Relocating NAV unit after installing Eonon - is it possible?
 

Hi Guys,

I've been taking a break from working on the X for the past couple of months...got a Volvo to use daily so the X can get a much deserved rest.

I want to slowly get back into working on some of the issues and thought I'd start with this one: Is it possible to move the OEM Nav Unit to the back after installing aftermarket unit? I know it's possible to do so with the MID (to glove box or back) but after searching for a while I see no one has mentioned if the same can be done to the Nav Unit.

The reason I want to do this is because of the Auxiliary function that I need to access. I don't care much for the other functions.

Thanks in advance gents.

I cant see why not?

Physical size and location is the only concern I can imagine right now.

I havent done it though so i'd be interested to know as well.

I'm thinking the same, especially when the original harness is not being used anymore...it's just sitting there behind the new unit.

As for space, I need to investigate if the dvd and cd changer are still important as I don't use them anymore. I'm not sure if the Eonon harness depends on them or not? That would free up plenty of space.

BMW X5 4.8iS 2005

Isnt there some space above the CD changer? I think the nav might fit there?

I had a look and there would have been space over the DVD Nav system if it wasn't for that silver box (which I don't know what it is...?) It has a black and purple cable attached at the top of it, thin and looks like some sort of antenne perhaps....?

The tapatalk app is not allowing me to upload the photo, no matter the format...sorry about that.

BMW X5 4.8iS 2005

I dont think I have and I dont see anything on realoem about it at the moment.

I dont know what it is, but I would think it can be moved. I'm thinking the best place for the nav would be in the area above the changer. You may be able to relocate that silver box. There is a black trim panel under the load floor right at the foot of the left side door that a lot of people have removed to put audio amps, maybe you could move the silver box thingy there?

Going to start work on this today...stay tuned :)

BMW X5 4.8iS 2005

So you are going for it, eh?

Pics or it's not happening! :P

Haha I've taken plenty of pics but can't upload them from the phone. Will do it later tonight when I get some time.

The preliminary verdict is that it Works! First I connected the oem unit upfront (didn't disconnect the eonon) and it came on, everything worked but the sound which is understandable.

The second and most important thing I did was switch off the DSP and set all levels at medium (this was advised in a different thread), it helped the volume on the eonon to stay the same when switching on the car....no need to adjust it every time anymore.

3rd and a little dissapointing point is the relocation of the oem to the back. There is literally no space whatsoever anywhere, the oem unit is a lot bigger than I thought and I'd have to lose the boot side cover if I'm installing it in the metal frame together with the dvd/cd etc. This lead me to try and see if the Eonon will still function if I disconnected the Nav system, cd changer and that weird silver box....and it did. So now I took out the metal frame all together and left a big hole with a super wire/plugs mess. There is enough space now for sure but I don't know yet how to fix the oem in place.

The final and what's probably going to be the most painful task is to pull back the oem wiring from the front....I know i couldn't follow that route when connecting the eonon so I'm worried I might get stuck here.

To be continued....


BMW X5 4.8iS 2005

No need to pull back the oem wiring from the front. Someone relocated the MID to the rear and it worked perfectly. He popped the pins out of the original connector, insulated them and left them behind the ashtray, after noting the colours and position on the connector. Using the now free connector he searched a couple of looms for the corresponding coloured wires at the rear and popped the pins out of the connectors they were on. He then re-inserted the wires/pins into the matching positions on the free connector from the front.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...l-pics-63.html

Please continue to update this thread with your progress.

X5only, nice links!

I think one of Awntchi's problems is that the nav unit he has is physicallly bigger than the usual mid unit. I dont think it will fit in the glove box.

Right, but he eventually created space for the nav in the rear. His challenge now is fixing the nav in place now that the frame in the rear is out. I think he will succeed. I had tried but didn't get enough time to investigate.

Right, I get it. We are now at the wiring.

Just a little more!

