I want to add Sirius to my 15 MCS. I really don't want to give the dealer $500 for this, so I want to do it myself.

I have downloaded and installed E-SYS, and have the cable on order. I contacted bimmertech, and they will sell me just the FSC code.

Has anyone else done this? It doesn't look to be all that difficult, and I can save $300 over what the dealer wants to charge.

 

GregoryK has. Seems to be pretty straightforward if you're getting the code from BimmerTech. If you download the SiriusXM Dealer app off the app store, you should be able to input your radio ID or ESN and activate the year of service without calling in - at least that's how it works for dealer retrofits.

 

I have full and straight forward instructions on how to do this and how to make in permanent by adding option 655 (Sirius radio) to your VO and save it back to the car..

I also know someone who will do it for you remotely for $200 if you would prefer that.

PM me if interested...

 

PM sent

 

VIN Decoder shows that I have option 693 Satellite Tuner Preparation. Any Idea what that consists of and what else I would need to do to get Sirius, other than adding the Mini to my subscription.

 

You just need to purchase the Sirius code from BMW. Then you can code it yourself using e-sys. No hardware needs to be added.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...their-car.html

 

Just ordered the FSC code. I will let everyone know how it goes once I get it.

 

Where and how $¿

 

http://www.bimmer-tech.net/

$175 for just the FSC.

I already started the coding, "satellite radio" is now an option on my radio, but it doesn't do anything yet. Waiting for the FSC now so I can finish.

 

DONE!

I received the code today, and coded it this afternoon.

I do not have HU_NBT as an option, I finally found RAD2, which is where the FSC and the updated VO need to be.

The other issue I had was that when I clicked "check FSC sgtatus", I got "FSCCertStatus not available" instead of accepted.

I tried to upgrade the FSC multiple times, but I kept getting "FSCCertStatus not available".

Not sure what happened, but it started working. I was able to go online and register for my one year, and it started upgrading and now all is good.

So I now have serious radio, and it cost me $175 instead of the $500 the dealer wanted. I am not counting the cost of the cable as I would have bought that anyway just for the ability to code.

A big thank you to GregoryK for the help.

 

You and GregoryK have answered most of my questions in these great posts.. just a few questions..

the guide I found was for BMWs and had steps I'm not familiar with.
the guide shows
REMOVE CODE: 693 (done, no prob)
ADD CODE: 655 (done, done no prob)

The "Write changes to the FA back to the car
Then VO_Code the HU_ENTRY, HU_ENTRYNAV, HU_CIC or HU_NBT "
is where I'm not sure what to do.

Does it mean that I need to write to the VO of those modules as well?
What form of media did you receive for the code?

thanks much

 

I just did the VO for RAD2, as I do not have HU_NBT.

The code came in an email from bimmertech in three files. The instructions from esys explains what to do with the three files.

 

thanks for the quick response..
After you did the VO for the RAD2 Module how long did it take for the sat option to show? or does it show only after the three files are coded.

Best,

 

It showed up right away, although it didn't do anything until after I added the FSC.

 

Sorry, I wasn't very clear with the phrasing of my question.. did it show up as an option on the radio right away or were you referring to the VO.

I get an error only on this module when I try to read it or write to it..
it actually captures the TRC file but it won't allow a write back and the VO updates work and are verified.

 

Looks like you're using NCS Expert since you have a 2nd gen MINI, which will be different than ESYS that the other people on this thread are using. ESYS is the coding software for 3rd gen MINIs (F55/F56). Your instructions will, no doubt, be different.

 

I sorted it out.. I'm only using NCS Expert (just because it's familiar and quick) to set the Vehicle Order.
I'm using ISTA/P E/F series for the diagnostic and programming to set the unlock code. It's requested during updates once you set the VO.
Same procedure works for both in programming.

 

I know others have done this elsewhere but I thought I'd go through my Sirius/XM retrofit, which was done completely through BimmerTech (I'm not yet comfy with coding on my own). I have a 2015 Mini S five-door.

When you order the retrofit package online from bimmertech.com, BimmerTech asks first that you shoot them a VIN so they can confirm they can do the work (should not be an issue with any Mini of the past few years). That went smoothly, so I paid the $275 online and got a confirmation email shortly afterward. I also was notified that DHL was sending me a package from, of all places, the United Arab Emirates. The package contained the coding cable you need to connect to your laptop and your car to do the work, along with a few instructions. Note that this means you have to be able to bring a laptop with *internet access* out to your car, so make sure your wireless network will reach that far. I ordered the package from BimmerTech on a Sunday and had the package at my door five days later (I live in the eastern USA).

The next day -- Saturday -- I tried to ping BimmerTech via Skype chat as per the instructions and got no answer. That really wasn't a surprise once I determined that BimmerTech was actually in Poland, where it was 10 p.m. on a Saturday by the time I got around to pinging them. I left them the Skype contact ID information they requested.

I got up early Monday morning to try again at an hour that made more sense (6:30 a.m. ET; 12:30 p.m. in Poland). This time, the tech picked up within a minute or so of being pinged via Skype chat. We went through the process, with me first downloading and installing some files, and the tech using the programs to grab remote control of my laptop and start coding the car after I connected the cable as instructed. Things were going smoothly until...the tech turned out to have an invalid code of some sort. I was asked to give him a day to get the right code and then try again.

That's what I did. This time the tech asked me to wait an hour and reach out again, presumably because he was busy. That worked out fine for me, but it also means it took four separate (not really annoying, though) attempts on my part to get this work done. In an ideal world, I'd like to see an online appointment scheduling system, but that may or may not work for them.

Back to the installation: This time, the tech went through the work quickly -- with my software already installed on the laptop, the whole process might have taken 10 minutes. He Skyped me a few more details -- namely, the ESN and how to reach out to Sirius to activate the account -- and we were done.

This installation came with a free one-year trial of Sirius All-Access. I could have called Sirius support, but I did it online so I wouldn't have to deal with confused customer service humans. I went to https://care.siriusxm.com/vinlookup_view.action
and punched in my VIN, and the site walked me through everything from there. I actually tried to look this up by ESN first, but the ESN that BimmerTech gave me started with four zeros -- I suspect that's the number that gets spit out by the Mini's onboard computer -- and Sirius actually truncated those zeros in its records. That caused the ESN search online to fail, but the VIN worked fine. I turned on the radio, refreshed the unit online and everything fired in the car up a few minutes later.

So there you go: A year of service (worth $240 retail) and a coding cable that I can use for future adventures for $275. My dealer would have charged $600 and wanted my car for a chunk of the day for that service.

BimmerTech was basically fine for me; not perfect, but I was satisfied given the cost and time savings. Some of the instructions on its site re: this retrofit were a little unclear and you should understand that you may be connecting your car directly to a tech many time zones away. You must have a certain basic (not a lot) tech knowledge to do this, but it's unlikely a person without that knowledge would buy coding services to begin with. And the Sirius online activation was straightforward once I looked things up by VIN instead of ESN.

 

All this sure makes the $300 option to add Satellite Radio as a factory option a no-brainer, doesn't it?

 

Yes, but I purchased the car used. If it doesn't have the software installed, you can get soaked by the dealer or go this route.

 

Someone said they contacted Sirius on another MINI Forum and they were able to activate it somehow. Not sure how that works. I contacted Sirius, gave them my VIN and they gave me a year or service....however, I still have no Satellite as an option on my XL unit. I'm assuming I need someone to code it?