aftermarket NAV systems?

I would get a look at a service manual and see if the wiring harness is the same in the Nav vrs non Nav models. If you have a third party do it make sure they know what they are doing. The other option is a dash top or portable unit. I have used a iQue and others have used other units. It would be another solution.

 

Currently, the video hack is to intercept the RGBS video signal from the NAV to the MFD

Wiring diagram will show the wires, with a * indicating with NAV option. Usually the wires won't be there for missing options. The other problem is that the NAV communicates its presence on the AVC (audio-visual network), and so the MFD won't go into the NAV mode and accept input from the RGBS even if you did tap into it. And even if it would, there are no buttons to go there, though I suppose you could add them.

Just looked at the wiring diagrams, apparently the bezel buttons are part of the MFD, as there is no mention of them.

 

8) Costco has a dash mounted GPS system that can be transferred from car to car. Bought one for my son-in-law. He loves it. $999.
I had an Alpine GPS transferrred from my Honda to my Prius. It has a removeable dash mounted screen. Internal installed system. Covers entire USA and parts of Canada. $2500 plus installation. Voice guided turn by turn instructions.

 

Where does it install. In the cubby below the stereo? I have seen Alpines with a swing out screen is it that type? Do you have a picture?

 

It doesn't have a swing out screen. Circuit City installs this type. A small permanent bracket is attahed to the dash. The screen slides onto the bracket and you connect a cable to the screen. I remove he screen when not in use to prevent theft. It stores in the glovebox or console. See attached photo.

 

If you are ok with a Nav product that is stand alone try the TomTom product. http://www.tomtom.com/, it is getting good reviews and the price isn't too bad.

 

You may want to check out the Garmin Quest (http://www.garmin.com/products/quest/). My GF got me one for Xmas and its great!!!

I have it mounted beside the Digital Dashboard and it nicely blends in. Its also much cheaper ($500) and you can move it from car to car.

I even mount it on my Segway with the optional bike mount periodically and have it run in Pedestrian mode. Really kewl!!!

 

Now whats the point of having a segway? Can't ride a bike?

 

I have a Garmin iQue a Palm PDA and Nav system that I used for a year or so, and I now use it when I Travel. The screen is much smaller but it is very portable and has all the usual PDA functions. The car plug in has a speaker but used a ProClip to mount it and a simple car charger they have in my old car. The built in speaker was adequate for the voice direction. It is fun to run the built in Nav and the iQue together. They are comparable but different. Routs vary a bit so you get one "turn right" and the other go straight. Both get you there. The iQue is a real time saver in a strange town. I see two major down sides. First it really needs to be plugged in to be used for very long. The built in battery does not last long in Nav mode. If you are just using it as a PDA the battery life is typical but flip up the antenna and you have 15 - 20 Min. So if you want to take it on a walk about get a GPS designed for hiking. The second problem is that it is not Mac friendly. It can be done with Virtual PC or other emulators and third party sync programs but it is a kluge and requires a bit of computer experience. Defiantly not the usual plug and go Mac experience. You have to want to make it work to spite Garmin.

 

I purchased TomTom GO that can be had for close to $500...needs some work on the map algorithm's to include the "shortest route" (but I expect it will be done eventually to keep up with the competition on the software front.) The unit itself is a marvel and is completely self-contained with a rechargable battery so it can be used without the cigarette lighter adapter for 4-5 hours at a time, compact, small and easily mounted on the window or dash using provided suction cup mount (I used 3rd party removable adhesive tabs for the dash mount, supplied disk has permanent adhesive so could damage the plastic) and includes a nifty "night mode" which blacks out the detail and turns the road blue to minimize nighttime distraction. Also holds its course while satellite signal is unavailable (e.g. in a tunnel) and it's very simple to enter information or change settings on the unit. You can create your own XML point of interest files and upload them to the unit using freeware editing programs. See www.tomtom.com for details. E-bay is a good place to shop for it, and some of the on-line stores have pricing close to e-Bay at times.

 

Javester;
I looked online at the Quest and it appears to require a Windows computer in order to load the navigation info to the device. Is that your understanding? I only use Macintosh but am interested in the Quest...

Thanks,
Dave.

 

Hi SyZyGy,
Yes, I can ride a bike, and am an avid weekend biker in fact.
I use the Segway as my "last mile" transport when I take public transportation. I do a lot of work for a client about 40 miles away.
I used to drive my old Audi TT to the client but it was really piling up the miles and I had to deal with the rush hour traffic.
But with the Segway, I can glide to the train station from my house three miles away, and when I get to the train station in Suffern, NY, I then glide the last three miles to the client site. As an added bonus, I get to reclaim all that lost time on the train doing productive work while avoiding rush hour traffic to boot.
FYI, the client is in the boonies and there are no mass transit connection options available at that end.
I tried walking for a while, but at a normal walking pace of 2.5 miles/hour, it took me an hour to do those segments, not to mention the fact that I'd be all sweaty when I arrive.
And call me an alternative transportation fanatic - I'm the total electric man now with the Segway and the Prius

 

Hi Dave,
I'm a Mac-Addict myself (I have six Macs of diff flavours to prove it too!) and I'm sad to confirm that you do need Windoze to run MapSource.
I haven't tried it myself lately, I haven't bought VirtualPC from MS when they took over Connectix, but you may want to give VirtualPC a try.
Another non-MS alternative is iemulator.com.
If you run Linux, you can also try VMWare, which I often use at work when I must run Windows servers.