X5only: thanks for the link...I got a chance to help someone there while I was reading thorugh it :) I'll look into the availability of wires at the back....somehow i doubt I'll find the ones that turn the screen on buy never say never. Plan B would be to disconnect the connectors up front and pull/fish out the cable.

g300: pics are coming in a couple of minutes :)

BMW X5 4.8iS 2005

Here we go...

As you can see from the first pic...there is no space anywhere, the only possibility was between the top silverbox and Nav system but once the oem unit got there it was quickly evident I wouldn't fit even with the silver box off.

The second pic: Closer look at the gap between above mentioned items...I was hoping that the end sticking out on the oem unit would go in there but even if it did the oem screen would hit and almost fully cover the whole NAv system. So that's a no go.

3rd pic: The Nav system and silver box taken off the metal frame. It frees up (what I thought) plenty off space but Nope...see pic 4.

Pic 4: The top part of the metal frame is too narrow for the oem unit to go through, in addition, that area is not deep anyway so even if the frame was wider the unit would hit the wall before getting into required position. So that didn't work. Next is to remove the frame all together.

Pic 5: This was attached to the top of the frame...looks like the GPS antenna perhaps? Anyway, I took it off together with all other units, the silver box, nav system, cd changer and finally the frame.

Pic 6: This is how the oem unit would sit once I find a way to fix it in place. It looks really messy but I would clean that up of course. The positive thing is that I can utilize the original frame attachment locations if I want to make my own frame (which I think I will have to do).

Pic 7: Who can tell me that what this connector is for? It's just sitting there bundled up with a thick harness...:confused:

Next is to figure out a way with the connectors/harness. I'll investigate this once the cats and dogs stop falling down from the sky's.

Nice! So it CAN be done.

One of the things that crosses my mind sometimes is changing out the HU.

Good to know it can be done while retaining OBC functionality with the hidden nav.

Thanks for documenting!

It can definately be done. I just learned that to keep the functionalities and be able to turn the screen on I must keep the Nav system. That's ok though...there is space. I'm going now to mock up a custom frame out of cardboard...easier than tracing the cable as it's still raining a lot.

BMW X5 4.8iS 2005

aaand here's some pics of the mock frame:

Pic 1: I've decided that the best location for the nav screen is at the top with a 45 degree angle or so. The left side will therefore consist of two pieces as seen in pic. I've taken into account the attachment points for the NAV system that's going to be placed at the bottom.

Pic 2: The right side isn't as straight forward unfortunately. This is due to the original frame attachment point at top side. It is located to the right of the frame while the left side is above the frame (we like above the frame). At the bottom end I utilized the attachment point that hold the amp in place. The mock cardboard consists of two pieces here but it can be done in one piece.

Pic 3: This is how the Nav system will sit, basically same as before but lower down. I'm curious to see if the back end of it will hit the back end of the nav screen...we'll see.

Pic 4: It's not very clear but piece three is now attached....it's to support the nav screen from the bottom. This is all I did for now.

If I had a pre-drilled hole on the right side (like the left) I would have completed this frame tomorrow but now it's going to be a maze of pieces on that side as I need to make sure the unit is supported properly....which mean all the way to the top. Unless I permanently fix an attachment point at the top and end this quickly. :dunno:

This is unfortunate. I was hoping to keep the screen for access to the OBC functions and ditch everything else (nav included) when doing my Avin install into my DSP/Nav 4.8is. :(

Thanks for doing the leg work (along with others contributing) and keep us updated.

I felt the same when I found out about having to keep the nav system but its not the end of the world...

My latest update (short version): It was impossible getting the frame parts that I needed where I live so I ditched the idea. I went today to a diy store and just had a browse...that's when the stupid hat fell off and a light came on :) I got a hose/tyre rack and decided I'd adapt it to the nav screen...it worked like a charm :D see pic. I'll get into the details later.

Next is the wire loom...

Le incredible! Brilliant! Improvisation at a high level!

Really cool! This will be useful info to us future (and current) nav refitters!

Yes I'm really hoping this will work but the fat lady is still quiet....

