BMW E46 business CD owners manual

DublinDilbert

Hi All,

I'm wondering if anyone has an E46 CD player owners manual?

I need to change the "AREA" code on my CD player from USA to Europe. If anyone knows how to do this, let me know....

Thanks..

Eoin

DublinDilbert wrote:

Hi All,

I'm wondering if anyone has an E46 CD player owners manual?

I need to change the "AREA" code on my CD player from USA to Europe. If anyone knows how to do this, let me know....

Thanks..

I'll check my manual this evening. Only thing is that mine is a cassette player with a stack in the boot, but should be pretty much the same.

padraigmyers

AREA is adjusted using the preset button 1.
Pressing preset button 1 scrolls through the following options; USA, CANADA, OC+RDS (no idea+Radio Data System), JAPAN, NO AREA, EUROPE. Note, the tuning increments change based on the country. In the USA, all FM frequencies end in odd numbers i.e.: 101.5 and 98.7. In other countries FM and AM increments are different.

DublinDilbert

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies... i managed to get the sequence for geting into configuration mode from a BMW wiring / TIS info CD i had lying around...

Out of interested the sequence to get into the configuration mode was
1) turn radio off
2) turn radio on
3) press "m" for eight seconds
4) Radio displays serial number on screen, your now in config mode

Changed the country to Europe, and it works perfectly... it's great cause i picked the CD player up for €80 on ebay! it's a nice addition to the car..

Thanks again,
Dave

padraigmyers

Here is a bunch of info on e46 BMWs, some useful, some not, some very obvious.

1. When the temperature drops below 37 F degrees, the car beeps to let you know to watch out for icy roads. Also, the rear defroster comes on.
2. You can read the odometer with the car off; all you have to do is press
the needle on the left.
3. When car is off, hit the volume knob on the radio the radio turns on (it only works with 02 decks)
4. There is a "secret" compartment underneath my car's armrest and a Coin
box in center console.
5. There is a trunk release right above the hood release (not on all cars)
6. There is an exterior trunk release above the license plate and under the
ledge.
7. There is flashlight in the glove box.
8. There are amber lights that shine on the center console.
9. You can change radio station on the steering wheel by holding up/down
button longer to scan to next station rather than preset ones.
Interior lights can be turn off when you open/close door or shut the engine
down.
10. The two knobs on the center control panel are to reset the short trip
mileage and the other one is for changing the time on the clock and changing
the time from army time (24 hour time) to normal time. And you could also
switch the temperature display both on the dash and on the climate control
between Fahrenheit and Celsius.
11. You may be able to auto-roll down of windows from the remote control.
Another way is to put the key in the door handle and turn to the unlock
position and hold it there. This will also open and close the moon roof or
put a convertible top down.
12. If you push the unlock button on the remote once it will unlock the
driver door, for '02s if you push the unlock button on the remote twice it
will unlock all the doors.then once all that is done.... push and hold the
unlock button on the remote the windows will start to roll down... then the
sunroof will open too.
13. If you hit the 'counter reset button' with the ignition in position 2
(or very quickly when you start your car), then it will show you when you
are due to change your brake fluid!
14. There is also a first aid kit under the passengers seat.
15. There is a compartment by your leg when you are in the drivers seat. The
compartment is on your left if in a LHD, and on your right if in RHD
(located next to your knee).
16. The safety strip along each window and sunroof that detects obstructions
and retracts them. (Along with a timer that prevents the motors from burning
out if in use too long).
17. The OEM side mirrors are designed with slats and ridges to reduce wind
noise.
18. The airbag system is 2 stage deployable depending on if the seat belts
are latched. If there is no passenger, that front airbag wont even go off to
save repair costs. (Along with the explosive seatbelt tensioners).
19. The radio, sunroof, and other "ignition" triggered accessories are
available for a period of time after the car is turned off until a door is
opened.
20. The fact that the car goes into "sleep" mode after 16 minutes of
inactivity to reduce battery drain and eliminate dead batteries from "left
on" accessories (lights, etc).
21. The suspension is designed to limit body dive under hard braking,
instead the entire chassis dives evenly for stability.
22. The A/C compressor has a variable displacement thrust plate to eliminate
the shock load of compressor cycling and use varies depending on need and
load.
23. Flashing the high beams after ignition is turned off will leave the
headlamps on for a preset amount of time for security while parking the
vehicle.
24. The Keyless Entry system utilizes antennae in the rear window, change
key codes every time, will deactivate keys if a key is pressed too many
times without response from the car, the key recharges while in the ignition
switch, and they store all sorts of presets, from seat positions to IHKA
control settings.
25. The radio remembers the settings separate for each input. (E.g., CD
input can have the bass/treble/balance/fade settings different from the F.M.
radio)
26. Left Side Mirror will tilt in reverse (check to make sure your mirror
selection switch is in center or left position to use this feature)
Door locks that engage when you go 8 Miles per hour (Dealer need to turn
this feature on).

