hi i just bought a g35 and it does not have navigation. i wanted to know if i bought a console that came with navigation if i can install it in my car? would i need anything else except the console?

 

yes u would need a double din kit that u could get from grubbs. and you need an ac controller also

Ed Lin

 

Search the forum. Its generally "not recommended." Cars without navigation aren't wired for it. Things like the gyroscope, vehicle velocity, GPS antennas, and other telematics are not in the car. Its not a "plug-n-play" modification, unfortunately.

In addition to the junk I listed (some of which may be in the console, I personally don't know) you'd need the DVD player as well.

 

check out www.digitalwheelz.com they have a cool aftermarket TV/GPS kit that works in the top cubby hole where the stock navi goes.

they look cool but it says takes 3-4hrs to install, seems like taking apart your dash is pretty involved.

Anyone out there have this mod? tell us how the install went!

 

Hmm, dunno about all that. I have an 06 with navi and i like it alot, but there are aftermarket units that are way more advanced.

You can pickup a tomtom700 for aroun 700 bucks, its wireless, has bluetooth and a TOUCHSCREEN, which the factory navi does not. Once you have yer destination entered in the factory nav, it works great, but the joystick is PIA, a touch screen would be very nice. When i drove the acura and lexus models, i couldnt imagine why nissan hobbled the unit in ours with no touch screen (you can friggin talk to the TL nav).
Then i looked at mercedes and audi, and those guys are slackers too, no touchscreen.

That plus the moving lockout "feature" on the factory nav makes me think that the tom toms are pretty nice. The toms are also wireless, have built in battery, so no wire clutter. The 4hrs of function should be more than enuff for most trips.

DOnt get me wrong, i love my built in nav, the screen rising out of the dash never ceases to illicit an "oooh" frome even the most jaded passenger, but frankly there are much better ones out there. I love the integrated look and feel, but functionality wise, the aftermarket ones have a leg up in many respects.

I have a friend who just ordered the tom700, but he lives on the other coast, i'll try and collect some of his feedback.

 

kki, I agree 100%. My wife's Odyssey has the nav, and it's the best out there. But I also have a Tomtom (the original, not the 700) and love it.

Garmin is also coming out with a model soon called the Nuvi 350 that looks really nice. Very small but full of features.

 

I chose not to get Navi because the infinti's version sucked compared to all other models. If I was going to lat down 1.8-2 grand then I would like it tobe better. I am still researching brands and models but I am leaning toward the Tomtom 700.

 

DigitalWheelz makes a housing that slots into the stock spot, it is made for a 7inch screen which they also sell,

You can get the 7inch monitor and the housing for 700 with touch screen, computer input, plus 2 video sources. They also sell a din kit for the spot in the upper cubby hole so you can put your dvd there if you want to keep the main center console stock.

It is a really nice option if you have the time to take apart your dash.
The monitor isn't a motorized riser like stock, which kind of sucks... you have to pull it up manual but it is one less thing to break and works pretty smooth.

they have video on their site at www.digitalwheelz.com

 

yea i was looking at the digitalwheelz but it cost to much. 600 for the screen alone and on top of that i would have to build a car pc to work with it. which would be another $1000. i was asking about the stock navi cause a junk yard here has the stock center console with the dvd navi thing for sale for $350. i dont mind spending that for navi. but cant afford this price with the digitalwheelz and the car pc.

 

Not against all models.
Yes, INF navi is sucky when compared to Lexus and Acura. Its actually comparable if not better than Audi and Mercedes. Against BMW, depends on how you feel about idrive.

Also be aware that the 06 inf navi is much improved, the whole menu/OS is new and the screen is much sharper.

 

Another alternative is a portable aftermarket navi. I use the Garmin C330. It costs much less than the Infiniti navi and I can move it from vehicle to vehicle if I want. I've mounted mine in the sedan cubby hole..

 

Cru, a couple questions: How stable is the garmin there? How do you have it placed in there, I see it has a suction cup but inside the cubby is felt? With the Navi in its current location, how is your reception? Any external antenna needed? Thanks,

 

The Garmin comes with a plastic mounting disc that is smooth on one side and adhesive on the other. I just stuck the disc to the back of the cubby hole and suction cupped the mounting bracket to the disc (I'll take some pics of the disc). When I don't need the navi I can remove the mounting bracket and the cubby hole is still functional. This is a very stable set-up and I can swivel the navi unit around. When my GF is riding shotgun, she swivels the navi toward her, programs it, and points it back towards me.

The reception is great. I did a roadtrip from the SF Bay Area to Montana/Wyoming/South Dakota and back. I only lost signal if I was in a tunnel. No external antenae(sp?) needed.

I bought the navi through G35Alex on this forum. After weeks of research, he had the best price on the C330. Shoot him a PM if interested. Tell him skeleton_cru sent you.

 

Here is a pic of the disc mounted in the cubby hole.

The only drawback, however small, is that it's hard to reach the lever to release the suction cup when you want to remove the mounting bracket from the cubby hole. There is limited space and my hand is too big.

 

*shameless plug*
I used to work for the group at IBM that designed the voice system for Honda / Acura. There's a reason why that navigation system is consistently awarded "best" in its class. The systems do all sorts of noise cancellation and acoustical modeling, based on the configuration of the car (windows 1/2 down, sunroof open, 30 mph vs. windows up, sunroof closed, highway speeds for example). It just plain works.
*/shameless plug*

I suppose you could say a joystick also 'just plain works,' but that's like comparing an atari controller to a tablet pc.

We'll see what the 2007 system gets. The M already has voice, and I have a theory that Infiniti will unify the navigation across all of the cars as each is redesigned. Hopefully the voice in it will be comprable to the Honda / Acura system.