Greg D

I just bought a 99 TL w/ Navi. My question is, Since this isn't DVD based like the 00 and up models, How do I update this system? I know for the DVD based, version 2.05 is out. Does anyone know what i am supposed to do? Sorry if this question sounds lame, but keep in mind, im a newbie. )

songoku

You can replace DVD based navigation system just like Blackshadow did on his 99 TL.

Welcome aboard!!

BlackShadow

Did I hear my name?!

Yes I have a 99 TL with a DVD navi. How you ask? Simple, another member, Acura3200, just so happen to have an extra DVD navi lying around and he wanted to sell it. So I jumped on it and bought it right away. It is just plug and play, meaning take out the old HDD navi and plug in the DVD navi and you're good to go.

My suggestion is to go to a junk yard to see if there are any wrecked TL with a DVD navi that is still working. Or you can always try e-bay. Whatever you do, try to get one cause it is so much better with the whole US on one DVD instead of that crap on the HDD nav with like 6 disks to cover the whole US.

Good luck!

songoku

I hear that story again.

BlackShadow

You asked for it.

Greg D

Black Shadow, So Get a 2000 and up unit, plug it in, and just get the latest version? Thats it? It sounds too easy to be true. There are no other mods needed? So lets say I wanted to keep my unit I have now. How does this sucker get updated? I am getting the car next week. Here is another question. On DVD based navi's, you can touch the clock, and it will appear larger on the screen. But on the 99's it wont (hope im correct). Does that feature work on yours now? You aren't too far away from me, I work in North Brunswick.

bigman

Just dont for get about the cost involved. Blackshadow got his for a good price i assume versus the dealer price.

BlackShadow

Yes it is that easy, just plug and play.

I really don't know if there are updates for the 99 HDD nav. If there is an update then only the dealer will have it.

And yes I have the big clock on the screen now.

Feel free to stop by since you're not that far from me.

Larry Chisum

Agreed, the optimum solution for the ’99 TL Navi would be replacement of the trunk unit with the DVD unit. I think this could get very pricey, depending on the availability and source of the DVD unit. An alternative solution, using the ’99 hard drive unit, can be accomplished for as little as $100:

This work around should be satisfactory for most people’s needs. It is totally contingent up having a notebook/laptop (portable) PC with a PCMCIA PS Type II slot. Many newer notebooks have this interface. The ’99 TL Navi hard drive can be read or written from this slot.

Find an Acura dealer who is participating in the $100 unlimited ’99 Navi hard drive updates. Apparently not all dealers do. You pay $100 for royalty fees, and are entitled to unlimited updates for up to a year. The year runs from the anniversary date of the original vehicle delivery to the next anniversary date. Therefore if you are six months away from the anniversary date when you pay the fees, unlimited updates are only good for six more months, etc.

Pay the royalty fees, get your first region, and revisit the dealer six more times (for the seven Acura regions), or if you have a cooperative dealer, go once for all seven.

As you acquire a new region, make a backup copy of it from the Navi hard drive to the notebook via the PS2 slot. It would be beneficial to have previously created seven new folders on the PC to receive the regions. Folder examples:

CANVDC1 (California/Nevada <= 340MB),
NWMTDC2 (Northwest/Mountain <= 340MB),
MWGLDC35 (Midwest/Great Lakes > 340 MB),
SCENDC4 (South Central <= 340 MB),
GLOHDC56 (Great Lakes/Ohio Valley <= 340MB),
NENGDC78 (Northern East Coast > 340MB),
SESTDC89 (Southern East Coast > 340 MB)

Once the regions are on your PC, you can then restore the desired region to the Navi hard drive as you cross regional boundaries on a trip. You must first delete all the old files on the hard drive before you copy the new ones from the PC.

The royalty fees paid cover the specified ’99 Acura only. I must stress that this data cannot legally be transferred in any form to other persons/vehicles.