27. As some of you may know, the BMW On-Board Computer (OBC) holds more
functions than is documented, including a very nice instrument panel test. I
managed to get a lot of this information from the web, but it was far from
complete. Subsequently I asked my dealer for the missing info, but they
could not provide the complete list either. Following is a list for the
items I could find, they work in my car (E46 323i). I gather most of them
also work in the E36 models. Who can tell what the missing entries represent
(especially functions
9.1, 9.2 and 9.3 which are very mysterious)?

Instructions to access the hidden OBC functions:
1. Hold Trip Reset while turning ignition key to on position
2. OBC should show "Test"
3. Use Trip Reset to select function 19.0 that unlocks all the features
3. Wait for display to show "Off"
4. Depress Trip Reset for 1/4 second and release it
5. With no delay press Trip Reset several times to select one of the
following function s

BMW E46 On-Board Computer (OBC) Hidden Codes
nr example description
1 Car Engine and cluster data
1.0 46nnn Chassis nr/VIN serial number (last 5 digits)
1.1 4nnn K-number
1.2 690236 Cluster Part #
1.3 045210 Coding (04)/diagnosis (52)/bus index (10)
1.4 1200 Week (12)/year of manufacture (2000)
1.5 09_160 Hardware (09) and software # (16.0) of cluster
1.6 Not used
1.7 04__44 CAN-version (04) KI-revision index (44)
2 (test) Cluster System Test - Activates the gauge drivers,
indicators and LEDs to confirm function
3 SI Data
3.0 1098 Used fuel in liters since last SI (Service Inspection)
3.1 0231 Periodic inspection days; elapsed days (since last SI)
4 Momentary Consumption
4.0 0145+ Instant fuel consumption - 0145=14.5 liters/100km
4.1 0018 Instant fuel consumption - 0018=1.8 l/Hour
5 Distance Gone Consumption
5.0 082 Average mileage; 082=8.2 liters/100km
5.1 0536 Calc. km to refuel (momentary distance to go)
6 Fuel Level sensor inputs in liters
6.0 109330+ Fuel level averaged; Left half sensor input=10.9 liters; Right
sensor input=33.0 liters
6.1 0439+ Total tank level averaged; vlgs 6.0: 10.9+33.0=43.9 liters
6.2 0442+ Indicated value (44.2) and tank phase
7 Temperature and Speed
7.0 021+ Coolant/Engine temperature (2.1C)
7.1 130 Ambient/Outside temperature - chg met 5 pts. 125/130/135
7.2 + Engine speed / Current RPMs 1/min
7.3 + Vehicle speed / Current Speed in km/hour
8 Input value in HEX form
8.0 1d0+ System voltage ADC-Value Hex code
8.1 26C33C+ ADC Values HG left/HG right
8.2 0000 ADC Value brake degradation sensor (000=o.k.)
8.3 18C ADC Value outside temperature
9 Battery
9.0 140 Battery Voltage - 140 = UB 14.0v
9.1 242013+?
9.2 074_78+?
9.3 0011+?
10 Not used
11 Not used
12 Not used
13 GonG Gong Test
14 Not used
15 Status cluster I/O-ports (bit codes) 0=low; 1=high
1st-belt contact, seat belt fastened=0; 2) ignition lock contact, key
inserted=0; 3) door contact, door open=0; 4) clock button pressed=0; 5) SI
reset=0, for reset=0; 6) EGS transmission failure=0
Status Digital Outputs (bits) 0=inactive, 1=active
1) Gong output; 2) Brake warning lamp; 3) Low fuel warning lamp; 4) EGA
lamp; 5) seat belt lamp; 6) manipulation dot
16 Not used
17 Not used
18 Not used
19 Lock Status; unlocks functions in range 3-18
19.0 L-On/L-Off Unlock: press button when "L-Off"
20 Not used
21 Software Reset; reset OBC settings
00 End of test

