I am considering changing out my Alpine Nav unit for a Garmin GVN 53 module which I understand will wire into the XK8 trunk using the original screen for Nav, satellite radio, etc. Garmin only recommends three shops in northern California where they are located. Can anyone recommend a competent installer in Southern CA that will do a good job without mucking it up? I am located in the Palm Desert area but will drive a reasonable distance to have it done right.

 

Were you able to get hold of a GVN-53? They were discontinued a few months ago.

I also make a cable that makes the most difficult part of the installation much easier and avoids cutting up your wiring....contact me if you are interested.

 

There is a new one ebay (no affiliation). If you want it, you should not hesitate. These are extremely hard to find now.

Garmin GVN 53 Black Box GPS Car Navigator with Maps 010 00668 00 753759073886 | eBay

 

WhiteXKR,

I saw the one on Ebay. The price isn't bad. However, not wishing to install it myself unless I have a Jaguar Electronics For Dummy's Handbook, I'd rather hire someone to do it. Maybe I am missing something. Is this an easy do-it-yourself job, or should it be done by a specialist? I'm very handy with mechanical work, but I am shy of electrical stuff. If a specialist is recommended, can you recommend one in So. Calif.?

 

If you are handy with mechanical work, you should be able to DIY with instructions.

You need to figure an additional $210 for the video converter: Amazon.com: PAC VCI-X Universal Back-Up Camera Video Interface: Car Electronics

I charge $150 for the video adapter that makes the video convertor plug-and play, which is really the difficult part of the wiring.

You can take it from there with the instructions I had published (see the link in my signature) or if you want to send me the GVN-53 wiring harness, I can label where everthing goes, remove unnecessary wires and provide additional hardware and instructions to make it as easy as possible. Send me a PM if you want to explore this option.

If you decide to go to an installer, I recommend you provide my writeups, including the entire discussion thread. I have proven this configuration several times over and have solved several problems that arose after the original installation, plus it works seamlessly with the navigation audio mute feature built into the car.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll think on it. If I decide to do it, I'll get back to you.

 

White XKR,
My priority is to have an up to date GPS Nav and Sirius or XM Sat. radio. Is the backup camera video interface and your adapter necessary? I don't have a backup camera now.

 

The 'backup camera video interface' converts between the different video formats that the car uses and the Garmin GVN-53 uses, so it, or a similar interface is needed. There are others on the market, but they generally run in this price neghborhood. I have had good results with the PAC VCI-X. The name is misleading, you do not need to use it with a backup camera (although it makes it easy to add one in addition to the Garmin if you wanted to).

My adapter is not necessary, but it saves a lot of labor, reduces the chance of errors and avoids cutting up the wiring in the car.

 

Thanks for clearing it up. As before, if I do it, I'll get back to you.