo shop that has an adapter for fitting a BMW radio into something else that would work also.
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Just fitted the a new BMW Business CD player and boy and I happy it now looks like it should. I have also just fitted fresh plates with the euro logo. All I need is the right CD changer for the boot (is there a model I should look out for) lots on ebay. My 850i has the normal side panels in the boot so once I get a changer I will have to sort out the mounting position.
Thats it for now from a very happy owner -
Continuing the same (old) thread...
I'm looking into the same thing and was wondering if the wirings for all models will support the cd-changers? Meaning the BMW-original units?
Mine has a Clarion "upgrade" which I would like to revert to original.
The original set-up did not have (to my knowlegde) the CD-changer installed. -
If all you want is a single BMW Cd player to replace an aftermarket set then the wiring will be the same, not to sure though about a boot mounted Cd changer unless your car may have been pre- wired
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I see that the BMW boot-mounted, CD player is connected through an Interface Box on the 850 and 840. Many car audio retailers offer Alpine CD changer units with similar interface boxes according to what model of BMW you have, so you don't necessarily need to buy OEM.
This is just one of those retailers (just found with a quick Google-search- not used them or connected to them in any way):
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IIRC the 8 series has the original I bus setup. It only connected the the head unit and the CD in the trunk so I believe that the music is converted to a proprietary digital data stream.
So I think that the match of a head unit to remote CD unit is dependent on the exact models.
I swapped out my factory head unit for first a Panasonic touch screen and now for a Sony with 1 GB of memory in the faceplate for MP-3s. Still using the stock amplifier and speakers and the sound is quite good by my reconning.
I used a $10 adapter from the BMW plug to the new head unit so conversion back to stock is 10 minutes if I ever needed to do it.
The Sony has Subwoofer output and an Aux input that could be used for I-pod and the sound is so much better than the stock head unit. BUT it will not connect to the factory CD in the trunk.
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Terry, are you sure that the i-bus is not just for the operating commands and that the audio is not analogue?
The pre-wired connector on my car is a multi-pin, circular DIN plug, with, from memory, 5 or 6 pins.
I think the interface boxes just translate function commands to and from i-bus when connecting to the CD changers, but the audio is a stereo analogue pair.
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I am not expert enough (if at all) to do more than relay what I have been lead to understand.
It is possible that it is the command line, but it is not only proprietary but seems to change with each head variant and manufacturer. So the bus does not seem universal on the 8.
If you are really into this then I have a place for you http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/HackTheIBus/
I have discovered that no matter how I do a sound system in the 8, I would still rather listen to the motor.
I would guess that this means that I will never be accused of driving a stereo with a car attached
Unless you count the dual exhaust on the car of course -
Terry,
You're probably right that the audio is not i-bus, which is why there are different interface boxes between the head unit and the CD changer, depending on head manufacturer
The head units appear to be either Becker (BMW Pro) o Philips (BMW Business). Still, I think the interfaces only translate the function commands and the audio remains analog.
I've got the BMW-Pro radio-cassette unit and I was considering changing it for something with a built-in telephone bluetooth interface and navigation (Becker do some nice ones). But, It appears that my head unit is in two parts: one on the dash and the other bit in the boot (trunk) of the car. I've got to figure out what bit does what and how it is connected.
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In the US we got either alpine or pioneer and they are non interchangeable with each other or the business or RDS units from Europe as far as the CD deck.
I don't have any documentation one way or the other on this. Nothing I have even shows a connection between the CD and the radio
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