BMW Nav - Auto Power On/Off? (1er Portable)

[Cordoba1]

Hi board! I would really like to add nav to my 1er, and am considering the BMW kit (available on eBay for $325).

Believe it or not, the most important feature for me is auto power on / off with the ignition. I don't really use nav much, I just think it is cool, and would love for it to pop on and off without me having to "lean" on a switch for 4 seconds. Finding out which portable nav units have this feature has been extremely difficult.. I've even noted that some Tom-Tom units had this feature, and then a software update took it away.

So -- does anybody know if the BMW unit auto powers with the car?

PS: And no matter what unit I get, I'm going to try and install the unit to the LEFT of the dash cluster, seems to be the perfect place for my eye. The 1er dash slopes enough, that if you mount just above the vent, the GPS unit only blocks a tiny portion of the glass.

Thanks for any help!

[JimD]

All three BMW portable units are rebadged Garmins and power on and off when you start and stop the engine if you hook up as the instructions direct. The oldest unit is a Garmin nuvi 360 and has a narrower screen. I have a similar 350 which lacks the bluetooth feature of the 360. The two newer units, the plus and the pro models, are nuvi 760 and 880 respectively. They are the wider screen models. I put a 760 in my 128i using the Garmin installation kit for the Plus/Pro model. I got it from United. I would have saved some money if I just went with the installation kit for the 360 because I did not use the extra wires. These installation kits put the nuvi on the right side of the gauges. I like that position but if you want the left, you will have to make your own bracket. That looks pretty feasible and you should be able to take the Garmin ball mount off the BMW bracket and put it on yours. It is plastic, like the normal Garmin mounts, and goes onto the bracket with two screws so it is easy to get off and on. I wired in the normal power cord of the 760 by putting a female lighter socket I got from an auto parts store in the dash and plugging the nuvi power cord into it. I also put a 3.5mm male to male cord, six feet long, from the nuvi to the accessory socket in the console. I also put a Garmin accessory microphone from the mount through the dash and up the A pillar and around to the rear view mirror/map light area where BMW puts the microphone for their bluetooth phone. I load music onto a SD card and plug it into the nuvi. That lets me play tunes, hear navigation instructions, and take phone calls through the car speakers.

Integration of the Plus and Pro models is better since it will switch to the phone or navigation when you are listening to the radio. The wires should also be better hidden since it has a custom cradle that brings the sound out the cradle eliminating the accessory cord. Installation, or at least a computer update, needs to be made by the dealer. The Pro model takes voice instructions, the Plus (like the 360) is a touch screen.

The BMW systems add BMW vehicles (which you can find on-line) and BMW dealerships in the "favorites" plus a BMW badge. The neat cradle of the Plus and Pro make them a very attractive option but the need for dealer programming turned me off.

I spent about $300 to install a nuvi 760. You could probably do it for less now since the 760 is now obsolete. I believe the 360 is too. The 880 was not the last time I looked. That doesn't mean a lot to me since I will probably keep any navigation unit until long after it goes obsolete (assuming it keeps working).

I don't know if the 360 has traffic but the 760 and 880 do. You have to pay $60 to extend the 760 past the first 3 month "free" period to lifetime. I think the 880 comes with lifetime traffic. Lifetime maps are about $100 for any of them.

Jim

[ad78]

look here
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...2&postcount=29

and here is my setup
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...6&postcount=39

[Cordoba1]

Thanks - Very helpfull!