Aftermarket Sound/Nav: Yes or No?

[Toopskees]

First post. I am in the final stages of ordering my X5 and need some prompt advice.

Initially, I selected both the Technology Package and the Premium Sound Package. During my test drive, I noticed that the navigation system left a lot to be desired. For instance, I was driving on an expressway but the system kept telling me to "bear left" as if I were on the access road and it wanted me to enter the highway. Also, there was no indication as to what street I was currently driving on. After reading many posts in this and other forums, I learned that the BMW nav system is an inferior product.

The standard sound system in the test drive vehicle was barely adequate. They did not have a tester with Premium Sound, but I chose this option because I am somewhat of an audiophile. The additional power, extra speakers/subwoofer, and equalizer can only enhance the sound quality.

In all my previous vehicles, I have had custom-installed high end aftermarket systems. I have a friend who owns a local custom car stereo place, so I can get fairly good prices.

So here are my questions:

Should I take the easy way out and accept an inferior sound and nav system pre-installed at the factory, or go with a higher quality aftermarket system?

Does aftermarket equipment add anything to resale value?

Can an aftermarket system integrate with iDrive?

Would I be in jeopardy of voiding the warranty if I add aftermarket equipment and something else goes wrong?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[Eric Giles]

I will try to answer your questions and give my opinion on this.

You can add aftermarket amplifiers and speakers to the system-this has been done from what I have seen on other forums and supposedly has good results if the installer knows what he is doing.

As far as adding aftermarket head unit/navigation to the factory iDrive system...well with enough money and installer know-how I guess anything is possible, but as far as I know in practical terms it's not an option. Not only do you not really have a physical location to install the equipment in the dash, integrating it into the BMW MOST system bus would not be an easy undertaking. I've personally seen how much of a problem just adding a factory BMW ipod adapter to the system can be and all the issues it can cause-I wouldn't ever want to try to throw an aftermarket piece of equipment into the mix.

As far as adding to the resale value? In general, no-not at all-and in some people's eyes can actually decrease the value-especially if not done correctly. As far as voiding the warranty-I guess it would depend on the extent of the modifications that you made. Diagnosing and working on just the factory electronics can already be a huge headache to the BMW techs-put an aftermarket item into the mix and most will probably not even want to touch it.

My opinion? Go with the factory navigation system-in my honestly very short experience with it, it works very well overall. Any navigation system can glitch at some point, and maybe that is what you experienced. As far as the premium sound goes, I have it in my '07 4.8i and although the system may have changed since then, overall very pleased with the sound quality, Have I heard and owned aftermarket systems that are better? Oh yes-but overall I am very happy with the premium sound upgrade and feel no need to upgrade.

[firedawgs]

I just bought my 09' X5 35d. I lost some amenities that I had in my last car including NAV, blue tooth, and sirrius. But, same as you driving the one with the NAV and seeing that it was not quite the most accurate, I chose to negate the NAV as it is not worth the money. I can sacrifice having a aftermarket NAV which I already bought with life time map updates and lifetime traffic. The NAV is going to be hardwired and wires hidden. The $200 I paid out weighed the $2K BMW NAV charge. But that is my two cents.

As for blue tooth, I plan on doing the parrot blue tooth install; which is direct install and using factory speakers for sound. It is a very nice system. Don't ask me why BMW does not have blue tooth stock on their vehicles as for Sirius? And $550 for each for just the unit is retarded to say the least.

[Kloogy]

I have had very elaborate aftermarket navi/sound systems in some of my previous vehicles. In my personal opinion, this is not the vehicle to do this in. The stock Navi and Premium sound is more than adequate. If you want to spice up the audio setup, it can be done very simply by adding a small sub, or replacing the stock speakers. I like this vehicle way too much to go hacking it up, even though my Audio guy works on Bentleys Lambo's etc.

[NotEntirelyJack]

You can upgrade the sound system if you get someone who knows what they are doing. I did this to my car after I experienced the horrible sound from the base system. I am not an audiophile but I did have a loaner 3 series with the premium sound and it was horrible compared to my system. My installer added a new amp, new tweeters, new speakers in the front and woofers under the seats. The rear speakers were kept the same and the sound is fantastic. The navigation is not very good but the google search which is extra money helps. I think if you didnt mind having cords hanging down, having the nav system on your window and taking it down when you parked it so it didnt get broken into to then an aftermarket nav would be much better. I personally dont like dealing with those problems so I am happier with the factory system.

[pk9394]

i think bmw will point finger onto your aftermarket system if something when wrong on your car maybe they will void your warranty instantly if they see you have a cool sound system in your car. unless you don't care the warranty!

[NotEntirelyJack]

My car has been in for warranty service and they have never commented on my system. All warranty issues were taken care of.