Life and times of the CIC controller for iDrive

[B21]

I thought I’d put these items as they may prove useful to others…

So I’ve been irritated by the bezel surrounding the iDrive controller knob…for some reason the bezel had partially separated with a sharp edge that would snag your finger / finger nail if you placed it in the wrong position whilst operating the rotary knob.

A bit of research showed that there had been 8 iterations of the controller..all seemingly compatible with each other.

So when I took the interior apart and was forced to take the controller out of the trim it seemed the perfect time to do something about it.

My first port of call was one of the many Chinese knobs the clips over the existing knob and replaces the central inset cover of the know with a wider cover to match the wider slip over part.

On examination it seemed rather tacky..albeit cheap..so I looked at trying to either replacing the whole controller or try and repair the damaged bezel.

So I bought the bezel as a separate item..around £50…

However when I got it I just couldn’t see how to fit it..so looked at buying a brand new controller..the latest version being over £400….

A Google revealed an E90 forum guy and then a US Z4 forum guy who had tackled this..you just need to use a small flat bladed screwdriver to push the 4 black plastic tangs either side of the knob near its base which are obvious if the controller is out of the trim.

So out it pinged..after trying to fit the new bezel 180 out it then fitted like a charm..at a stroke elevating my tactile experience to a new level.

So I won’t bother with a new controller…the only obvious benefit is that the switch labelled CD is renamed Media..

Summary..

All Z4 E89 controllers are interchangeable

The E89 variant is unique as the base is slightly wider so not interchangeable with E90 or other CIC systems

The bezel is an aluminium wrapped plastic item, in my case the aluminium part had delaminated from the structural plastic body

If you are OCD you can swap the bezel out and…you can use a permanent marker to remove any white plastic wear through marks

 

[RobbiZ4]

Well, a very good description.

The E89 variant is unique as the base is slightly wider so not interchangeable with E90 or other CIC systems

We just had a successfully replacement of a dead E89 iDrive controller with a used non-E89 partno 65829240956:

Idrive Controller Totalausfall nach Batterietiefentladung und längerer Standzeit

Der jetztige Controller unterscheidet sich nur an der Seite des Kontrollknopfes am „GummiGriff“ Ich hatte heute Nachmittag bei RealOEM geschaut und dabei festgestellt, dass die E89 iDrive Controller nur im E89 verbaut wurden. Jetzt ist auch klar, warum das so ist: im E89 hat das Gummi eine...

www.zroadster.com

 

[B21]

Interesting Robbie..I see its listed in Real OEM as NOT fitting the E89..could you ascertain why you fitted it but BMW said you could not?

s/w or h/w?

 

[RobbiZ4]

Interesting Robbie..I see its listed in Real OEM as NOT fitting the E89..could you ascertain why you fitted it but BMW said you could not?

s/w or h/w?

This can be answered only by BMW.

I know the guy personally, who replaced the controller with this "non-fitting" part.
As a dentist, he is used to taking care of even the smallest inaccuracies.

But indeed there is a difference in the design of the knob, you can see on the following pictures of my E89 and E61 controllers in the named thread.

Idrive Controller Totalausfall nach Batterietiefentladung und längerer Standzeit

Der jetztige Controller unterscheidet sich nur an der Seite des Kontrollknopfes am „GummiGriff“ Ich hatte heute Nachmittag bei RealOEM geschaut und dabei festgestellt, dass die E89 iDrive Controller nur im E89 verbaut wurden. Jetzt ist auch klar, warum das so ist: im E89 hat das Gummi eine...

www-zroadster-com.translate.goog

That seems to be the only difference, not mechanically or electrically ones.


Link to the translated Story:

Idrive Controller Totalausfall nach Batterietiefentladung und längerer Standzeit

Der jetztige Controller unterscheidet sich nur an der Seite des Kontrollknopfes am „GummiGriff“ Ich hatte heute Nachmittag bei RealOEM geschaut und dabei festgestellt, dass die E89 iDrive Controller nur im E89 verbaut wurden. Jetzt ist auch klar, warum das so ist: im E89 hat das Gummi eine...

www-zroadster-com.translate.goog

 

[Zed Baron]

My first port of call was one of the many Chinese knobs the clips over the existing knob and replaces the central inset cover of the know with a wider cover to match the wider slip over part.
On examination it seemed rather tacky..albeit cheap..so I looked at trying to either replacing the whole controller or try and repair the damaged bezel.

