[Reigate]

Has anyone done an upgrade of an F30 delivered with CIC Business equipped with navigation to CIC Professional and if so, what is involved?

I have looked at an NBT retrofit but was hoping that sticking with CIC may simply be plug and play and only require the screen and head unit to be changed as the iDrive controller is already navigation compatible?

Yes; NBT would be a better option but although the vehicle is a May 2012 build, I purchased a five year BMW Warranty and do not want to risk them denying coverage as a result of an option which was not available at build and requires non-standard wiring changes to get things like audio, etc., to function correctly.

[shawnsheridan]

A CIC retrofit will be no less difficult than an NBT retrofit will be, and as far as warranty goes, you run the same risk there with CIC as you do with NBT. It does not matter that CIC was an original build option and NBT was not. It is a retrofitted head unit either way. If you are going to do it, there is no good reason to use CIC instead of NBT, and conversely there are many good reasons to go with NBT instead of CIC.

[JOE YOUNG]

Originally Posted by shawnsheridan

A CIC retrofit will be no less difficult than an NBT retrofit will be, and as far as warranty goes, you run the same risk there with CIC as you do with NBT. It does not matter that CIC was an original build option and NBT was not. It is a retrofitted head unit either way. If you are going to do it, there is no good reason to use CIC instead of NBT, and conversely there are many good reasons to go with NBT instead of CIC.

Hi Shawn, I assume that all wirings from business nav would fit straight to the CIC prof. Or I am wrong in this?

Regarding the combox at the trunk, If you use the NBT, how are you going to condemn all those wires? Can you still use them with the NBT or you have to have new wires(harness)for the NBT. I think that's why we assume it is easier to fit CIC than NBT.

Could you please shed some light on this.

Thanks

[shawnsheridan]

Originally Posted by JOE YOUNG

Hi Shawn, I assume that all wirings from business nav would fit straight to the CIC prof. Or I am wrong in this?

Regarding the combox at the trunk, If you use the NBT, how are you going to condemn all those wires? Can you still use them with the NBT or you have to have new wires(harness)for the NBT. I think that's why we assume it is easier to fit CIC than NBT.

Could you please shed some light on this.

Thanks

I do not know about wiring from Business Nav. I never looked at it in detail before.

As for Combox, most people reroute wires from Combox to back of NBT in Dash, although some leave them and just run new wires.

[zooom]

Has anyone attempted this retrofit so far? I have 606 Business Navigation (CHAMP2) - would a CIC retrofit be more straightforward in terms of wiring etc.?

I simply want the larger 8.8" screen and its better resolution - the extra features of the NBT don't seem worth the Combox issues to me.

[DeeKay]

Originally Posted by zooom

Has anyone attempted this retrofit so far? I have 606 Business Navigation (CHAMP2) - would a CIC retrofit be more straightforward in terms of wiring etc.?

I simply want the larger 8.8" screen and its better resolution - the extra features of the NBT don't seem worth the Combox issues to me.

I'm in the exact same boat you're sitting in - CHAMP2 and would just love the big widescreen display.. Possible in any way?

[zooom]

Originally Posted by DeeKay

I'm in the exact same boat you're sitting in - CHAMP2 and would just love the big widescreen display.. Possible in any way?

I think simply swapping the display out and coding is not possible for CHAMP2, unlike the new 6.5" ENTRYNAV unit.

I have yet to hear about anyone retrofitting the CIC Professional, except that it would require an emulator.

[Fooljam]

CIC is getting old now. Many units have faulty gyro sensors and FM boards

Runs a 600 Mhz processor, 512 memory. It is damn slow and lacks all the new features of latest NBTs

Here is a 2012 F30 upgrade I did a few months ago and went straight to a 2014 NBT unit. dual core 1.3 Ghz, 1GB memory etc.

Quiet easy to install, "most difficult part" is to connect to the CAN2 bus wires from the FEM module if your car is a pre facelift.
The rest is mostly plug and play (Using my adapters at least)

Yes combox if you have, needs to be disconnected. No big deal easy access.
If you did not have BMW apps and BMW Live, then you have it now.
You can watch movies from the USB stick, play loss less music, and the whole thing is just so much faster compared to the small screen.

You can even go with a 2016 unit, BMW NBT ID 5, loaded with Mirroring function and iPhone Carplay (you need a ATM module to get internet with this though.)


CIC retrofit in 2016, 2017? No way. Get on with the latest technology. Or don't bother.

Before



In between



and after



With aftermarket reverse camera

[zooom]

Originally Posted by Fooljam

CIC is getting old now. Many units have faulty gyro sensors and FM boards

Runs a 600 Mhz processor, 512 memory. It is damn slow and lacks all the new features of latest NBTs

Here is a 2012 F30 upgrade I did a few months ago and went straight to a 2014 NBT unit. dual core 1.3 Ghz, 1GB memory etc.

