Upgrade OEM Bose system to OEM Bose system with Navi?

[rmp2056]

Hey everyone - I just bought a 2010 Altima Coupe 3.5SR with a manual transmission. I love the car. It has everything I've been looking for... except navigation. Right now I have the stock Bose system with the back-up camera, Bluetooth capability, and XM. I've spent hours on this forum and others researching the best way to upgrade to an in-dash nav system without losing any stock features (camera, XM, etc), and haven't really gotten any definitive answers.

First off, is it possible to replace my stock head unit (Model # PY05F) with a stock Bose headunit with navigation? It seems like I should just be able to pull this one out, and put in one with navigation and hopefully all of the connectors are the same. But I doubt it's that simple (I see that the steering wheel controls are slightly different). If this is even possible, I realize it would be expensive.

Second, if I have to go with the aftermarket option, I'm looking at the Alpine INA-W900BT. That seems to be recommended for 2010 models (feel free to suggest something else). I understand that I'll need a conversion module for the steering wheel controls, but couldn't really find any info on the back-up camera or bluetooth. Is the back-up camera a standard AV input? And by reading other posts, I'm not very optimistic about getting the XM antenna integrated with an aftermarket unit. Any ideas?

And lastly, I'm reading mixed opinions on the Bose speakers. I've read the the OEM stereo is fine-tuned for performance, and an aftermarket unit will be a significant decrease in performance. And I've also read that I might need some sort of conversion module to get the Bose system to work.

I do have experience installing stereos, but I'm new to Nissan and never installed a nav system before. I'm sorry if this is a duplicate post.. believe me, I've been searching...

Can anyone clarify this for me? I'm kind of confused at this point. Thanks guys!

[AppleBonker]

Welcome to the formus!

And anything is possible, given enough time and money. This, however, looks like it would be challenging. First, it appears the hands free phone system is completely different in the Nav versus regular bose versions. Check out the AV section of the FSM (you can find the FSM here) and compare pages 263 and 301 (again from the file AV.pdf). You'll notice there is a separate bluetooth module in your car (on the left hand side of the trunk under the foam spacer). This does not appear to exist in the navigation unit, which would mean it is internal to that unit. So, for bluetooth phone to be plug and play, you'd have to re-route the wiring for the microphone from the trunk up to the front of the car. It also appears that the XM radio module is built-in with the navigation unit where it is external in the base bose stereo (so that cable would need to be run from the trunk in your car where the XM module is up to the front of the car where the head unit is). It looks like the reverse camera is the same in both models, so that should be easy. However, a cursory glance shows that the connector to the back of the unit is labeled differently. It may be the same but with a different number (M123 vs. M133 I believe), but it could also be completely different.

Given those, it will definitely be a time-consuming install. It is possible, but wont be easy. Also, you would have to run a GPS antenna to the head unit. I didn't check where the stock location is, but you can really put it anywhere. The easiest place to put it would be right on the dash (maybe in a corner near one of the front speakers, or just underneath the dash somewhere) so the wiring might not be too bad.

Now, if you go the aftermarket option, the W900 is a great unit (it's what I'm running, though mine has the BT external - which I do have). It has FAR more capabilities than the stock head unit, and should actually be cheaper to buy than the Bose with nav head unit (depending on where you find the Bose unit). The W900 would require an external XM module, but that should be able to be stuffed behind the head unit in the dash. Unfortunately, the antenna will almost certainly be different, and you would have to run your own. Given that you would need to run your own GPS antenna anyway, that wouldn't be a huge concern to me if I were in your position. I would also bet that the backup camera is a different connection. The W900 can utilize a standard RCA video jack, but I HIGHLY doubt that is what is OEM. I stopped checking the FSM, but I'm sure you could browse the AV section and figure it out.

The Bose unit is tuned as a complete system. So you may get a drop in performance when switching from the Bose HU to an aftermarket HU. I don't know exactly how noticeable it would be. I didn't notice it when I was running the stock Bose speakers in my car (temporarily) on an aftermarket head unit, but my personal opinion is that Bose is terrible anyway. So comparing crap and slightly worse crap doesn't really do anything for me. To be honest, nearly all stock speakers are garbage, and Bose certainly isn't any different. There are very few stock stereos (even the "upgraded" versions) that are actually worth a damn. IMO, Bose is not one of these.

