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Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

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Bing
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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by Bing » Sun Sep 22, 2013 5:22 pm

That's the same as my kit - we wanted to get the job finished (had to, as we'd cut wires before checking :oops: ), so soldered wires directly into the plastic holders instead. However if you have no time pressure I'd call Sopers and get them to send the right parts.
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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by Z4 TEX » Sun Sep 22, 2013 5:26 pm

and you have 4 E instead of 2. Looks like they threw another set of E into the box. :roll:

I'm sure if you ring up Jamie at Sopers, he will sort it out for you. :thumbsup:
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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by MrPT » Sun Sep 22, 2013 6:05 pm

Cool - thanks both. No time pressure so I'll give Jamie a buzz.
2008 Z4MC: heavy wheels | crap suspension | skittish rear end | wobbly engine | not enough induction noise | underwhelming turn in | inconsistent braking | lardy battery | chubby steering wheel
2006 Z4 2.5si: gone

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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by MrPT » Mon Sep 30, 2013 7:40 pm

Right - Sopers were excellent, as usual, so the replacement parts arrived without hassle and everything is now fitted. I did the cruise control retrofit and MFSW controls retrofit at the same time - probably too much to attempt in one go, but I was having a big balls day. It took a couple of long afternoons; I was checking everything as I went with a multimeter and also cleaning as many inaccessible bits as possible. I suspect the quoted "70 minutes" is the time that BMW estimate it will take you if you aim to royally f*ck it up.

Thanks jamiecarpenter for the excellent instructions. :) I've got a few more tips/photos to add to the mix:
  • A safe way to leave the battery disconnected it to trap the black lead using the removable boot floor:

    Image
  • The cowling was more difficult than I expected to remove - needed a vigorous tug and I had to epoxy one of the locating pins back on afterwards. I started cutting it with a junior hacksaw but soon switched to a Dremel; much easier! Finished it off with wet & dry:

    Image
  • As others have done, I removed the RHS vent unit which made accessing the LCM a lot easier
  • Here's my loom work - looks very messy with both MFSW and CC retrofitted - improved only slightly when tied up. The white heatshrink is there because I relocated the connectors on the cables a couple of times; I was concerned about cable tension with the loom plugged back into the LCM (scotch locks are a scary hack!). The black heatshrink is there because, like the OP, I also picked the wrong black/brown wire to start with. :roll:

    Untied:

    Image

    Tied:

    Image
    (the cloth-wrapped black cable with the scotch locks is the MFSW retrofit)
  • Feeding the blue wire behind the dash into the passenger footwell was easier than expected and only took a few seconds - the trick was to remove all the kinks in it first so it was rigid enough to push through. It also helps if you have "noodle arms"
  • I noticed that you have to be careful to leave enough cable slack for the steering wheel column to go all the way down to its lowest position
  • To pull the blue cable up into the electrics box, I tied an allen key to some gardening string and dropped it down through the hole in the bulkhead:

    Image
  • I used a galvanised wire tether to pull the blue cable through into the IVM. The wire was very easy to feed through the waterproof tubing but I had to be careful to shape the "hook" so that it didn't snag on any existing cables:

    Image
  • The PDF instructions for N52 engines are totally wrong for the next step. As others have noted, the pin they suggest that you connect to on the black 26-pin block is already occupied. You can just plug the blue cable directly into pin 39 of the grey 42-pin connector block, as Jamie has done. You don't need either of the blue or black repair cables:

    Image
  • I thought I'd gotten away with not having removing the glove box, but I had to in the end. I couldn't find another way to push the saw-cut split pin on the upper edge of the lower trim panel into the dash. Without doing this the panel flaps around a bit (why they couldn't just have used another screw here, I have no idea!):

    Image
Was very relieved when it worked on my test drive, but found it a bit odd using a cruise control system with no visual feedback to confirm that it is on/set. It works well though - the stalk has a really positive action to it. :)
2008 Z4MC: heavy wheels | crap suspension | skittish rear end | wobbly engine | not enough induction noise | underwhelming turn in | inconsistent braking | lardy battery | chubby steering wheel
2006 Z4 2.5si: gone

