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      04-13-2020, 11:23 AM   #1
roxxor
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Ambient Air/Ionizer retrofit

This past week, I was finally able to tackle the retrofit I wanted to do of the Ambient Air and Ionizer options for the car. If anyone else ends up taking this on, feel free to reach out and I can provide some tips/info and part #'s. Maybe one day I will get around to doing a full DIY write-up, but I missed out on several of the photos I wanted to get during the process.

Total cost for all of the parts ended up being around $700, including some Ambient Air Cartridges, but not including the Touch Climate Control Panel, which I don't believe is necessary for the Ambient Air or the Ionizer to work as they operate through the Climate Control Menu on the G30.

The short version of the directions is to remove the center console and the dashboard, instructions on which can be found here.. Once you get this done, you can connect and run the wiring for the 2 new modules. You then mount the Ionizer module on top of the IHKA Control Module. Going back to the dashboard which is out of the car, you can now install the Air Freshener in the glove box, and run the tube for it to Center Speaker Support which you will replace. You also have to replace the air ducts, and install the actual Ionizer Emitters in the new air duct. Then, you put everything back together, and connect the new wires when you reconnect everything at the passenger side of the dash, and connect the Ionizer wiring under the passenger side.

The Ionizer does make a difference, but I haven't used the Ambient Air that much yet, as my car is still new enough that I'm still enjoying the new car smell lol. I'll be the first to admit, unless you are really die-hard about having some of those Ambient Air scents, this project falls more into the "prove it can be done/show-off to others" category, versus the "actually needed/used frequently" category of retrofits.

Pictures below, including a couple for anyone who wanted to see what your interior looks like taken apart
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      04-13-2020, 04:22 PM   #2
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Wow.. huge effort taking the entire dash out like that. Thanks for sharing the pics.
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      04-14-2020, 08:46 AM   #3
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damn that's a lot of work
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      04-14-2020, 09:15 AM   #4
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I've noticed your menus are blue? Was that a setting or standard?
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      04-14-2020, 09:43 AM   #5
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I'm dying to know how many hours this job took you. It looks like an absolute mountain of work.
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      04-14-2020, 10:33 AM   #6
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Just loving it, tons of work for so unnecessary retrofit. Been doing retrofits for a while myself and gotta admit, it's so addicting. eBay swallowing all my money these days.
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      04-14-2020, 11:29 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clee1982 View Post
damn that's a lot of work
Haha yeah, it actually wasn't too bad in the long run. The hardest parts oddly enough ended up being a part of the trim by the cupholders (only because I misunderstood the directions in newtis at first), and 2 PITA screws that are insanely hard to reach under the passenger side of the dashboard.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kitster View Post
I've noticed your menus are blue? Was that a setting or standard?
Came default like that, but I have ID7, and it's also a 530e, which I know they love to use blue for the hybrids, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mediocrechris View Post
I'm dying to know how many hours this job took you. It looks like an absolute mountain of work.
I actually made a timelapse video of me taking the interior apart, with having to go back and forth for different parts, stopping to read the steps, and a break here and there, it only took 2 hours, 2 minutes. I'd upload the video, but I have to get over the self-consciousness of some of the positions my body was in to reach things under the dash lol. Getting it back together wasn't too bad either, just making sure little things were right, like the foam from around the HUD sticking out after I put the dash back on and having to push it back in. It could have been done in a whole day, but I ended up spacing it out over 2 just cause weather ended up getting bad.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shatter View Post
Just loving it, tons of work for so unnecessary retrofit. Been doing retrofits for a while myself and gotta admit, it's so addicting. eBay swallowing all my money these days.
Yep, I think that's my problem. I look at it as "I want to do it to say it can be done" versus "This would actually be super useful". Some of the ones I did on my F30 made sense, like adding the PDC and Surround View cameras, things like that. But I bought my G30 fairly loaded, so I wouldn't have to do much to it, but then I start researching what options other countries get, and now I'm down that rabbit-hole. Like right now, I'm researching the 4-Zone Climate system, and how I could retrofit that. Why? No reason other than to say "I did it, and now my car is one of the few in the US that has it", since I have people in the backseat maybe once every 2-3 months, it wouldn't serve any real purpose....
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      04-14-2020, 12:02 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roxxor View Post
Like right now, I'm researching the 4-Zone Climate system, and how I could retrofit that. Why? No reason other than to say "I did it, and now my car is one of the few in the US that has it", since I have people in the backseat maybe once every 2-3 months, it wouldn't serve any real purpose....
Been looking into that myself also, but ever since one guy posted a pic of his g30 in the middle of retrofitting 4-zone and the whole interior out of the car (not even kidding) i more or less forgot about it. I guess the biggest job is changing the whole heater unit inside the dash and the adding ducts to the rear. Insane job just to get that cool looking adjustment panel for the empty rear seats lol.
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      04-14-2020, 12:20 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shatter View Post
Been looking into that myself also, but ever since one guy posted a pic of his g30 in the middle of retrofitting 4-zone and the whole interior out of the car (not even kidding) i more or less forgot about it. I guess the biggest job is changing the whole heater unit inside the dash and the adding ducts to the rear. Insane job just to get that cool looking adjustment panel for the empty rear seats lol.
Exactly! I wouldn't be so worried about the dash removal (obviously lol) as I am the price. I have found it impossible to find a used 4-zone HVAC unit, and new ones would cost around $800. Not to mention, for a proper 4-zone retrofit, you also have to replace the rear carpet to run the ducts under the floor, and again, can't find that used anywhere, so a new one of those is around $700. From reading about what some people did with the F10 though, you can just add the rear blower and rear climate controls, but I don't see the point if all it did was increase the fan speed and didn't actually give you temperature control.
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      04-23-2021, 05:48 AM   #10
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next time write down parts you need to buy so people can get them self prepared.
this looks more like a bragging. it didnt help me from installation at all.
in fact it actually got me delayed.