Quiet easy to install, "most difficult part" is to connect to the CAN2 bus wires from the FEM module if your car is a pre facelift.
The rest is mostly plug and play (Using my adapters at least)

Yes combox if you have, needs to be disconnected. No big deal easy access.
If you did not have BMW apps and BMW Live, then you have it now.
You can watch movies from the USB stick, play loss less music, and the whole thing is just so much faster compared to the small screen.

You can even go with a 2016 unit, BMW NBT ID 5, loaded with Mirroring function and iPhone Carplay (you need a ATM module to get internet with this though.)


CIC retrofit in 2016, 2017? No way. Get on with the latest technology. Or don't bother.

Before



In between



and after



With aftermarket reverse camera

Can you send me more info about the install? Did you take any photos along the way?

Where would you get hold of the NBT ID5 unit?

My warranty has now expired so that isn't an issue.

[Imran1988]

How do you know if you have a cic or nbt system, im so confused. Help please

[shawnsheridan]

Originally Posted by Imran1988

How do you know if you have a cic or nbt system, im so confused. Help please

Read SVT and see if it shows HU_CIC or HU_NBT.

Or PM me your short VIN (last 7), and I will tell you.

[Drragos]

Hi guys !!

[Drragos]

Can you point me to a list of parts needed for an NBT upgrade considering that i currently have a cic i assume business nav from dec 2013 with combox in the boot ! Thank you!

[Tranj singh]

Originally Posted by Di3go

Can you point me to a list of parts needed for an NBT upgrade considering that i currently have a cic i assume business nav from dec 2013 with combox in the boot ! Thank you!

Hi how did the upgrade go , I’m trying to do the same thing , all I want is a bigger screen , I have a 2016 4 series with business radio

[wyndzzy]

Hi there bimmerpost!

I didn't want to start a brand new thread for a subject that has been done to death so figured I would jump on the end of this one as it was the top search result ...

I have a 2012 328i with business nav and a combox in the boot. I also have a reversing camera and parking sensors.

I have purchased a CIC professional 'kit' that includes the head unit + cable + screen + combox + idrive controller from ebay.
My logic for choosing the CIC pro rather than NBT is that as I already have the combox installed from factory with all the requesite connections, the professional HU, cable and screen should just be a direct swap. Is this the case?

Secondly, I have read that there are two paths I can take to get the sat nav working. These being using a CAN filter that will trick the HU into thinking it is installed in the correct car or by having someone 'flash' the head unit with the VIN of my vehicle?

If I go the CAN filter route would I still be able to update the maps to the latest 2022 versions? From what I have read, the FSC codes that unlock the maps are linked to the VIN of the original car that the HU was installed in and it makes sense to me that I would not be able to generate the correct codes to update them for use in my car?

For this reason I feel that the flash route is the better option here?

Anyone who has done this upgrade and can offer advice would be very gratefully recieved... Thanks in advance!

[shawnsheridan]

Originally Posted by wyndzzy

Hi there bimmerpost!

I didn't want to start a brand new thread for a subject that has been done to death so figured I would jump on the end of this one as it was the top search result ...

I have a 2012 328i with business nav and a combox in the boot. I also have a reversing camera and parking sensors.

I have purchased a CIC professional 'kit' that includes the head unit + cable + screen + combox + idrive controller from ebay.
My logic for choosing the CIC pro rather than NBT is that as I already have the combox installed from factory with all the requesite connections, the professional HU, cable and screen should just be a direct swap. Is this the case?

Secondly, I have read that there are two paths I can take to get the sat nav working. These being using a CAN filter that will trick the HU into thinking it is installed in the correct car or by having someone 'flash' the head unit with the VIN of my vehicle?

If I go the CAN filter route would I still be able to update the maps to the latest 2022 versions? From what I have read, the FSC codes that unlock the maps are linked to the VIN of the original car that the HU was installed in and it makes sense to me that I would not be able to generate the correct codes to update them for use in my car?

For this reason I feel that the flash route is the better option here?

Anyone who has done this upgrade and can offer advice would be very gratefully received... Thanks in advance!

Yes, if you use CAN Filter, Map FSC Code is based on Donor VIN not Car VIN.

If you flash CIC to same VIN as Car, you also need to patch CIC and load full set of custom VIN matching FSC Codes.

[wyndzzy]

Originally Posted by shawnsheridan

Yes, if you use CAN Filter, Map FSC Code is based on Donor VIN not Car VIN.

If you flash CIC to same VIN as Car, you also need to patch CIC and load full set of custom VIN matching FSC Codes.

Thanks for the information Shawn. I've ordered a CAN filter, just waiting for it to arrive from Germany. I'll update later with how I get on.

[shawnsheridan]

Originally Posted by wyndzzy

Thanks for the information Shawn. I've ordered a CAN filter, just waiting for it to arrive from Germany. I'll update later with how I get on.