CPT9000 EjectBox and Frame DIY

[mrbelk]

I installed the CPT9000 eject box and frame (part numbers (84 11 6 946 537 and 51 16 7 060 175) this past weekend and thought I'd write up my experience... It was kind of a PITA, since I didn't have the knowledge to remove the sliding armrest (which would have made routing the cables way easy). Anyway, the instructions from the bmwwireless.com site were good enough to allow me to muddle through. Just for completeness, here is what the center console looks like with the original "upper" compartment installed:

[mrbelk]

Here is what the center console looks like with the "upper" compartment in the "up" position:

[mrbelk]

Step 1 was to remove the original compartment from the hinged mounting frame by unscrewing the 4 torx screws on the underside of the frame.

Here is a shot of the original compartment removed from the center console:

[mrbelk]

Step 2 was to snap the eject box into the ejectbox frame. This was particularly easy to do . You can see in the picture the "eject" button which pops the molded part out and detaches the phone from the connecter at the other end. There is a little slide switch to "lock" the phone in place, but I don't think it's really that necessary.

Here is a picture of the ejectbox + frame assembly:

[mrbelk]

Step 3, the hardest step, was to route the data cable and the coaxial antenna cable (which are tied together) from the ejectbox through a very small opening in the center console, down around the rear-center console air vent, and out the back.

This seemingly simple task took me an hour and a half to figure out how to do it. The instructions call for removing the sliding armrest and the driver's side plastic trim from the center console. This would have made routing the cables almost trivial. I fought with it for quite a while before I decided to take matters into my own hands and improvise.

You can see where I removed the panel containing the 12V outlets, disconnected the outlets and pulled the coax antenna cable (the one connected to the TCU, not the eject box) out from it's bundle under the console. In order to route the ejectbox cables, I had to remove the AC vent cover. Once I figured this out, the process was a snap. Unfortunately, I really sliced up my hand before figuring out that little trick.

For reference; the "fuzzy" cable on the left is coming from the ejectbox.

Here is a shot of all the cables routed and exposed through the back of the center console. The AC vent has already been replaced by now:

[mrbelk]

Step 4 was to screw the ejectbox/frame into the console compartment frame with the same 4 torx screws removed from the original upper storage compartment.

Here's a pic of the eject box installed into the center console:

[mrbelk]

Just for completeness, I took a picture of the phone in the eject box. Your eyes do not deceive you, there is no antenna on the phone; it broke off and I'm waiting on a new one. I did remove the little rubber plug from the back of the phone, exposing a "jack" of sorts to receive the antenna lead that sticks out of the molded ejectbox.

Pic:

[branie555]

There's a Service Measure regarding the eject box installation regarding the hook up to the vehicles antenna. There is a connection in the trunk that needs to made. I wish I had the bulletin to post. Maybe another member will post it. Best of luck.

[mrbelk]

Upon reading about the "antenna" caps, I proceeded to remove the trunk lining to try to find anything that looked remotely disconnected that should be connected. I couldn't find anything, but after reading a post on the RF E63 board, what I'm looking for might actually be under a panel that's under the trunk liner. Who knows?

The silver box with the colored dots on it is the TCU. There's an empty connector there, but the blue color doesn't coincide with the color on the antenna connection that I made in the center console.

Here's a pic of what I _did_ see, though:

[jksanford]

Very cool. I've been debating doing this, but _really_ wanted the bluetooth option to actually work. Maybe I should bite the bullet, and just add this phone to my sprint plan and buy the kit.

ugh. decisions decisions.

If I do this, then I may add the wood trim option to the back of console while I'm at it.

James