Bluetooth …. Where is it?

J

johnsi02

Member
 Glasgow
Hi,
My 2011 3.0 s-drive has the BMW Professional head unit. But it doesn’t appear to have the Bluetooth option to connect a phone. The steering wheel controls include a phone button.
Accessing the menu on the radio just offers ‘Comp’, ‘Config’ and ‘BMW’. No Bluetooth.
I’m guessing that the Bluetooth module to enable the function was an option that’s missing?
Please can someone who knows explain what’s needed to make it work?
I’m keen to keep the factory look rather than replacing the head unit etc.
Any advice appreciated.
Ian
 

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Have a read through this:

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Thread 'Bluetooth and DAB retrofit'

Now my Z4 is running nicely. I've been doing a few retrofits on my car. I've already installed an Android screen as my car didn't have Drive, but I was also looking at Bluetooth hands-free. I already have a MULF2 box, but I've read it can be hard to code.

Instead, I plan to install the BMW Professional RAD2 with Bluetooth and DAB. Has anyone tried that retrofit? I've got a list of parts for the mic and a RAD2 (9246503) which I was going to try to code to the car. Are there any gotchas I should watch out for? This seemed a cheaper and easier option and a full combox install, especially for...
 
Yep - early BMW models had a weird aversion to what we would now call 'bluetooth connectivity'.

As standard you got nothing at all, but you could specify just phone connectivity for calls (not music or anything streaming related), or wider bluetooth connectivity (more like what we have in 2026).

Nothing was standard - and to confuse matters further, everyone got the buttons on the steering wheel that made you think you had it!

Check your options list carefully & see what was paid for, then take it from there.
 
johnsi02 said:
Thank you for the replies. As usual, it’s complicated! I may have to revisit my ‘keep the factory look’ stance…..
Click to expand...
My own understanding is that it need not be complicated if all you are after is Bluetooth. See this old thread here but implication is that you simply need to swap out your head unit for a newer version - Bluetooth became standard from the 2012 model.

Shame resident expert @AnubisZed is not currently posting here as he would tell you for fact but if you are after keeping things standard it sounds like a head unit swap plus a bit of coding. I do concede that the coding bit might be complicated for those who aren't tech savvy :)
 
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