Clarification on the M45.....

[fiveliterbeater]

hello guys; i'm currently in the market for a new luxury performance car and i haven't found exactly what i'm looking for; my price range is about 28k to 30k;

i was looking at the 02-03 BMW M5's. very nice cars but the navigation cannot play movies without expensive modifications and the manual 6 speed can get old after awhile.

i've moved on and came across the lexus GS430's and i have to say i drove a few and i think i'm in love with that car but most of them are just a hair over what i want to pay for. excellent cars nonetheless.

still searching for that perfect match between luxuory and performance, i remembered the not much talked about M45.

i test drove a 2006 black one and in my mind i was smiling from ear to ear. i don't have much of a taste for the "orangeish " glow from the gauges and various knobs and switches, but everything is well laid out and every detail is well thought of.

i told the salesman i would think about it and got his card; the reason for this post is because i'm confused about the differnt types of packages available. like for example, what is the "journey" package or the "tech" package? i'm sorta confused on this and i've tried to do some research on this site and i can't seem to find any detailed explanation.

i don't want to buy an M and then not have all the xtra goodies it can come with like 5.1 surround. any help or links to this info would be greatly appreciated. thank you

[jmcclain01]

I have no doubt that you will get a better explination then what I'm about to give from someone else on this site, but I'll start it out.

The Tech package differs depending on what year you're looking at, but for the most part, this package will add DVD, Navigation, rear back up camera, intellegent cruise control, lane departure warning system, and the 5.1 surround sound system.

The Sport Package will add a tighter sport suspension, larger more aesthetic wheels with lower profile tires, in most cases a brushed aluminum trim in place of the wood trim and an aero kit.

The Journey package adds rear flip down DVD, automatic rear window sunshade, reclining and heated rear seats and rear controls for the flip down DVD players that reside in the flip down arm rest.

Like I said, I'm sure there will be multiple additions and/or corrects to this description, but I'm pretty sure these are the basics.

[fiveliterbeater]

.....interesting. now i have just a few more questions:

1: will i be able to find M45's with mixed packages? example, like a 2006 m45 with the tech and jourey package, or an M45 with a journey and sport package? can the packages be mixed together or is there strictly a "one package per car" limit?

2. how can i find out what package the car is equipeed with? are there any markings or symbols in the VIN to find out what the car is equipped with?

[jmcclain01]

Absolutely. I have an 06 with Tech and Journey. You can get a combination of any or all of the packages. That's the challenge when buying a used M. I sacrificed the sport package for all the interior options with color an mileage combination that I wanted.

[M4T5]

You have: -Tech Pkg-Advanced Tech (includes Tech plus additional features)-Premium Pkg( includes all of the above and rear seat comfort controls)

Then you have Sport pkg and base pkg. You can get all of the above in either car. Basically the sport pkged M will ride rougher and handle a little better than the base model. Though the sport comes with 19" wheels, RAS (Rear Active Steer), brushed interior aluminum trim (some have wood trim), and blacked out headlights.I have yet to figure out exactly what Journey pkg means, but when I was searching for mine, I found that the Journey labeled M's came with the least amount of features.The aerodynamics package is an add on feature for both base or sport models. Though it is what finishes the M's styling off. I personally think the aero pkg should come standard on all the M's.

J

[jmcclain01]

Sorry, I did not answer your second question. The packages will be obvious. If you're looking at 06 models, you CAN get the nav with out the tech package and vice versa. If you're looking at 07 these are both included in the tech package. The best way to tell if it has the tech package regardless of the year is it will have two small bose speakers in the top of the seat on either side of the head rest. If these are present, then all the features included in the tech package will aslo be there. For 06 models, just look at the radio controls to either side of the dial, if the left side has nav base commands then it also has nav. If it has radio based commends then it won't have nav.

For the Journey package, just look right behind the sunroof for the flip down DVD. If that is there, then it has the Journey Package.

For the Sport package, the wheels are the best give away allthough some non sport may have put sport wheels on it, but not that often to see this.

I'm sure the VIN number will also pull up all the features of the car, but may take some time. Most of the time the seller will know exactly what is on it. You'll be able to find these options very easily after looking at a few. Best hing would be to go to a dealer where they will have several with different optins to learn about them and what is most important to you.

[jmcclain01]

You have: -Tech Pkg-Advanced Tech (includes Tech plus additional features)-Premium Pkg( includes all of the above and rear seat comfort controls)

Then you have Sport pkg and base pkg. You can get all of the above in either car. Basically the sport pkged M will ride rougher and handle a little better than the base model. Though the sport comes with 19" wheels, RAS (Rear Active Steer), brushed interior aluminum trim (some have wood trim), and blacked out headlights.I have yet to figure out exactly what Journey pkg means, but when I was searching for mine, I found that the Journey labeled M's came with the least amount of features.The aerodynamics package is an add on feature for both base or sport models. Though it is what finishes the M's styling off. I personally think the aero pkg should come standard on all the M's.

J

The premium package does not include the rear seat comfort controls, this is part of the journey package that is included with the rear flip down DVD. At least this was the way it was explined to me. My apologies if I'm wrong, you may have rear controls with out the rear DVD. It was my understanding that the premium package, included on every one I looked at, gave you the sun roof, power front seats, etc....

