Quote:
Originally Posted by romeokc10
Oh really, then why didn't they wire all the cars for navigation so you wouldn't have to tear the freaking interior out of the car to add navigation...lol!  IMHO they're terrible when it comes to pre-wiring. |
+1
Wiring or other items that are not used in a model has nothing to do with BMW thinking about the market for add-ons after the sale. It has *everything* to do with the higher costs associated with the manufacture of a zillion different pieces and parts. It's often called 'lean manufacturing.'
For instance, BMW can make a harness with an $.11 LED or a $.08 plastic connection in a loom whether it's plugged in or not. It costs more in the process to use different parts than it does to make only one with all the connections included. The difference comes in when major changes like navigation- that the original owner pays dearly to cover the added costs- require radically different connections or additional physical wires to work.
You see the same kind of thing at a grander scale across many models with the same (or similar) motors, exhaust manifolds, transmissions, and even some suspension parts. I bet you'd find that the navigation harness for an E53 and an E39 is the same.