Time for an aside. I like to do these once every so often. I find talking about general X-Type ownership keeps the interest in these cars up. So without further ado....
I've mentioned a number of time that I have a GSM phone. I retro-fitted it myself and it works just fine. However. It's old tech. If I had a mobile phone. I would've fitted the bluetooth modules to my Jag. So, the question is: What would've I done if I had a mobile phone?
My 2002 Jag had a phone loom fitted at the factory as standard. However. It was for the GSM phone and not the bluetooth. I would have to buy the bluetooth loom. The bluetooth loom has extra wires. Excuse me while I take off on a tangent.
When I fitted voice control. I bought another phone loom, so I could modify it outside the car. This I did. The phone loom I bought was for the bluetooth phone. Happily. It was backwards compatable. My GSM phone works quite happily. Back to the plot!
Changing the loom was simple. Remove the lower part of the rear seat. Remove the centre console. Tape the new loom to the old and pull! Easy.
The factory bluetooth setup requires three other major parts. The main module that sits in the boot. It should be noted that the bluetooth and GSM module uses the same metal casings. If you're buying a module. Make sure it hasn't got GSM written on the label. You don't want that one. You want the one that has NAP2K on it.The other module is a small black plastic one. It's marked BTUM. It's connected to the end of the loom that's under the centre console (Yes. The loom has two ends!). The third part is the microphone. This sits on the outside of the courtesy light unit on the roof. It does mean removing the courtesy light unit to conect the microphone. It also means punching a hole through the roof lining to thread the microphone wire though. You're almost ready to replace the centre console.
I have a two level centre armrest. In the top level, sits the GSM phone. The bottom level contains cassettes (Remember those?). If I had a bluetooth phone. I'd have it in the top level. There's a problem though. I'd want to power the phone. As the centre console was off. I'd run a power lead from the back of the cigar lighter through to the top level of the centre armrest. Once tested, I'd replace the centre armrest assembly.
I'd now have a phone in the top level of the armrest. It would be powered when the ignition was switched on. I'd now need to hook up the module that sits in the boot.
Since I already had a CD changer. The rack would already be fitted. I'd have to take the rack out and fit the phone module. The other end of the loom fits right in. This is where a last minor part is needed. That's the fibre optic D2B cable.
When I fitted the 'goodies' to my Jag. I bought assorted D2B cables. I then took them apart and built the cable I needed. Any modules in the boot need to be 'daisy chained' together. So, if you had a CD changer and a phone. You'd need a D2B cable with three ends. One for the CD changer. One for the phone and one to connect to the major D2B cable in the boot.
Handy hint. Buy cheap single cables. Multi module cables are expensive! Take the single cables apart and build your own.
There is now one last task. That's to 'pair' the phone to the modules. I can't tell you exactly how it's done, as I don't have a mobile phone, but it involved entering a code into the keypad in the radio. Once entered. The car will then look for the phone (Just make sure the phone is switched on). Once the phone has been found. It'll be 'paired'.
There you have it. You'll be able to operate your mobile phone by using the keypad that's on the radio. If you wanted to be really cheeky. Add voice contol. Then you'll be completely hands free!
As a side note. People often ask if they can stream music from their phone. Sadly no. That's a different system. Why not do what I did. Fit a CD changer and create your own CD's?
