TV support for US 1999 E39s (archive)

I got the chance to browse the ETK disc for the parts required to add TV support to a 1999 540i that is already equipped with a nav system (as mine is). I presume this information applies to all other 1999 E39s, and it's probably relevant to other 1999 cars with the nav system.

After comparing the list of parts in the nav system on my car with the list of nav-system parts in a European 1999 540i, I came up with the following short list of differences. Where there were multiple part numbers for a specific item, I've only mentioned the preferred one.

My car has:

2. RMFD NAVIGATION CD COMPUTER part no. 65 90 6 908 313

3. (none)

5. CONNECTING LEAD, NAVIGATION part no. 61 12 8 377 437

The European nav system includes these parts:

2. RMFD NAVIGATION CD COMPUTER part no. 65 90 6 908 311

3. RMFD VIDEO MODULE, HIGH, UNCODED part no. 65 50 6 911 222

5. CONNECTING LEAD, NAVIGATION part no. 61 12 8 377 437

Now, on inspection of my car I find that the wiring harness in the trunk by the nav system and radio unit (where all of this stuff goes) DOES have a couple of unused (unconnected) cables terminated with F-type video connectors.

I suspect one of these cables is an antenna input to the VIDEO MODULE and the other is the video output that goes up to the dashboard, but this is just an educated guess on my part. Because these cables are present, it's possible that the wiring harness in my car is already compatible with the VIDEO MODULE. I'd like to find out for sure, though.

Is anyone in a position to compare the details of these two CONNECTING LEAD parts against a wiring diagram or some other specification? And does anyone know if it's possible to order the VIDEO MODULE from the US? If this is possible, I'd like to know how much it would cost.

Most importantly, I'd need to know if the different NAVIGATION CD COMPUTER part number reflects differences that preclude the addition of a VIDEO MODULE. If anyone has a 1999 car with the nav system and TV support, you might see if your nav computer (the unit in the trunk that has the CD-ROM slot) has one of the listed part numbers, or some other number.

One key point of information-- the German 530d I rented a few weeks ago offered a menu option to select the country in which the TV receiver was operating. The list of supported countries included the US as well as several generic NTSC options. This leads me to believe the VIDEO MODULE is already compatible with the TV signals in the US.

Any further help would be greatly appreciated.

. png

1999 540iA Sport

My 540i web page

Follow Ups:

[ Follow Ups ] [ 5-series (E39) Message Board ] [ Msg. Board FAQ ]

Questions, comments, or problems, please visit the Roadfly help desk.