Buying this week- idrive question

[rh71]

Originally Posted by apw2607

I just retrofitted the 2012 idrive in my 2009 x5 that had the older CCC based idrive.

bmwretrofit or where? Did you do it yourself? How much pls?

[apw2607]

Originally Posted by SCardamon

Reaaaaly!? Would this work on an 07'? Just curious and does that 3k include the programming needed by the dealer? Thanks for the info!

Just a few points to clarify. I will be posting a new article on the retrofit once I've finished off a few loose ends.

Yes it would be applicable to a 07. Prices vary depending on how the car is configured and what features you want enabled. There's also a few paths to the same outcome, and depending on the path you choose, prices vary. $3K is a good ball park price though.

Now, to be clear. BMW do not offer this retrofit. So there's a few things you need to understand.

1) Since BMW don't offer it, you'll need to do the installation yourself, or work with a shop to do it for you.

2) and more importantly, you'll need to work with a vendor that can do the programming aspect for you. In a way, that's the most important bit of the retrofit.

Now a very important bit. Should you're car ever need to be programmed by the dealer due to a necessary software update, the old system will need to be put back in temporarily. That's just the way it is. For regular maintenance, etc you can leave the new system in.

Now, installation is something folks can do themselves. Just makes sure you've got some good tools and you're clear what you need to do. Once its clear .. and you know how things are removed, I believe you can swap the system in and out within 30 minutes.

Again, i will post more info once its all finished up. Hope this helps.

[apw2607]

Originally Posted by rh71

bmwretrofit or where? Did you do it yourself? How much pls?

I did the installation myself. The hardware and all coding services was provided by Patryk @ Bimmertech. I highly recommend his services ... excellent !

As I said in the previous post, prices vary depending on what options you have and how you want to approach the retrofit ... however $3k is a good ball park figure.

[Lubehead]

I can't see ever recouping any of that investment nor can I understand why one would feel it necessary. And the fact that you would have to reinstall the OEM system in case of servicing it makes it even more ludicrous. WTF? I bet you could count on one hand all of the people in the the world who would do this. Buy a newer car.

[apw2607]

Originally Posted by Lubehead

I can't see ever recouping any of that investment nor can I understand why one would feel it necessary. And the fact that you would have to reinstall the OEM system in case of servicing it makes it even more ludicrous. WTF? I bet you could count on one hand all of the people in the the world who would do this. Buy a newer car.

Servicing ... No.

Programming ... Yes.

Programming occurs less and less as the car gets older.

To buy a newer a car to get a navigation system IS ludicrous, and the cost would be significantly more. The last thing I want is a new e70 with end of life in sight.

[ard]

I'll also add that the BMW nav maps based on TeleAtlas are inferior and fraught with errors... people have noted that when upgrading from the older maps (Navteq) to the newer maps, their experience has actually been worse.

apw- you'll prolly be able to part out that nav/idrve update and recoup 50-66% if/when you get rid of it...just saying

[jeremym]

Interesting. Now my brain is ticking along thinking about a winter project...

[rh71]

forgot to ask, is it still the old inferior backup camera though?

[apw2607]

Originally Posted by rh71

forgot to ask, is it still the old inferior backup camera though?

Yes. I didn't change that. I guess you could though.

It's more reponsive though and overal the picture is better as the screen resolution is improved on the display.