X5 E53 - On board phone not working

maxandfriend · #1 04-03-2010, 05:54 AM

Hi all,

I'm seeking advice as my facelift 2004 X5 phone stopped being aware that the sim card (europen gsm) is already inserted in the slot and keeps asking for it.

It started about a year ago with some occasional failure in recognizing sim card and then it went worse till now which doesnt recognize it at all anymore.

My phone is this and this.
I did already try to investigate the matter and had a try to:
- change sim card.
- put the card directly in the slot on the TCU (it usually sit in a slot on the armrest, but TCU has another one).
- Reset the whole phone by disconnecting car battery.
- Check the cable for pin to pin continuity between main unit and handset.
- scanned it with Navcoder (registered) and it didnt show any fault code.

BTW, the phone connects to the net and correctly works (had a successfull try in making an emergency call which doesn't require the sim card to work)... just doesn't recognize the sim, so I'm not allowed to make or receive any other call but an emergency one.

Is there anything else I can do or check to get it working again..?!?

As a last chance I found an used TCU on ebay but I'm not sure if it will fit on my car... the code is 84.11 6942591-01 and here it is.
Codes look compatible, but the new one doesnt show a BT code (PK) on the sticker.
And again... if I'm going to swap TCU, my old handset will be able to recognize the new unit and pair..?

Here is my old TCU (OEM code 84.11 6938763-01):

...and here is a pic of the one I found on ebay (OEM code 84.11 6942591-01):

Sorry for a long post... and thank you in advance to whoever will be kind enough to lend me an helping hand..!

Max

p.s.
Sorry for my english, but I'm from Italy... so, if something is not clear enough, just ask and I'll do my best to get it more understandable. Thx again.

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Brian-bmw · #2 04-03-2010, 07:37 AM

The eBay TCU part you found is only for an E60 5 Series and E63 6 Series. It will not work in your car.

It sounds like you could have a bad TCU. Though, it could just be that the electrical contacts for the SIM card are dirty. You might try disassembling the TCU and cleaning the SIM electrical contacts with alcohol.

If you have to buy a new TCU, look specifically for one of these part numbers: 84.11-6 946 011, 84.10-6 978 533, or 84.10-9 187 926.

maxandfriend · #3 04-03-2010, 08:16 AM

Hi Brian,
Thank you for your answer.

Well, I saw it was for E60 and E63, but realoem calls it as part of the SA638 kit ...the VERY SAME kit which is installed on my car, so I thought I may use it.
You know, sometimes OEMs' use the same parts on different cars just with a different part code.

About electrical contacts, they look clean and shiny and I did already clean the ones on the sim using a pencil eraser.
...and again, looks strange we have dirty contacts on 2 different slots (one is in the center armrest and the other is on TCU).

Other strange thing is that looks like the phone gets aware of sim insertion ...it changes from "please insert sim" to "please wait" on display, then back to "please insert sim" after a few seconds.

Same with a couple different sims which, btw, work like a sharm on my cellular phone.

Are you really sure I cannot use the TCU I found on ebay despite the different car model it was designated for?

And what about buying just a TCU and make it work with the handset I already own..? ...do they pair successfully or need some dealer work on it..?

Thank for your help.

Brian-bmw · #4 04-03-2010, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxandfriend

Well, I saw it was for E60 and E63, but realoem calls it as part of the SA638 kit ...the VERY SAME kit which is installed on my car, so I thought I may use it.
You know, sometimes OEMs' use the same parts on different cars just with a different part code.

BMW uses the "SA638" code to indicate the feature, but it can use different parts in different models. And true, sometimes they use similar parts on different cars. But in this case, the E60/E63 module will not work. The electrical connections are totally different.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxandfriend

About electrical contacts, they look clean and shiny and I did already clean the ones on the sim using a pencil eraser.
...and again, looks strange we have dirty contacts on 2 different slots (one is in the center armrest and the other is on TCU).

You have done everything I can think of. Given that you have the problem with two different SIM slots, that eliminates a bad contact in the TCU. So, it appears that the TCU is having difficulty either reading the SIM or doing something on the network to validate the SIM. Maybe there is something that the phone carrier can do. I am kind of at a loss now, because the U.S. does not use this type of technology, so I have never seen it first hand.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxandfriend

And what about buying just a TCU and make it work with the handset I already own..? ...do they pair successfully or need some dealer work on it..?

I am pretty sure that you can buy one of the TCU part numbers I listed above and just replace it with yours. You may need to get a dealer to code it after installation. I assume it should connect with your existing handset.

maxandfriend · #5 04-03-2010, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian-bmw

BMW uses the "SA638" code to indicate the feature, but it can use different parts in different models. And true, sometimes they use similar parts on different cars. But in this case, the E60/E63 module will not work. The electrical connections are totally different.

Oh, OK, that makes sense.
I was misleaded by such code, thinking of it as a kit code and not a feature number.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian-bmw

You have done everything I can think of. Given that you have the problem with two different SIM slots, that eliminates a bad contact in the TCU. So, it appears that the TCU is having difficulty either reading the SIM or doing something on the network to validate the SIM. Maybe there is something that the phone carrier can do. I am kind of at a loss now, because the U.S. does not use this type of technology, so I have never seen it first hand.

I think you're right here.
In GSM networks you get a sim card, when subscribing for a phone plan, which contains your identification data.
Thats nice cause you can easily move it across different phones making them act like if they were the same.
Every phone has its own and unique IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identifier) and sim cards have their unique code as well, which is called IMSI (International Mobile Subscription/Subscriber Identifier).
In a GSM network, Carriers doesn't need to identify your phone by its IMEI, but rather identify your sim card by its IMSI, so you can swap phones and still keep being able to receive calls on your own number.
There is even more ...just wanted to keep it simple.

So maybe my phone is having a hard time reading data from my sim card and/or using it to get a succesfull network handshake.
I think it's the first one, because if it read the card correctly without being able to get the data validated, it should show a different message on display,
This looks more like a software issue than a hardware one ...would be nice to be able to try and reset and reprogram my TCU...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian-bmw

I am pretty sure that you can buy one of the TCU part numbers I listed above and just replace it with yours. You may need to get a dealer to code it after installation. I assume it should connect with your existing handset.

Well, at least this is reassuring me.
That means I have to look for an used TCU only ...no need to bother looking for a complete set (TCU+handset).
On the other end I'm back to the starting point.
Looks like it's a hard job to find a TCU with one of the codes you posted in your previous message.

ANYONE OUT THERE WILLING TO SELL HIS TCU...?!?

Stringbag · #6 04-03-2010, 04:40 PM

I have a tcu that you might want to try first.
Mine is a new (remanufactured) one and it is one of the part numbers listed above. As you know I am having problems getting the Bluetooth to pair.
Where are you? I can certainly lend it to you or we can meet and you can plug it in and try it - you should be able to troubleshoot without buying a new one.
Pm me if you want to borrow it.
Stringbag.

big bob · #7 04-04-2010, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stringbag

I have a tcu that you might want to try first.
Mine is a new (remanufactured) one and it is one of the part numbers listed above. As you know I am having problems getting the Bluetooth to pair.
Where are you? I can certainly lend it to you or we can meet and you can plug it in and try it - you should be able to troubleshoot without buying a new one.
Pm me if you want to borrow it.
Stringbag.

Quote:

Location: italy

You are quite near to me though