# Navigation Euro mode questions



## Technic (Jun 24, 2002)

After finishing the Nav retrofit on my M3, I took the car to the dealer to get it programmed to the latest firmware and updated with the USA mode. I knew that the built in configuration of this kit was European because this kit is not even offered in the USA yet: no "Accept" screen, no "Emergency" option (I have ASSIST), and the distance to arrive was in yards.

After the dealer's programming the Accept screen, Emergency and feet measurements became enabled. However, the radio portion is still in some mixed Euro mode: the AM band is divided in 3 short wave bands, the FM band is only one band with six presets but the FM frequencies are in even numbers commonly used in the EU, there is this TP function and the RDS have some weird tags for the radio stations (R&B stations in my previous Business radio come as WEATHER, JAZZ comes as CLASSIC). 

I performed the Service mode entry (turning the Nav on, pressing SEL for some 10-15 seconds), and I saw that the area still is Europe but it cannot be changed. I did change the GAL setting, but nothing else. 

Spent some three hours searching everything related to the Nav Euro mode/US mode and this makes no sense...

1) Is the Navigation setup different from the radio settings? 

2) Other than taking the car back to the dealer, is there any additional hidden mode change menu that can take care of this issue?

3) Is this have anything to do with the Radio being BMW Professional instead of BMW Business?

Any help will be appreciated... :thumbup:


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## DN325CI (Oct 5, 2002)

Technic, did you ever figure this one out? Is it a pain to live with?

Thanks,
Don


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## Technic (Jun 24, 2002)

DN325CI said:


> Technic, did you ever figure this one out? Is it a pain to live with?
> 
> Thanks,
> Don


Don

Apparently the issue is that the Professional radio unit, included in the OEM retrofit that I bought on eBay, is a model with its firmware fixed to Area EUROPE. It cannot be changed by the Service Mode entry, and the local dealer do not have the software in their computer to change it. The tech will be contacting BMWNA main tech to definitely find out if there is some "trick" in the Service Mode to unlock this.

It surprises me that the Business radio in the USA can be changed from Area EUROPE to Area USA easily by the user using the Service Mode but the Professional not. The good news is that I contacted the seller and he will be replacing the radio for the US version if finally it cannot be unlocked.

So far I am more than happy with this retrofit. It is OEM, the navigation is not the greatest but it works way better than I expected (latest DVD computer and firmware), I can integrate the phone, iPod (Ice>Link), soon the Sirius (once this radio issue is resolved), all to the screen. Even the radio sounds much better than my previous Business in FM.

Thanks :thumbup:


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## DN325CI (Oct 5, 2002)

Technic said:


> Don
> 
> Apparently the issue is that the Professional radio unit, included in the OEM retrofit that I bought on eBay, is a model with its firmware fixed to Area EUROPE. It cannot be changed by the Service Mode entry, and the local dealer do not have the software in their computer to change it. The tech will be contacting BMWNA main tech to definitely find out if there is some "trick" in the Service Mode to unlock this.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the update, because I'm really thinking I'd like to do this upgrade too. From your e46fanatics post it looks like aux in will work with the kit as well as bluetooth, so those are the two things I really need. The radio stations around here don't broadcast an RDS signal anyway, and I rarely listen to FM. Keep us updated on the firmware attempt!

Thanks!
Don


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## Technic (Jun 24, 2002)

DN325CI said:


> Thanks for the update, because I'm really thinking I'd like to do this upgrade too. From your e46fanatics post it looks like aux in will work with the kit as well as bluetooth, so those are the two things I really need. The radio stations around here don't broadcast an RDS signal anyway, and I rarely listen to FM. Keep us updated on the firmware attempt!
> 
> Thanks!
> Don


Hi Don

The seller finally exchanged at no cost the radio for an US BMW Business Nav Radio (it seems that there are no BMW Professional Nav Radios for US E46's) and now I can change Areas thru the Service Mode, get all the FM presets and tune AM stations. There is no programming thru the dealer that can make this radio change areas, never was. If the radio cannot change Areas thru the Service Mode, then it has to be exchanged for an US version.

There are some differences between the Nav Professional and the Nav Business Radio, like showing in the Nav screen the full list of the radio presets, which the Business Radio does not show, but other than this both radios perform the same soundwise _if they are not in the USA area._.

In fact, now that I can change the area to the US I found out that in any other area than the USA the FM and the CD player sound much better than in Area USA. It seems that when the radio is in the USA it automatically downgrades the high frequencies when the Stereo is sensed, which makes the music sound very boomy with barely any highs, just the way I remember my regular Business CD (no Nav) sounded like. And it seems also that the CD player signal routing goes thru the same processing path as the radio, because it also sounds with a marked lack of highs.

If I change the setting to "Canada" or to "ECE" the improvement of the music sound is very apparent on both sources (FM radio and CD), more 'crisp', better highs definition and even better bass. Because my first Nav radio was a Professional I thought that the improvement in sound quality over my old non-Nav Business CD radio was due to the change in type of radio, but in reality the difference is in the country area chosen and the way the signaling is processed depending of the country frequency characteristics; only the USA area shows the stereo icon "ST" once an FM station is tuned, no other country area does.

Good luck... :thumbup:


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## DN325CI (Oct 5, 2002)

Technic said:


> Hi Don
> 
> The seller finally exchanged at no cost the radio for an US BMW Business Nav Radio (it seems that there are no BMW Professional Nav Radios for US E46's) and now I can change Areas thru the Service Mode, get all the FM presets and tune AM stations. There is no programming thru the dealer that can make this radio change areas, never was. If the radio cannot change Areas thru the Service Mode, then it has to be exchanged for an US version.
> 
> ...


Wow, that's interesting. I can't think of an reasonable reason the USA should get crappier sound quality. Thanks for the update.

Don


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