New 128i, Bluetooth aftermarket options?

[peterinjapan]

Thanks in part to the sage advice of the users here, I am the owner of a nice almost-new 2012 BMW 128i convertible. I took the advice of folks here and pulled the trigger on the stick shift, and am really glad I did.





This car is nice because it doesn't have a bunch of bells and whistles that I didn't want/need, like a GPS navigational screen. The one thing I did want, unfortunately, is proper Bluetooth for streaming of music (though this is somewhat optional) and for talking on the phone (since there are buttons on the steering wheel for that purpose and everything).

The BMW dealer in San Diego said sorry, we can't add Bluetooth unless it's in the car from the start (despite BMW Japan being able to do this for me with my car there). So my question is, what after market options exist for having the sound system "adjusted" so that it thinks the Bluetooth module is installed, and will "see" it through the sound system and steering wheel.

My sound system is here:




One final question. The car is in great shape, the only problem is there's a square of discoloration where the GPS screen would be. I thought there might have been a screen there but the dealer person said it was likely a sticker or adhesive that had been placed there by the previous owner. Does anyone have a recommendation on how to clean it, what materials to use that won't harm the dash?



Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

[halfhalo]

I can't really say about the handsfree bluetooth addition (might be as simple as coding the radio + bluetooth mic? I know some newer radios have it built in, yours may or may not. Worst case might be a new radio? I'm sorta-kinda looking at a new radio with built in sat/hd for my 08 mainly due to the HD radio), but the best bluetooth streaming solution I have found is the Tune2Air WMA1000. It connects to the ipod y cable, and as far as the car is concerned, the ipod/iphone is physically connected to the car, when in reality its connected via bluetooth to the adapter.

Its easy to use, sounds decent (it is bluetooth after all), and has decent range. It also works with non-iphone devices, but I have not tested that.

[Patrys@BimmerTech]

Technically speaking we could add Bluetooth handsfree and Bluetooth audio to your vehicle but to give you more details we would need to check your car spec.

If you are interested please email us your VIN to info@bimmer-tech.net