Why can't BMWs be this simple?!
 

We all know how difficult a nav retrofit is on an X5, or any BMW for that matter....

Well, my friend drives an '03 M-B ML320. They ordered it without nav. A few weeks ago they decided they wanted nav. They took the car to their dealer (Mercedes Benz of Princeton in Lawrenceville, NJ) and they just put it in! How can it be that simple? Granted, it already had the screen from the COMAND system, but you'd think they'd have to do all sorts of wiring. I'm guessing the car doesn't come pre-wired for nav... :dunno:

BMW will gladly do it for you. You just have to give them money.

No, most dealers won't touch that.

I agree because when I had my 325Ci BMW of Manhattan and Pace BMW told me that they won't even quote me due to the fact that they don't do that anymore. the guy claimed that all the retrofits that were done by dealers would have many problems

Why on God's green earth...
 

... would anyone go to the time and expense to retrofit BMW NAV. It is second only to the I-Drive in poor user interface design and functionality. I'm a degreed Industrial Designer who managed North and South America for the largest Geographic Informations System company in the world and I didn't even order NAV on my new X5. Oh, I think it looks cool too to and who wants not to have ALL the toys (even if that's what they are, lol), but that's $1800! Am I wrong?

Nope, you are exactly right....the Germans should leave the electronics to the Japanese!

It is not always that simple, CJ. Before my X, I had an '01 C-class without Nav or COMAND. Let me tell you, retro-fitting that car is a nightmare, and most dealers won't do it. I guess it all depends on the vehicle.

Juan

you can't generalize so broadly like this, South Bay BMW and Long Beach BMW would do any retrofit or mod that I asked, it was just about $$$$. Modding any car is a snap as long as you do your homework first, deal with a reputable vendor and know what you're doing, and if it's not that easy, well, as they say, nothing nothing worthwhile ever comes easy.

I didn't think the nav in the X5 was bad at all. It took some getting used to (a whole 20 minutes of just playing with it) and after that I had no trouble at all. It's not as easy as some, but it's not that bad.

If I was gonna sell my Bimmer, factory Nav would surely add more to the resale value than an aftermarket system that attaches to the windshield with a suction cup and plugs into the cigarette lighter or a screen that blocks the ventilation system when it is deployed. Also, if you have a problem with factory Nav, you take it to the dealer. You deal with a technician who has senior techs and all sorts of troubleshooting manuals and readily accessible parts to repair it with. You can't do that with your aftermarket Nav.

It ain't the greatest Nav in the world, for sure, the Infiniti Nav has that 'bird's eye view' which I really think is superior, but it'll do.

JV