Dear All,

I am considering adding Naviation to my 2003 S-typr R. Ive considered the factory unit retrofit idea - which is great - my question, is it really worth the trouble in hindsight given the cost of a state-of-the-art Alpine, Pioneer, Eclispe or Kenwood ? Which have all the latest bells & whistles - IE particularly Pioneer which uses the Garmin Nav ..

Has Jaguar added any additional functionality to the factory unit with later firmware updates??

How reliable are the factory DVD drives ? There seems to be alot of them floating around used .. IE like there is a market for them - I would think like any DVD or CD reader drive its just a dirtly laser ..

How hard to add IPOD connectivity to the factory unit ?

Any ideas would be very appreciated .. thank you in advance !

 

Maybe start with a search on ipod.

 

If you dont have the factory nav, i dont see the reason for wanting or going with the trouble of getting it installed. I have the factory nav, and i can say iv seen little garmins run all over it as far as functionality and upgrading. Im keeping my car as original as I can, so i wont be chaning it out... but if it didnt come with it, i would diffenatly go with an aftermarket. Just putting an ipod with the factory system is such a pain in the butt and expensive as well. More bang for your buck going aftermarket. IMO Do not go with the facotry system, you will be disappointed.

 

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...t=14137&page=2

Start there, me and bunch of other guys have done aftermarket nav, ipod etc...

I need to create a document with exactly what it needed, etc...

But it's scattered through that thread. There's also pictures in there etc so you can see what it would look like when done.

Don't even consider messing with the factory stuff... It's antequated and completely pointless at this stage.

George

 

I also have the factory NAV, just bought a lil' TomTom, and couldn't be happier. Don't waste your money on the factory one, get a portable one. IF you want to get something that is permenantly installed then go with one of the brands you mentioned, just not the factory one......I have the 09 disc and its still terrible.

 

I drove a couple of s-types with factory nav, and it doesn't come close to my relatively ancient pre-nuvi Garmin. In fact, it was horrible. The Garmin is pretty much always spot-on, even though the map is outdated. The advantages of a hard-wired system are the interface with the stereo, lack of wires plugging into the cigar lighter, and the convenient placement of the unit. But you can get all that with an aftermarket nav/stereo unit. The biggest problem I have with using the Garmin in the s-type is that I don't have anywhere flat to put it (it rests perfectly on the flat dash of my old car, but this car is just too curvy), and the windshield is too far forward for it to be mounted practically with the suction cup (can't reach it while driving). I would think a flat, light, unit -- like a nuvi or tom-tom -- might be easier to place somewhere if you don't mind the lighter wire and the non-interface with the stereo speakers.

 

Yep, just get a Garmin or Tom-Tom. So much cheaper, so much better, so much easier to deal with, and you can move it around from car to car. Don't know why anyone would throw tons of money at the old factory units - it simply isn't worth it....

 

I bought the TomTom 130s, and they have a redesigned mount that basically folds down from the unit with a suction cup, not a long extention thing that most come with. You can swivel it left and right, and clockwise/counterclockwise. It comes with a "mounting disc for the dashboard, not sure if the Garmins do, but I put a mounting disc on my wife's Saab and one in my car. Right in the middle of the dash, close to the edge (seeing as there really isnt any long extension from the suction cup to the unit) and it works and looks great. Basically these mounting discs stick on to the dashboard and the other side is a flat piece of shiny plastic for the suction cup to stick on to, probably common knowledge but figured I'd mention it to anyone who didn't know.

Let me tell you, what a difference from the stock unit in EVERY aspect. Make sure if you get a Tomtom to get the S model at the end of the number (130s). These have the text to speech option which works suprisingly well. For example, it will say "in a quarter mile turn right onto Elm Street", not just "turn right in a quarter mile".

 

Here's an interesting concept for you. I think it would allow you to return the car to pre-installation condition in short order.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=30048

 

I would agree; the factory navigation is NBG- Not sure why I had to have the touch screen in the first place now. I use a Garmin Nuvi as it is easy to use and inexpensive to update with new maps especially compared to the Navigation DVD. You can also find POI websites and download very useful data, which does nothing but add versatility.
I did find a mount for around $20 that has an integral charger and fits into the lighter socket. It keeps the unit within reach and is a clean install with no cables. I also use it occasionally as an MP3 player thanks to the SD card slot and when plugged into the ACM gives you the text to speech over the car speakers.

 

Hey Rob,

Does that mount have tangs to mount a GPS to it, or you attach a phone cradle or something to it?

I think that might be a way to mount my blackberry (which also uses usb for charging).

Could you tell me where you got it?

Thanks in advance,

George

 

The mount is the "ARKON GN097-USB". It has the ball on the end that allows the Garmin mount to snap on and adjust. I found it on Amazon.com.

Although it is made to fit Garmin specifically, it could be adapted with some lateral thinking to accept the BB.