Quick update: I've started work on tracing the loom and ended up removing the whole middle console and stripped out most of the boot area :/ The biggest issue I'm having now is that the loom is bundled together with other mini looms...these mini looms seem to go to many points along the route from the back and to the front of the car (see pics). I have no problem with cutting away the protective sticky cloth around the loom but the problem is getting to it all. The loom is pretty accessible from behind the NAV screen and down to the middle of the center console, after that it goes under the floor carpet...here is where I need help: does anyone know if there are more mini looms connected from that point on backwards and if so how can I get to them...is is possible getting under the carpet without major dismantling work?

The positive thing is now I can reroute the Eonon loom through the console...out of sight.

Edit: Forgot to ask if there is anything else I can do while all this is accessible now?

Oww, thats a lot of work!

I need to fix my center console accordion door and rear AC blower and that would be a good time to do it.

Center and rear cupholders, and maybe selector lever bushings would be easy to fix too.

You would be halfway to wiring paddle shifters too.

The accordion thing for sure, mine broke completely off last summer. The rear cup holder has also lost a spring a while back so that's 2. Should I change the bushings as preventative measure or is this a "only when must" thing?

The shifters! Now you got me in trouble....I would really like to do that but it means I have to cut into the steering wheel, right? What else do I need and from where?

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there a loom in the rear of the car with the corresponding colored wires as the connector for the unit up front?

I haven't checked this thoroughly to be honest, I ass-umed there wouldn't be since I didn't see any spare connectors other than the blue one mentioned earlier. I'll focus on this tomorrow, let's hope there is.

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I'm not 100% sure, but I believe that all the connections that you need can be tapped into in the rear of the vehicle. It would take a little work to identify them and install the connectors, but would probably be less work than pulling the harness from the front to the rear.

On my '05 X5 4.4 with NAV and DSP, there're two connectors with different color wires that used to be connected to the factory head display but now remain unused - a white one and a blue one. I connect these connectors to the factory display whenever I want to adjust date/time, reset mpg, etc, otherwise I just tuck them in behind the a/c control unit and therefore out of site.

Now, there has to be a wire loom/looms at the back of the car where these very same wires come out, and therefore the connectors in the front can be removed and connected to the corresponding wires in the the back. That is how someone in this thread below relocated his MID to the rear of the car. I don't see why this would not be possible with vehicles that had NAV.
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...l-pics-63.html

Exactly, that's what I expected Awntchi to do after I mentioned the thread where someone did exactly that and thus successfully relocated the MID to the back of the car with no issues.

Selector bushings arent a must do really, it's more of a feel thing.

For the paddles, you will need the paddles themselves which you can get as a complete wheel (E46 SMG steering wheel), or you can retrofit various other car's paddles which involve cutting into your existing wheel.

You will need the heated steering wheel clockspring for the connection point. If you already have the heated wheel and thus the clockspring, you may lose steering wheel heating, but I am not sure.

Then you just run wires from there to the selector lever and tap in to the +\- wires. You will need to manually move the selector to sport before the paddles will work.

Someone also makes a module that will allow you to enter sport/tiptronic mode by pressing the paddles simultaneously. That will probably need a bit more splicing. No idea who made it and how much, just saw someone in another forum selling his for a few hundred bucks a few weeks ago.

I'm at it now as we speak and the only way to use the wires from the back is by cutting them completely off the original harness (tracing it's the right one first), make new pin connections and THEN use the front connectors....or did I miss anything? Keep in mind that the Screen depends on the Nav system to work and both have the same blue connection so I can't just take that loom from the back.

I'll keep at it for a bit more....I'm sure I'll find a way.

Ps: the thread that's been referenced does not show the procedure (not to mention it's a MID And he has no DSP, DVD etc.)

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g300d: Thanks for the info...just read through a very interesting thread with regards to the paddle shifts. It seems to be easier than I thought. I'm definately adding it on my to do list.

The car is in overhaul mode now for obvious reasons. I now have a repair list, service list and upgrade list.

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No problem awntchi, glad to help.

Good luck sorting it all out!