Aftermarket Navigation - recommendations?
 

I'm venturing to a dealer to check out an X5 4.6is, unfortunately it doesn't have navigation. However it has everything else I'm looking for - color, mileage & etc. are all perfect. I really want navigation and wanted to hear what everyone's thoughts are on this website.

Which one do you feel is the right way to go & why?

Thanks a bundle for your help!

Sincerely,

Lance

PS In dash only.

7” Pioneer AVIC-Z1 is the best one.

http://www.tiptopplasma.com/PIONEER-AVICZ1/photo03.jpg

How much??

~ $1600 on eBay
~ $2200 at CircuitCity

If you really want Nav I would shop around until you find an X5 that has it. - lot of used ones out there right now.
OEM Nav will add very little to the cost of a used 4.6 compared with the cost of adding it yourself after. Be prepared to spend from $3-4K (parts and install) for either OEM retrofit or AVIC Z1. You could save some $ by installing yourself but IMO looks pretty complicated.
http://www.xoutpost.com/bsws-mobile-e...highlight=avic

Another option is one of the portable navs - toomtom, nuvi etc. You gain a lot of functionality e.g. touch screen but loose the integrated look of OEM or AVIC Z1.

I bought an '05 x3 over the summer and, too, was very disappointed in that I wanted NAV, but there were just too many good things to pass up in the one I got. I drew my line in the sand, and ultimately, if you find a top quality used vehicle that has everything you want BUT nav, you have to let it go--it's just a gadget. That being said, I bought the Garmin Nuvi from Costco. They have a great price on it, it is touch screen, 3.5", and you can get very creative with mounting options. I've got mine all the way down by where the dash meets the windshield just a hair to the right of the cluster, mounted on the windshield. You can hardly see the mount behind it, and I don't have to take my eyes off the road. It has a legitmate 4-6 hour battery life (so you don't have to have it plugged in all the time), choice of 8 voices, calls out street names (i.e. "turn right on Main street" rather than "turn right in 500 feet"), is 3-D and 2-D, night mode and day mode, comes with free updates from Garmin via email and USB connection, extremely accurate, handy trip computer, Compact Flash card slot for viewing photos, calculator, MP3 player (the newest ones have bluetooth), and the best part--you can travel in any car with it wirelessly (as long as it's charged). It also has expansion slots for Europe and a translator.

This thing is a great tool--a product of a navigation-specific company that has been honing it's offerings. More good news--I got it at costco.com, and I can return it to costo whenever I feel dissatisfied.

My friends with Nav have been telling me that it's a waste of money--$2000-$3000 for technology that is difficult to upgrade (just look through the posts on this site), is regionalized, or just inaccurate. The Nuvi is $450 on Costco.com.

Good luck--don't miss out on a sweet X if you find one. . .

:iagree:

I've been a good girl this year...I need that from Santa!!:thumbup:

ETA: maybe i want the Garmin Nuvi instead...

I just got the D1 from santa early. Being put in tommorw cant wait

I appreciate your input & agree with you 100% - if this X5 is sweet, I'm going to own it. I've been in the market for over 5 months and haven't found one up to par yet. Most have been beat a bit & I'm looking for a clean one for the right price (I'm also a stickler on the color / silver). I'm hoping the one I'm looking at today is as clean as the dealer is promoting it to be. I'll let you guys/gals know this evening...

Do you happen to have a picture of how you mounted it in your X?

Thanks,

Lance

PS That was the other avenue I was going to venture - an external one, I have a couple other cars I could transfer it to that way.

If you don't want to go the gooseneck route (suction cup on windshield), here are some other options and some pics for mounting GPS in X5. Click on Vehicle Mounts on the following link and see options and pics for X5. I don't have one but it seems less intrusive than other mounting options.

http://www.proclipusa.com/default.asp

Lance--I'll post a picture tomorrow from my camera phone--it looks great--practically blended in.

I also wanted to mention a few other portable benefits:

Hiking trips
Trains
Planes

Always knowing where you are is cool.

Also, when you give it a destination, it spits out your arrival time. I don't know if the OEM's do this, but its accuracy is still blowing my mind. You would think the time it would give you would be based on posted speeds (like Mapquest), but somehow this thing knows my driving habits already. I drove a straight trip from Detroit to Pittsburgh, and it gave me the arrival time as I was pulling out of my driveway. Once I added in the time for stopping for gas, it was exactly on target. I was not driving posted speeds--in fact, getting into the 90's several times. My average speed was 76.8. How did it know that I was going to drive this way, and would it have adjusted itself if I was a speedlimit driver? Maybe it knows it's in a BMW. . .

