BMW Alarm/Keyless Entry +

Originally I wasn't interested in the stock BMW keyless entry/alarm as this unit's lack of a proximity sensor makes it absolutely useless for convertibles to the extent that one can - with the top down (which is most of the time) - remove anything from the inside the car and actually jump right in the car without the alarm being triggered.

I was looking at getting the Clifford 800 system. Unfortunately, the Clifford was around $525 installed here in San Diego...not including the must have options like automatic window closure and the like. I also wasn't too keen on hard-wiring the Clifford into the electrical system and having my dealer start whining about the alarm voiding the warranty when my arm rest needs replacing (or any other completely unrelated malady). There is a wire bundle adapter available from AutoToys for the BMW alarm system, but when I started adding everything up, it was going to be just too much for what I really wanted - a keyless entry with basic alarm protection.

As I was mostly interested in the keyless entry...but didn't want to pay $90 for a simple keyless entry (with no other functionality), I jumped at the chance to pick up a particular used BMW keyless entry.

The selling point was the added bonus of a single zone proximity sensor being included with the system. The single zone sensor (also purchased from AutoToys) allows the inside to be protected while allowing the many gawkers to hover around the car without setting off the alarm. As it was a single zone (inside only) proximity sensor  rather than a dual zone, it also alleviated another concern - mainly the lynch mob of fellow condo residents gathering outside my door after kids create too many false alarms at 2am by playing tag with my car.

The party I bought the alarm setup up from was located in the Los Angeles area, and offered to assist in the installation as he had experience with installing the unit. After a pleasant 2 hour drive, and an obligatory Pete's Wicked Ale (part of my standard upgrade tool kit) upon arrival, we set into installing the unit.

Note: The window breakage mic and siren described below are not from the stock BMW kit. The siren is an Alpine 128 dB siren I picked up at a stereo/alarm shop for $25. In my opinion, it sounds much better than the stock siren and might be worth considering even if you have the stock siren.

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The first step was the removal of the glove box. The removal is really easy, and the location of the screws which must be removed are detailed in the instructions. The one part of the instructions we ignored was the preservation of the screw caps. These little buggers will cause more damage to the surrounding trim if you try to save them. Just protect the surrounding trim and destroy the caps when taking them off (needle nosed pliers worked well). Then, simply order a new set of 6 from your dealer (Tan: 51-16-8-398-920, Black: 51-16-1-949-793)...even at inflated dealer prices, they can't be more than 30 cents each.

Big bundle of stuff behind the glovebox
Control unit attached to bundle
 As the car is pre-wired for the BMW alarm, its just a matter of locating the connector for the alarm control unit. Attach the connector to the control unit.

We patched into some of the wires of the bundle to attach the proximity sensor to power, ground, and trigger.

The alarm comes with a set of Velcro that is attached to the control unit. The control unit them sits in a little shelf especially designed for it.

Control unit sitting on shelf

 
Shifter off and components in place
 The instructions detail a different location for the window breakage mic...but as we wanted to locate the proximity sensor in an efficient location, we decided to place the mic with the proximity sensor under the center console. The shifter comes off rather (and surprisingly) easy. The shifter boot is clipped into the opening and can be removed by gently pulling in (towards the shifter) and up. We routed the wires for the mic and proximity sensor into the center console through the opening created by the removal of the glove box. The loop side of a strip of Velcro was applied to the bottom of the mic and proximity sensor allowing them to stick securely to the carpeting.

As the alarm lights the headlights and parking lights when triggered, we were able to function test the alarm at this point without making a lot of noise (having not yet hooked up the siren). We were also able to set the sensitivity of the proximity sensor by adjusting it, loosely replacing the shifter pad and boot, setting the alarm, and waving our arms around and inside the car.

Luckily I had the foresight to order my Z3 without a power top. This left a blank on the switch panel for the alarm LED. I figured that I would be drilling a hole in the blank to attach the little nubby, cheap looking LED. I was pleasantly surprised by the other bonus of this deal (described later).

One of the things we decided to do was to move the drivers seat heater switch over to where the blank was, and put the LED in between. This would help separate the 2 switches, making it easier to hit the correct one without really looking. This turned out easier said (and written about) than done.

 

 Original Switch Locations

Switches finally removed

 

 The seat heater switche was very difficult to remove because of the rather large metal clip holding it in. We ended up having to reach through the opening behind the center console (where we fed the mic and proximity sensor wires). This allowed a somewhat better angle and leverage, but still took a good half-hour of effort to remove the switch.

The other bonus of this deal was the inclusion of this Euro alarm LED module rather than the little drilled and attached US LED nub thingy. If you are installing an alarm, this is one extra piece definitely worth getting. The LED wires attach right to the back of the LED module, and the module fits perfectly in the switch opening giving the installation a very clean look.

Here are a couple links to more information about the Euro alarm LED for the Z3 and the M Roadster.

New seat heater switch location and euro LED module in place

The liberated siren connector...and without removing the engine

 The last step was hooking up the siren. As would be expected, the car is pre-wired for the stock siren. However, you will need to be part contortionist, part blind person (so you have a great sense of feel) and will get the impression more than once that reaching the connector somehow requires the removal of the entire engine. Those of you who have install the trunk-mounted CD changer will already be familiar with how easy BMW makes this.

The connector is attached to a small, 2 strand, wire. The wire (in my case) was found almost completely against the firewall under the power distribution box on the driver's side. The wire was looped and strapped to a larger wire bundle. Feeling around and under everything, and gentle pulling at the wire loop finally produced the siren connector.

The stock alarm has a connector that fits neatly here. With the Alpine siren, I cut the connector off, and spliced in some VDO oil resistant wire to reach the planned siren location.

The siren location was also a bit tricky. The Alpine siren has a base that runs across the siren and has 3 holes in it while the stock siren has a base that runs the length of the siren horn and has a single hole.

The instructions detail the mounting location of the stock siren with the airbox in place. Since I no longer had the stock air intake box (replaced with the Dinan air intake), the screw under the airbox bumper (little black dome in picture) was the preferred location. However, the difference in siren base made this impossible without modifying the base.

After some amount of playing around, the lower airbox mount location was determined to be the best. However, the airbox mounting screw couldn't be used for the alarm as the screw didn't have threads to the head (thus the screw couldn't be screwed all the way in to hold the siren bracket). A quick trip to the hardware store for a short 6mm bolt and lock washer solved this problem.

We finished up the job by connecting the wires from the siren to the siren connector leads, and strapping the wires to the bundle running along side the hood release cable.

Siren mounted to airbox mouting location

A beautiful So Cal testing ground for performance mods

 After checking over the job for fit and finish, cleaning up our mess, and writing the previous owner a well deserved check for the purchase of the alarm, it was decided I needed to take a quick drive up Mulholland Dr. to test the new mods....you know...to make sure everything was secure and the alarm wouldn't trigger unexpectedly...the usual shake-down

OK, so a drive in the great twisties of Mulholland really has nothing to do with testing an alarm...but it was a lot of fun...and considering that I had traveled 2 hours to get here and had a 2 hour drive back to San Diego, I figured a drive through the Hollywood hills was in order. I was even able to impress (albeit slightly) a Ferrari pilot following me up the hills by pulling away from him on a number of curves. As he passed when we split up, a smile, a thumbs up, and a wave showed his approval of the little Zs handling of the road.