Replacing Std Steering Wheel with an M Sport Paddle shift Version Success at last!

[Bambazonke]

Good day all
Just bought an F25/26 M Sport paddle shift SW off eBay and just wanted a heads up as what to look out for when I replace the old one with the new purchase.

I have replaced a std wheel with a paddle shift one on a VW Tiguan and I am expecting the procedure will be much the same as for the X5.
Namely
1. Disconnect battery earth cable in the boot
2. Unclip airbag and disconnect cables and carefully place component face up
3. Mark nut before removing it so as to give an idea of how much you need to re tighten it to when the new one is on
4. Align wheel to straight ahead position before final removal of wheel and replace with new one taking care in lining up the splines beforehand.
5. Retighten nut and connect up all the plugs/cables and in the process check that they match.
6. Clip airbag back on and check to see that is secured as it was prior to removal.
7. Reconnect battery.
8. Code the relevant ECU that paddle shift is now installed.

Is there anything I am missing?
At this stage I am wondering if I should just FDL code the PaddlesVerbaut from Inactive to active or
VO code the - BDC_Body, Kombi, and ICM by adding 2TB to the FA.

Any feedback to the above would be appreciated
Thanks

[spike5150]

I don’t think anyone has been able to make the paddles work on a non m-sport X5. I believe it was determined there was a wire missing. Good luck.

[Bambazonke]

Originally Posted by spike5150

I don't think anyone has been able to make the paddles work on a non m-sport X5. I believe it was determined there was a wire missing. Good luck.

Ok after much research and some excellent info sent to me by the service manager of BMW Townsville I have managed to get paddle shift to work on my bog standard bottom of the range X5 without 2TB or 2TE fitted from the factory.

Firstly there is a subtle difference in the paddle shift wiring on the F25/26 and the F15/16 steering wheel


On the X3/X4 the pink and white wires for the paddle shift connect in the 6 pin plug at pins #4 and #5 respectively. These wires then connect to the JBE ECU.
In an OEM X5 SW (Steering Wheel) ONLY the white wire connects in the 6 pin plug at pin #5. This wire then connects to the BDC ECU.

In the X5 circuit diagram, the pink wire is now spliced to the black wire that earths to the SW. This wire is also spliced again to join the 6 pin plug at pin #3. These splices are not visible as they are covered in black insulation tape.
I removed the tape to confirm the status of my SW and then reconnected the pink wire previously connected at pin#4 to now where the black wire earths on the SW. I did this by unscrewing the T10 Torx screw and wedging the metal "fishplate" under the black wire plate (see last photo)

Once this wiring mod was done, I then wrapped up the wires with cloth insulation tape, reconnected the plug and airbag and then reconnected the car battery.
I then FDL coded the paddle shift option in the BDC module from nicht aktiv to aktiv

Once again many thanks to DW at BMW Townsville for his valuable assistance

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by Bambazonke

Ok after much research and some excellent info sent to me by the service manager of BMW Townsville I have managed to get paddle shift to work on my bog standard bottom of the range X5 without 2TB or 2TE fitted from the factory.

Firstly there is a suttle difference in the wiring on the F25/26 and the F15/16 steering wheel


On the X3/X4 the pink and white wires for the paddle shift connect in the 6 pin plug at pins #4 and #5 respectively
In the X5 SW the white wire ONLY connects in the 6 pin plug at pin #5.


The pink wire is now joined to the black wire at pin #3 see photos below

Once this wiring mod was done and taped up, I reconnected the plug and airbag and then reconnected the car battery.
I then FDL coded the paddle shift option in the BDC module from nicht aktiv to aktiv

Once again many thanks to DW at BMW Townsville for his valuable assistance

You shoulda added the sport steering wheel while you were at it!

[sj22]

Originally Posted by Bambazonke

On the X3/X4 the pink and white wires for the paddle shift connect in the 6 pin plug at pins #4 and #5 respectively
In the X5 SW the white wire ONLY connects in the 6 pin plug at pin #5.

The pink wire is now joined to the black wire at pin #3 see photos below

Once this wiring mod was done and taped up, I reconnected the plug and airbag and then reconnected the car battery.
I then FDL coded the paddle shift option in the BDC module from nicht aktiv to aktiv

Once again many thanks to DW at BMW Townsville for his valuable assistance

Very exciting! I might end up trying this. Its quite hard to get an msport with heat/vibration/acc buttons and I do like the fullness of the F15 standard wheel so this is a great option.

