[BMW FOREVER]

So I was able to source ceramic controls for my 2014 F10 from a 2016 F10.

The knobs for the AC and volume button I'm just gonna swap over but for the I drive controller and gear shifter I will just completely swap the units.

Question is…will I get any sort of error codes if I do this? Both cars have the touch I drive controller and sport automatic transmission.

Thanks in advance.

[addy27]

You should not get an error message on screen/in car. However, you WILL see error in ISTA. you would be better of coding all units to CAR FA/VIN via esys. Ideally you would flash them to the same iLevel as your car but not really needed.

[Unspec]

The car will throw a code about missing encodings, but it'll go into a failsafe mode and still work. just VO code the gear shifter and iDrive and you'll be fine.

[BMW FOREVER]

Thanks for the input guys. I have decided that I am going to completely disassemble the parts so that I can re-use my original parts but just change the plastic to ceramic to avoid any sort of errors.

The ac panel, volume knob and gear shifter should be a piece of cake, the idrive controller I will need to do some research on disassembly. Will post a write up with pics when I do it.

[BMW FOREVER]

Originally Posted by BMW FOREVER

Thanks for the input guys. I have decided that I am going to completely disassemble the parts so that I can re-use my original parts but just change the plastic to ceramic to avoid any sort of errors.

The ac panel, volume knob and gear shifter should be a piece of cake, the idrive controller I will need to do some research on disassembly. Will post a write up with pics when I do it.

Success! Okay so for the Idrive controller I managed to remove every single silver trim piece without even having to open up the Center console! After that I re-assembled it back just to make sure everything worked perfectly. Next time all I got to do is swap the parts and all done!

Can't wait for my ceramic parts to arrive now!

[TyTyF10]

Originally Posted by BMW FOREVER

Success! Okay so for the Idrive controller I managed to remove every single silver trim piece without even having to open up the Center console! After that I re-assembled it back just to make sure everything worked perfectly. Next time all I got to do is swap the parts and all done!

Can't wait for my ceramic parts to arrive now!

Hi, I am currently researching how to do the volume knob and AC knobs. Could you give me some info on how you removed the old knobs? Do they simply pop off, or do I need to disassemble the panel? Any help would be appreciated on this. Thanks! BMW FOREVER

[BMW FOREVER]

You would need to disassemble the panels and swap the knobs over. Alternatively, you can just plug in the entire panel with the ceramic controls and see if it works?

[Snowtown]

Originally Posted by TyTyF10

Hi, I am currently researching how to do the volume knob and AC knobs. Could you give me some info on how you removed the old knobs? Do they simply pop off, or do I need to disassemble the panel? Any help would be appreciated on this. Thanks! BMW FOREVER

I did this "retrofit". You can buy a complete ceramic panel and just unplug the old one, plug in the new one, no coding or anything needed.

[argento]

Doing this now, what exactly is the VO change/add for the idrive and shifter? I have Protool. The idrive module I intend to install looks exactly the same except w ceramic trim. Besides national versions, there is prof nav and tv functionality options. I have prof nav but not tv. Would that be a significant difference that requires VO?

And for the shifter swap don’t I only need to VO 2TB if I have shifter paddles, which I don’t at the moment? Swapping from 2014 msport to 2015 msport shifter. I don’t have 2TB in my 2014…yet.

Climate knob removal, working on the backside of the panel, looking at knobs, press the center button cylinder down to unviel a tiny hole that aligns with one of the three locking tabs. Use a pick or 1.8mm flat head to press out locking tab and simultaneously press at the center of the knob (from the back) through. It will pop out easily. I actually wedged another tiny bit to hold locking tab open then pressed the knob out from the back. I suppose you can also just push out wo displacing the one locking tab but risk breaking the tabs. The radio volume knob is a single module w buttons and it just swaps over once the radio unit completely disassembled. The volume knob module is mated to the radio circuit board by a black locking tab, hard to miss. Just use your finger to unlock the tab.


Thanks for the help.

[TyTyF10]

Hi BMW FOREVER Snowtown argento , thanks for the replies! Wasn't expecting this old thread to come back to life

I am eyeing some used panels on ebay but the ones I could find are either too expensive or they have scratches or bubbling around the black trim. So I am thinking about going the "swap the knobs" route. Already have the sport shifter and the idrive controller. Just gotta get the AC and volume controls done now!

[TyTyF10]

argento thanks for the locking tab tip! It worked like a charm. swapped the knobs from $60 beaten up panel Now the ceramic retrofit is complete. I'll post a photo here once the sun is up. I realized I forgot to answer your questions.

2TB is for the sport auto shift logic for the 8-speed auto, so unless you want that behavior, you should be able to swap the shifters without any coding.

For the iDrive controller, the buttons might have different functionalities coded in different cars, but as far as I know, the button labels shouldn't change anything. You can just swap, and your car should have the same functionality as the old unit. Although I am not 100% on this, plugging it in and checking the functionality shouldn't cause any issues. (Mandatory do it at your own risk notice here lol). To the best of my knowledge, it's just the button labels that change with the iDrive controller knob; functionality comes from the headunit.

Thanks again for the tip mate!

[zener]

Shifter will work without coding, but will give you fault code because not coded to car. Coding is easy, so why not do it. It's easier than taking modules a part to swap ceramic.

[TyTyF10]

I didn't know that, thanks zener ! I already had 2TB coded in, so I didn't notice anything when I did the swap.

[argento]

I didn’t get any shifter errors or faults w a direct swap. I do have idrive fault errors, but the idrive works without issue. I talked to bimmergeeks and protool won’t code the idrive as needed in this case.

I have two spare climate/radio control units w non-ceramic knobs if needed. One from a 2014 (black trim) and other from 2016 (beige trim).