Pic coming tomorrow. . .

Yep the Z1 is the best bet, and then get a bezel from www.mybimmer.net and it'll look as OEM as it can. I'm planning on doing this soon as well. :)

racelance: you may want to look into the Garmin streetpilot 7200/7500. Big honkin' touchscreen, and it wont set you back 3Gs to retrofit. I believe nava999 had a very clean install....

racelance - the fact that you mentioned navigation cleary indicates that it is important to you. Others here say to get the X that you want and ignore that nav "gadget". I totally disagree. Earlier this year I was in the market for an X and wanted navigation. I couldn't find one that had the right combination of color and features. I ended up getting an incredible deal on one without nav. Within two months I was kicking myself for not holding out for it.

So I went the aftermarket route and got a Z1. A Z1 is overkill if you just want navigation. You can get cheaper navigation. The Z1 is the top of line media controller from Pioneer. Besides navigation it can control an iPod (I love this feature), XM and\or Sirius radio, XM nav traffic (which is new and not quite ready for primetime just yet) and has zone control (if you have monitors in the back it can display a DVD on them while the driver listens to another audio source). It can also be attached to a rearview camera and can display the video when reversing or when driving forward. Finally, there is a bluetooth module that allows you to talk hands free (the Z1 comes with a microphone) through a bluetooth phone.

If you are going to pay someone else to install the radio then you mainly care about the price and quality of the install. If you plan on doing it yourself then be prepared for a detailed (not complicated) install. Hint - this should not be your first car stereo install if you are doing it yourself.

Having the Z1 in my car makes me feel like I have one of the most advanced systems out there (because it is). It is soooo much better than the MID. The MID did nothing for me. I never used any of the built-in computer features. The only one that I use is "Range" and I display that on the instrument cluster.

You will want navigation, don't kid yourself. It is really a question of factory or aftermarket. By the way, BMW nav is not touch screen while almost all aftermarket is. Don't even think about trying to retrofit BMW nav. IMO it is not worth the price nor the extensive modifications you have to do to your X. The retrofit is reserved for those that just have to have BMW nav at whatever the price.

Got ya... I appreciate your honest answer. I did purchase the X5 today, I'm going to use it as a test pilot car. If I fall in love with it as is, then I'll purchase an external nav. If I love the X5 & think I can find another one around the same price, then I might sell this one & buy another. I'm not to worried, I purchased this one right :)

Lance

Just get a portable GPS device.

Attachment 12321

Took this picture last night of yesterday's described NUVI install. . .sorry, didn't get home until after dark.

Any other questions, let me know.

Enjoy the new X. . .

Question for Runningaround

what are you using to hold the nuvi in the vent - clip from proclips or other?
Looks good and not intrusive at all.

Thanks

Ues a beanbag mount instead of a suction.

To the two guys who posted pics of their navigations

how big of a screen are they? they look like 3.5?

I guess I'll get a nuvi too soon.

? Hardwire
 

I'm likely going to purchase a Garmin Nuvi 660 and use the ProClip mount. For those with any model Garmin Nuvi, have you been able to hardwire the unit to get rid of the cigarette adapter? If not, what have you done to hide the cords? I'd like to have as clean of a look as possible with an aftermarket nav, so I'm wondering what the options are with the Garmin Nuvi.

yeah the 660 looks nice.

Everyone keeps saying the Garmin Nuvi 660 is the way to go. It's expensive $700!.

So I am thinking about the second best thing ($530) -
http://reviews.cnet.com/Cobra_NavOne...-31615666.html

The only problem with this one is that I read that it doesn't automatically reroute you if you miss your turn and it keeps trying to route you back to the missed turn.

Is it possible to route the cables through the AC vents to the passenger side footwell cigarette adapter outlet?

You could get creative with this, but my suggestion would be to use it wirelessly (battery) and when you go on a long trip, use the outlet in the rear, and tuck it along the console, plugging it into the rear passenger outlet. The major drawback of external applications is the power cord, but you can stretch the battery life to 6 hours, and get over it.

Garmin Nuvi is the smartest, best technology--Cobra, Magellan, Pioneer and all others will get you lost. . .