I didn't find the cheapo Chinese one tacky and it modernises the old component nicely and for the £11 it cost I thought it was good value. Actually, you would have to be a real E89 knob aficionado to really notice it wasn't from BMW, but that's only my opinion.

 

[B21]

My first port of call was one of the many Chinese knobs the clips over the existing knob and replaces the central inset cover of the know with a wider cover to match the wider slip over part.
On examination it seemed rather tacky..albeit cheap..so I looked at trying to either replacing the whole controller or try and repair the damaged bezel.

I didn't find the cheapo Chinese one tacky and it modernises the old component nicely and for the £11 it cost I thought it was good value. Actually, you would have to be a real E89 knob aficionado to really notice it wasn't from BMW, but that's only my opinion.

I see there are several for sale on eBay and Ali Express…may be I was unlucky, it definitely was tacky from an engineering perspective…push fit with no positive lock and two sided adhesive tape…

As to cosmetic upgrades you then get into a philosophical debate on how much do you change the car and in what temporal perspective….

There seems to be a patch after the car has ceased production but before it’s reached ‘classic’ status where folks do lots of cosmetic mods to cars…then later folks remove those cosmetic mods and try and return the car to an image reminiscent of its original style…

So each to their own…

For me the E89 is already heading to ‘classic’ status and I don’t like things that visually try and distance it from its origins ..

So G29 grills, stubbies, carbon fibre wing mirror covers, faux pedal trim, after market knobs, digital instrument clusters, aftermarket radios, carbon fibre splitters, lowering kits, side skirts, wraps, hydro dipping engine parts are ‘not at one’ ….

But as they say each to their owm

 

[Zed Baron]

Totally agree, I hate a car that looks like someone has just got a gift voucher for Halfords and gone mad. I do have a box in the garage where I have stored the original grilles and whippy aerial, just incase whoever owns the car after me can return it to OEM status if desired. Can I add to your list of modification dislikes - stick on boot spoilers

 

[B21]

Totally agree, I hate a car that looks like someone has just got a gift voucher for Halfords and gone mad. I do have a box in the garage where I have stored the original grilles and whippy aerial, just incase whoever owns the car after me can return it to OEM status if desired. Can I add to your list of modification dislikes - stick on boot spoilers

Quite so

I did think long and hard on this one…..whilst I’d stick to my overall thesis I’m not one of those that states ‘the 2011 version only was fitted with a 17.65mm widget in confuscious grey and it’s a travesty to see a 18.35 widget in pearl black fitted’” type person…

I do object to c/f or black plastic stick on spoilers as ‘naff’…I think the particular type colour matched improves the ‘bottom’.of the E89 which is not as ‘pert’ as the E85 :tumbleweed:

Each to their own as I said…amongst my key group of lady admirers..average age 67 I’ve not had any complaints about my rear end

 

[AnubisZed]

Interesting Robbie..I see its listed in Real OEM as NOT fitting the E89..could you ascertain why you fitted it but BMW said you could not?

s/w or h/w?

Any controller from the 3 series (E9x) will work in the E89. The reason it says it won't work with in the E89 is quite simple....

The controller for the E9x has a specific surround bezel on the actual controller that is completely different to that used on the E89. BMW list it as the specific version for the model it came from. But you can remove the surround bezel from the E9x and fit the specific version for the E89 and hey-presto it works perfectly.

There is one proviso though, and that is a visual one. On most of the earlier ones the top left button says "CD" whereas most of the later cars had "MEDIA" written on them. Other than that they are the same.

 

[B21]

Interesting Robbie..I see its listed in Real OEM as NOT fitting the E89..could you ascertain why you fitted it but BMW said you could not?

s/w or h/w?

Any controller from the 3 series (E9x) will work in the E89. The reason it says it won't work with in the E89 is quite simple....

The controller for the E9x has a specific surround bezel on the actual controller that is completely different to that used on the E89. BMW list it as the specific version for the model it came from. But you can remove the surround bezel from the E9x and fit the specific version for the E89 and hey-presto it works perfectly.

There is one proviso though, and that is a visual one. On most of the earlier ones the top left button says "CD" whereas most of the later cars had "MEDIA" written on them. Other than that they are the same.

:

More divine enlightenment !



I did feel ‘deprived’ that my unit says ‘CD’ whereas my 2012 20i said ‘Media’ :tumbleweed:

But even for me changing the unit to go from CD to Media was just a bridge too far..

 

[Kevin]

Useful to know that the CD button on my 2011 will actually switch to different types of media I'd assumed it was just the CD