MK4 Sat Nav Retrofit??

[Replay]

Has anyone here done a MK4 Sat Nav Retrofit into their non-NAV e39's? Have been doing some research into this topic, it looks like a pretty massive piece of DIY...but tempting..very tempting..Came across this list of parts needed for a retrofit job.Widescreen Display 65 52 6 913 385Chassis 65 52 8 385 454Dash Frame 51 45 7 044 007Display Trim 65 52 8 385 451Wiring Harness 61 12 6 904 789MKIII Computer 65 90 6 915 036Computer Bracket 65 90 8 361 459GPS Antenna 65 90 8 375 944GPS Antenna Mount 65 90 8 360 725GPS Cable 61 12 8 377 434Radio (boot/trunk) 65 12 6 902 719Radio Bracket 65 50 8 361 458CD Player Frame 65 12 8 360 75265 12 8 361 456Boot/trunk Panel Cover 51 47 8 190 763Four 2.6M 10mm screws to attach the display to the chassis.Four 2.6M 12mm screw and washers to attach the chassis to the dash frame.

 

[bimmerholic]

Bimmernav carries a complete retrofit system. It's everything you need in a box to retrofit MK4 Nav Sys onto a non-Nav E39. All for ONLY USD 2795.

 

[kevster30]

All for ONLY USD 2795.

Can get a decent e28 for this price.....hahahhaha:burnout:

 

[525i]

I got mine from Ebay. Abt RM6.5k. DIY myself. Not for the faint hearted though. But it can be done.

Good luck to you.

 

[bimmerholic]

Can get a decent e28 for this price.....hahahhaha:burnout:

Can also get 3 Beat Up Nissan Sunny for that price

 

[bimmerholic]

I got mine from Ebay. Abt RM6.5k. DIY myself. Not for the faint hearted though. But it can be done.

Good luck to you.

Needed programming thereafter?

 

[525i]

Needed programming thereafter?

Nope. Just a lot of wires to spice as the connectors were different. But the biggest pain was to route the new wiring harness from the boot to the console.

 

[haywire]

Nope. Just a lot of wires to spice as the connectors were different. But the biggest pain was to route the new wiring harness from the boot to the console.

i've routed some wires from the boot to my dashboard compartment for my AV-in wiring and didnt find it to be so hard. just google and you'll find what u need to know. dont know how hard it is to route it further to the centre console but i can imagine its pretty close to what i had done. of course no doubt added with the other work to complete the nav installation its gonna be one hell of a massive job.

 

[Replay]

525i, what did you use to splice the wires? my main worry now is the wiring, heard a number of horror stories about electrical gremlins. how long did u take to get it all together and working?

 

[525i]

i've routed some wires from the boot to my dashboard compartment for my AV-in wiring and didnt find it to be so hard. just google and you'll find what u need to know. dont know how hard it is to route it further to the centre console but i can imagine its pretty close to what i had done. of course no doubt added with the other work to complete the nav installation its gonna be one hell of a massive job.

Not sure about your car which I understand is in UK but in mine, there was no wire harness from the boot to the centre console except for the wires to connect the cd changer. That’s because the Malaysia models of E39 comes with a pathetic cassette player and the cd player only.

The wire harness that comes with the sat nav system retrofit is about 1 inch diameter comprising of 16 wires. (if I remember correctly) This harness connects the radio and the sat nav units from the boot to the centre console. It snakes through the rear seat, under the carpet into the handbrake area and then to the centre console. So a lot of dismantling to be done. And putting it back together is equally difficult as now you have to hide/suppress a 1 inch diameter bulge.

 

[525i]

525i, what did you use to splice the wires? my main worry now is the wiring, heard a number of horror stories about electrical gremlins. how long did u take to get it all together and working?

As for the splicing, I found out later that they now make connectors adaptors that match the old and new connectors. So no need to splice. In my case I did a simple peeling of the original wire and then splicing the new wires from the harness to this. Then covered with electrical tape. All this done behind the video screen. I did not encounter any electrical gremlins but did blow a few fuses before getting it to work. It took me about 2-3 days of work to get it all up and running.

If you are interested to embark in such a project I’ll be glad to assist you with this if you are in the Kland valley area. Also there a few items from your list that you don’t really need. Keep your eyes on Ebay and you can find people selling the whole set regularly.

 

[haywire]

Not sure about your car which I understand is in UK but in mine, there was no wire harness from the boot to the centre console except for the wires to connect the cd changer. That’s because the Malaysia models of E39 comes with a pathetic cassette player and the cd player only.

The wire harness that comes with the sat nav system retrofit is about 1 inch diameter comprising of 16 wires. (if I remember correctly) This harness connects the radio and the sat nav units from the boot to the centre console. It snakes through the rear seat, under the carpet into the handbrake area and then to the centre console. So a lot of dismantling to be done. And putting it back together is equally difficult as now you have to hide/suppress a 1 inch diameter bulge.

I routed a 2cm by 0.5cm cable to the front from the boot, but I used the space under the carpet near to the door rather than through the middle part. in your case i think you can continue to route it behind the glove compartment into the centre console. Ist that easier and better? The wire could be hidden better in the corner of the footwell in the sides rather than in the centre i think.

I got a photo of the whole process that i did to route wire from the back to the front up to the dashboard compartment in my showroom thread.