New Dynavin Installed

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Hello Xoutposters!

I wanted to make this thread a couple of weeks ago, but better late than never! I randomly stumbled across the new v6 Dynavin for e39 a couple of weeks ago, and thought it was the time to finally purchase it. Initially, I was not interested in it due to the dreaded "forehead" the v5 and below had.

You can purchase it through J&T Distributing Store. They are located in Fresno, CA, so shipping was overnight for me in San Francisco. They have both an Android versions and a Windows CE version. I opted for the Windows CE version due to lower cost, and I want a navigation headunit, and not a tablet. Although the Android is very cool, you need internet or a data plan to make the most of it. There are functionality problems with the Android system documented very well on e46fanatics.

Upon initially seeing it, it was very well made. The plastics match the cabin very well and I am no disappointed at the design of it. At night, the BMW amber lights are an exact match. The buttons even match the OEM navigation. Although in pictures, it looks like the surface of the headunit is flat, it is slightly curved; however, not to the extent of the Haulingan unit.

Installation:

The installation requires some drilling or dremel-ing. I tried dremel-ing, but it will take forever and you will go through a lot of sanding discs. I got fed up and used a power drill and a long bit. If you have Business CD and MID, you have to drill part of the housing bracket. It comes with included brackets which you are to screw onto your dash, but I think it is for the e39. Mine sits in the housing very tightly. I will have to find a way to properly secure it in the future (velcro, maybe). There's a photo below of what I did. Other than that, everything is plug and play. I wired the included microphone to the OEM location, running up the passenger-side A-pillar. I also attached the magnetic GPS antenna onto the passenger-side A-pillar. Please note: Do not just stuff the wires into the A-pillar trim. Please take off the trim and wire it so you clear the airbag.

My review of its use:

So there are two sides to the device. A multimedia side controlling all inputs (RCA, backup cam, iPod, Radio, SD, USB, Disc, and Bluetooth A2DP), and the navigation side running an executable. You can run any .exe made for WinCE, so you're not just limited to running a navigation application. For the most part, it works pretty well. The interface needs some polishing, but I don't think anyone will be truly disappointed. In navigation mode, you can select all inputs except A2DP; however, Phone calls still go through. You can use the voice command button on your steering wheel to answer and end calls.

I also had the chance to use my bumblebee camera which I installed 4 years ago with great results. Shifting into reverse, the camera automatically comes on, and all sound turn off. I tapped the passenger-side reverse light and ran the wire to the front of the cabin.

Since I did not want to lose my OBC functionality, I extended the MID harness into the glove box. It sits happily in there, and I can reset and change the time with no problem.

After a lot of searching on the internet (a lot of information available at e46fanatics), I was able to obtain iGo Primo, and I have to say, it's one of the best navigation applications I have used. The image quality, maps, menus, and functions are very well rendered, and the interface is surprisingly smooth.

It was definitely a good purchase. I hope you all will decide to get one too!

Here are pics: