BMW E63 6 Series: Retrofit Bluetooth audio streaming in 2 minutes

Introduction

I’m not sure about you, but music is a huge part of driving for me. I love nothing more than the combination of a great car, a great road and a great playlist!

As a serial second hand car buyer it can be hit-or-miss on whether the car I‘ve chosen has Bluetooth connectivity or not – and even if it does sometimes it isn’t possible to stream audio anyway.

So worry not – I’ve been through this recently and I have a SOLID way of retrofitting the Bluetooth audio streaming module to your BMW E63 6 Series Coupe!

How to retrofit Bluetooth audio streaming in 2 minutes

At a glance…

  • Your car may have Bluetooth hands-free functionality, but still NOT have audio streaming
  • You CAN add Bluetooth audio functionality to your BMW E63 Coupe
  • Tune2Air is the best Bluetooth streaming kit for most people (you can check it out here)
  • It is compatible with all streaming services (Spotify/Apple Music/Amazon Music)
  • Bluetooth vs FM tuners – FM tuners suck, please avoid them!
  • Installation is hassle free and takes less than 2 minutes

 

Does my E63 BMW 6 Series have Bluetooth?

A classic response I am afraid – it is best to check the manual and original spec sheet if possible to be sure. 

Frustratingly, cars of this age were born into the crossover of Bluetooth technology so some models will have Bluetooth audio streaming, while many more others don’t. 

Confusingly many will have Bluetooth hands free functionality (mine has this) but without the kit to enable audio streaming

Can I retrofit Bluetooth audio streaming to my BMW E63 6 Series Coupe?

Yes – you absolutely CAN retrofit a Bluetooth audio streaming kit to your car to enable music to be played wirelessly

I raked around for quite a while to find the best solution – a few of the features that were important to me were:

  • Retain the OEM hands free voice call functionality – I didn’t want to add additional wiring and microphones to the car so I wanted to keep the original hands free system in place. This has the bonus of not requiring the car to be stripped to pieces when installing!
  • OEM or factory integration / looks – I didn’t want anything that looked too aftermarket stuck on to my dash. For example Parrot kits are good but I just don’t like the look of them inside. Additionally they require more pain to install – I didn’t want to remove any panels or interior if I could help it.
  • Retain steering wheel / head unit controls – again I wanted as ‘factory’ an application of audio Bluetooth as possible which meant retaining any steering wheel or head unit controls when streaming. For example my kit just now I can skip tracks in Spotify using the knob on the headunit (saves me some embarrassment if a bad song comes on!)
  • Display song names on the OEM headunit – having song or artist on the OEM displays is a big plus as it makes the install look much slicker and it can be helpful if skipping through long Spotify playlists!

Some of these points may be less important to you – and maybe some others are more important (shoot me an email if so – I’d love to know if I’ve missed something) but I’m simply sharing my priorities when I was looking for the best bluetooth adapter for my E63 6 Series Coupe.

Is the Bluetooth adapter compatible with Spotify/Amazon Music/Apple Music?

Another feature I looked for was compatability with music streaming services – I use Spotify almost exclusively for music so it was essential any retrofit kit would be compatible with it. 

The great thing about my recommended adapter is that it means there is no need for any bespoke apps for my iPhone (or wife’s Samsung Galaxy – she is different just to be awkward 🙂 ) and the music can be controlled either via the steering wheel controls (if you have them), the OEM headunit or through your phones native Spotify/Apple/Amazon/Tidal app.

This is really quite slick – especially compared to the likes of the SONOS app which tries to integrate all the services into its own application. That smells like something that could go wrong in future – I prefer to use the services own apps where I can!

Why FM tuners suck

Before moving on – a quick word on FM tuners. I’ve had two of these in the past and just want to say the quality is absolutely rubbish and they are not worth your time if you are serious about music.

They rely on the availability of a free FM channel which is not guaranteed and the quality that they stream across is garbage. Please avoid these – genuinely you would be better just listening to the radio (or a CD, remember those?!)

Which Bluetooth kit should I buy for my E63 6 Series?

If you value OEM integrationease of use and you DO NOT want to rip your car interior apart then there is really only one option… a Tune2Air!

I have compared below to another popular option from GROM – I’ve used GROM in other cars previously so I am well placed to compare the two:

Product
Easiest To Use
ViseeO Tune2Air WMA3000B Bluetooth Adapter for Streaming iPod/iPhone/iPad to BMW/Mini with original AUX/USB Y-Cable Connection
GROM Audio BT3 Integrated Bluetooth Car Kit compatible with BMW & Mini - 3 5 7 SERIES, X3 X5 M3 M5 Z3 Z4 MINI COOPER Business Professional (back of radio fitment)
Installation type
Plug & play
Requires dismantling the interior
Time to install
Less than 2 minutes
1 hour+
Features
Bluetooth streaming
Depends on modules installed – generally at additional cost
Retain use of OEM multi-function steering wheel
Yes
Yes
Sound quality
Good
Good
Compatible with your iPhone / Samsung / Other
Yes
Yes
Best for
Best for most people
Best for those who can’t get a Tune2Air compatible with their car
Looks like...
ViseeO Tune2Air WMA3000B Bluetooth Adapter for Streaming iPod/iPhone/iPad to BMW/Mini with original AUX/USB Y-Cable Connection
GROM Audio BT3 Integrated Bluetooth Car Kit compatible with BMW & Mini - 3 5 7 SERIES, X3 X5 M3 M5 Z3 Z4 MINI COOPER Business Professional (back of radio fitment)
Price
£119.00
Price not available
Check out the latest price on Amazon
Prime compatible?
-
Easiest To Use
Product
ViseeO Tune2Air WMA3000B Bluetooth Adapter for Streaming iPod/iPhone/iPad to BMW/Mini with original AUX/USB Y-Cable Connection
Installation type
Plug & play
Time to install
Less than 2 minutes
Features
Bluetooth streaming
Retain use of OEM multi-function steering wheel
Yes
Sound quality
Good
Compatible with your iPhone / Samsung / Other
Yes
Best for
Best for most people
Looks like...
ViseeO Tune2Air WMA3000B Bluetooth Adapter for Streaming iPod/iPhone/iPad to BMW/Mini with original AUX/USB Y-Cable Connection
Price
£119.00
Check out the latest price on Amazon
Prime compatible?
Product
GROM Audio BT3 Integrated Bluetooth Car Kit compatible with BMW & Mini - 3 5 7 SERIES, X3 X5 M3 M5 Z3 Z4 MINI COOPER Business Professional (back of radio fitment)
Installation type
Requires dismantling the interior
Time to install
1 hour+
Features
Depends on modules installed – generally at additional cost
Retain use of OEM multi-function steering wheel
Yes
Sound quality
Good
Compatible with your iPhone / Samsung / Other
Yes
Best for
Best for those who can’t get a Tune2Air compatible with their car
Looks like...
GROM Audio BT3 Integrated Bluetooth Car Kit compatible with BMW & Mini - 3 5 7 SERIES, X3 X5 M3 M5 Z3 Z4 MINI COOPER Business Professional (back of radio fitment)
Price
Price not available
Check out the latest price on Amazon
Prime compatible?
-

As I said – the clear winner is the Tune2Air for most people. I’ve used both, I like both, but if I have the option in future I will continue to install Tune2Air whenever possible.

How to install your adapter in less than 2 minutes(!)

Step 1 – Take your Tune2Air and get into your car

Tune2Air on the carpet of my car!
Tune2Air on the carpet of my car!

Step 2 – Locate your plug ports – here you can see I have a 3.5mm audio jack and USB port. Your car may have a slightly different plug and location as the below is from a recent fitting in a different car, but the directions are the same regardless.

USB & 3.5mm headphone socket for this particular model
USB & 3.5mm headphone socket for this particular model

Step 3 – Plug the Tune2Air in

Adapter plugged in
Adapter plugged in

Step 4 – Navigate to the newly-enabled iPod setting in your car (below is again from a recent installation – you may have slightly different screen / settings to follow)

Choose iPod setting from OEM stereo
Choose iPod setting from OEM stereo

Step 5 – Connect to your Tune2Air via your Bluetooth settings. After the first pairing your phone will connect automatically when you unlock your car with your phone within range.

Bluetooth menu in my iPhone showing the connection
Bluetooth menu in my iPhone showing the connection

Step 6 – Pick a track (or podcast) and get listening!

Wirelessly streaming music and podcasts! Check out the OEM display
Wirelessly streaming music and podcasts! Check out the OEM display

Is the kit compatible with my car model?

The Tune2Air Bluetooth retrofit kit is compatible with all BMW E63 models that have a USB port and 3.5mm audio cable (check for these before ordering), including:

  • E63 6 series Petrol Engines: 630Ci, 630i, 645Ci, 650i, and… M6!
  • Diesel Engines: 635d

Final thoughts

Whenever I change my car I set about ensuring that I can stream my music playlists (alright, I really want the podcasts!) from Spotify through the stereo. As you have probably noticed by now I have a preference to keep the interior as OEM as possible – including retaining steering wheel and headunit controls!

Hopefully by now you are satisfied that it is very easy to retrofit Bluetooth audio streaming in most BMW E63 6 Series models by using the Tune2Air product reviewed above.

ViseeO Tune2Air WMA3000B Bluetooth Adapter for Streaming iPod/iPhone/iPad to BMW/Mini with original AUX/USB Y-Cable Connection
  • Plug and Play
  • Wireless connection with Apple device via special Bluetooth technology with automatic reconnection, Read and display entire iPod library from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch on car display
  • Read and display entire iPod library from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch on car display
  • Access and control play, stop, next and previous song via multi-functional steering wheel
  • You can still keep connected with the original or aftermarket Bluetooth handsfree devices while in connection with tune2air at the same time

If you have any issues or want to discuss specifics with your car model – please drop by the contact page and send me an email!

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