I want to get a navigation system for my M. I would rather not buy a Tom Tom or something but I would like to get a unit that would use in-dash screen. Does anybody know how to get a factory nav system or an alternative nav system that uses the screen?

M45inATL wrote:I want to get a navigation system for my M. I would rather not buy a Tom Tom or something but I would like to get a unit that would use in-dash screen. Does anybody know how to get a factory nav system or an alternative nav system that uses the screen?

The factory Navigation system is not going to work with the existing screen. The size was different between the two options and the electronics are all different, of course!

You might be able to find a complete, used console (with the Navigation screen and all) from a parts car (either an M45 or maybe even the Q45 from that era might fit). Somebody here mentioned that they found a replacement for $900 or so for their dead Navigation unit on their 2003 M45.

I doubt there is any other real option that will work as you want it to!

Z

Thanks for the quick response. I should have figured that would be the case. I stopped in to HiFi Buys last night and they can add a whole new system to the screen. Its pricey but you can add a bluetooth kit, nav, and usb input to the system and still have all the functionality of the original dash. $3000 all said and done, maybe Santa Claus will be good to me this year. Thanks again!

that is ridiculously expensive. I work at a store in central illinois that does some pretty high end car installs. Even if our car guys had to custom fab a surround there is NO WAY we'd ever charge that much just to do a factory integration. Alpine has a new unit out that a lot of people are raving about. The model number escapes me, but it can integrate pretty easily into the factory system on the M45. The screen on the M basically just had and RGB connector (or at least the leads for it) on the back and it is full color. When I was thinking of doing a new system that's what I was going to do I was quote (although employee pricing is factored) about a grand total. I'd talk to those guys again and see if they're just estimating a high price because they've never done it before.

Lance

Yeah this is that Alpine system. The way I understand it you can get a piece that will attach into the existing wiring that will allow another video input. Alpine makes a car hub (i think thats what they call it) and it allows you to hook up about five different things. Nav was one of them. The Nav unit is $1699 just about everywhere I have checked and the hub is about 500, and the piece that lets you add the video input is about 300. The labor, bluetooth, and USB in are what drove it up that much further. Still expensive. I would love to hear what the products were for you quote. Tom Tom is looking more and more appealing the more I dig into this. For 2500 less that than all that, I could stand a wire running next to the console.

My installers were going to use the alpine unit and one of their nav units. We were going to replace the stock tape player w/ a nice single disc dvd/cd/mp3 player and use that as a source. There were plans for a new screen but they figured out that the stock screen was good enough. That was about it. Not much custom stuff to be done. The unit was pretty straightforward. I want to say retail install was between 1500 and 2000