Dead E39 Radio, what to do?

"Klaus Schmoll" (klausschmoll)
10/12/2015 at 14:37 • Filed to: None

As some of you might or might not know, my mum has an E39 530d touring with a little over 300k Kms. It still feels tight as a drum, and just got a new inspection sticker and new winter and summer rubber. So she would like to keep it for another 2-3 years. However, there is one big elephant in the room. At first the cd-changer died (discman with a tape adapter as a temporary fix) and now the radio is dead. The BMW shop thinks it’s the amp. What would you recommend at this point?

Replacing the BMW hardware will probably cost an arm and a leg. So aftermarket it is? I remember that someone on here replaced the system with an upscale aftermarket unit. How much is that? And what would be the cheapest fix? All she wants is to be able to listen to the radio and have a cd slot. Anything beyond that (navigation, blue-tooth, mp3) is nice but she COULD do without.

I still have a cheap cd/mp3 radio somewhere, and at this point I think getting some sort of adapter to make it fit and not leave any gaping holes in the dash would do.

Remember, she would like to drive it a little longer but isn’t willing to throw too much money at the car anymore. What options are there? How much are they? What would you do?

DISCUSSION (16)

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Klaus Schmoll
10/12/2015 at 14:44

Salvage yard amp or headunit?

Josh G > Klaus Schmoll
10/12/2015 at 14:45

Junk yard? Which radio do you have? Do you have DSP?

davedave1111 > Klaus Schmoll
10/12/2015 at 14:46

Have you checked Ebay and breakers for second hand ones? I’d be astonished if you’re looking at more than €50-100.

Otherwise, just get a bluetooth speaker and use whatever music device you like.

Klaus Schmoll > davedave1111
10/12/2015 at 14:50

It’s not for me, it’s for my mum. She doesn’t even have a smart phone, yet.

M54B30 > Klaus Schmoll
10/12/2015 at 14:53

Does it have DSP?

E39 and E53 electronics work with each other, check ebay and you can probably just buy another one

Klaus Schmoll > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
10/12/2015 at 14:53

It’s my mum’s car. I see it (and her for that matter) only every couple of weeks/months, and on these weekends I don’t want to/have the time to roam pick’n’pulls etc. All I can do is give her advice on what to do a.k.a. who to pay for which fix.

Klaus Schmoll > Josh G
10/12/2015 at 14:55

She lives almost 1200 kms away, so all I can do is give advice on who to pay for what fix. Roaming pick’n’pulls isn’t an option.

Klaus Schmoll > M54B30
10/12/2015 at 14:57

DSP? Which acronym from hell is this one again?

Josh G > Klaus Schmoll
10/12/2015 at 15:08

If it doesn’t have DSP just have someone put an aftermarket stereo in it following the interwebs guidlines Cheapest option if you don’t want to ebay a factory unit.

Crutchfield has all the details if you buy their adapters for non dsp. The install isn’t too bad.

M54B30 > Klaus Schmoll
10/12/2015 at 15:44

Kinja'd!!!

DSP is a sound enhancer on “premium” radio systems. If you have it, replacement options are slim. If you don’t have it, it’s much easier to replace the radio

Slant6 > Klaus Schmoll
10/12/2015 at 16:02

I’m sure any indy shop could pull one off a parts car and instal it for you without costing too much.

Klaus Schmoll > Slant6
10/12/2015 at 16:49

And where should said parts car come from?

Slant6 > Klaus Schmoll
10/12/2015 at 16:56

Most indies I know have a few parts cars. If not they usually have networks to get used parts.

davedave1111 > Klaus Schmoll
10/12/2015 at 17:21

Oh, even cheaper, then. Get an old CD discman, a cable, an old-fashioned wired speaker, and a car charger for them.

I’d look into getting whatever parts you need from scrappies, though. Or Ebay if you can’t get to it yourself. Unless it’s ridiculously hard to get to, I don’t suppose labour will cost much. And if it’s easy to get to, it’s the kind of job you could do in ten minutes.

jmedarts > Klaus Schmoll
10/12/2015 at 17:28

eBay will have second hand units from reputable junk yards that come with warranties. I have also had good luck buying used stuff on the BMW forums.(Btw - You did check the fuses, right?) the amp & radio are in the rear and were pretty easy to swap out in my sedan. Ymmv with a wagon

duurtlang > Klaus Schmoll
10/14/2015 at 17:04

When I broke the rear axle of my 205 CTI my (French specialized) indi shop visited a reputable (French specialized) junk yard a few kms away and got a ‘new’ rear axle off a car in that junkyard. Their hourly rate isn’t exactly low, but by fixes like this they’re still vastly cheaper than the dealer.