E46 Built in Navigation - Is it worth it?
Discussion
I am looking to upgrade to a post-facelift 330Ci convertible next month, and have narrowed my search to two models for sale. Both are Sports, have black leather and carbon cubed dash trim; pretty identical in options and mileage, condition etc.
One of these is in Black and the other Imola Red. The red model is £250 cheaper but has the larger tv / nav unit built in.
A part of my mind is telling me to choose the car with the TV, but I am also swung by the black on the other, for aesthetic reasons / not standing out.
So is this upgrade is something worth having if choosing one of these cars?
One of these is in Black and the other Imola Red. The red model is £250 cheaper but has the larger tv / nav unit built in.
A part of my mind is telling me to choose the car with the TV, but I am also swung by the black on the other, for aesthetic reasons / not standing out.
So is this upgrade is something worth having if choosing one of these cars?
You will probably need to add a digital tuner to get the TV to work now and the nav is quite old and clunky. I quite like the look of the screen in the centre of the dash but i would not sacrifice my car colour preference for it. Overall condition of the car being the most important thing.
I personally love Imola red and if you have not had a black car before they are hard work to keep clean.
I personally love Imola red and if you have not had a black car before they are hard work to keep clean.
Thanks, I have owned a black car in the past - they certainly are a pain to keep said colour!
My main concern was that should I choose one without the TV, I would constantly be thinking about what I could have had instead of the Business CD player. I guess that has put my mind to rest a bit.
And yes, though I prefer it on the E39, Imola red is a fantastic colour.
My main concern was that should I choose one without the TV, I would constantly be thinking about what I could have had instead of the Business CD player. I guess that has put my mind to rest a bit.
And yes, though I prefer it on the E39, Imola red is a fantastic colour.
I had the TV/Nav in my old 330ci.
I used the TV once as it was a bit of a novelty waiting for the missus at the train station. But you have to ask yourself how many times are you sitting stationary in your car for long periods?
The Nav was ok I guess but it was out of date even back then. One of my mate's described it as looking like 'Fisher Price my first Sat Nav'
. A TomTom will be 1000 times better as someone has already said.
Does make the dash look nice although I wouldn't pay any extra for it.
I used the TV once as it was a bit of a novelty waiting for the missus at the train station. But you have to ask yourself how many times are you sitting stationary in your car for long periods?
The Nav was ok I guess but it was out of date even back then. One of my mate's described it as looking like 'Fisher Price my first Sat Nav'
. A TomTom will be 1000 times better as someone has already said.Does make the dash look nice although I wouldn't pay any extra for it.
pre 05, the tv wont work, yes the satnav is a little dated, started life in 2001, but it gets you there! makes the dash look a lot better even if you dont use it
also diplays radio stations, cd track numbers, computer details etc, so not just a sat nav screen
as said above there are more modern replacements avaliable
also diplays radio stations, cd track numbers, computer details etc, so not just a sat nav screen
as said above there are more modern replacements avaliable
thehos said:
pre 05, the tv wont work, yes the satnav is a little dated, started life in 2001, but it gets you there! makes the dash look a lot better even if you dont use it
also diplays radio stations, cd track numbers, computer details etc, so not just a sat nav screen
This. The Imola car with Satnav is £250 cheaper, if you add another £250 then you can upgrade to a digital tuner and watch tv, if that's your thing. I don't mind the DVD satnav in my E39, it's got a modern disc, shows me traffic (which is very useful) and doesn't clutter my dashboard, epsecially as I have a Pogo Alert+ that sits down by the A pillar.also diplays radio stations, cd track numbers, computer details etc, so not just a sat nav screen
I normally check a map before I go anywhere out of my comfort zone but the Satnav hasn't got me lost yet or given me any problems since I updated the firmwire. I'd prefer to have it, than not.
Or, haggle a bit on the black one on the basis that you're tempted by the one with Nav and then get yourself something like... http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/alpine-ines900r.ht...
Goes in fine if you move the heater controls which is simple to do.
I had it (well, very similar double DIN) installed in my E46 a few years ago and it's a great bit of kit.
Goes in fine if you move the heater controls which is simple to do.
I had it (well, very similar double DIN) installed in my E46 a few years ago and it's a great bit of kit.
AB said:
Or, haggle a bit on the black one on the basis that you're tempted by the one with Nav and then get yourself something like... http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/alpine-ines900r.ht...
Goes in fine if you move the heater controls which is simple to do.
