[TheNickster]

Read around on the forums about alternatives, and maybe I'm lazy or just wanted to stay as "stock" as possible(?!?), but the ~$300 for Bimmertech to activate and the subsequent 1year free subscription (I had a current account from prior vehicle and Sirius credited my back $247 to my CC) was well worth it - in a sense, it paid for itself and use is seamless.

https://www.bimmer-tech.net/shop/bmw...radio-retrofit

The only issue (on my side) was my internet connection was weak where I was at, so it took a couple tries for me to maintain a connection. The tech on the other end of the line was very patient. Basically they send you the ODBC cable and you install a couple programs on your laptop and schedule an appointment (mine was 9am on a Sunday - my choice).

Anyway, thought I would share my positive experience.