Sadly, I do not have a good answer for you. In terms of the best utility, you would want to go with an aftermarket head unit, aftermarket amp(s) and aftermarket speakers. This would of course be the most costly route. The head unit might be able to be swapped to put in the Bose with navigation model, but it would probably take a lot of time and troubleshooting to get everything working correctly. Or, you are stuck suffering with what you currently have. I chose to go the complete aftermarket route, but I'm a complete nut when it comes to this garbage. I don't know what would serve you best.

If you have any other questions or want to bounce ideas off someone, post up and I'll see what I can do to help.

[QR25DE]

AppleBonker, just a bit of info on the W900 if you don't mind. I use to have the older alpine decks that allowed for 3WAY and had a lot of crossover settings built in. Does the W900 have this capability? I've been reading and haven't found too much. I had the older 9855 and 9813 units and loved them.

[rmp2056]

Wow thanks for the advice AppleBonker. I was already leaning towards aftermarket, but I agree an OEM nav install may require more work than I thought. Also, I'm not sure how I would find one at a reasonable price. I've already decided that once my XM trial expires, I'm not going to renew it (I've had XM before, not a big fan) so the antenna may not be a big deal. Aftermarket it is! I'm looking through the FSM now, if I find anything useful on the backup camera I'll post it here.

Also, because I'm leaning towards the W900 right now, can you tell me what extra equipment you had to get? It looks like I'll need a Scosche FAI-3A for the steering wheel, a wiring harness and dash kit (I assume crutchfield will give me some model numbers). And I actually have a old Nissan FM/AM antenna adapter from my old Pathfinder, but I'm not sure if Nissan updated their antenna connectors. Thanks!

[AppleBonker]

AppleBonker, just a bit of info on the W900 if you don't mind. I use to have the older alpine decks that allowed for 3WAY and had a lot of crossover settings built in. Does the W900 have this capability? I've been reading and haven't found too much. I had the older 9855 and 9813 units and loved them.

Really, I don't recall any Alpine decks that allowed one to run three-way active crossovers. But, I haven't been using Alpine for more than about 5-6 years (and even then it was all the touchscreen models). The W900 does NOT allow you to run a three-way active crossover setup. In fact, it would probably be difficult to run a two-way active setup off just the head unit alone (it may be possible, but I didn't look that closely). Also, the EQ capabilities are a bit lacking. Unfortunately it seems that Alpine is trying to push their add-on modules for those who are actually concerned with tweaking the audio quality. There is an IMPRINT processor for this, but I have not used it since I still have my H701 which is more powerful for sure.

Also, because I'm leaning towards the W900 right now, can you tell me what extra equipment you had to get? It looks like I'll need a Scosche FAI-3A for the steering wheel, a wiring harness and dash kit (I assume crutchfield will give me some model numbers). And I actually have a old Nissan FM/AM antenna adapter from my old Pathfinder, but I'm not sure if Nissan updated their antenna connectors. Thanks!

If you're looking at the W900BT AND you are planning on dropping XM, you will need the head unit, an antenna adapter, and adapter for the steering wheel buttons (I used the PAC-SWI JACK I believe), the dash kit and the wiring harness. Crutchfield is usually pretty good about itemizing all of these needs, but they are pretty costly. There is a member on here named Broadfield who works at an A/V shop and sells directly to members. If I were you I would check with him on pricing (and he will also likely know if the power antenna adapter is any different). I'm certain he can beat the crutchfield price and you would still be buying a unit with the full factory warranty (which is always nice for peace of mind). Feel free to post up any more questions.

As far as the camera goes, I don't know that there is any easy way to use the stock camera. You could try just splicing cables together, but if the voltages are different (certainly possible) you may end up frying the camera, head unit, or both. I couldn't see anything in the FSM that improved my knowledge on how the OEM stuff is configured.