28. Put your turn signal either on the left or right position, with no key
in the ignition, close the door and walk away. What you will see is the
front blinker, and rear turn signal stay lit. From what I read, it's
supposed to be a feature to for people to see your car when it's parked at
night in those really tight streets in Europe. This way no one accidentally
drives into your car.
29. If you look on your roof, there will be two flaps on each side that are
plastic and body colors. You can remove them and there is a little hole in
each one that accepts the BMW Roof Rack.
30. Hold down the PTY button (this works, to my knowledge, on cars w/nav)
and you will turn on AUTOPTY--it'll display the type of music station if the
data is present. I think this works for RDS too.... that way, you don't have
to keep pressing it when you switch to radio or change stations etc.
31. Change the Speed Sensitive Volume Ratio - E46 Business CD Head Unit:
Turn the radio off then on again. Don't touch any button except the 'm'
button - the button you use to tune the radio frequency manually. Press and
hold the 'm' button for TEN seconds or until the display changes. It will
then show the serial number of the unit. Normally when you press 'm', the
display will reflect that by replacing 'ST' (stereo tuning) with 'm'. When
holding the 'm' button for this procedure, the display should not do this -
you will continue to see 'ST' for the ten seconds. Now if the display has
changed, you are in a configure mode on the radio. If you press the '>' or
'<' button you change modes. The mode you want will display as "GAL (1-6)".
This mode allows you to adjust the speed-sensitive volume control. Use the
radio preset buttons 1-6 to set the amount of volume change you want at
speed. Setting 1 is the smallest change, 6 is the highest. I use 1 with the
windows closed, and 5 when it's a nice enough day to drive with the windows
open, which makes for a lot of ambient noise at speed. The car is so quiet
with the windows closed that setting 1 is fine. Then turn the radio OFF to
save the settings. Turn it back on; go for a drive to test it. The other
semi-useful test mode will tell you the signal strength of any given station
from 0 to 15 (highest). Use the preset buttons to change stations in the
mode. This capability is probably used in the automatic tuning function in
the radio.
32. The multiple 'auto heater/AC combinations at start-up' memory options
are nifty.
33. If you want to leave your windows down but have the alarm set, but not
have to worry about the motion detector go off, you can arm you alarm by
hitting the lock button, and then wait a second and hit the button again.
You'll see the clown nose light up for a second, which means the motion
detector is deactivated
34. If you flicker your high beams when the car is off, your xenons go on
for 30 seconds to give u a lighted path to walk
35. If you have auto wipers, the headlights go on when the wipers activate,
if on auto.
36. Where the spare tire is, next to the portable jack there is a wheel
chock!!
37. In Euro delivery cars, there is a warning triangle in a blue plastic
case that bolts to the left rear of the trunk and a first aid kit under the
passenger seat.
38. Apparently "there's a cheat code in the software running the BMW M3's
sequential manual gearbox (SMG). Press the right buttons in the right order
and the car will launch you from a stop after revving the engine to 5,000
rpm". "But there is a catch. In Europe, where the feature isn't so
hush-hush, doing more than 15 launches voids the car's warranty. Federal
laws prohibit such stipulations here, so BMW has turned down the which.
US-spec cars are programmed to wind to only 2,500 rpm. That's why you have
to ask your dealer to install the European software. Most will happily
oblige"

