BlueMusic Bluetooth Hands-Free Music Adapter Compatible with BMW E46 E39 E38 - Mini R50 R52 R53 Only with Wave Cassette - Round Pin 17-Pin Old Generation Radio

I love products like these, that genuinely solves a problem and does so in the easiest and proper way possible. My 2001 e46 has a tape deck up front and a 6cd changer in the book, neither of which I or anyone uses these days. I'm an avid user of Spotify for my music and Waze for navigation, which in itself is nicely integrated. I only foresaw two option to get the audio from my phone to the car; change the head unit to a Bluetooth one or use an FM transmitter. Both options had their problems.1. The head unit would've been ideal but if I was going to do it, I was going to do it properly, which to me meant installing a double din android OEM looking head unit (£250-£350) that can load up car play to use with my iPhone. But with that came additional costs like the double din repositioning bracket to move the AC controls down which costs like £135. Plus I'd have wanted to wire up a rear camera and dashcam at the same time, so a lot more time, effort and money would've been needed. As much as I would've loved carplay, I just couldn't justify spending ¼ of the price I paid for the car just on the head unit when I could spend that money elsewhere on the car to make sure that it's running smoothly mechanically.2. So an FM transmitter seemed like the ideal option then. Lots of fancy and funky ones on here ranging from £10-20. BUT I really didn't like their functionality. There would always be that ugly thing plugged into my 12v socket. I prefer my interior to be as clean and clutter-free as possible. Also, I wanted to be able to use the steering wheel functions to control music, skip tracks and answer calls etc.So I began thinking about and questioning my options. I knew there was a cheap AUX adapter that you can plug into the back of the head unit to get AUX input. But again, I'd have preferred to use Bluetooth and be wireless and have less clutter (I only charge my phone on long journeys in the car). I also knew you could get Bluetooth adapter that can plug into an AUX input to make the speakers wireless, i.e like an old bookshelf speaker. But again this had the issue of powering the Bluetooth adapter using the 12v socket. I went through all this to think "I'm sure someone must've thought of this and made a Bluetooth adapter that can plug directly into the head unit just like the AUX adapter", which led me to randomly google "e46 Bluetooth adapter" and the rest is history!! Moral of the story is to ask the internet your questions because it's very likely that a whole lot of people have also had the same problems and has most likely resolved it already for you to know and use. So a big shout to BlueSpeak, thank you!!I hope you understand how much I appreciate this product by the size of this review. You guys have saved me a lot of time, a lot of money, all the while still giving me all the functionalities I wanted.I'd say it's fairly simple to install. The instruction manual isn't the most helpful but there's plenty of videos on youtube that'll visually show to do each part. The only thing I'd note is that there's isn't enough space behind the head unit itself for the original harness and this to sit so you will either have to route the cables underneath the head unit and behind the AC controls or above the head unit and below the centre vents. I went with the underneath route and routed my mic cable through behind the trim to the back of the head unit for the cleanest look. Although a bit fiddley, it worked like a charm. I tested everything before securing the screws and putting the trim back. Bluetooth paired to my phone easily (no passcode), audio played, steering functions worked, mic worked. At first, the audio only came from the speakers in the back and there was static noise so I took out just the bottom part of the harness cable going into the head unit (the wire that sends the signal from the Bluetooth adapter to the head unit) and switched it around which solved that restored crystal clear audio. So note that the direction that connection goes into matters and if you have the same issue, double-check that first. I only knew that straight away as I had seen the same thing on the youtube tutorial I watched.Now, I hope this has been able to help someone who's debating purchasing this product or someone who's unsure about fitting it themselves. I would recommend 100%, no complaints, no issues, simply plug & play!

Great device really easy to set up and works really well. Turn the key and instantly connects and is ready to play. Also some people say you can’t have the bracket in because of how big the adapter is but I took the top vents out so I could push the wires into the left so I could still keep the bracket.

Purchased to add bluetooth to a factory Business CD unit on my 2004 E46 BMW. It plugs in the back of the headunit and mimics a CD changer which is optionally installed in the boot of some BMW's. As a result you need to select CD on the headunit for it to function. Easy to install, bluetooth connects as expected, music and phone calls work as expected, sound quality is good. Steering wheel buttons work as described.I had an issue where after a few minutes the headunit would display "no magazine" error and would switch back to FM radio automatically. No matter what I did I could not get the unit to stay in CD mode and not switch back to radio. I have contacted the seller who verified that it was installed properly. I also returned it and received an exchange unit thinking that it was faulty but the problem was still there and I couldn't get it to work. No other reviews mention this and the manufacturer was not aware of such problem so it seems this is something specific to my particular car or headunit.

Purchased this bluetooth device to connect my iPhone to my old business tape deck in my BMW E46. The aim was to be able to play music via Spotify and make calls. I had been informed this was not possible by a car audio company. However after a relatively simple fit the device connected and worked perfectly, straight away. The quality has blown me away. I would have expected slightly sub par sound but both the music and the hands free are fantastic, even with the roof down.There are good fitting videos online and as they say the biggest challenge is getting all the wires to fit behind the stereo. With a few attempts and rearrangement all went back together and looks as if I had never touched it.Great product!!

Product just does not work. The instruction video is simplistic / poor and when wired into the head unit it will pick up Bluetooth but has constant interference from the radio.

I binned an Android unit I’d installed and put up with running slower and slower and put the original cd business stereo back in the non HK e46. Ordered this, fitted in 10mins, so easy and works!! Fantastic!! The mic quality is a bit sketchy but I didn’t buy it for that. So now I have the original kit back in and Spotify on stream. Thanks.

After looking at *rap alternative stereo systems, to upgrade my 2005 e46, BMW 318i Touring, I thought I’d give this a go first.Despite being a bit of a faff to fit, it’s absolutely awesome. The pictures tell the story of the install. After some YouTube investigation (this is essential) I went for the whole ‘remove all, including cage’ option. So pleased I did. Once you move the original harness next to the air vents the install is easy. It probably took me an hour and a half total. I now have Bluetooth in my old lovely e46. An added bonus is being able to answer / drop calls using the up and down buttons on the steering wheel. These also move between tracks when the music is playing.Tools used. 1 x Phillips head screwdriver and bicycle tyre levers (for removing the trim).A blinkin brilliant bit of kit.

Very elegant solution to add bluetooth to my 2001 E46. The installation takes a little of time, careful to put the cd changer connector (the small one) the right way or the sound doesn't work very well. And it's finicky to tug everything but once you've done it you can just listen to your phone or laptop and the sound quality is flawless. And the steering wheel controls work as promised and you can play/pause by pushing the volume knob. IMO much better than an expensive and **** looking aftermarket radio.