[jmcclain01]

This may explain it best.

http://www.cars.com/go/crp/res...angle

[M4T5]

My original window sticker for my 07' M45 base shows: Tech package (includes Nav and back-up cam)Advanced Tech (includes above tech plus DVD player, 14speaker 5.1 Bose system, lane departure warning, and intelligent cruise control)

Then shows the Aero pkg and my chrome 18" wheels as separate add on items with additional costs.

J

[jmcclain01]

That's interesting. I guess what we can all learn from this very confusing thread is that you're going to just have to look for the car that has what you want on it, regardless of what "package" Infiniti or the seller says it has on it.

I can tell you from experience that there are so many combinations of options that it can get overwhelming, but beter then not having any choices.

[fiveliterbeater]

......very confusing indeed; you could'nt have said it better. basically, what i'm looking for would be the 5.1 surround system and those special 5 spoke wheels. ......this would be another question that i have: do all M's equipped with the navi, automatically play dvd movies or just because they have navi, doesn't mean they play movies.And for the M's that do play movies, are there any hacks that you can perform so that you can play movies while the car is in motion?

[exbmwdude]

You were right to run away from the E39 M5 - if you think the 6-speed gets old, the pain in your wrists from writing checks to the service department will soon make you forget the stick shift !

However (playing fair here), you might want to drive a 2004--2005 545i. It's in your price range and will give our M45 a very serious run for the money. Can you hack the Bangle-ized styling and IDrive though ? That's the tough part....

exbmwdude2006 M35S

[jmcclain01]

......very confusing indeed; you could'nt have said it better. basically, what i'm looking for would be the 5.1 surround system and those special 5 spoke wheels. ......this would be another question that i have: do all M's equipped with the navi, automatically play dvd movies or just because they have navi, doesn't mean they play movies.And for the M's that do play movies, are there any hacks that you can perform so that you can play movies while the car is in motion?

Not all nav equiped cars play DVDs. The nav device is in the glove box and the DVD device is in the center console. Easy to check, just look in the center console to see if it has a DVD player. As for the hack, just read around this site a little to get a real good idea and much more thorough description of what kind of hacks are out there.

[M4T5]

Not all nav equiped cars play DVDs. The nav device is in the glove box and the DVD device is in the center console. Easy to check, just look in the center console to see if it has a DVD player. As for the hack, just read around this site a little to get a real good idea and much more thorough description of what kind of hacks are out there.

J

[fiveliterbeater]

sorry to ask for clarification on this but does that mean there is a way or is there not a way to hack the system to play dvd movies while the car is in motion? have u heard anyone that's done it? I know you can on the gs430 lexus (all the hack consists of is just grounding one of the wires behind the dashboard) , I was wondering if the same can be done for the M45. thanx brother.

[striz923]

you can hack the DVD system to play DVDs while driving, and it is a little more involved thatn how you described the lexus hack. Instructions here:

zer...tions

As I understand it if you have the DVD hack on (watching movies on the highway) then your Navigation does not update. So if you need the Navi you must "turn off" the hack with the switch you install and wait a minute for the GPS to find you.

[NightRiderQ45]

sorry to ask for clarification on this but does that mean there is a way or is there not a way to hack the system to play dvd movies while the car is in motion? have u heard anyone that's done it? I know you can on the gs430 lexus (all the hack consists of is just grounding one of the wires behind the dashboard) , I was wondering if the same can be done for the M45. thanx brother.

Right now I'm in the process of trying to decide if I want a Lexus GS350 or a M35. I really don't want another v8 and both of those cars that I listed has more than enough power that I need.

[M4T5]

Right now I'm in the process of trying to decide if I want a Lexus GS350 or a M35. I really don't want another v8 and both of those cars that I listed has more than enough power that I need.

That's ironic in a way. My final choice was between the Lexus GS430 and the M45.They are both great looking and designed very well. Good luck on the decision!I wish I could have purchased both of them!

J

[fiveliterbeater]

As I understand it if you have the DVD hack on (watching movies on the highway) then your Navigation does not update. So if you need the Navi you must "turn off" the hack with the switch you install and wait a minute for the GPS to find you.

..........now does that mean with the hack "on" , the navigation does not work at all, or it just doesn't update? i think i can live for a few days at a time without an update for the navi while enjoying movies. sorry for asking for constant clarification but it's coming down to the wire between me getting a silver 06 GS430 or a black M45.

[fiveliterbeater]

You were right to run away from the E39 M5 - if you think the 6-speed gets old, the pain in your wrists from writing checks to the service department will soon make you forget the stick shift !

+++++++ on that bro!!! to be able to want that car, you better have a dam good warranty, or at least 20k in the bank waiting to be used in case something goes wrong with that car. a brake job on that car is $1800 parts and labor!!! f...ing insane!!!!!

[M4T5]

..........now does that mean with the hack "on" , the navigation does not work at all, or it just doesn't update? i think i can live for a few days at a time without an update for the navi while enjoying movies. sorry for asking for constant clarification but it's coming down to the wire between me getting a silver 06 GS430 or a black M45.

The hack will also consist of an (on on) switch mounted in the center console or by the heated/ cooled seat knobs. This allows you to switch between the Nav hack and the DVD hack. The change will require the Nav to search for a signal from satellite to get its bearings straight. This could take several seconds or so. Do you under stand it now? Here is a link to a how to do it for the 06' & 07" M's (Not 08's or 09's): zerothread/195910

J