does anyone have aftermarket nav?

[adventurelarry]

I have a Garmin C330 and love it. It is very user friendly, and amazingly accurate. It is very different than my hiking GPS, as it does not give latitude/longitude. It has detailed maps, accurate directions, and easy very easy to upgrade maps via USB.

--Larry

[DrewH]

I've just installed a Garmin Streetpilot 2610 in my '04 X3. It's far more user-friendly and offers many more features than the BMW factory nav. that I had in my 1999 740i. After using the 2610 for a month now, I definitely prefer it over a unit that is built into the car. The fact that I'm not locked into aging hardware that may become obsolete in a few years (as did my '99 740i nav. system), and the portability of a system that you can easily take with you when travelling in other vehicles are what sold me. But to each their own.

As far as the Garmin 2610 goes, it's a solid performing unit. By using a CF memory card instead of a hard drive it should prove to be reliable as well. The 2610 is recommended for use on motorcycles due to their added vibration (not good for a hard drive based unit).

To see some reviews of portable units there are a number of sites out there but one that's been reviewing GPS units for quite a while is www.gpsinformation.net .

[DEF]

I have fitted a Tom Tom Go unit within the dash top storage bin, were the BMW factory unit would sit.

The unit is hard wired in witha small hole under the rubber matting and the unit lays flat with the lid closed when not needed. It is a very tight fit, but the lid does close OK if the unit is laid flat. The lid keeps the sun of the screen and also provides security when the unit is flat and closed inside.

I was a bit worried that the signal would not get through the storage bin cover when open, but it works very well and I usually have 100% strength. In and around the centre of London i do loose a bit of signal strength, but i guess this would happen anyway.

Tom Tom in UK at the moment are about £250, so this has worked out much cheeper than the BMW own unit, and suits my needs fine

[Bradmax57]

Originally Posted by DEF

I have fitted a Tom Tom Go unit within the dash top storage bin, were the BMW factory unit would sit.

The unit is hard wired in witha small hole under the rubber matting and the unit lays flat with the lid closed when not needed. It is a very tight fit, but the lid does close OK if the unit is laid flat. The lid keeps the sun of the screen and also provides security when the unit is flat and closed inside.

I was a bit worried that the signal would not get through the storage bin cover when open, but it works very well and I usually have 100% strength. In and around the centre of London i do loose a bit of signal strength, but i guess this would happen anyway.

Tom Tom in UK at the moment are about £250, so this has worked out much cheeper than the BMW own unit, and suits my needs fine

Nice going, and tbh its a far better system