Whats my satnav/bluetooth/iphone soloution?
Discussion
About to get a new C class and dont fancy the £2k sat nav option (its a 2 year lease so thats a lot to just hand back after 24 months!) but before I say no to the Merc package can any aftermarket system do what i want?
I want a satnav that can be hardwired in (fed up of my iphone as sat nav with fag lighter cables everywhere!)
I want bluetooth for the phone, hard wired in - dont like in ear units and dont like the phone killing the satnav screen as it does on the iphone. (do satnavs have this built in?)
Can any of the above play through car speakers? My old ford focus years ago had a lovely simple car kit that cut the stero and played the phone.
Anyway i can plug my iphone's music into the car stero so i can listen to my podcasts!
Budget is £2k in theory as at least i get to keep the gear....but obviously cheaper would be better!
I want a satnav that can be hardwired in (fed up of my iphone as sat nav with fag lighter cables everywhere!)
I want bluetooth for the phone, hard wired in - dont like in ear units and dont like the phone killing the satnav screen as it does on the iphone. (do satnavs have this built in?)
Can any of the above play through car speakers? My old ford focus years ago had a lovely simple car kit that cut the stero and played the phone.
Anyway i can plug my iphone's music into the car stero so i can listen to my podcasts!
Budget is £2k in theory as at least i get to keep the gear....but obviously cheaper would be better!
Tiggsy said:
About to get a new C class and dont fancy the £2k sat nav option (its a 2 year lease so thats a lot to just hand back after 24 months!) but before I say no to the Merc package can any aftermarket system do what i want?
I want a satnav that can be hardwired in (fed up of my iphone as sat nav with fag lighter cables everywhere!)
I want bluetooth for the phone, hard wired in - dont like in ear units and dont like the phone killing the satnav screen as it does on the iphone. (do satnavs have this built in?)
Can any of the above play through car speakers? My old ford focus years ago had a lovely simple car kit that cut the stero and played the phone.
Anyway i can plug my iphone's music into the car stero so i can listen to my podcasts!
Budget is £2k in theory as at least i get to keep the gear....but obviously cheaper would be better!
There are lots of options. At the bottom end pricewise, get just a handheld Tomtom/Garmin and hardwire the power cable. Mid to upper models from about £200 will give you Bluetooth handsfree for the iphone, and will not cut out the satnav when in use. I want a satnav that can be hardwired in (fed up of my iphone as sat nav with fag lighter cables everywhere!)
I want bluetooth for the phone, hard wired in - dont like in ear units and dont like the phone killing the satnav screen as it does on the iphone. (do satnavs have this built in?)
Can any of the above play through car speakers? My old ford focus years ago had a lovely simple car kit that cut the stero and played the phone.
Anyway i can plug my iphone's music into the car stero so i can listen to my podcasts!
Budget is £2k in theory as at least i get to keep the gear....but obviously cheaper would be better!
On the plus side, the satnav will be easier to use than the Merc system, will give speed camera warnings, and will be fully satisfactory for navigation. The Merc system would give you TMC traffic information; you can choose a handheld unit with this (rather poor) traffic information, or you can get a unit with a subscription based but much better traffic information system (Tomtom Live).
The downsides are that the sound and microphone quality will not be as good as a built in system, that phone operation will not be as convenient as with a built in system, that you will have to remove the unit when you park the car anywhere not completely safe, and that it will never be as tidy as the built in system.
The sound from the internal speaker is generally more than satisfactory for satnav instructions, but disappointing for a heavy phone user. Some of these units can transmit their sound on an FM frequency to the car stereo - but I do not think they offer that feature for phone conversations, and it works a bit clunkily anyway.
The next step up would be to use the handheld as above for navigation, and get a fitted bluetooth system for the phone which would use the car's speakers. Parrot is a leading brand of these systems. You can get good bluetooth handsfree that way.
Incidentally, my son has this solution - hardwired Tomtom and Parrot for the phone. He lives in London, and although the Tomtom bracket is always on the screen the car has not been broken into. Personally, I have a £2k built in system - but I still have a top of the range Tomtom for navigation!
You mention playing Podcasts. Another choice is whether to get an iPod interface, or just to plug the iPhone into the Aux socket, and control your sounds through the iPhone. I do that in one car, and in another I have a proper interface. Needless to say the proper interface is more satisfactory.
Excellent response thanks.
I'm going for a tomtom 750 with live hard wired for sat nav and telephone wiring for my iphone in the merc (only £300 and i get full phone use through the car)
then i'll get a cheap ipod on ebay and stick it in the glove box aux in for podcasts on the car radio!
£600 and i'll be sorted. (£1400 saved and a better sat nav than the merc)
I'm going for a tomtom 750 with live hard wired for sat nav and telephone wiring for my iphone in the merc (only £300 and i get full phone use through the car)
then i'll get a cheap ipod on ebay and stick it in the glove box aux in for podcasts on the car radio!
£600 and i'll be sorted. (£1400 saved and a better sat nav than the merc)
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