:withstupi

Anybody have the Nuvi's with Bluetooth (360, 660) - how is the reception quality?

The problem with going with only the internal battery is that the traffic antenna is integrated with the cigarette adapter power cord in the Nuvi 660. The integrated traffic receiver and the big screen are the only reasons that I'm going with the Nuvi 660 over the 350/360. I appreciate your thoughts otherwise.

I am probably going to get the 360 - although reviews I have seen of the bluetooth have not been too flattering so I might as well save some $ and get the 350. The 660 does have that big screen but also has a nice feature of integrated FM receiver so you can listen to calls etc. over your speaker - I am assuming that the FM staion has to constantly dial in to that frequency?
choices, choices:rolleyes:

Interetsting, does it stay in place well during 'spirited' driving?

why cant we just tuck the power behind the AC and run the wire down the dash and connect it to the cigarette lighter?

This is assuming if we never want to remove it from the car.

Also do any of these navigation units have bluetooth so I can connect it to my phone? My next upgrade was going to be the bluetooth kit, so I might as well buy a navigation unit that has this feature.

Nuvi 360 and 660 both have bluetooth

yeah what happens with spirited driving?

Thanks

The main advantages that I see of the 660 over the 360 are the integrated traffic receiver and the bigger screen. If you want traffic capability with the 360, you have to buy another adapter for ~$130. The unit comes with a free 3 month subscription if I remember correctly. As you say, the FM transmitter is kinda worthless since you have to have your stereo tuned to that frequency, so you lose your radio/CD/iPod.

As for the 360 vs the 350, I'd go for the 350 unless you REALLY need Bluetooth. You're right in that the reviews for the 360 Bluetooth aren't great. The case for the 360 is that although the 350 and 360 have the same size screen, the 360 does have a brighter screen. I've read that the 350 may have some washout in sunlight. Not sure if that's worth the extra $$$.

Runningaround-

I love the look of your unit, I'm going to go with it unless you feel I should go a different route (say the machine you use isn't up to par). Let me know and I'll go from there. The 350 seems to be perfect for what I'm looking for... nav & nav only.

Thanks,

Lance

I used the windshield mount for my 660, it is mounted low on the left side of the windshield. The bottom edge of the 660 almost rests on the dash. I had it hard wired so that it fires up when the ignition is turned on and shuts down when the ignition is turned off. The power comes up from behind the left side of the dash, there is only about 4 inches of the cable visible. It looks clean and uncluttered, it is easy to remove to prevent it from being ripped off. So far I have been very pleased with the 660, it hasn't let me down yet.

I saw in a previous thread that you had your Nuvi professionally installed. Can you still use the traffic receiver?

If anyone knows of shop in the Chicago area that could do a similar hardwire/install, please let me know.

[quote=eyedoc]I saw in a previous thread that you had your Nuvi professionally installed. Can you still use the traffic receiver?

If you are referring to the led lights on the 12v adapter, no, it is history. I still pick up the traffic warnings on the screen. Just had a warning come up on the display the other day of a traffic accident which closed part of the freeway.

Do you know what wires were tapped to hardwire your Nuvi? Does anyone know of a switched power source on the left hand side of the dash?

I didn't watch the install, so I don't know what power source they tapped into. Any high end car audio shop should be able to install for you. I was going to purchase my Nuvi on line but opted to buy from Car Toys. I probably paid $70 - 80.00 more than if purchased on line, but they did a nice job on the install.

I ordered the Nuvi 660 today - thanks for all of your help!

Lance

I'm sure you will be pleased with your 660.

I checked it out at Best Buy & purchased it online to save some $$$. It was 899 at best buy & I got it for 729/shipped w/ no taxes. I simply wanted to see the size first hand - it appears perfect. Now I can use it in my other cars as well, it's a perfect gift for me (the person that's always lost!).

Thanks again,

Lance

What was the deciding factor for the 660 vs. the 350/360?

The size of the screen was bigger and the overall capabilities were higher. I know the 360 has the blue tooth - but I figured, what the heck!?!? I went with the 660 - I'm the king at getting lost so I just went with the 660 - a friend also highly recommended it (which pushed me over the top).

Lance

Here is how I mounted my Garmin...

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...u/DSC01810.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...u/DSC01812.jpg

It's out of the way of the windshield, and placed where the factory one goes.
I don't need the MID because the Garmin shows the info because I play SD cards off of it. It's connected to my Dice so I keep it on the AUX at all times.

