One of the largest issues most owners have had with the e65/e66 is the lack of Auxiliary input. Good News is there are a few options.
There are a lot of options on the market for this. They are available everywhere, even your local Walmart and cheap and easy to install and use.
The problem with these is usually the sound quality can be lacking and they are prone to interference. If you drive through higher populated areas than chances are there are a lot of radio stations and it can be hard to find an open frequency.
When I first got my car I picked up an Auto Drive one from Walmart for about $25. It came with a remote and was bluetooth and the remote would skip tracks when connected to my phone. It worked alright but occasionally I would get static from interference. The unit did sound a little better and louder using the Wire AuxIn (they supplied a cable but it was cheap and thin).
The Tuner Mod is another option. This requires you to remove the factory tuner module in the rear C-pillar and solder wires RCA’s to the circuit board.
I did not make the following video, but it is very informative and well done. Go to his youtube page and give the video a Like if it helps you. The creator use to have a site diye65e66.com but he eventually sold his 7 and moved on. Hope this video helps you out, and props to the creator for making it and leaving it online.
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Here is a good photo I found in a forum on the Tuner solder points:
There is an option of the Dension Gateway 500 or the Dension Gateway 500S BT. Click the names to go the product pages for more info, specs and features of these units. They are designed to take the place of the Factory CD Changer, you will remove the changer as part of the installation process.
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You can find these units from an authorized dealer listed on the Dension website, or Amazon and Ebay. Costs for unit are anywhere from $400-500 USD plus installation if this is something your not comfortable doing yourself.
Personally with the costs and amount of work plus being able to get to it later to hit a switch on box for testing of factory systems this is not something I would want to do. Many guys have and they love it. I think upgrading the MMI and ASK are the best ways to go but also the most complex, however you can usually pick up the parts for less than the cost of a Dension.
This is the best option to add in AUX Input. Nothing is better than a Factory option or factory upgrade.
02-05 PRE-Facelift Models
2002-05 – Need to update to 07-08 ASK (CD Player/AMP in center dash) and 06-08 MMI (Display screen center) and of course you will need a 12 PIN AUX cable. There are many additional benefits to this in addition to having an AUX input.*
- Newer MMI has faster processor, so the unit runs smoother
- Newer MMI has a better LCD, Higher RES and easier to see in the daytime
- Newer ASK adds AM/FM and Mode buttons to the front of unit for easier usage.
OPTIONAL: You can also add in a newer iDrive Controller which feature additional buttons for Menu and one that you can program. They changed them in 05 (Same knob as 02-04 models, but with additional buttons), and the 06-08 ones have a nicer finish and leather top on the control knob. All you will need is a newer iDrive controller and the consol wood trim to match it, as the mount is different and it uses a larger cutout that previous version.
06-08 FACELIFT MODELS
2006 – You have the updated MMI, so all you need is ASK from an 07-08 (any 7 series) as well as 12 pin BMW AUX Cable.*
07-08 Models, Many come standard with AUX, if you do not have AUX in your center console you can add it. You will only need the 12 Pin BMW AUX Cable.*
* Changing the ASK or MMI or adding AUX require coding using NSC Expert and VIN programming using WinKFP.