09-13-2020, 08:12 PM | #1 |
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IDRIVE 4 to IDRIVE 6 Conversion
I did the full ID4 > ID6 conversion, and it looks like there's a lot of questions about this as it's the route less taken versus the Bimmertech/Aliexpress MMI module.
To be upfront, this is expensive. I paid $1500 for all the parts. All things considered this is standard price for this level of work. I have friends with older Tesla Model S cars that have retrofitted the newer touchscreens and headunits and they spend about $2500+. I also had everything professionally installed by Luc@Speed&Tech as although its plug-and-play, I had other work they were going to do anyway. I also wanted peace of mind of a shop doing the work. Please contact them directly for pricing if you're local to the DC, Maryland, Virginia area. I don't want to speak for their prices. Why I went this route instead of the Bimmertech/Aliexpress MMI module? Because I didn't want the "shortcut" route of still having ID4 and a wonky secondary unit for CarPlay. I wanted everything OEM, and reading through the forums, I didn't want to deal with firmware updates to the MMI unit, or loss of audio fidelity. This is what you need for the best experience: - ID6 Harman headunit coded to your VIN. There are multiple vendors on this board that can do it for you. I used Retrofitmybimmer.com (Rob) who was fantastic. - Wireless antenna. This gives you the fastest, most stable wireless CarPlay connection. While you could technically use Bluetooth, the connection is poor and bandwidth is too low for this to be viable. - Optional: upgrade your 8.8" screen to a touchscreen. This technically isn't necessary but it's a really nice functionality to add. In my opinion, you might as well do it once and do it right. - iDrive controller: while technically optional this really should be upgraded to the LCI version to have correct button mappings. The coding to the iDrive unit can either be done remotely or by the vendor at time of purchase. I chose to have the vendor code it so that way when I got everything and brought it to a custom shop, everything was truly plug and play. I can't recommend this upgrade enough. Let me know if you have questions. Here's some common questions I had with answers: Q: Will ConnectedDrive still work? A: Yes Q: Will I still be able to use GPS for BMW navigation? A: Yes Q: Will I still be able to use SiriusXM? A: Yes Q: Is any of this aftermarket or OEM? A: All OEM parts Q: Will I lose favorite stations, M drive settings, etc? A: Yes, because they're stored in your IDRIVE profile. You'll need to favorite your stations/mappings on the numbered radio buttons and M drive buttons again. This is not a big deal whatsoever, it takes a couple minutes. Q: Is there a difference with the ID Harman unit being pre-coded at time of purchase or buying it and shipping it to be coded? A: Absolutely no difference. The vendor will also code it to support video in motion and screen mirroring for Android. Best part is, now my 2016 M4 is fully 2020 spec when it comes to infotainment and iDrive. It was worth every dollar.
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09-16-2020, 09:01 PM | #2 |
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Thanks for sharing! Love the idea of 'no shortcuts' and having everything OEM. In the DMV and potentially interested in this, did you have to source all the parts yourself and then take to the shop for installation/coding etc.?
If so - can you speak to sourcing? In the past I have had shops in the past balk at installing parts not purchased through them (which is understandable depending on situation). |
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10-11-2020, 09:18 PM | #4 |
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Climate control display? You mean the interior temperature, fan speed, etc? I didn't change that. So it's stock.
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10-12-2020, 07:04 AM | #6 |
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Don't know about the 2015 model year, but mine is a 2016 and both the ConnectedDrive and navigation work 100% with the conversion.
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10-13-2020, 02:26 PM | #7 |
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Yeah, for connected drive it needs ATM, but Nav could work - you just need to have headunit with built-in GPS.
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10-13-2020, 07:00 PM | #8 |
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I just did the same retrofit as well, i went with the 8.8in touch screen, and idrive controller. Connectdrive works perfectly, in addition im able to track the car, remote lock and unlock car.
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10-13-2020, 07:42 PM | #10 |
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It's sharper clarity, brightness and I believe resolution. It's a huge difference from my stock '16 non-touchscreen.
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10-13-2020, 08:04 PM | #11 |
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Nice!
