'GPS Navigation' not in menu

[AdiHH]

Hello.
I bought a 1995 E38 a few days ago with the old 4:3 monitor and a mk1 navi.
In the menu it says I have 1-1/72 software version.... but....

The option for 'GPS navigation' is not itself on the menu. I see only: Phone, Auxilliary.., TV, OBC, Monitor Off, Settings, Code.

Does anyone have any idea why the 'GPS Navigation' option is missing, despite the software version being visible??

[Brian-bmw]

Sounds like the MKI nav computer is either missing, disconnected, or broken. The TV module actually runs the whole system with the MKI-era stuff. You could try to find a used MKI computer, or take advantage of the opportunity to upgrade to a flashier MKIII or MKIV.

[AdiHH]

Brian, thanks for the quick reply.

So a faulty TV/Video Module will disable a MK1 nav unit. Did I understand you correctly?

Yes, I think I will go straight to a MK4, then I can throw away the TV/Vid module (assuming I don't want TV) and remove the old Trimble module and plug the GPS antenna straight into the MK4. I prefer to upgrade in stages, where possible. So I would leave the old 4:3 monitor in place and replace that last of all. I know I need to get a 'conversion harness' to connect the MK4 nav into the I-Bus. Again, am I correct in this?

Maybe later I can change the radio module to a BM54 so I get TMC and other stuff, like MP3 support.

[Brian-bmw]

Originally Posted by AdiHH

So a faulty TV/Video Module will disable a MK1 nav unit. Did I understand you correctly?

What I meant was that hte TV/Video module runs the whole display, and the MKI nav computer acts as a slave to the TV/Video module. Therefore, if the MKI computer dies, the system will continue to work just fine, but the "GPS Navigation" option will simply dissappear from the menu.

Originally Posted by AdiHH

Yes, I think I will go straight to a MK4, then I can throw away the TV/Vid module (assuming I don't want TV) and remove the old Trimble module and plug the GPS antenna straight into the MK4. I prefer to upgrade in stages, where possible. So I would leave the old 4:3 monitor in place and replace that last of all. I know I need to get a 'conversion harness' to connect the MK4 nav into the I-Bus. Again, am I correct in this?

Maybe later I can change the radio module to a BM54 so I get TMC and other stuff, like MP3 support.

You have the details exactly right. I did this exact same upgrade to my car. You have to pull the MKI, Trimble module, and TV/Video module. Then, you replace the MKI trunk harness with the MKIII/MKIV harness, and the new MKIII/MKIV stuff will plug right in. You can do the screen later, if you like.

Same with the radio. You can upgrade to a newer BM54 radio and gain those new features. But, you can do the radio any time you want, as it is totally independent of the screen and nav computer.

[AdiHH]

Great! I learned quite a lot over the last few days on this and the other bmw forums and it's good to know that it sunk in. Thanks for the help.

[ambishop]

no map in computer