I had it (well, very similar double DIN) installed in my E46 a few years ago and it's a great bit of kit.
that does look good, and I can say that all Alpine units that I've used are great, though it was the idea of having the factory fitted unit that appealed to me.Goes in fine if you move the heater controls which is simple to do.
I had it (well, very similar double DIN) installed in my E46 a few years ago and it's a great bit of kit.
The black car was always more of a seller to me, and it's been on AT for almost a month now. Will be making some calls at the weekend, no idea how much I could knock off the price though.
Oh, and after looking again (and comparing to that great M3 above), it seems like the other I am looking at is 'Electric Red'.
I wouldn't buy an E46 without the integrated nav/tv system having had it. The nav software update is easy enough to add if the car has the right hardware (mkIV?), graphics are much improved which helps make the nav look fresher as does the 3D perspective. Personally I find the system to be excellent, much more user friendly than the TomTom in my Renault. The TV on the otherhand is pretty useless, more of a novelty than anything else although i did watch Top Gear whilst parked in a traffic jam on the M25 once! Hope that helps.
I would definitely go for an e46 with navigation, so long as it is the widescreen version. I have used a TomTom in an e46 and the built in satnav on an e39 and Pros and Cons are:
Built in
Pros:
- integrated with the car and the car audio system, so no trailing power wires, and the audio level is reduced when the nav issues an instruction
- doesn't need to be removed to prevent theft
- I find it accurate, and use the fastest route setting outside London (main roads) and shortest route inside London (closest thing I have found to a black cab route)
- it knows which way the car is pointing, so sends you in the right direction. This is a major plus point in my experience! (More recent TomToms may have sorted this of course?
- Address book function works well
- the map updates are available for £20 from a chap on eBay
Cons:
- the only con in my view is its calculation of time to destination, which is not as accurate as a TomTom. So far as I can figure out this is because it assumes you will complete your journey at the speed you are currently doing, whereas TomTom works on average speeds for the different road types that lie ahead
TomTom
Pros:
- some very clever new systems have real time traffic information based on Vodafone mobile phone data
Cons:
- basically the opposite of the pros for the built in system, in that it is a separate unit and so needs wiring and sticking on the screen, which spoils the look of the interior in my opinion
Put it this way, in four years in the car I have never even considered using anything else. Given I like gadgets that says a lot!
Plus when it comes to reselling down the line satnav will make it easier to sell. I really like Imola Red on the e46 M3 but of course that is a personal thing.
I'd ignore the TV function though - I used it once in four years.
Best of luck with it!
Built in
Pros:
- integrated with the car and the car audio system, so no trailing power wires, and the audio level is reduced when the nav issues an instruction
- doesn't need to be removed to prevent theft
- I find it accurate, and use the fastest route setting outside London (main roads) and shortest route inside London (closest thing I have found to a black cab route)
- it knows which way the car is pointing, so sends you in the right direction. This is a major plus point in my experience! (More recent TomToms may have sorted this of course?
- Address book function works well
- the map updates are available for £20 from a chap on eBay
Cons:
- the only con in my view is its calculation of time to destination, which is not as accurate as a TomTom. So far as I can figure out this is because it assumes you will complete your journey at the speed you are currently doing, whereas TomTom works on average speeds for the different road types that lie ahead
TomTom
Pros:
- some very clever new systems have real time traffic information based on Vodafone mobile phone data
Cons:
- basically the opposite of the pros for the built in system, in that it is a separate unit and so needs wiring and sticking on the screen, which spoils the look of the interior in my opinion
Put it this way, in four years in the car I have never even considered using anything else. Given I like gadgets that says a lot!
Plus when it comes to reselling down the line satnav will make it easier to sell. I really like Imola Red on the e46 M3 but of course that is a personal thing.
I'd ignore the TV function though - I used it once in four years.
Best of luck with it!
The Stiglet said:
Am I the only one who watches TV? In London you get good reception and it's very useful for traffic jams. I'll be gutted when they switch the Analogue off.
I used to watch TV all the time. With an OH like mine, you spend a lot of time waiting for her to be ready etc etc.bmw never had a good rep for sat nav, at least when the e46 was around anyway, like you i wanted the look of it, dont even think about retro fitting the system its massively over complicated and costs several hundred quid, try a dynavin i fitted one to mine, took 2 hours, ive got digi free view, sat nav, works with me ipod and bluetooth on the old phone, far superior system, dosnt quite look oem, but not far off.
p.s sapphire black, lovely colour and washing it is half the fun.
p.s sapphire black, lovely colour and washing it is half the fun.
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