Hi all,
Thought this would be of interest to people... My E86 came with the panel above the ashtray with the aux port cut out. I have Bluetooth audio, so don't need an aux port. I do need somewhere to charge phones etc though, and thought that panel would be ideal...
After some googling, I took a chance on a second hand BMW dual USB-C charge only (no data) panel/socket. It turned up, and fits perfectly into the aux cutout!
I haven't wired it up yet, but it'll be easy - one wire for earth, one for power, and the other for illumination. I can't be bothered to tap into the cars wiring for a dimmable illumination feed, so I'll probably just hook it to the same ignition live as the main power feed to the panel. I'll use a fuse piggy back for this, so no modification needed to the car at all!
Wiring colours:
Brown for earth
Red/purple for 12v in
Grey/red for illumination
Part numbers:
Aux panel - 51459128397 (or cut your existing non-aux) - £15 from BMW brand new.
Usb panel - 8711938 - I paid £21 on eBay including the plug/length of wiring
Aux panel https://www.sytnerstevenagebmwparts.co.uk/p/132172537/51459128397.html
Usb panel https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partsearch?id=DU52-EUR---E86-BMW-Z4+3.0si&mg=51&q=8711938
Fitting is as simple as plugging it into the aux panel and connecting the three wires.
I'm shocked it fits so perfectly, given the age difference in the cars!
Hope this is helpful to someone
The other advantage - this is a BMW part, so should have better longevity that a random Amazon charger if unknown quality.
Thought this would be of interest to people... My E86 came with the panel above the ashtray with the aux port cut out. I have Bluetooth audio, so don't need an aux port. I do need somewhere to charge phones etc though, and thought that panel would be ideal...
After some googling, I took a chance on a second hand BMW dual USB-C charge only (no data) panel/socket. It turned up, and fits perfectly into the aux cutout!
I haven't wired it up yet, but it'll be easy - one wire for earth, one for power, and the other for illumination. I can't be bothered to tap into the cars wiring for a dimmable illumination feed, so I'll probably just hook it to the same ignition live as the main power feed to the panel. I'll use a fuse piggy back for this, so no modification needed to the car at all!
Wiring colours:
Brown for earth
Red/purple for 12v in
Grey/red for illumination
Part numbers:
Aux panel - 51459128397 (or cut your existing non-aux) - £15 from BMW brand new.
Usb panel - 8711938 - I paid £21 on eBay including the plug/length of wiring
Aux panel https://www.sytnerstevenagebmwparts.co.uk/p/132172537/51459128397.html
Usb panel https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partsearch?id=DU52-EUR---E86-BMW-Z4+3.0si&mg=51&q=8711938
Fitting is as simple as plugging it into the aux panel and connecting the three wires.
I'm shocked it fits so perfectly, given the age difference in the cars!
Hope this is helpful to someone
The other advantage - this is a BMW part, so should have better longevity that a random Amazon charger if unknown quality.
