Ultimate Guide to E61 Diversity Antenna Amplifier troubleshooting and fixing.

This is another BMW E61 5 series wagon issue (😬)...
OEM, E61 part number: 65209183563, new part costs over $400 (as of March 2023).
A cheaper alternative, the one I used: 65209187673, or search your favorite used part market for Diversity Antena Amplifier for E63/E64.
Music by Purple Planet Music:
Reach Out
Purple Planet Music
www.purple-planet.com/upbeat
I Will Find Him
Purple Planet Music
www.purple-planet.com/cinematic
Timecode:
0:00 Intro
0:14 Troubleshooting
01:34 Trying a new key fob battery
01:51 Where is the diversity antenna located?
03:11 Spoiler removal
03:34 Disconnecting the diversity antenna
03:53 Inspection and antenna removal
04:52 Hello diversity antenna amplifier!
05:11 Trying to fix my diversity antenna
08:06 Replacement options
12:18 Testing an E63/E64 antenna amplifier in my E61
15:32 Tips on how to protect your working E61 antenna
#bmw, #BMWE61, #e61

[@johnpetersen8116]

Thanks for your research and giving us e61 owners another option. I like the fact that this newer module was inside the donor car...

[@derin111]

Very helpful video! And no useless nonsense talking….like some others! Mine seemed to die slowly. At first, I had the problem only rarely….but then over about 6 months it got worse. It seemed to happen only if I had used the tailgate at first. Now, it’s permanently. 😢 Thanks

[@najibmaan8906]

Brilliant video. Really helpful. I am changing E70 module on my X5. I just wanted know to get to the diversity receiver and your vid is great.

[@darrenimms3155]

Thanks for this tutorial, has been a great help. One thing to note... on the module that you obtained from the E63 and your old module, they are both 315 Mhz and the modules that uk and Europe use is 868.4 Mhz. If you get the wrong one, then it wont work (ident found on Diversity module 'AM/FM-DIV/FBD' on the right hand side and then the frequency of the module). Key and Diversity module need to be the same frequency in order to work.

[@Samfernandojobs]

Wow genius, really appreciate your patience and your new way of thinking and whole video and advices, thank you.. 🙏❤️💪

[@EliteBimmers]

Thank you! Your comments and likes are the best rewards.

[@eliamyes6272]

i have same promlem on my Minicooper S . thank you for ur video

[@LOVEPEACENY121]

Have the same issue w my 428 You just saved my wallet, Been looking for this about 2 years now gonna try on my f36 an see

[@drussellwv]

Thanks for another very useful E61 video. Has anyone tried to clean the antenna with an ultrasonic cleaner? Or, does anyone know why I should not try that?

[@arn.old.]

I have the same problem, gonna take out the Diversity and try to dry it. If it wont help then I order a 6 series diversity. My radio works though. I hope the problem wont be the cables... if yes then i will get mental till i change the cableing

[@trollski7]

Thanks so much for the help. This video is very useful, and with no fillers or useless stuff. Kudos. - I have the very same module, my remotes DO NOT work, but my radio DOES work (reception is good). - I have tested my remotes with a signal tester, and I know they emit a signal. - They pair with the car when put in the ignition slot (2010 LCI 535xi), they DO NOT need a pairing procedure. - Central locking with the dash button otherwise works fine. - I do NOT have Comfort Access. Do you know if the module can fail in a way that the radio reception will work and the remote keys will not work, or is it an all or nothing situation ? Thanks

[@EliteBimmers]

Thank you for your comment! I do think the radio can work. When I connected the E70 amplifier my FM radio worked. Also, check your right side wiring, it is a very tedious task, and requires speaker removal, but it is possible that the wiring may be bad. Tailgate wiring is another notorious issue on these wagons. I hope it helps.

[@derin111]

Read my update in my second post above. Mine turned out to be a cracked wire within the tailgate hinge. I only figured this out AFTER buying a replacement Diversity Antenna. 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@DS-mb7mm]

What wire thickness (AWG) when i have to replace some wire/cable parts?

[@user-bk7hh4cr8k]

Did you ever figure out what the problem was? I have a 2001 E46 (330Ci) with this same issue.

[@jonredd650]

Will be checking

[@sofuzzywuzzy]

If the current antenna is currently working, I wonder if covering it with clear nail polish or some other water protectant would benefit in any way.

[@EliteBimmers]

I saw some people use clear silicon around the rubber gasket.

[@massimotrevisan6572]

Have you checked the diversity cables

[@bassbeetz]

E61 tailgate wiring harness can add to these issues as well. I just went through the laborious and sometimes scary process of replacing /repairing both left and right wiring of the tailgate using a German SENCOM repair kit - which was very well made. Did not solve all of my diversity antenna issues, but fixed many others like rear defrost.

[@EliteBimmers]

Thank you for your comment! This is very good info! I’m planning to do my tailgate wiring soon, mine is brittle and the car is not getting younger.

[@davidsjoks]

If my radio works fine and finds all the stations is the antena good?

[@27BILLY99]

just purchased an e63/64 module after seeing this video since here in the East Coast it was raining nonstop and it seemed like my diversity antenna went bad. This morning it’s working again lol so maybe it dried up a bit but i already have the e64 replacement on the way just in case. Did you ever figure out how to get the things that didn’t work with the e63 module?