ps: for the people who are interested in this retro fit. its really not worth your time doing it. unless you really have nothing to do.
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      07-31-2021, 04:31 AM   #11
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I've gutted my E36 plenty of times and to my surprise, its pretty much the same process for most BMWs. I have lots of retrofits I want to tackle, but this being my daily, I can't afford a lot of downtime.
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      07-31-2021, 08:46 AM   #12
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Could you tell me how much the ioniser itself cost as mine is throwing a random fault now and again.

Also how hard is it to change the ioniser unit only I wonder?
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      09-25-2021, 08:52 AM   #13
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Hello, can you tell me if I can only mount Ambient Air, without the ionizing system?
Thanks!
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      09-25-2021, 10:15 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobone View Post
Hello, can you tell me if I can only mount Ambient Air, without the ionizing system?
Thanks!
No, need to retrofit system. Next best thing is the bmw natural air scents that you put on the vent
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      11-30-2021, 01:27 PM   #15
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hi, im looking to atempt this retrofit of the ambiant air and ionizer and need help with the wiring up of the air freshener module and ionizer module, any help would be apreciated
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      09-05-2023, 10:46 AM   #16
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Do you have to change the IHKA?
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      09-05-2023, 11:04 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Assassins View Post
Do you have to change the IHKA?
It may depend on what version your car has but no, I don't believe so. When looking at the parts for the IHKA control units, it doesn't specify a difference between ambient air or non.
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      09-07-2023, 08:49 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kitster View Post
I've noticed your menus are blue? Was that a setting or standard?
All the menus turn blue when in Eco Pro Mode.
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      03-01-2024, 12:23 AM   #19
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Hello roxxor,

your work has encouraged me to retrofit Ambiente Air as well.
Unfortunately, I do not have BMW TIS access.
Where are the cables from cable set 6111 6 991 486 connected?
Black plug:
Red cable:
Brown cable:
Cable white/brown

Blue plug:
Cable brown:
Cable brown/white:
Cable red:
Cable blue/brown

Can you help me?

Regards
Juergen
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      03-08-2024, 11:03 AM   #20
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Sent PM, but for anyone else needing the info:

Air Freshener Wiring: (Blue Plug)
Cable brown: Ground
Cable brown/white: Along with the brown/white wire from the Ioniser, connects to Pin 15 in connector A95*1B of the IHKA module
Cable red: Power - Along with the red wire from the Ioniser, connects to fuse F63 in the front right power distribution box
Cable blue/brown: On the glove box light switch, there should be a similar colored blue/brown wire. This wire needs to tap into that existing wire.

Ioniser Wiring: (Black Plug)
Red cable: Power. Connect this and the red wire from the Blue plug to fuse F63 in the front right power distribution box
Brown cable: Ground
Cable white/brown: Along with the brown/white wire from the Air Freshener, connects to Pin 15 in connector A95*1B of the IHKA module

View post on imgur.com
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      03-08-2024, 11:22 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roxxor View Post
Sent PM, but for anyone else needing the info:


View post on imgur.com
I’ve got nothing to say other than that you’re a legend. I’ve seen several other of your retrofit posts and they’re all incredible.

(Also, I took the easy way out and got a Canadian spec which comes with ambient air from the factory…I will likely miss it in my next car, I find it to be an underrated feature)
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      03-08-2024, 11:32 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gautam View Post
I’ve got nothing to say other than that you’re a legend. I’ve seen several other of your retrofit posts and they’re all incredible.

(Also, I took the easy way out and got a Canadian spec which comes with ambient air from the factory…I will likely miss it in my next car, I find it to be an underrated feature)
I took the even easier way out:

Amber is my favorite.
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