spec.dock BMW E65 v.2 Installation Instructions

Begin by removing the two Philips-head screws indicated here. These screws are located on theleft and right sides of the center console toward the front of the vehicle.

This will allow you to snap off the left and right side carpeted trim from the sides of the centerconsole as shown.

Once both side panels are detached, remove the single Philips-head and two Torx screwsindicated above. There are matching screws on the left side as well that must be removed.

Next, remove the rear carpeted side panels from the console as shown.

Move the driver and passenger seats into the position shown and remove the indicated Philips-head screws.

Slide the seats forward, and remove the three screws indicated here – two Philips-head and oneTorx. Remove the black leather back panel from the rear of the center console.

With the back panel removed, unplug the two connectors shown.

Removing the rear A/C vents is the most delicate portion of the console removal. The photo aboveillustrates the two clips you are carefully unsnapping using the technique detailed below. Extremecare must be taken to not mar or damage the clearcoat or woodgrain around this piece. The tool

shown or one very similar to it are the only options for removing this piece.

Carefully insert the flat panel tool into the spots shown and pry up gently while using your fingers inthe air vents themselves to apply upward pressure. This piece snaps out easily, so do not pry very

hard or lift very much.

On the back side of the A/C vents, you will find one plug that needs to be disconnected. Removeit and set the piece aside.

Under the A/C vents are three 10mm bolts that need to be removed.

Remove the rubber insert from the bottom of the center-console armrest storage box, unsnap thefront insert panel using only your fingers, and disconnect the electrical connectors on the back of

this piece to remove it completely from the console.

With the front panel removed, you can reach in and disconnect the iDrive connector as shown.

Make sure the cupholder doors are closed, and you can now begin lifting the entire top portion ofthe center console (the portion containing the armrest and storage box) up and away from the

base of the console.

As you lift the upper portion of the console away from the lower portion, you will find threeconnectors tucked into the side of the storage box that need to be removed and disconnected.

There is one last connector to be disconnected toward the front of this area as well.

With the top portion of the consol removed, you can lift the base of the console from the vehicleas well, lifting at the back and pulling away from the dashboard to disconnect the air vent tubes.

If this has seemed like a bit of disassembly so far for something that could possibly be done with thecenter console in the car, this photo shows the two wiring harnesses that run directly underneaththe ashtray location. Drilling the hole for the spec.dock’s wiring to pass through with the center

console in the car is not recommended, as these harnesses can be damaged easily and are veryexpensive to replace.

With the console removed completely from the vehicle, you will be drilling a 1/2” hole in thelocation shown above. This can be done using a UniBit or a hole saw.

Once the hole is drilled, remove the spring clip from the ashtray well as shown.

Route the spec.dock’s wiring through the hole you just drilled and remove the backing from theincluded double-sided tape on the base of the spec.dock. You can now lower the spec.dock intoposition, pulling any additional cabling through the hole from the backside, and pressing firmly onthe spec.dock once seated to ensure proper adhesion of the mounting tape. Make sure that theinside of the ashtray well is clean and free of oil or grease before adhering the spec.dock. A high-

quality degreaser such as denatured alcohol is recommended for cleaning if necessary.

Most likely, when the center console was removed, the two airvent tubes shown above camedisconnected from the car and the center console These need to be reinstalled as shown into the

console itself before it is reinstalled in the vehicle.

You will want to route the spec.dock’s wiring as shown.

When repositioning the center console into the vehicle, it may be necessary to reach through theopening in the console to properly align and seat the airvent tubes as shown.

Once the base of the console is back in position, reinstallation of the rest of the center consolecomponents is the reverse of disassembly. When the entire center console is reinstalled and

functional, you can move on to the interface portion of the installation detailed below.

Begin removing the glovebox by opening the door and using needlenose pliers to remove the twoclips shown. This will allow the glovebox door supports to be removed and the glovebox door to be

lowered completely for screw removal.

Remove the four Philips-head screws shown across the top of the glovebox assembly.

Remove the two Torx screws shown.

Unclip the fiber-optic ring from the inside of the fuse panel cover.

Remove the six Philips-head screws shown from the underdash panel.

Remove the glovebox from the dash by pulling down on the top edge while supporting the baseof the glovebox assembly to gain access to the MOST fiber optic conections at the back of the

OEM CD changer. This is where all the electrical connections for the interface will be made.

You will be best served at this point by referring to the vehicle-specific instructions that came withthe interface itself for a full connection diagram, but the following photos illustrate the connections

that need to be made to the car itself.

Unplug the fiber optic and power connector from the back of the OEM CD changer, and removethe internal connector containing the green fiber optic cables from the connector housing that

contains the power wires for the OEM CD changer.

Insert the aftermarket “changer side” fiber optic populated connector into the empty spot formerlyoccupied by the green fiber optics. This will be plugged back into the OEM CD changer when all

connections are complete.

Connect the original green fiber optics to the “car side” fiber optics coming from the interface.

Connect the interface power wiring to the OEM CD changer power wiring. Soldering these wires ishighly recommended.

You can now connect the spec.dock’s integrated wiring to the interface and test all functionalitybefore reinstalling the glovebox. Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.