navigation and radio fun
 

ok, i got my 4.6 today, evrything is great except a few things. its an mkIII navigation, and there is no cd player in the front only a cassete player behind the sceeen. Is there anyway to put one in the front?? secondly, where can i get ahold of the operating system (mkIV) and lastly what do i need to install the satellite radio, just the sirius receiver?? would it be possible to put in xm instead?? thanks a ton!!!

You cannot install a CD player in lieu of the cassette player behind the nav screen. However, BMW did offer a glove box CD Changer made by Nakamichi for a period of time. You could try getting your hands on one and installing it there. For my money, though, I'd forego the CD changer and install an IceLink Plus and drop in an iPod - see http://www.xoutpost.com/showthread.php?t=2602 for my install.

Going from the MkIII to a MkIV is not a software update, it is a hardware update. You will need to replace your nav drive to get the MkIV.

If you want complete integration then your only choice is the Sirius satelite service at this time. See http://www.xoutpost.com/articles.php?...icle&artid=197 for an example.

where can i get ahold of the hardware mkIv? thanks for informative answwers and very quick response, youve been extremely helpful

eBay is one source. Here's one for $999, but I've seen them sell for quite a bit less - http://cgi.ebay.com/BMW-MK4-Navigati...QQcmdZViewItem

wow kinda of pricey, wasent expecting to drop another thousand bucks, i hate to sound cheap but i dont really want to keep throwing money at his car. my setting screen says sw3 1/41 at the top, what ther options do i have as far as improving the nav....i take it there is no way to get satellite radio without the mkiv OS, right?

3 1/63 is the latest OS for the MkIII. See http://www.xoutpost.com/articles.php?...ticle&artid=59 for more info on the nav OS.

I'm not certain that you need to upgrade to the MKIV in order to get Sirius. However, I do know that you have to have a radio module from a 2004 or newer.

what exactly is a radio module, is that just the siruis antenae?

w/ the icelink.. how do you cycle through songs/playlists? do you have to use the ipod or is there another way? just wondering because that install had it in the center console.. so changing songs would be a pain..

The radio module is the "brains" to the audio system (there's also an amp module, but that's a separate discussion). It's what does the radio station tuning, AM/FM control, and selections for CD changer control, cassette control, AUX input control, Sirius control, etc. The radio module is located in the spare tire compartment, behind where the battery is mounted.

where can i get and how much is one of those, i guess my other option is to mount a receiver in my ashtray....(which id rather not do,)

Playlists are assigned to the 1-5 radio preset buttons. You can cycle through the songs using either the steering wheel controls or the radio controls on the dash. That's the whole beauty of the IceLink - total integration using the OEM controls.

At the risk of sounding redundant, try eBay. Here's one that's for sale by one of the X5world members - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...RK%3AMEWA%3AIT

Jeff! Above and beyond, bro! You are the
http://robotoid.com/pix/answerman.gif
and this guy
http://photos1.blogger.com/img/185/1...20jeeves.1.jpg
rolled into one!

JV

thanks for all your help, i know thiese questions must be annoying. thanks again

He's really not annoyed at all, man, that's what's great about this site! I am not kidding. If you read those articles thoroughly on the front page at www.xoutpost.com, you'll find a lot of the Navigation/ iPod stuff was contributed by UCrew.

JV

Ive read a ton of the stuff on the front page, Im just very illiterate when it comes to the electronics and mechanics of automobiles or in general. its incredibly helpful to have people like yall though. Im a member of few other boards for various things that I know more about. So i have been in the answering questions position myself, its great to see that there is a board for X5's that is informative friendly and helpful like some of the other boards i associate myself with. Theres tons of things i would love to do to my X5, however i dont really want to spend the cash for them. ( call me a miser, but after dropping the money for the car im hurting a bit LOL :) ) plus it looks like im going to have to buy some more wheels and tires for the winter :( anyway, i might just get the sattelite radio put in the ashtray b/c it seems like that is going to be the most economical option, id love to get it so it would intergrate with the nav screen but it look like im going to need a bunch of parts and then have to drop some more cash to have it installed. oh well, if any of yall have a better suggestion then let me know. I would do the ipod thing too but after reading some about it looks like people are having a lot of problems with it.

Dude, get the Ice-link plus and an ipod, you have the setup for it :thumbup: !!

i have a 03 nx5 w/ navaudiophile system ...i just got the dension ice link coming and will disconnect the cd changer, BUT ca i also hook up sirius, or do i need a certain nav deck...will anyone wrk?

thx for help..also can i have ipod and sirius

For what it's worth
 

Don't spend the extra on updating the NAV. It's expensive and BMW NAV sucks anyway. I didn't get it because (besides being an inferior NAV system) it complicates the interface to everything else... not to mention the fact that they give you a cassette instead of a CD player (I hear you'll be able to get an 8Track in the new X5, lol).

Rear CD Changer is fine and an easy install. You might consider a PHATNOISE hard disk based digital music player in place of a changer (see bavarian imports online). However, for the money, the IPOD solution is better. Note that you CANNOT use an IPOD adapter AND a changer. You can however use either + and auxilary input adapter.

If you're a real nut, here's the solution I like. Buy yourself a laptop, a copy of Streets and Trips, a USB GSP receiver, a laptop stand, and install the aux input adapter. What do you get for +/- $1200? BIG screen NAV, lots of mp3's, AND a DVD player! If you're on the road a lot, you can't beat this combo. And by the way, you can use your cellphone as a modem and surf the internet too!