E61 Japanese Import SatNav

[hiscocks]

Hi folks

I recently picked up a Japanese import E61 (2005). It's excellent, the perfect load lugger and every day car. Only 35,000 on the clock and looks brand new.

Anyway - being a japanese car it has no DVD in the satnav system, but it seems to pick up plenty of GPS signal and so forth.

I THINK it's the 'professional' system, which is normally identified by a DVD drive under the CD player on the dash, however mine has a MiniDisk player there and DVD drive in the boot; however it does have the larger screen I think associated with the 'Professional' system (I think)

So - I tried a home burnt UK DVD which belonged to a friend and which apparently worked in his old 2004 E60 but it said 'DVD cannot be read'

My question therefore is which DVD should I buy, does it matter if it's a new (2018) edition or does it have to be an older version? Business or Professional?

By the way this is purely for curiosity; I won't be using the satnav for navigation so not bothered if the maps are out of date.

Thanks for any advice
Chris

[SteBrown91]

It’s entirely possible the dvd drive is locked to only read Asian discs (a bit like you couldn’t automatically use USA films in a UK DVD player). It might potentially be better to retrofit a European spec idrive unit but obviously that would cost a lot more. It might be worth sending an email to one of those BMW map disc suppliers on the internet to see what they say as hey may have come across a similar scenario before.

[hiscocks]

Yes it could be, didn't think of that. Cheers

[RanchoGrande]

Minidisc! cool, is that a retrofit or was it a BMW option?

[AlwynMike]

Put your VIN into a vindecoder to see exactly what options were factory fitted to the car.

[hiscocks]

MiniDisk was fitted at factory. Lots of Japanese cars have them (or did around Y2K).

[mylesmcd]

Not entirely sure this is your problem, but I have some experience of US cars in Europe etc - If the Nav doesnt pick up still, after the DVD, it MAY be the receiver in the unit that needs changed.

I have found this with Ford, Chrysler and Dodge vehicles, that they need changed to read Euro frequencies. Just my 2 cents!

[gizlaroc]

Japan uses a completely different system to the EU system.

Have a look on realoem.com and you will see it is nothing like our system, doubt you can even get a disc for it. It certainly doesn't use the same as our High or Low system discs anyway.

Maybe if you search Japanese eBay for a EU nav disc for a BMW you might get lucky?

[hiscocks]

I heard the same, but upon looking through the menus on the SatNav screen each of the system requirements comes back as 'ok' including GPS signal - just the DVD one is red as there's no disk. But yes I fear it's not as simple as whacking in a DVD - so I probably won't bother, unless anyone here has direct experience of this model. Not to worry, thanks.

[gizlaroc]

hiscocks said:

I heard the same, but upon looking through the menus on the SatNav screen each of the system requirements comes back as 'ok' including GPS signal - just the DVD one is red as there's no disk. But yes I fear it's not as simple as whacking in a DVD - so I probably won't bother, unless anyone here has direct experience of this model. Not to worry, thanks.

You're missing my point.

The system you have is not the same.

Think of it like this, you have bought a DVD player system and you are trying to play a VHS tape in it.


This is the system use in Asia...

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=PX72...



This is like the version we use here, which they also can use in China and Korea, but not in Japan.

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=PX72...



The system you have in your boot actually uses a hard drive and disc, in fact not sure if the disc drive is just for loading up the hard drive, was there a disc in there?
It works completely differently to the EU/Rest of the world nav system.

If you know someone with coding tools, you may be able to flash it to the EU version? I don't know, but you would also need to swap the MD section for a DVD section, going to start getting costly. May as well buy a newer UK CIC unit and plug that in to be honest.

Does your car have the Electronic Toll Card fitted?
I think you have to have the HD nav to have that in Japan, you might get an error on the nav when booting it if a card is not inserted, which is found behind the rear view mirror.

Anyway, buy a CIC off eBay and have a much newer/better system.

[hiscocks]

Thanks. No I didn’t miss your point, not sure why you think I did.

Yes it has a removeable flash card storage slot below the DVD and I have the electronic toll thing in the mirror.

Ah well I won’t bother with it then. As I say I don’t actually need it!

[twokcc]

If you look at this thresd
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

see recommendation for an ebay seller who repairs various idrive models etc.

I have a 2009 e91 which has a manufacturers fault in the map idrive software which requires a dealer to update.
Used him to do this and load 2019 maps may be worth contacting to see if hes able to flash your drive with appropriate sottware to get it working
/
Bit of a long shot buty you never know

[hiscocks]

Thanks for that