What are the real differences? I've seen some nice installs of NUVI with kuda mounts on here. What are the pro's versus cons of the Aftermarket and factory Nav units. What am I gaining or loosing by going with an aftermarket unit rather than ordering a new mini with NAVI?

 

You're asking this in the wrong section if you're considering a "new" (i.e. 2nd generation) MINI with the nav system. The nav system in the 2nd gen MINIs is quite an improvement over the one in the 1st gen MINIs. Near everyone with a nav system in the 2nd gen MINIs seems to absolutely LOVE it. Thus, I'd try re-posting this in the 2nd gen Nav & audio forum.

 

This has been discussed numerous times but I will try to summarize pros and cons because it really doesn't matter what make car your talking here.

OEM PRO

• Integrated look and feel
• Integrated with other electronics in the car.
• Depending upon the unit, dead reckoning tracking for off road

OEM CON

• Very overpriced. WAY over priced
• Rapidly outdated. No way to upgrade to new technologies.

Aftermarket Pro

• Rapidly evolving market. New technologies (and bling) coming out all the time
• Far, far cheaper. For 25% of the price, you get more than OEM.
• SW updates easily done via downloads and your PC.
• New technology add ons done via adding another box (e.g., traffic).
• Easy to add other non-GPS components like backup cameras, watching a video, etc.
• Just about all have large internal memories eliminating the need for DVDs.

Aftermarket Con

• Not integrated. Therefore, if you care about theft, its a pain to stick up there and take down when you get out of the car.

One mitigating factor should be the question of how often you use it.

I have both, one car integrated, one car with an aftermarket unit. It IS a pain to put the aftermarket unit up and take it down. Then again, I rarely use the GPS and it was far, far cheaper than going OEM.

OTH, with the car with integrated GPS, it is nice you just hit a few buttons when you need it and there you go.

IMO, it comes down to a personal decision. Do you want to pay the far more expensive bill for an OEM look and feel. The other thing to consider is how long you intend to keep the car. Going aftermarket, you can buy four aftermarket units over time for the price of the single OEM unit. Each time you get better and better technology, most likely at a cheaper price. In the meantime that OEM unit gets more and more out of date.

 

OfficeMaven, I'm looking at getting a cabrio which as far as I know still has the first generation system. Thanks for the info Chows. One thing I've thought about is that the aftermarket I'm looking at - NUVI 660 - has bluetooth and if I read right XM included. Anybody have a 660 that would care to comment on how it works (especially those functions).

 

Yes, the current converts do indeed still use the older MKIV nav system. I have the same system in my 05 R53 and I can tell you that it works very well. While it may not have all of the features of the portable units, and the user interface is not near as intuitive (looking for points of interest is difficult at best), it does route quite a bit better than they do. I have a Garmin nuvi and a TomTom Go (both portable units) and I can tell you that the nav in my MINI routes better than both of them (with the TomTom being total CrapCrap!). If I'm lost in an unfamiliar area, or I really need to get somewhere important, I'd rely on the nav system in my MINI way before I would the nuvi or TomTom units.

 

OfficeMaven, how big is the screen on the factory unit compared to the 3.5/4.2 inch units on the NUVIs?

 

I have the factory Nav on my cabrio. The screen is approximately 5.6" wide x 3.1" high.

 

Art,

A few points on this, for the 1st gen OEM Nav:

• Software updates are available via easy download, burn to a CD and install the update. I've done it many times.
• New technology & other features (Nav-integrated SIRIUS, iPod display & control, backup cameras, video display (incl. TV)) are indeed available for the OEM Nav, some of them from official BMW/MINI parts.

The reason it's upgradable? BMW's I-Bus, which is very much a part of the 1st Gen MINI's design.

The OEM Nav does indeed cost a great deal more than an aftermarket solution, but the much larger screen size, "built-in" feeling, and add-on options are a nice plus for some people, despite the cost and lack of removability.

 

A little off topic - how much better is the R56 navi?

 

We have the Garmin 660 in our '05 MCS (w/Kuda mount) and are generally quite happy with it.

Negatives to be aware of are:

o The bluetooth function is compatible with a very short list of BT phones,
so check the list if this function is important to you.
o FM voice out to OEM stereo is not as clean of a signal as one might
hope.
o Traffic function only works where it works, which is not necessarily
where the traffic is!
o No satellite radio interface.
o Need Nuvi 670 model to get gas prices

Good things:

o Screen is plenty large
o It's great to not have to eat at the fast food joints along the freeway
when traveling - found several neat restaurants going to MITM 2007.
o Portability means we can take it in another car => good!
o Bought at Costco, which warrantees it forever (as far as I can tell)

 

Crazy question:

Is it possible/worth it to retrofit the factory system into a car that didn't come with it? I wonder if you could take the R56 unit and put it in an R53?

 

Possible with same generation system - yes. Worth it, doubtful... super duper pricey. R56 system into R53? Doubt it. The R56 doesn't use I-Bus, if I'm not mistaken.

 

Something I'd like to mention is that the R56 Nav is much better integrated with the rest of the car. On R53, Nav is almost like a separate, independent add-on. On the R56, other systems on the car actually make good use of the screen. Examples are Bluetooth/phone, iPod integration, park distance sensors, even the stereo display itself. On my 06 cabrio, I've found it frustrating that a large screen occupies a prominent position on the dash and it isn't better utilized.

