Yes, you *can* retrofit wireless charging

[Louv]

I have a 2015 X6M. It did not come with wireless charging. But I wanted the feature. What I read here and elsewhere online said that this part number might work. I took a chance... ordered the (rather expensive) part... and did the swap.

It works.

BMW Part #84 10 2 449 887

1st Photo:
My first "hack" solution:
A cheap Qi charger, and a wooden "cradle", taped down, with a USB cable to the CLA in the center compartment. Ick. But it worked. It just looked like hell. But no one saw it except me.

2nd Photo:
The installed Wireless Charger. Perfect fit. It's almost as if they designed it to be retrofitted. Oh... wait... they did!
(oops, I took the photo before the last cover piece was snapped back in)

Attachment:
PDF of the retrofit instructions. (X5 & X6, you'll want pages 9-12)
It's in German. I'm sure you'll be ok. The pictures are pretty.

It's actually kind of fiddly to install. A few of the pieces are snap fit, and you have to figure out where the tabs are to carefully pry the parts apart. You'll need Torx (T10 and T27, I think).

3rd Bonus Photo:
Kitten. (not wirelessly chargeable)

[onfireX5]

Great job !

[Louv]

Oh, I forgot to mention to my US friends...

This part number lists for about $255 here.

I ordered mine from a parts dealer in Europe, and even with the shipping costs (2 or 3 day DHL) it was still less than $200.

Just Sayin'...

[r33_RGSport]

Good job!!!
But ouch on the price and it still taking up a lot of space of the compartment.
How often do you forget to take the phone out from the compartment?
First world problem,

[Louv]

Originally Posted by r33_RGSport

Good job!!!
But ouch on the price and it still taking up a lot of space of the compartment.
How often do you forget to take the phone out from the compartment?
First world problem,

Yes, stupid ouch on the price. Especially compared to the $20 solution I had before... but, yeah, one-percenter-first-world-problems.

There already was a phone holder mount in the compartment, so no additional space needed. And it tilts up, for access to the space underneath.

I almost never forget my phone in the car, because it's always out of my pocket when I'm driving, so it's become habit when I get in my car(s) to take it out of my pocket and place it in "the charging place". Then when I get out, I grab the phone and go.

It's easier in my i8, I made a soft leather pocket that sits on the side of the center console, next to my right knee (also holds sunglasses). And now that has a slim Qi charger tucked into it as well. So anytime I'm in a car, my phone is charging.

[Kraftwerk AG]

Originally Posted by Louv

Oh, I forgot to mention to my US friends...

This part number lists for about $255 here.

I ordered mine from a parts dealer in Europe, and even with the shipping costs (2 or 3 day DHL) it was still less than $200.

Just Sayin'...

Congrats on your successful experiment! I'm about to do this retrofit on my E70. I found a vendor on eBay selling that same genuine retrofit part (84 10 2 449 887) for $189.09 including shipping from AU. https://www.ebay.com/itm/253321166576
Instructions for retrofit: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...one/1VnXfMO7V0

[Maverik259]

Omg it's the exact same cradle as before. Ok nevermind. I literally just removed the darn thing to have an actual center console lol. I was thinking it was a sleeve or compartment that you dropped the phone in on the side of the console. Idk why. Maybe that is Mercedes Version or something I was confusing. Glad to know now! Thank you.

[anki]

Anyone willing to sell(ebay) their baseplate, pls pm me, I'm interested.
For the thread, I found a video

pretty much everything you need to do, if you do not care about the loss of streaming quality .

[shmohawk]

Originally Posted by Louv

Yes, stupid ouch on the price. Especially compared to the $20 solution I had before... but, yeah, one-percenter-first-world-problems.

There already was a phone holder mount in the compartment, so no additional space needed. And it tilts up, for access to the space underneath.

I almost never forget my phone in the car, because it's always out of my pocket when I'm driving, so it's become habit when I get in my car(s) to take it out of my pocket and place it in "the charging place". Then when I get out, I grab the phone and go.

It's easier in my i8, I made a soft leather pocket that sits on the side of the center console, next to my right knee (also holds sunglasses). And now that has a slim Qi charger tucked into it as well. So anytime I'm in a car, my phone is charging.

Does this work with a case? I have a regular iPhone 8, not the plus, and use either the Apple leather case or an Otterbox case, wireless charging works fine at home with the cases on.

Also do you get better antenna reception?

[pachieh]

It should work with any case that supports wireless charging.

As for better reception, only easy way is to buy a repeater for your car that rebroadcasts the signal.

Check this out: https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/web...er-kit-470510/

[Igor_M5]

Or you can just install the.... REAL... OEM wireless charger...

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F264624449798

The components are no more than $150.

[gqgambler]

Originally Posted by anki

Anyone willing to sell(ebay) their baseplate, pls pm me, I'm interested.

I yanked my cradle a while ago, but will look around to see if I still have it.

[ferrarif1]

Originally Posted by anki

Anyone willing to sell(ebay) their baseplate, pls pm me, I'm interested.
For the thread, I found a video

pretty much everything you need to do, if you do not care about the loss of streaming quality .

What part are you looking for? The "arm" to mount the wireless charging accessory or the wireless charging accessory?

I have an OE mounting arm if you need one.

[SupersixM]

First and foremost. The individual that thought it was a good idea to put a wireless charger in an armrest, is an idiot and must not use their phones much. Not you OP.

It takes away from storage and makes it difficult to reach in the arm rest.
Out of sight, out of mind, so continuously forgetting my phone.
Not a one size fits all.

A true genius of an engineer would of either made the retractable cover a wireless charger or made cup size charger to go in cup holder. Armrest was a bad move to begin with.

[Bobby_Drake]

Originally Posted by SupersixM

First and foremost. The individual that thought it was a good idea to put a wireless charger in an armrest, is an idiot and must not use their phones much. Not you OP.

It takes away from storage and makes it difficult to reach in the arm rest.
Out of sight, out of mind, so continuously forgetting my phone.
Not a one size fits all.

A true genius of an engineer would of either made the retractable cover a wireless charger or made cup size charger to go in cup holder. Armrest was a bad move to begin with.

German engineering not quite at it's best...
Or a business move so that Chinese company can make aftermarket products for those who see the obvious flaw in the phone cradle design...

just a thought.

[daytonaviolet]

if i didnt already have this, i would retrofit the oem wireless charger

[Kraftwerk AG]

Originally Posted by daytonaviolet

if i didnt already have this, i would retrofit the oem wireless charger

Yep, a better design that saves console space.

[SupersixM]

Better but just not practical in real world scenarios.

[pachieh]

What's the point of the LTE compensator in our vehicles then if you have to buy a separate amp repeater?

[640ijims]

Cute kitten