i don't think it has anything to do with the "head unit" per se (up front in the dash), but more with the Navi brain which is part of the DVD drive assembly in the trunk.

i believe the different part #'s for the 05 & 06 Navi dvd units is only from the different discs that they come with.

I am going to purchase a used DVD unit from a wrecked 05 or 06 RL and have it installed in my father's 07 base and I am willing to bet that will enable the navi up front instead of the compass.

 

I was just making the assumption that the NAV circuitry was inside the head unit rather than inside the DVD changer in the trunk, but YumVTEC you could be right that its just the changer that has to be swapped.

Another thing I want to check once I receive the electrical diagrams for the car in the Helms book is the entire circuitry design. I will look to see if there are any differences bwtween the wiring harness connectors for the base and Tech versions (which would be a tip off that the internals of one or more modules are possibly different).

Keep me in the loop on your research as I will also do in return.

 

Are these the part numbers for the head units or the DVD changers? I would expect a different part number for the base and Tech models even if they were indentical internally, as the base model has a button imprinted with the word "compass" in the spot where the NAV button would be. This alone would make the two units different.

Does anyone yet know if the price for each the head unit and DVD changer is much diferent through Acura for the base and Nav versions?

 

Could you please give me the part numbers for BOTH the head unit and DVD changer for the 2007 base AND for the Tech version of the car. I will then check with Acura parts dept to see the prices for each of these four items. The two items that are similar in price would suggest its not the part that needs to be swapped out (ie, if the base and Tech head units are almost the same price, then they are probably not what gives the NAV its functionality etc....)

Thanks

 

Ding-ding! I think we have a winner! After all, this is not a TL. There's a screen and a space for a DVD player, so in theory all it would take is the right equipment.

 

hold on guys...first of all these are the part numbers for the dvd drive that is in the trunk that holds the navi/GPS disk. The prices range from

2007 RL NON NAVI (USA) : 39546-SJA-A71
This fits 07 RL and RL- H (hawaii)
2141.54

2007 RL NAVI: 39546-SJA-A61
2141.54

2006 RL ALASKA : 39540-SJA-A51
2525.72

2006 RL CMBS NAVI: 39540-SJA-A31
3266.02

what is surprising is that the list price is anywhere from 500-1000 dollars above the prices that acuraoemparts.com offers. BTW, this is the site from which i have gotten the part numbers as well

 

here are the pictures of everything for the front console (the joystick)
2007 RL WITH NAV AND CMBS

 

2007 RL NON-NAVI (HAWAII)

 

2006 RL NAVI WITH CMBS

 

2007 RL NAVI CMBS DVD DRIVE AND RELATED PARTS

 

2007 RL NON-NAVI (HAWAII) DVD DRIVE AND RELATED PARTS

 

2006 RL NAVI CMBS DVD AND RELATED PARTS

 

Changes In Part Numbers For Easier Viewing:

Navi Joystick (controller)

2007 RL-CMBS - 39179-SJA-A12ZA
2007 RL- BASE - 39179-SJA-C12ZA
2006 RL-CMBS - 39179-SJA-A11ZA

DVD NAVIGATION DRIVES
2007 RL-CMBS - 39546-SJA-A61
2007 RL- BASE - 39546-SJA-A71
2006 RL-CMBS - 39540-SJA-A31

But with these part number changes the GPS antenna part number has not changed.

hope this helps

 

Since the DVD drive is identical in price for the nav and non-nav, its highly likely that its the same physical unit (ie same internals) but just 2 different software. Unless someone here is a very proficient electronics hacker, its probably not going to be possible to unlock the functionality, but it also suggests that changing out the DVD player for one with NAV might just do the trick.

CSMEANCE, thanks for doing the parts look up leg work on this!

 

I have gone to the dealer and borrowed a 2007 RL Navi DVD disc and gone into the RL diagnostics screen in my father's non-Navi RL base model, and done a "load" of the DVD, and it did not change anything.

my theory is that there is probably no differences whatsoever in the units themselves in terms of hardware and circuitry and chips, etc... i bet one is just programmed to disable the navi functionality, or there is a dip switch or jumper somewhere to enable it.

best idea would be to buy an 05-06 dvd unit and open it up alongside one from the 07 base and compare the guts, jumpers, dip switches, etc...

 

Did YumVTEC ever try swapping the DVD to see if he could get from compass/gps to full nav?

 

you need to change the DVD unit in the trunk...i have a spare one...email me at larrynimmo@yahoo.com and i will give you the details how you can easily make your base RL have factory Navigation (except no nav-traffic)

 

Hawaii has had Navi on the RL since '05 when the 2G was introduced. Up until recently (I think in 07), the RL was the only Honda/Acura automobile in their lineup to have a working navi in Hawaii.

We don't have XM, acuralink, or traffic updates on any Honda/Acura models.