What model is that one?

Thanks,

Lance

That is a Garmin StreetPilot 7200.

Where did you get it?

How do you mount your 7200 in front of the CD slot?

I purchased it at buydig.com - seemed to be reasonably priced.

Lance

There a piece of 3M velcro above the center soft keys and two long strips hanging from the CD cover. When I want to put in a CD, I just pull the top of the screen down and it stays in place.

I will post some pics of the mounting and other pics a little later :thumbup:

Here are the pics I promised:

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...u/DSC01817.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...u/DSC01818.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...u/DSC01822.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p...DSC01819-1.jpg

Hope this helps ;)

Hey all -

I used my 660 for the first time, here are my thoughts thus far:

The good:

- Incredible screen
- Simple to work with
- Full of features
- Fits perfect in between the a/c vents (an looks great!)
- Bluetooth feature is cool while talking on the phone - but then again, read about FM transmitter below under "the bad".
- It's compact in size - fits in your pocket!
- The directions appear to work well thus far - granted it's new for me.

The bad:

- The mount is ugly (I won't use it anyway)
- The FM receiver works well but you can't listen to the radio if you're using it.
- Expensive (around $750)

I'm anxious to give it another go - I'll post again after I get some use out of it.

Lance

can u post pics of the 660 in your car?
pleasee

Thank you so much! 7" screen is very attractive to me. One question about 7200/7500: Is the navigation software of 7200 the same as 660? It looks as larger sized 660 in terms of navigation function?

It's now available in Costco. $1999 installation included plus tax.
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...p=C&ec=&topnav=

Don't know the quality of their installation job. Does anybody have experience about it?

The interface and graphics are the same if not similar. The software should be the same because Garmin uses it's same proprietary software for the StreetPilot and Nuvi line. It basically is a larger sized 660 ;). The interface is probably better because there is more screen to work with; 7" is a HUGE difference from the 4.3". It's XM ready for stock, weather, traffic, and music; it comes with dedicated interfaces for it. If you have an auxilary input on your X, you can use the audio out on the unit so you don't need to use the FM modulator.

I love it...it is one of the better investments I've ever made.:thumbup:

I went with the Proclip mounts for my Nuvi installation. The rubber suction cup mount has very limited longevity. Hot sun can turn the rubber into gum; extreme cold turns it brittle.

The Proclip mounts come in two differnt styles - a high dash mount over the HVAC vents or a low dash mount over the radio/HVAC controls. The high dash mounts places the nav unit directly over the HVAC duct which is closer to the driver's field of vision, but it also blocks the airflow from the vents, as well as exposing the nav unit to temperature extremes. I chose the low dash mounts for a less obtrusive install. Since the Nuvi features turn by turn audio announcements, not seeing the Nuvi in my line of sight was not a show stopper.

The Proclips are virtually indestructible and take minutes to install (or uninstall). And of course, I bought them from Tom G. at EAS.

Here are pictures of my Nuvi 350 installation in my X5 and E46 328i using Proclip mounts.

I've priced it on line best pricing was between $1,500 to $1,600, of course installation would be extra. I don't know that I would want costco to mount my tires let alone this.

:iagree:

Here's the picture of the Nuvi 660 you requested, I recently purchased it and absolutely love it:

http://micheleandlance.com/photos/6%...igation_X5.jpg

I have a guy here in Houston who will install it for around $300 and it will only take a couple of hours. He has installed about 4 in the past month and is someone I trust because of his past work. If anyone wants his info, I will be more than happy to send his info you way.

I hasitate getting an AVIC-Z1 because of installation. I live in SF bay area and don't know a quality auto audio shop which has experience working on X5. I am also thinking of getting 660 or 7200/7500 because of easy mounting.

Question for those who has AVIC-Z1 installed: How do you get FM radio and CD after installation of AVIC-Z1? Obviously business CD and radio have to be removed during installation. Dose AVIC have FM radio reciever? Does anyone install rear view camera for AVIC?

Honestly I wouldn't give the dealers money for the over priced pice of crap Navigation.

I would buy a portable one that you can take from car to car.

Tom Tom Navman or whatever not to sure what you guys get over there.

These are better bits of kits.

I mean it's stupid how can BMW and others get away with the cost of speccing their navigation when the likes of Tom Tom can offer a better navigation tool at a fraction of the cost.