BMW AUX-IN mod for factory radio tape deck. Works by sending audio signal to cassette deck when in tape mode. In order to use, keep a blank tape in the cassette deck. Cassette remains fully functional after the mod. Know working on E36 and E39 factory radios. The following is simply a detailed instruction of how and what I did in order to add AUX-IN to my brother's E36 factory Alpine radio. Following these instructions could cause the radio to stop working, your could burn yourself, electrocute yourself, etc. I am not responsible for anything that goes wrong in the course of this mod. The mod is originally performed by Jeff Crowell (jeffc313). Please contact me <jeff[dot]crowell[at]gmail[dot]com> if you wish to post this tutorial anywhere.
Step 1
Remove the radio from the car, following these instructions.
http://m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=198607
Stop when the radio is out, it should look like this
Step 2
Remove the top cover of the radio. There are a few screws holding it on, but after that, it will just pop off. It should look like the following picture.
Step 3
Remove the tape deck portion, there are 4 screws holding it down to the main board.
After the screws are removed you will need to pull a little to get the tape deck out.
Step 4
Remove the small metal shield on the tape deck. The 2 screws are clearly
detailed in this picture.
With the shield off, the tape deck will look like the following picture.
Step 5
Solder wires to your cassette deck as shown in the following picture.
From the right (ground, left, right) the other points are unused.
Run the connection through the holes in the side of the radio or drill your own hole in the back. Make sure to have an 1/8" connector soldered to the other end of your wires, minding the ground, left, and right to stay the same. Put the radio all back together in reverse of how you took it apart. I ran my cable out through the side of the radio, underneath the onboard computer and into the little bottom compartment as shown in this video.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8QcAk_QPnjc
Step 6
Celebrate! Your factory stereo can now accept aux-in from various devices, such as ipod, portable cd player and others. You no longer need to use a tape adapter or FM transmitter!
Creditseveryone at saabcentral for the saab mod that this is heavily based upon, especially Seth Evans and Dmitry Platonoff
siny528i for his excellent pictures
Scott Crowell for letting me use his radio for this