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10-27-2020, 11:52 AM | #12 |
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I have a 2015 and wanted to have this retrofit done, Rob from RetrofitMyBimmer confirmed that OEM GPS Map functionality will be lost. This is the only downside for a 2015 MY which is minor since with carplay/android auto other maps apps are available.
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10-31-2020, 08:25 PM | #13 |
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Just installed mine thanks to rob. Only thing I can't get to work was the BMW ConnectedDrive store and my onboard manual.
Called bmw and they advised that they have removed ConnectedDrive (thanks BMW). Still not sure why the onboard manual doesn't work rob said he's looking into it. Other then that it is working like it came with the car off the line. |
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11-01-2020, 09:52 PM | #14 | |
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What year is your vehicle? Did you get the 8.8 touch screen and Idrive controller as well? |
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11-01-2020, 09:58 PM | #15 |
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I have been looking into this as well and found a few options.
On eBay you could get an NBT evo id4 and flash it to ID6 using the same screen and controller. Some go for 400 ish.. Complete NBT evo id5/ID6 sets seem to go for around 1500 + usd.. Is the 8.8 touchscreen a direct swap with no modifications? Does anyone know if the 10 inch screen I believe require modifications? I have a 2015 m3 but 2014 build. I did see some vendors on eBay having the built in gps, but what else would I loose aside from connected drive for those who did this? Is the sound quality still the same as the Harmon kardon logic 7 etc that comes in the car..might be a silly question! A lot of these vendors give 1 year warranty, anyone experiencing any issues ? |
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11-02-2020, 08:06 AM | #16 | |
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1 - Ordering an NBT EVO ID4 unit on eBay: Only do this if your existing ID4 headunit isn't NBT EVO. Otherwise there's no need to buy a separate unit unless you want an entire dedicated spare unit. Reach out to vendor kubax86 for assistance on purchasing the code flash. 2 - Yeah that's about right through companies like Retrofitmybimmer, Bimmertech, etc. 3 - 8.8" touchscreen requires no modifications except for coding to support the new screen. This can be done prior to install by a vendor like Retrofitmybimmer so it's completely plug and play (you won't have to do the coding at time of install). I had an older, non-touchscreen 8.8" screen and upgraded to the 8.8" touchscreen. It was well worth the investment to upgrade, in my opinion. Upgrading to a 10" touchscreen is definitely possible. It requires coding to support, same scenario as above. But it will also require some slight trimming of the rear of the screen plastic to fit properly in your F80. Tommy L Garage has a great video on YouTube on how he did it. It's easy, but I just didn't feel like doing the extra work for a slightly larger screen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL_i...l=TommyLGarage 4 - Can't speak to the 2015 model, I believe there are some features lost for whatever reason in the 2015 model year vs. any other. Perhaps someone else can chime in here. 5 - Sound Quality - if you stick with OEM, there is absolutely no loss in sound quality. That's exactly why i wanted to stick with the OEM swap vs. the cheap Bimmertech MMI module/Aliexpress MMI module. That uses analog audio output I believe and from reading on the forums here from other members, there are a lot of audio issues with that. Your mileage may vary with that solution but I wanted to avoid all that and just stick with OEM to OEM swap and retain full functionality and audio quality.
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11-02-2020, 08:11 AM | #17 | ||
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11-02-2020, 03:31 PM | #18 | |
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Thanks for responding. Definitely helps! I’m going the oem route for sure and possible thinking of the built in GPS to really retain factory functionality. I probably won’t ever use the factory gps but it will likely annoy me to have things missing hahaha OCD like that😂 |
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11-02-2020, 03:40 PM | #19 | ||
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11-02-2020, 04:49 PM | #21 | |
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https://www.bimmer-tech.net/blog/ite...cic-nbt-nbtevo Another easy way is to simply go to your maps information screen. Pull up the navigation (the actual map) on the iDrive screen and then once you're there, press option on the iDrive controller. There should be something called software information- press that and it will give you your navigation map version. If you have NBT Evo, it will state as such in the name. (See pic below - this is old, from a Google search)
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