Garmin Nav System Install

[AussieAlf]

Just (almost) completed an install of a new Garmin Nuvi 1490T into my E88 Convertible (123d MSport).

Now down in Australia they charge about $3-4k for the BMW Nav system, which is lovely and big, but about 5 years behind the times without spoken street names, speed camera alerts and many of the other things more modern nav systems boast - so I didn't buy one.

What I did instead was purchase a Garmin Nuvi 1490T 5" (yeah small compared to the iDrive system but big in portable nav system terms) for a bit under AU$300 (we're pretty much at parity with the US$ these days) and a BMW portable nav system installation kit tray (Part number 65902158728)for 43 Euro.

Had to drill a hole in the bottom of the new tray for the lead, then just a matter of replacing the OEM dashboard tray with the purchased part. The BMW portable nav system is also a Garmin, so the ball fitting matched perfectly.

The bit I haven't done yet is to hide the plug away behind the dash and connect to the back of the cigarette lighter. Why do BMW force us to pull the whole interior out (both under dash panels and the central console, simply to pull out the Ashtray holder. Grrr!

This particular Garmin is also about the brightest I've seen in a 5" or similar size, and can be seen fine with or without sunglasses wven with the sun directly behind me and the roof down. A highly recommended unit for those without the iDrive.

[doogle]

I would wire it directly into the fuse box, but otherwise it looks pretty good.

[AW128i]

Very nice! What's the button to the right of the top down button for?

[AussieAlf]

That button turns the auto stop / start system off.

Cheers,
Alf

[AussieAlf]

Originally Posted by doogle

I would wire it directly into the fuse box, but otherwise it looks pretty good.

Good idea! I'll look into that tomorrow.

Thanks,
Alf

[Dackelone]

Why did you go thru all of that and NOT hardwire that sucker> ?

[JimD]

Looks good.

The installation instructions for the bracket (available from my previous posts) directs you to get power from a plug low in the driver footwell area. I taped this wire and a ground and tied them to a female accessory socket I bought at an auto parts store. I then plugged the power cord into the accessory socket. I put electrical tape over the whole thing and zip tied it to the brack that helps support the steering column. I had the lower dash open to find the power source.

I am unfamilar with the 1490 but if you cut the cord, be careful. Some nuvis have a voltage reducer (resistance I think) in the power cord. If you feed 12V to those nuvis they fry.

Jim