[@EliteBimmers]

Not yet. The car opens and closes with the fob, also the radio works. I got other issues with electronics and narrowed it down to possibly a bad light module. They say that if it's glitchy the car can have a lot of problems (like airbag lights, etc). My guess is it could be all related. There is a local guy who does reflash on these, will be going to his shop soon.

[@27BILLY99]

@@EliteBimmers would love an update, if the module is going to cause glitches i’d rather get the correct one and return the e63 module

[@EliteBimmers]

I'm 99% sure the E63 module will be working great. I followed one Russian-speaking BMW group and guys over there do it all the time.

[@27BILLY99]

@@EliteBimmers interesting, we’ll if you post another video explaining what to do to get it working fully i’ll considering keeping it since my original is now working again. you’re helping out a lot even with this video alone 👍

[@zxcdarel]

Wow

[@LiindaVesterlund]

I've got the same problem on my e61 lci. I tried to look up the one fron e63/64 but they're all out of stock 😢

[@EliteBimmers]

Sorry to hear that…

[@user-tx8xj5rc7n]

Hello!I have good radio signal but I can’t lock or unlock the car by the key.Also I can’t open my trunk.

[@EliteBimmers]

If you have E61it also can be trunk lid wiring, very common problem on these cars.

[@nikolamladenovic8284]

Did you need to decode your key again after you've put new antenna?

[@EliteBimmers]

No, it was plug and play.

[@nikolamladenovic8284]

@@EliteBimmers but how is that possible? Isn't antenna from some other car coded for another key different than yours? Just wondering, maybe it's a dumb question 😬

[@EliteBimmers]

The key fob gets security information from a different module, CAS, that needs to be coded for sure. But not the diversity antenna.

[@nikolamladenovic8284]

@@EliteBimmers So, I needto code this other module or?

[@danielcenac5279]

​@@nikolamladenovic8284 no

[@AhmedToson-tj2yz]

Please my antenna amplifier gets hot on working I ve changed it but same problem.my radio sometime ok sometime bad sound quality I ve BMW E66 it's in the left c pillar I don't know what to do

[@EliteBimmers]

:( not sure what to say

[@danstevens2578]

I’ve bought a new diversity amplifier, repaired all my broken wires put back together and all worked fine for one day. Just to prove my wires hadn’t broken again I put my old diversity amplifier back in and would you believe it the old one opens and unlocks everything but the new one won’t do it?? Can’t believe it!! The new one was best part of £300 and I still can’t work out how the old one is now working and the new one isn’t!!?? I don’t get it!!! I actually hate this design!! It’s the worst!! 😂😂😂😂

[@EliteBimmers]

Wow, that's nuts!

[@derin111]

Update to my earlier post! So, I tried all the tricks first on my one shown in this video…..electrical contact cleaner, heating up etc. Like in the video, none of this worked on mine either. Mine hadn’t been working at all for least 6 months. So, I ordered another one off Ebay….still waiting for it to come. Then, suddenly today, out of nowhere……it’s working again! 🤬🙇🏽‍♂️ I don’t know for how long….so I have the spare coming anyway now. 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@EliteBimmers]

Crazy!

[@derin111]

@@EliteBimmers So, update again! I found out what my problem was and fixed it. It turned out, by testing with a voltmeter at the plug going into the Diversity Antenna (DA) on the right side, that the red and white wire was cracked and not supply power to the DA. I wish I’d watched video on how to test this first. There’s a German guy with a short video of how to do this easily. I exposed this wire in the loom and found it was broken at the tailgate hinge. There’s another really good video, by an Australian guy, that shows how to access and repair these wires! 🙂 It took me about 4 hours because I have never done it before….and I’m very slow….but it cost me Zero money to fix! 🙂 Cheers! 👍🏽

[@Doenerohnerotkraut]

@@derin111but how it was working again out of nowhere when the wire war cracked 😂

[@frequencywatchers]

Can You Send Me The Old Damaged One Please? I Could Try To Fix It For All The BMW Users, I Could Send You The Results And You Will be ABle To Make A Video With All The Information On What Went Wrong There..

[@EliteBimmers]

Hello and thank you for your comment! I do not have my broken/damaged module anymore, I started working on this video more than two years ago and it was on hold because of our house construction. I wish I did though, I like your idea of getting it fixed.

[@frequencywatchers]

Well, It is what it is, Maybe on some other antenna / Radio Related Things You Have :)

[@toonmag50]

Interesting vid, but how many times do you repeat the words "diversity antenna" and "antenna" It's an aerial man! An antenna is part of an ant and various insects.

[@EliteBimmers]

😂

[@hrvojepacher4172]

You are missing one extra plastic cover.....Your antenna is not protected from water......

[@nickb7369]

Do you mean the cover that he removes at 3:29 or is there another one that should be there?

[@jasonhayes9162]

Did you have to code it at all? or is it just plug in and play did give you a message on instagram brilliant video btw

[@EliteBimmers]

Thank you for your comment! No, I didn’t code anything. It was plug and play.