getting to that fuse box is no joke either. its recessed deep in glove box. there is a trim panel along bottom of the glove box, which presumably allows access, but it clearly says "airbag," so no way im sticking my head under there to remove said trim. i know you can disconnect battery and then do so with impunity, but again, im not THAT interested in doing it at this point.
i'll wait for someone else to conquer, or bring to an auto audio specialist, preferably someone who's done lots of BMW work.
or wait for someone here to do a DIY write-up