OP what was the part number of the wheel you used? Was it from a F25?

[Bambazonke]

Originally Posted by sahiljain22

Very exciting! I might end up trying this. Its quite hard to get an msport with heat/vibration/acc buttons and I do like the fullness of the F15 standard wheel so this is a great option.

OP what was the part number of the wheel you used? Was it from a F25?

Don't have the part number but the best way to identify if the steering wheel is from an F15/F16 is look for the "LIM" button which is the top left button. If you are retrofitting one of these then it should be a straight coding to enable the paddle shift.
If it has "SET" written on the button it is most likely from a F25/26 which will mean you having to modify the wiring as I have done above plus coding.
I also swapped my original buttons from my original SW to match the LIM function as programmed in the car

[Bambazonke]

Originally Posted by Maverik259

You shoulda added the sport steering wheel while you were at it!

Would have to buy a brand new airbag that is big $$$$ plus find a SW with the active cruise control buttons which are rare and also expensive. I have one of these SW's on my X3 and not really a fan of them. They are far more suited for a F2X/3X or a 5 series in my opinion

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by Bambazonke

Would have to buy a brand new airbag that is big $$$$ plus find a SW with the active cruise control buttons which are rare and also expensive. I have one of these SW's on my X3 and not really a fan of them. They are far more suited for a F2X/3X or a 5 series in my opinion

What's a SW?

[RED_Y_]

Wow, if it really works this info is priceless , no one was able to make paddle shifters work w/o M-package before.

[Bambazonke]

Originally Posted by Maverik259

What's a SW?

Steering Wheel I have been in Australia too long they love acronyms here

[Bambazonke]

Originally Posted by RED_Y_

Wow, if it really works this info is priceless , no one was able to make paddle shifters work w/o M-package before.

Works on mine no reason it should not work on any other F15 X5

[RED_Y_]

Can you provide more details? You had a basic non heated,no vibration steering wheel? No M-Sport, Driver Assistance Plus package or Traffic Jam Assist packages on your car? Your new steering wheel is from F25/26? On your pictures I also see at least 4 pink cables, can you provide a better explanation of the wiring or may be you have a wiring diagram and before/after pictures?

[Bambazonke]

Originally Posted by RED_Y_

Can you provide more details? You had a basic non heated,no vibration steering wheel? No M-Sport, Driver Assistance Plus package or Traffic Jam Assist packages on your car? Your new steering wheel is from F25/26? On your pictures I also see at least 4 pink cables, can you provide a better explanation of the wiring or may be you have a wiring diagram and before/after pictures?

X5 is a 2.5d sline model. It came with driver assistance plus only No M Sport or Traffic Jam Assist.
The SW I bought off ebay I suspect was from an X3 or X4 as it had the "SET" button and different wiring as I have since discovered. All Australian models have the "LIM" button as Driver Assistance is standard across the range. X5's in North America and Europe may differ.

The SW also had vibro but no heating.


There is only two pink wires. The first piece has each end joining to the 2 blue 2 pin plugs that then go to the paddle buttons. Half way along this piece of wire. there is a splice with another pink wire that goes to the 6 pin plug. This is what you have to modify ie remove from pin#4 location to the earth point as shown in the last photo.


There is also two white wires that also join to the 2 blue plugs and also has a splice to the 6 pin plug. Do not modify these wires as this goes directly to the BDC module.

I have posted photos of the 6 pin plug before I modified it and a photo of a genuine X5 steering wheel 6 pin plug with paddle shift at the below link
https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1341944

Post#12

[BitteEinBit]

Finally, the paddles work on my non M-sport F15!!

I can confirm Bambazonke’s solution works! I have a 2014 no line that came with the thin no paddle steering wheel. I purchased an F85 steering wheel from Ben at RGSport two years ago. Ben and I, and even Opasha, tried everything we could think of to get the paddles to work. We switched out paddle circuit boards, and the connecting wire between them…nothing worked. We had pretty much given up. Then last week, I saw Bambazonke’s post and thought, yeah right, it can’t be that simple, what the hell, I’ll try one last time. So Bambazonke walked me through his solution, and Ben helped me with coding.

