# Satellite Radio for 2001



## Robert A (May 18, 2003)

I have a 2001 530i w/o nav. What is the best way to get satellite radio in my car? Is there a kit that will integrate with the factory head unit?


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## 540 M-Sport (Apr 23, 2004)

Hey Robert, 
Giving this thread a "bump" up the list, as I am also curious of adding the factory Sirius system if someone makes the proper kit to adapt to our 2001 E39's.....


Dave


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## mottati (Apr 15, 2003)

go to www.bmwnav.com and under 'retrofits' i believe they have info to make sirius work on earlier e39's. May not be completely plug and play, depending on the model year.
Mike


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## bimmerjim (Aug 21, 2004)

I hope you guys are able to add Sirius Satellite Radio to your cars. I have Sirius on my E-60 5 Series and wouldn't be without it. It's especially nice to have it integrated into the car's sound system.

My E-60 came prepped for satellite radio. When the dealer installed the Sirius receiver module, it required two attempts because of a defect in the receiver. The final installation took more than six hours just to download the software needed to integrate the receiver module with the software for iDrive. It was definitely worth the effort, though.

Ainy retrofit to older BMWs is going to need a Sirius Satellite Receiver and antenna. I'm no expert and could be wrong, but I have my doubts that the receiver can be integrated into the factory unit of older BMWs. 

If all else fails, you can easily add Sirius to your car by purchasing the Sirius Satellite Receiver and the auto dock/antenna unit that are sold on Sirius' website or in electronics stores. The receiver plays through one of four preset FM stations. Getting the antenna wires from the trunk into the interior of the car may be a bit tricky. Electronics stores that install auto sound systems know how to do it. 

An advantage of this setup is that you can remove the receiver and play it on the home docking station hooked up to your stereo system or Bose radio. (You've probably seen the commercial for Sirius' competitor where a guy drives his car into his office and moves the receiver from his car to his office dock.) Then you have Sirius both in your car and at home. My gut feel is that this is going to be the easier and less expensive way to add Sirius to your cars.

Good luck!


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## 540 M-Sport (Apr 23, 2004)

mottati said:


> go to www.bmwnav.com and under 'retrofits' i believe they have info to make sirius work on earlier e39's. May not be completely plug and play, depending on the model year.
> Mike


Thanks, looks like it can be done. From 2002 on, it is a simple plug and play upgrade using factory parts. It can be done similarly for the earlier E39's, but you must install the newer (2002/2003) radio unit in the trunk, which appears to require a bit of re-wiring, as it has a different connector plug and you have to either splice or make up your own adapter from parts available from the dealer or www.bmwnav.com

Here's the link:http://www.bmwnav.com/sirius.htm#Parts required for PRE 2002

Looks like this could easily cost about $800 (not including labor, but looks pretty straight forward DIY) including the new radio, Sirius/BMW sat radio, adapters, and antenna.


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## 540 M-Sport (Apr 23, 2004)

Well, the www.bmwnav.com site is not very clear for the non NAV cars, and from further prodding at their customer service, it looks like you have to replace the radio unit up front as well...boy, this could get awful expensive!! :dunno:


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## bimmerjim (Aug 21, 2004)

I'm glad to learn that Sirius can be added by upgrading the radio unit. The cost is probably at least twice that of the separate receiver/auto dock/antenna/home dock setup. It may be worth it, though, if you value having Sirius fully integrated into your car's sound system and not having to deal with a separate receiver on the instrument panel/console.


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