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Installation of Crystal Series
Products.
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If you are an experienced technician or have corresponding skills, you can install the products yourself. If not, leave it to a workshop. |
Installation Instructions & Installation Videos.
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REMOVE CENTER GEAR CONSOLE FIRST! |
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The center gear console must be removed from the vehicle before installing Crystal Gear Shift Knob and Crystal Multimedia Controller Knob. It is not necessary to disconnect the vehicle batteries before doing this. This applies to gasoline, mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric cars. |
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Offline installation is safest because you can see the equipment up close and at a preferred angle. Pay specific attention to the position of the ribbon cable for the gear shift knob and multimedia knob! The ribbon cable must be in the exact, correct position before closing the cable lock. Gear Shift Knob: The cable tabs have to fit exactly into the connector's cutouts. Multimedia Controller Knob: The cable has to snap into position, as you push it in.
Warning: If the gear shift knob cable is not in
the correct position when the cable lock is closed, a short circuit can occur in
the gear
console when it is reconnected to power. The car cannot
shift gears. It has to be towed to a workshop and have the gear console
replaced. The iDrive
controller can be damaged in a similar way when installing the Crystal
multimedia knob. The iDrive controller has to be replaced.
For installation of the Crystal Start/Stop Button, it's not necessary to remove the gear console from the car. The Crystal Volume Button can be installed without removing the audio panel from the car. Disassembling the center console trim is required to remove the gear console from the car. The video for Gear Shift Knob with Ambient Light below shows how it is done in a X5. For instructions on how to do it in your car, see links below: |
Instructions for disassembling center console and using BMW Repair Manual
Link to BMW Repair Manual ($30 for 1-day access)
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The level of difficulty for the installation is measured on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is very easy and 10 is difficult (10 = workshop installation required). Installation times can be lowered by installing multiple products together. |
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Multimedia Controller Knob |
Installation instruction (PDF) |
| Installation time: 1 hour Difficulty: 7 | |
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Start/Stop Button |
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| Installation time: 15 min Difficulty: 2 | Satisfying result! |
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Gear Shift Knob |
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| Installation time: 1 hour Difficulty: 7 | WARNING! Position cable correctly in connector! |
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Gear Shift Knob with Ambient Light |
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| Installation time: est. 2 hours Difficulty: 10 | Workshop installation required |
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Volume Button |
Installation instruction (PDF) |
| Method 1. Installation time: 15 min Difficulty: 3 | Method 2. Installation time: 10 min Difficulty: 2 |
Workshops.
| There are two Master workshops that are familiar with our products: | |
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West Coast:
Solely Bimmer |
East Coast:
Bimmer Hub |
Installation Instruction Updates.
Crystal Volume Button:
There are now two recommended methods for
installation:
1. Removing trim ring with pliers and cloth (see video 1). Be very careful when you remove the ring, so you don't dent it. Use a thick piece of cloth and pliers that are not
sharp. Don't press on the pliers too hard, don't pull, just wiggle back and forth
until the ring snaps off.
If the trim ring does not come off: check alternate methods below.
2. Removing OEM button with two screwdrivers and a piece of printer paper (see
video 2). Again, be very careful so you don't dent the trim ring. Folding
the printer paper double for the second screwdriver step is recommended.
Other methods: 3) Drill a hole in the
OEM button,
fasten a screw in the hole
and pull the button out with pliers, or insert a small Allen wrench in the hole
and pull the button out. 4)
Glue stick
method: First heat up OEM button slightly with a hair dryer, then melt end of a
glue stick and attach it to the button. Then hold the trim ring with
pliers/cloth while pulling out the button. 5) Same method, but using sticky
rubber.
For more info, see Bimmerpost threads on
page Reviews.
Multimedia Controller Knob:
Some customers prefer to unplug the ribbon
cable, while others prefer not to. We recommend unplugging it to ensure a safe
install.
The
U section on the
printed circuit board can break off if the
transparent
ring is put in the wrong position. The ring only
fits in one position, with the cutout next to the U section.
When installing the ring, it is important not to use force.
The reason the instructions say to remove both the touchpad surface layer and the adhesive film under is to achieve a tight
fit. If you have a leased car and are concerned about restoring the OEM iDrive
controller, you may want to leave the adhesive film on the printed circuit
board.
Start/Stop Button: It is recommended that you let the sticky rubber set for about 5 minutes after you have attached and formed it, before trying to pull out the original start button. This will make the material stronger. If this does not work, you can heat up the original start button slightly with a hairdryer set on Low before attaching the rubber.
Gear Shift Knob: Your BMW was shipped from the factory with the standard gear shift knob with just one light, in the P button. Although our product uses the voltage to power also the model logo (the available voltage to power the P button varies with vehicle and equipment level), it does not require any programming or coding in the car. It tricks the car into believing that a standard gear shift knob is installed. Therefore, there will be no issues caused by future software updates in conjunction with service visits.
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