Removing the pink wire from the six pin connector in the steering wheel was a bit tricky, but Bambazonke walked me through it no problem. Our first attempt yielded a partial outcome; the paddles worked, but not properly. So Ben, in his infinite wisdom, sent me some non-M car paddle circuit boards, I swapped them out and voila, the paddles work perfectly.

So if you’re skeptical, fear not, this is the solution you’ve been looking for.

[RED_Y_]

Dang,now I want to swap my wheel really bad to get shifters. Not sure if it worth the money for me, I have heated and vibrating wheel so it might be too price to get a new wheel just for paddle shifters. I was sleeping better when I thought its not possible :-)

[Koer]

Originally Posted by Bambazonke

Ok after much research and some excellent info sent to me by the service manager of BMW Townsville I have managed to get paddle shift to work on my bog standard bottom of the range X5 without 2TB or 2TE fitted from the factory.

Firstly there is a subtle difference in the wiring on the F25/26 and the F15/16 steering wheel


On the X3/X4 the pink and white wires for the paddle shift connect in the 6 pin plug at pins #4 and #5 respectively
In an OEM X5 SW (Steering Wheel) ONLY the white wire connects in the 6 pin plug at pin #5.

In the X5 circuit diagram, the pink wire is now spliced to the black wire that earths to the SW. This wire also joins the 6 pin plug at pin #3. These splices are not visible as they are covered in black insulation tape.
I removed the tape to confirm the status of my SW and then reconnected the pink wire previously connected at pin#4 to where the black wire earths on the SW. I did this by unscrewing the T10 Torx screw and wedging the metal "fishplate" under the black wire plate (see last photo)

Once this wiring mod was done, I then wrapped up the wires with cloth insulation tape, reconnected the plug and airbag and then reconnected the car battery.
I then FDL coded the paddle shift option in the BDC module from nicht aktiv to aktiv

Once again many thanks to DW at BMW Townsville for his valuable assistance

!! I can confirm this works!! Thank you so much!! I just separated the pink cable from the connector and grounded it to the metal base of the Steering Wheel. Coded paddles to Aktiv and Voila!!! it works like OEM, i can finally take a downhill bend with some more confidence.

[RED_Y_]

Originally Posted by BitteEinBit

Finally, the paddles work on my non M-sport F15!!

I can confirm Bambazonke’s solution works! I have a 2014 no line that came with the thin no paddle steering wheel. I purchased an F85 steering wheel from Ben at RGSport two years ago. Ben and I, and even Opasha, tried everything we could think of to get the paddles to work. We switched out paddle circuit boards, and the connecting wire between them…nothing worked. We had pretty much given up. Then last week, I saw Bambazonke’s post and thought, yeah right, it can’t be that simple, what the hell, I’ll try one last time. So Bambazonke walked me through his solution, and Ben helped me with coding.

Removing the pink wire from the six pin connector in the steering wheel was a bit tricky, but Bambazonke walked me through it no problem. Our first attempt yielded a partial outcome; the paddles worked, but not properly. So Ben, in his infinite wisdom, sent me some non-M car paddle circuit boards, I swapped them out and voila, the paddles work perfectly.

So if you’re skeptical, fear not, this is the solution you’ve been looking for.

So you got it working on the M sport wheel as well? Can't find the heated/vibrating sport steering wheel with paddle shifters, so thinking about going all the way to the M wheel.

[BitteEinBit]

Yes

[RED_Y_]

Can you share the info on "non-M car paddle circuit boards" is there a particular p/n I need to be looking for?

[BitteEinBit]

Contact Ben at r33 RGSport, he knows which circuit boards you need.

[r33_RGSport]

Originally Posted by RED_Y_

Can you share the info on "non-M car paddle circuit boards" is there a particular p/n I need to be looking for?

Unfortunately, you can't just get the board. You will need the whole complete paddle shifter.
Technically, you should be able to rig it. Just need to get the correct SMD resistor and know how to solder it.
I never play around with soldering SMD, I don't have steady hand.

Originally Posted by BitteEinBit

Contact Ben at r33 RGSport, he knows which circuit boards you need.

Thank you for the referral.

[RED_Y_]

Originally Posted by r33_RGSport

Unfortunately, you can't just get the board. You will need the whole complete paddle shifter.

Is there a particular shifter p/n I need to get? Lots of wheels are sold with paddle shifters already on them, what is the difference?