 

On-screen Bluetooth in 1st Gen Nav IS available, via official dealer-installed OEM accessory. It just isn't cheap. True, PDC is not integrated, but an OEM rear camera accessory is available (yes, expensive) that makes PDC practically irrelevant. On-screen iPod display is available via aftermarket in a basic form today with the DICE & DICE-HD, and a very integrated solution (including control of iPod) in the near future (also aftermarket). Stereo display (including CD & AM/FM radio) nope... an OEM video display module is also available, allowing integration of a DVD player or video game console.

Point being, the 1st Gen Nav is capable of much more than just Nav.

 

Yes, it is possible to hack into the 1st gen Nav's video input and force the screen to display something the Nav wasn't designed for. It would be very generous to call that integration. I don't think there is even a single add-on application that uses the 1st gen Nav's screen and also utilizes the Nav's buttons. The R56 Nav has better integration with the car, period.

 

It is considered to be a 7" wide screen. Generally, screens are measured diagonally.

 

No hacking. Official OEM video module that will allow display of video. Also, instead (and if preferred), an OEM TV module, designed exactly and specifically for our Nav system.

How so? It's because we have the exact same Nav system as the one put into many, many BMW 3-series, 5-series, 7-series and X-series cars.

That's why it's not a hack - at all.But it is integration, that's just it.I'll tell you one right up front - the "full" OEM Bluetooth kit. I have it in my car, and it fully integrates with the Nav, where I can even tell it what to do by selecting from the Nav screen.

I'm not talking about the "cheap" OEM BT solution, which just gives you a downtube-mounted keypad and nothing else.rkw, I never disagreed with that. The R56 Nav is an entire generation newer, and as such, has much newer technology - of course it's better integrated.

I was simply trying to point out that the 1st Gen OEM Nav is capable of much more than you were giving it credit for, and not all via aftermarket solutions, either.

 

Yes, I understand you added backup camera. Euro cars only or are they retrofittable for the US now? In other words, can you just go to the dealer and order the parts? I read you were having trouble with the new stereo at MOS?

I agree that the integrated OEM look and feel is a "pro". On the other hand, I would bet the cost for the OEM additions are far more than the aftermarket costs. Again, down to a personal preference.

These are some good points. Since the actual cost of providing GPS is dropping down to a price point of about giving it away, in order to compete, the aftermarket and some OEM are adding widgets having nothing to do with GPS. Things like: MP3 players, BT, .jpg Picture viewers, backup cameras. Then there are nav enhancements like traffic and Magellan is partnering with AAA to give you the entire tourbook info on new Magellens. This trend is making these units into something far more than GPS but more like swiss army knives. These things are becoming more and more like cell phones. Throw all kinds of stuff on them making them far away from their core function. If you want BT, IMO, buy a true dedicated BT unit with its own speaker designed for the human voice. If you want a .mp3 player, well iPods rule. Etc. etc. etc.

If you want to read about OEM units and the outrageous pricing, see The Truth About Factory-Fitted Satellite Navigation Systems. Note the comments about the true costs of the OEM units and their final recommendation. Of particular note, and I believe this definitely true, within a couple of years, GPS will just be a standard unit like a CD player. The carmakers will move on to the next tech widget they can get big bucks from consumers because it will be new and cool. Some guesses: NightVision and HUDs. HUDs are here on Z06s and M6s. NightVision is coming.

 

No, not Euro cars only. There is absolutely no wiring or feature limitation in US cars for the backup camera or any of the other Nav-integration solutions. However, yes... some of the options are not "officially" available via MINIUSA. The backup camera is one, so is the TV module. They just chose not to offer them. You can still order the parts from another source (like NewMINIStuff) and it is 100% compatible OEM stuff.

The fully nav-integrated Bluetooth option, however, is indeed offered and backed by MINIUSA. It's just very expensive.

Dunno why you thought I was having "trouble" with the new stereo. It's installed and works perfectly! Yes, the OEM stuff tends to cost more. I never argued with that. Absolutely.Very good point and well put. I would never defend integrated Nav from a price/cost perspective. However, I love mine, and I don't regret getting it... of course, I'm one of those rare car buyers who never intends to sell the car, so I don't give a damn about depreciated value.

 

Ok, I'm (at this second anyway) leaning toward getting the Garmin and not the new car with NAV. Has anybody run it into the stereo using the Newministuff interface that cuts out the radio when it gives directions?

 

Yes, I have/had one in my MINI. In fact I did a write-up of it on MotoringFile.com here:

http://www.motoringfile.com/2005/06/...v_integration/

We just got rid of the MINI and have pulled it out. Will sell it for less than a new one if you're interested.

EDIT: Note that it won't work with the second gen cars (but the 07/08 converts are fine).

 

is something wrong with motoringfile. com? The link above does not seem to work...

 

Hmm... It's working just fine for me here. Can anyone else access it?

If nothing else, just go to www.motoringfile.com and then search on the text "Aftermarket Nav Integration" (which is the title of the article).

 

The link (and the rest of MF) works fine for me!

Mistro - if it still doesn't work, try clearing your browser cache.

 

I've decided to stick with my car and get a Gamin Nuvi 660 and kuda mount. However, Gamin is coming out with the new Nuvi 7XX series. Anybody heard anything about them? What new features? When they'll be available? I'm thinking if they'll be out soon and are a big upgrade then I might wait a bit and get one of those.