Buying this week- idrive question
 

I'm guessing I can save around $5000-$8000 by buying a 2009 but I want the updated idrive. For those that have used both controllers, is it worth the extra money to buy a 2010? Navigation is a must so please factor that into your answer.

I have done my best to look up whether I could upgrade a 2009 controller to the 2010. I don't believe I can without it costing so serious coin. Is this correct? Would this be a viable option?

Thank you everyone! I greatly appreciate your input.

Nav is superior in the 2010 from what I have read. Previous versions have a lot of lag. Also if you plan to have the back up camera it's not really a contest.

CIC retrofit costs around $3000 last time I checked which you can use from the money you saved. If you're looking at a 2010, then why wouldn't you just get a 2011 LCI with new powertrains (if you're not getting a diesel)?

oh god yes, do it. The speed in which you can navigate around the menus alone is ridiculously better. Regretting not having it.

I would compare inputting addresses at about a minute apart between the old and new.

I had an '08 and now have a '10. The nav system was one of the reasons I bought the car. Hands down, for me it was worth it.

100x times better... Also, prior to the new iDrive, the rear view camera was useless in low-light conditions. And no, upgrade is not fiscally reasonable - it will be cheaper to get 2012 model instead.

Buying a 2009 you should save WAY more than 5-8k.

IMO a three year old car should be 12k under new invoice, minute 30 or so cents per mile.

5-8k savings you are overpaying...just buy new with a 4 year warranty!

I just retrofitted the 2012 idrive in my 2009 x5 that had the older CCC based idrive.

Certainly the navigation looks 100% better, the maps more detailed and the system faster to respond all round. lots of additional options ... 3d building rendering, satellite view, split screen with different scale maps /views in each pane, etc.

However if I was completely honest both systems navigate you from a to b pretty much the same way. Both systems tell you to turn left, enter freeway, etc ... So you don't get lost.

The question is, for the saving you make, can you live with the older system. Only you can make that decision :-)

How easy or difficult was it? How much can I expect to spend on that retrofit?

Reaaaaly!? Would this work on an 07'? Just curious and does that 3k include the programming needed by the dealer? Thanks for the info!

bmwretrofit or where? Did you do it yourself? How much pls?

Just a few points to clarify. I will be posting a new article on the retrofit once I've finished off a few loose ends.

Yes it would be applicable to a 07. Prices vary depending on how the car is configured and what features you want enabled. There's also a few paths to the same outcome, and depending on the path you choose, prices vary. $3K is a good ball park price though.

Now, to be clear. BMW do not offer this retrofit. So there's a few things you need to understand.

1) Since BMW don't offer it, you'll need to do the installation yourself, or work with a shop to do it for you.

2) and more importantly, you'll need to work with a vendor that can do the programming aspect for you. In a way, that's the most important bit of the retrofit.

Now a very important bit. Should you're car ever need to be programmed by the dealer due to a necessary software update, the old system will need to be put back in temporarily. That's just the way it is. For regular maintenance, etc you can leave the new system in.

Now, installation is something folks can do themselves. Just makes sure you've got some good tools and you're clear what you need to do. Once its clear .. and you know how things are removed, I believe you can swap the system in and out within 30 minutes.

Again, i will post more info once its all finished up. Hope this helps.

I did the installation myself. The hardware and all coding services was provided by Patryk @ Bimmertech. I highly recommend his services ... excellent !

As I said in the previous post, prices vary depending on what options you have and how you want to approach the retrofit ... however $3k is a good ball park figure.

I can't see ever recouping any of that investment nor can I understand why one would feel it necessary. And the fact that you would have to reinstall the OEM system in case of servicing it makes it even more ludicrous. WTF? I bet you could count on one hand all of the people in the the world who would do this. Buy a newer car.

Servicing ... No.

Programming ... Yes.

Programming occurs less and less as the car gets older.

To buy a newer a car to get a navigation system IS ludicrous, and the cost would be significantly more. The last thing I want is a new e70 with end of life in sight.

I'll also add that the BMW nav maps based on TeleAtlas are inferior and fraught with errors... people have noted that when upgrading from the older maps (Navteq) to the newer maps, their experience has actually been worse.

apw- you'll prolly be able to part out that nav/idrve update and recoup 50-66% if/when you get rid of it...just saying

Interesting. Now my brain is ticking along thinking about a winter project...

forgot to ask, is it still the old inferior backup camera though?

Yes. I didn't change that. I guess you could though.

It's more reponsive though and overal the picture is better as the screen resolution is improved on the display.