M3 Sat Nav Question

[Rousey]

Hi all

As of Saturday I became the proud owner of an '03 M3 Convertible. Firstly I have to say that it is an amazing car - I have always previously owned Renaults with the last being a 225 Megane so you can imagine my excitement!!

I had a couple of questions regarding the Sat Nav and you have to believe I have tried finding the answers but there are so many threads and posts about it that it became a diffuclt task. i am knowehere near up to speed on the jargon either having never owned a BMW so I've done my best to break down what I thinks right.

1) From what I can tell my Sat Nav has never been updated. So first thing is to install V32 which I have downloaded. Even though the deck in the boot is DVD I have to burn this .iso to a CD and install it as opposed to DVD?

2) Then I need a newer version of the map disk? At present I have the original that came with the car. Will this still work with the V32 update just not as comprehensively?

3) Can the latest map disk be downloaded and burnt? I am guessing it can but I'm reading it map slow the sat nav down, urban myth?

4) And lastly, is 2009-01 the latest that will work with my car, I'm readin various threads that if you go 2009-02 you need iDrive Sat Nav? I may have that completely wrong however.

Thank you in advance and I apologise as I am sure this has all probably been asked 1000 times but I am struggling to find the simple answers to this amongst all the threads.

Paul

[Brian-bmw]

Originally Posted by Rousey

1) Even though the deck in the boot is DVD I have to burn this .iso to a CD and install it as opposed to DVD?

It sounds like you have a MKIV DVD-based navigation computer. Yes, the standard OS update disk is a CD. (You could burn it to a DVD if you wanted to, but I would stick with CD.)

Originally Posted by Rousey

2) Then I need a newer version of the map disk? At present I have the original that came with the car. Will this still work with the V32 update just not as comprehensively?

Yes, your original map disk will work with the car after you do the V32 update.

Originally Posted by Rousey

3) Can the latest map disk be downloaded and burnt? I am guessing it can but I'm reading it map slow the sat nav down, urban myth?

Yes, but this is priacy. It is not urban myth that many MKIV nav computers have difficulty reading copies (I have one of them). Some MKIV computers are fine with backup copies, but many are not-- if you search this forum, you will find dozens of folks posting experiences where their nav computers crash frequently with copies.

Originally Posted by Rousey

4) And lastly, is 2009-01 the latest that will work with my car, I'm readin various threads that if you go 2009-02 you need iDrive Sat Nav?

2009.2 High is out for Europe. The US is still on 2009.1, so that may be the source of some confusion.

[Rousey]

Thank you for answering my questions!

I will try to find a 2nd hand map disk that is Official as I bet the dealerships want an arm and a leg

[KiwiJochen]

BEFORE trying to load new OS, CONFIRM the currently loaded OS version.

Look in the top right corner of the Settings screen.
Current version for the Mk4 is 4-1/00 (means 4-1/100).

1) On a Mk4 you can load OS from CD or DVD.

2) Newer map discs have newer maps. If you want newer maps, get a newer disc. But the old one will still work. It just won't be so up to date. Just like a paper map 5 yrs old is not as up to date as a paper map from this year.

3) Burnt discs read slower than new discs, can make a big difference if your laser is old and tired. BMW recommend you use pressed (new) discs only.

4) Current map for Europe is 2009-02. It is available from BMW.

[Rousey]

Originally Posted by KiwiJochen

BEFORE trying to load new OS, CONFIRM the currently loaded OS version.

Look in the top right corner of the Settings screen.
Current version for the Mk4 is 4-1/00 (means 4-1/100).

1) On a Mk4 you can load OS from CD or DVD.

2) Newer map discs have newer maps. If you want newer maps, get a newer disc. But the old one will still work. It just won't be so up to date. Just like a paper map 5 yrs old is not as up to date as a paper map from this year.

3) Burnt discs read slower than new discs, can make a big difference if your laser is old and tired. BMW recommend you use pressed (new) discs only.

4) Current map for Europe is 2009-02. It is available from BMW.

Sorry Jochen, are you saying just make sure i dont have the most up to date already or it will corrupt it? The one I have must be the most basic as it is not even animated unless you have the birds eye view ha

Does the V32 purely update the Sat Nav or is it the whole interface for the computer/telephone/cds etc? As i have seen some screen shots of the monitor where it shows for example track anmes and artists. Unless thats some sort of ipod accessory I guess?

Also (Sorry I know I am probably being a pain) but if you want to change the splash screen do you do that somewhere in the v32 files? I saw a guide somewhere for doing it but just wondered if it was that update disk, the 'M' logo looks a lot better than the standard BMW if you ask me.

Thanks again for your help, I read this was the best place to come and its proving so!

[KiwiJochen]

> are you saying just make sure i dont have the most up to date already or it will corrupt it?

Correct. If the nav is up to date, then don't touch it. Then you won't damage it. There is a chance that a reflash will fail (has happened to some people, see other posts in this forum) therefore only do a reflash if it needs it.

> Does the V32 purely update the Sat Nav or is it the whole interface for the computer/telephone/cds etc?

This is one and the same. The nav provides the interface for the entire system.

> As i have seen some screen shots of the monitor where it shows for example track anmes and artists. Unless thats some sort of ipod accessory I guess?

Yep, ipod accessory.

> if you want to change the splash screen do you do that somewhere in the v32 files?

Correct.

[Rousey]

Thank you!

Paul

[NBTBRV8]

Paul,

As you've got an M3 come over and join us at www.mtorque.co.uk