"For lucky drivers of this hot car, here's how: Switch of the stability
system and select shift program six. Switch the engine to sport mode. With
the hand shifter in drive, hold it in the downshift position and press the
has pedal. The engine will rev to the preprogrammed rpm and hold. Now
release the shifter. The car will launch forward violently and the engine's
revs will climb quickly, so be prepared to up shift"
39. When you have your wipers on fast and medium (don't know what you call
it) Anyways if you come to a stop it'll go to intermittent
40. Want to know your odometer reading but no key... no problem. Just press
the computer toggle button at the end of the turn signal lever. The computer
read-out lights up with the odometer reading.
41. Everyone knows that the screwdriver in the tool kit is reversible.
42. When windshield wipers are going, and the a/c is on, regardless of the
temp, warm air is coming out of the windshield defrost vent.
43. Holding down the DSC button to completely turn it off.

milltown

I need to resurrect this thread.

My sis has bought an imported E46 (jap I think) and needs to get the radio working on the right frequencies. The info above was a great help although you omitted to say that once the serial number is displayed you need + and - to cycle through the menus.

Anyway, while this worked a charm on my car (Irish car anyway but I was curious) on hers there doesn't seem to be an "area" menu. There is one screen with a load of rubbish on it, not even letters or numbers, so we're thinking maybe the language needs to be changed first.

Can anyone help?

DublinDilbert

Hi Miltown,

what year is her E46?? on the top of the radio i was installing there was a big yellow sticker saying that it had to be re-coded for the USA / Japan. From this i would guess that the same radio is fitted to them all.

When you tried going through the configuration menues did you see ####### on the screen? this is a test pattern, see bellow....



Service mode
Proceed as follows to call up the Service mode:
· Terminal 30g ON
· Switch off the radio
· Switch on the radio again
· Within 8s for a duration of 8s, press the button for manual station-search function
The radio switches into the Service mode


The following displays are available in service mode:

SN 29981972 – this serial number also appears on the Radio Code card
GI 45
GAL 4
HI 321403
- SIM 111100D
- SIP 141401
Station Signal Strength is Displayed
DSP 0 V 00
AREA USA
VIEW 3
AF MAN
###########(blank display – see explanation below)


Explanations of Radio Display Symbols

SN is the serial number of the radio itself needed to get the Radio Code if you lose the card. Contact a BMW dealer, tell them the radio serial number and show your registration. They will get your code from their computer

GI – no idea

GAL (adjustable 1,2,3,4,5,6 using radio preset buttons). This sets the speed sensitive volume control. The higher the number the loader the radio volume automatically becomes as you hit 40mph. It compensates for wind noise due to the top being down. When you slow to below 40mph it returns to your original (idle) setting. I have used it as high as 5 in summer and turned it down to 4 in winter when the top is up. Set to best meet your needs.

HI – no idea. When in this mode pressing the > arrow the display changes to
SIM – no idea - push > again and it changes to
SIP – no idea

Station signal strength is displayed – you can change the station and the display will show you the signal strength of that station.

DSP probably means Dolby Surround Processing, or Digital Signal Processor, DSP does not apply to this model radio in a Z3.

AREA is adjusted using the preset button 1. Area refers to the area country where the radio is being used. Pressing preset button 1 scrolls through the following options; USA, CANADA, OC+RDS (no idea+Radio Data System), JAPAN, NO AREA, EUROPE. Note, the tuning increments change based on the country. In the USA, all FM frequencies end in odd numbers i.e.: 101.5 and 98.7. In other countries FM and AM increments are different.

VIEW (adjustable 1,2,3,4 using the preset buttons) 3 is brightest other than that I have no idea.

AF Auto (something)? Options are MAN and OFF. Well, I know it doesn't stand for Auto Focus.

########### Blank display used to test the LEDs. By pressing radio presets 1, 2, 3, 4 the display scrolls through a set of patterns so that any bad LEDs are easy to see.