E39 CD Changers and Sound System Questions & Electrical Problems

["Karl Carrier" <mcai7kc2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sorry I don't know who posted the  original question....

Which system do you have in your car? The speakers differ, and also 
if an external amp is present or not.

Our's has the 10 speaker system, which is not standard in the UK. It 
sounds OK I guess, good enough for my dad, but if I had the money the 
first thing I would do is change the amp in  the boot, and add a sub. 
I've been told the amp is the main weak point in the system, it's not 
very powerful (4x20 wrms).

How you do this is up to you. You could drive the amp of the speaker 
outputs, or I have seen companies putting RCAs straight onto them 
though I'm not sure whether this is a good idea. A company 
specialising in BMW Audio in the UK can add a couple of 9 Volt 
pre-outs to the head unit. The modification costs about =A3200, but I 
think is the best choice if you are serious about upgrading the 
system, and you keep the look and easy controls of the existing head 
unit, and you have more flexibility. A lots of articles have 
appeared in BMW Car recently about upgrading the BMW hifi in the E39 
and E32 covering all the options, including changing the head unit 
itself. If anybody emails me, I will try to point them to the correct 
sources.

I'm no expert, but I have been keeping an eye on this topic ever 
since we got ours.

Our car is having a problem with the interior lights flickering - it 
also a couple of times reset all the electrics when I have started 
the car (eg. the stereo has turned off and on again) and stalled at 
idle when I have tried closing a window. I think it's the alternator 
playing up any ideas?

 Karl

karl@domain.elided
E39 528ise - Dad's car, my baby.

------------------------------