Anyone upgraded their Navigation?
 

So I've done a bit of research, and owned this car for a little over a month now, an 07 G35x with Bose Nav. I have to say I was disappointed with the entire nav system and it's inability to be upgraded. I'm super disappointed that somehow Infiniti missed the bluetooth mark and only made it phone capable. What I really can't believe is the lack of aftermarket bluetooth options. I previously had a 2003 Volvo S80 and for $50 I was able to install bluetooth audio that was steering wheel controlled. So after all the searching I've come across 3 options.

Option 1 - Bluetooth receiver into RCA output. - Done. Hate it. I can't change a song without looking at the phone. Even in 2007, who used RCA Audio and Video... and with the size of the center console - where were you supposed to put something that used video?!?
Option 2 - GROM Vline VL2 infotainment system. Pros: Turns the car into an android auto screen and does everything I'd ever want (or so I believe). Cons: $500+
Option 3 - I've read somewhere that someone upgraded to a 2010 Nav system. I have no idea if this is even really an option but from what I see, the parts for a 2010 Nav are about $300 used... not sure how that works.

So I guess I'd like to ask if anyone has a Vline and what they think of it, or if anyone has a link to, or has done an upgrade to a 2010 Nav. I used to be heavy into car audio years ago and still know my way around car electronics but I've never modified a hard drive based vehicle and am a bit concerned about what goes into it.

Any ideas or suggestions would be helpful.

phoenixautomotiveinc.com

This is what everyone is upgrading too ,...

Thanks for the Reply, I checked out a few posts on facebook and other sites about it and it looks amazing it's still just as much as a Vline, just better really. I haven't seen anyone who's actually installed one yet though, I'll keep looking but it's still a hefty price.

What are you looking for, a 'better' navigation system, better BT integration, etc ? If the navigation is what you're looking for, I can't imagine you being happy with even a system from 2010. That's a 10+ year old design now (I say 10+ because it's already 1-2 years old by the time it's fully developed and built into a production system). If I were to ever buy a new car, factory navigation is one thing I have zero interest in because it will be outdated in a matter of years, ugly, no map updates, etc. I think Android Auto and Apple Carplay are incredible innovations in this regard !

Your option # 2 is the "best" option from a technology standpoint. The cost is excessive though, IMO. It's an artificially high price, I believe, but they know they can charge it.

I've seen probably the same or very similar hardware for other cars, specifically my wife's Fusion, and noticed that these all use pretty old versions of Android 4.4. Not even too concerned from the security aspect of things but I'm certain that Android Auto isn't available that far back. I do remember a very basic, rudimentary version of their "auto" app years ago.

Hi Dave, I've got option 1 and installed a tablet in my car that does the following :

Navigation (Google Maps)
Spotify
Youtube
Music
Netflix

I use my voice to change songs and search for new songs. You can use your voice to control pretty much everything. But you can always push up / down / pause / play on the Bluetooth adapter. Of course you can touch the big touch screen, it's no big deal, really. It's just like looking at your stock screen. It always turns on when I start the car and shuts down when I turn off the car. The resolution is much better than stock, and it sounds great IMO. Total cost was about $50-80 and it's been running like a champ for a while now.

I have the exact same car and recently came up with an easy solution. I bought a Bluetooth button from Amazon. Used the 3M tape it came with and attached the button behind the left side of my steering wheel. I can reach the button with my left index finger and easily still steer at the same time with one hand similar to how you increase/decrease volume with the thumb. I have a RCA to 3.5 female adapter and Bluetooth receiver in the center console. I connect my phone using Bluetooth to the receiver and the button.

Satechi Bluetooth Button Series...

I have the same car and system. I just loaded a CD with a ton of mp3’s and used the center CD player. 120 plus songs. Then use my phone for nav. Didn’t make sense to me to spend the money upgrading everything.

Here's the thread that has pics of 909's install.
https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-sed...questions.html

Here's another thread too, wih a few pics of my initial install.
https://g35driver.com/forums/v36-aud...18-thread.html