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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by Taz » Mon Sep 30, 2013 8:47 pm

I find it amazing that there is no visual display that its on

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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by Bing » Mon Sep 30, 2013 10:07 pm

What's that split pin for in your last pic MrPT ? Don't remember that from my install :?
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Post by MrPT » Tue Oct 01, 2013 1:25 am

Bing wrote:What's that split pin for in your last pic MrPT ? Don't remember that from my install :?
It's part of the passenger side lower dashboard trim panel. The RHD version of this: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... fg=30&hl=6 (although the pin is not actually included in that diagram, for some reason).

The box you can see just above it in my photo is the fuse box. On the edge of the panel closest to the passenger seat there is a screw near each corner. In the middle of the edge is a plastic split pin that pushes upwards into the fuse box cavity and through a hole in a square black plastic flap. Without it secured the panel sags a bit in the middle.

At least I think that's what it's for. :p

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2008 Z4MC: heavy wheels | crap suspension | skittish rear end | wobbly engine | not enough induction noise | underwhelming turn in | inconsistent braking | lardy battery | chubby steering wheel
2006 Z4 2.5si: gone

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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by Bing » Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:29 am

MrPT, you may have just helped me sort another rattle out - happy days :D
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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by MrPT » Tue Oct 01, 2013 9:55 am

Bing wrote:MrPT, you may have just helped me sort another rattle out - happy days :D
Hah... and sorting it the proper way, instead of randomly sticking bits of sticky felt everywhere, is always the best! I need to fix my vents/cupholders next - they rattle like a mofo.
Taz wrote:how much is the kit these days?
Stalk was £70 and the wiring was £20. Both from Sopers - Jamie said quite a few kits have had the parts issue. Must have been the work experience kid. :roll:
2008 Z4MC: heavy wheels | crap suspension | skittish rear end | wobbly engine | not enough induction noise | underwhelming turn in | inconsistent braking | lardy battery | chubby steering wheel
2006 Z4 2.5si: gone

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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by pbrown » Tue Nov 19, 2013 10:18 am

Next question, where do I get the kit from, BMW ?

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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by Bing » Tue Nov 19, 2013 11:42 am

Call Sopers in Lincoln, ask for Jamie or Mark in Parts, mention the forum and you should get a 10%-ish discount! free P&P and very fast delivery :thumbsup:

You will need the loom and the stalk if your car is a facelift.

Once you have the kit make sure - before you start - that you have both male and female connectors, as some people have received all male or all female which is a tad disappointing when you've already cut the wires :!:
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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by mark anderson » Wed Nov 05, 2014 12:00 pm

Hi just fit cruise con and all going well until last connection i have a cable running to pin 39 already in the grey conector

Can anyone help

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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by nfbr » Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:18 am

mark anderson wrote:Hi just fit cruise con and all going well until last connection i have a cable running to pin 39 already in the grey conector

Can anyone help
Mark, if you are confident that the cable/pin you are looking at is definitely pin39, then you can tap into that cable with your blue wire and it should work fine.

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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by MG-Ant » Sun Dec 21, 2014 3:14 pm

Thanks to Jamie Carpenter and others... just fitted CC to my 07 Z4C, helped by my elder son. it took us around 3 hours - mind you, it's not warm out there at this time of year. Quite a fiddle, I must say.

I soldered the 2 wires into the loom on the ligh-switch. And I used tin-snips to make the cut-out for the swtich in the column surround, tidying with a file.

Good post on pin-39 of the grey connector. Would be scratching my head at this point if I were to try to follow the BMW instructions.

Once again - thanks vm

Anthony

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Re: Post 04 cruise control retrofit N52

Post by nfbr » Tue Dec 30, 2014 10:30 pm

Just so we're all aware - you do not need to use the black repair wire. Just plug the cable straight in. Mine worked first time.

I did away with the crappy connectors for the power feeds too and soldered directly to the wires behind the light switch, isolated with heat shrink tubing, then taped back up with cloth looming tape.

Beautiful OEM finish :)

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