[autoAER]

Edit: Resolved! Please see my post below if you have encountered a similar issue and need help

Hi,

For about 3 weeks now the AC vents from my 2018 330i have smelled like wet dog, so I go to buy an HVAC foam cleaner which directs you to spray into the vents inside the car. As you may guess, it presumably dripped down into the head unit and it appears my head unit is now toast- there is a noticeable clicking noise coming from the dark every time the car is started, permanently stuck on navigation loading, CarPlay and Bluetooth not working.

Is there anyone located in or around the San Francisco Bay Area who can code a new hard drive and/or head unit for me if I was to provide the parts? I am not familiar with Linux and I’m not especially savvy with F30 coding (I come from a long line of E46/E90 coding). I am also open to suggestions outside of taking it to the dealer.

Thank you in advance!

Edit: I am willing to pay for anyone who can help me!

[ooshnoo]

This isn't going to help you now, but that's not the proper way to remove the smell. This is how to do it:

[autoAER]

Originally Posted by ooshnoo

This isn't going to help you now, but that's not the proper way to remove the smell. This is how to do it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b15zBFuLACs

Thank you, I’ll definitely check this out. I just followed the directions on the can, but I guess that doesn’t apply to our cars.

Does anyone know if it’s plug and play if I replaced the entire head unit with a head unit from a similarly optioned car? Thanks in advance

[bconleyf30]

https://www.instagram.com/bmw_remote...JodjhzeGl3ZA==


Ask this guy on Instagram. He fixed my head unit stuck on bmw logo screen turning off every 3 minutes. He’ll be able to tell you if you need a new head unit or if he can just flash it

[F30Mo16]

Don't follow that video that was posted above.

This exact thing happened to me, but it was a shop that messed my car up when I was chasing how to clean that wet dog smell from the AC. Behind the head unit isn't a fully enclosed system, so when you fogged it, it caused condensation to build on your hard drive.

I got lucky where it just affected the hard drive but the rest of the unit was good. sounds like you are in the same boat as I had the same symptoms.

What happened is it messed up the Mechanical Hard drive - that's what you hear clicking, this is why you can't load navigation, store radio stations, Bluetooth, etc. Only radio.

I found some guy on eBay who will replace the HD (you can supply your own, I put in an SSD) and code it to your VIN, flash it, etc. Not the most customer-service-friendly person - but knows his stuff - trust me. he saved me thousands and a dead head unit. Go to his website linked below, he knows what he is talking about, very in-depth and knowledgable.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/253840706906

https://www.bavlogic.com/?page_id=4123

You can't just get another head unit and plug it in - it has to be coded to your VIN due to all the options, features, computer information, etc.

You have to remove your head unit and send it to him, it's not that hard to take it out - YouTube/google is your friend.

He flashed it with Carplay which I didn't have before and the latest BMW software so it was a bonus for me. The shop that damaged my car ended up paying the guy's fee, which was like $600 I think.

BMW will quote you for an entire head unit replacement, which is thousands of dollars. Don't let them rob you.

TRUST ME - this is what is wrong with it - I went through the SAME EXACT THING.

Other people do this as well - google is your friend. - Save your "tip" for the repair brother - enjoy your head unit again

Here is a link to what my head unit was doing

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jXduWZdqKG4DRJvi7

[autoAER]

Thank you so much for all of your replies, this is all excellent information!

Here’s what I ended up doing: I reached out to Steve@codemybimmer. For anyone needing to fix a failed head unit hard drive, I highly recommend Steve’s services. You will need to replace the actual drive first, which is extremely straight forward- you’ll need to remove the dash trim (pulls right out of the dash), pop off the lower plastic trim cover directly above the cupholders, and from there it is a matter of unscrewing the various torx screws and literally just lifting the hard drive out (I used a T20 screwdriver for the HVAC controls and head unit support, and a T8 for the hard drive bracket, DVD drive, and head unit screws). Check out the link below for detailed step by step instructions. Once you install the new drive and assemble everything back together, you’ll need an enet cable, a 64 gb flash drive, and a windows laptop (or bootcamp Mac). Steve quickly remotely initialized the new SSD for me once everything was connected, and now everything works as it should!

Link to an excellent guide for hard drive removal: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1935383

Breakdown of my cost (with links):

$125 - codemybimmer level 2 support package - level 2 support

$20 - 240gb SSD - amazon

$13 - enet cable - amazon

$9 - 64 GB flash drive - best buy

Total cost: ~$167 (can be even cheaper depending on what you can find!)

I hope this information is helpful! Thanks again to everyone who took the time to read this thread and help!

[morritse]

Identical thing happened to me. I used this guy

https://bimmer-remote.com/

Just giving another option for anyone this happens to.

[autoAER]

Originally Posted by morritse

Identical thing happened to me. I used this guy

https://bimmer-remote.com/

Just giving another option for anyone this happens to.

Thanks for sharing!

May I ask what your total cost was? I’m trying to compile the cheapest fixes for anyone else who encounters this problem