BMW 6 Series Hands-Free Calling Issues, Microphone Dead?

Hi there! I have some experience working on cars and faced something very similar with my 2011 BMW 5 Series (coming from a previous 3 Series). The infotainment system completely failed on mine too, couldn't make calls, mic wasn't working, the whole thing was a mess. Took it to my regular workshop and they found that the main control unit was defective. Had to replace the entire module which cost me around 815 Euro, but it fixed everything. The repair took about a day. Just to help better, could you share if you're getting any specific error messages? Also, have you noticed any other electrical issues like problems with the radio or navigation? These details would help determine if you're dealing with the same problem I had.

Thanks for sharing your experience! Mine has been running well until now (195455 KM on the clock). Actually, I'm not seeing any other electrical issues, radio and nav are working perfectly fine. The only error message I get is specifically related to the hands-free system failure. It's good to know about the control unit possibility, but I'm hoping it might just be the mic since everything else seems to work. Did your mechanic check the microphone itself before replacing the whole module?

Hey again! Yeah, I totally get why you're hoping it's just the mic, definitely would be the cheaper option! Actually, when I had my issue, the mechanic did check the microphone first. They ran some diagnostics and even tested the mic connections before concluding it was the control unit. Looking back, I probably should have mentioned this in my first reply, my bad! The thing that makes me lean towards it being more than just the mic in your case is that I started with very similar symptoms, everything else working fine except for the calling function. I was also hoping for a simple mic fix since my car was running great otherwise (mine had about 180000 KM at the time). But here's something interesting, when they tested my microphone, it was actually perfectly fine. The problem was in how the control unit was processing the audio signals. That's why they had to replace the whole module in the end. Maybe you could ask your mechanic to specifically test the mic first? That way, you'll know for sure before getting into the more expensive repairs. Better to rule out the simple fix before jumping to conclusions, right? Let me know how it goes, really curious if you're dealing with the same issue I had!

Thanks so much for the detailed explanation! You've actually made me feel a bit better about the whole situation. I'll definitely ask the mechanic to test the microphone first, that makes total sense as a starting point. Really hoping it won't end up being the control unit, but at least now I know what I might be dealing with if it turns out to be more serious. Interesting that your symptoms were so similar to mine. I'll book it in for next week and make sure they do a thorough check of both the mic and the control unit. The car's been so reliable up until now, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much about one repair. Will probably update this thread once I know what the actual problem is, might help someone else with the same issue down the line. Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience. Really helpful!