If you are willing to spend some more money for convenience, you may invest in additional hard drive(s) compatible with the ’99 Navi drive. The idea being that you can have a spare hard drive preloaded with the next region you are entering, and leave the PC at home. As an example, IOMEGA, on their web site, www.iomega.com , offers two sizes of Microdrives® which should be compatible with the ’99 Navi drive. The 340MB model is currently priced at $129.95, and the 1GB model is currently $229.95. I am using the 340MB model, and it works quite well, but do not have, and cannot guarantee the 1GB model. These drives can also have other useful lives in digital cameras, MP3 players, PDAs, and other compatible devices that use CF (Compact Flash) storage media. I am not personally recommending the purchase of, quality, or suitability of these drives.
I have noted in the list of regions above, those regions which will currently fit into a 340MB drive. These sizes are subject to change in subsequent releases due to the incorporation of additional city detail into individual regions.

Hope this helps some of those who are as frustrated about the ’99 TL Navi as I have been.

Larry

BlackShadow

On behalf of all 99 TL Navi owners, thanks for the info Larry.

patrick

Let's play that again Sam...er, BlackShadow! :p

vchevres

You can update your Nav card at any Acura Dealer but there is a $50 charge and it takes about 1/2 hour.

bigmonkey70

I got mine even cheaper than BlackShadow

bigmonkey70

Blackshadow, you are not the only one with this conversion :p

songoku

update Nav card for $50?????

is this something new???? other than replacing new version DVD disk??

bigmonkey70

I think he's talking about the HD update

BlackShadow

Biotch!

BlackShadow

Are we the only two?

Greg D

Anyone have the dvd unit from a 2000 and up model they want to part with????

EmuMessenger

Hmm, this is all very interesting. I just contacted several junkyards in the Philadelphia, PA area and there were actually about 7 or so TL's, none with Navi.

BlackShadow, where is East Hanover in relation to Cranbury or East Brunswick?

What did you do with your old system?

BlackShadow

I don't know where Cranbury or East Brunswick is but I am about 30 minutes from New Brunswick.

I still have my old system.

EmuMessenger

EB and Cranbury are exits 8 and 8a of the NJ Turnpike.

I think I may have found a DVD based system. Does it really take less than an hour to hook up and get running?

I keep my screen and everything else and just switch out the box in the trunk?

BlackShadow

You're right next to Great Adventure. I am off exit 15W on the turnpike and then take Rt. 280 W to exit 4 and then....

It takes less than 15 minutes if you know what you are doing. The long part is waiting for it to reboot to pick up the GPS signal. But it is just plug and play.

Yea all you do is take out the HDD navi box and replace it with the DVD navi box.

EmuMessenger

OK, well, I think I may give it a shot.

One question for the 340MB microdrive comments earlier.... The drive in my system is a 490MB drive and contains more than 340MB of data. Anyone else have this drive too?

Larry Chisum

The 490MB drive is the standard Acura/Alpine drive. Any Acura map region will fit into it. In my post, I just pointed out which regions will currently fit into the 340MB drive. Four of the seven regions will, but Midwest/Great Lakes, Northern East Coast, and Southern East Coast will not. What is your assessment of the DVD file structure vis-a-vi the CD region file structure? I know you said there were folders. How many folders? How many files in each folder? What is the total megabytes consumed by the data on the DVD?

Thanks,


Larry

xkazman

If you live in the South East 340mb isnt enough...I brought a 340 to acura and a error message popped up on the screen requesting more storage space. So i went on ebay and bought a 512mb for about $160 and now I'm waiting for the software. Does anyone have the South East Region??

stampsosu

Hey, new guy here......This site is great...Question? You guys stated that it is a simply unplug and plug in job to switch the HHD system to the DVD....This may be a stupid question, but can one buy any after market ( Apline..etc) DVD NAVI or would one have to purchase the Acura DVD

thanks

bigmonkey70

I might sell my DVD unit. I am still debating to put my TL back to stock. If I do, Binh, u got a first shot at the exhaust and songku, you have the first shot of my Navi-Video kit

jjpark

Hmmm... all this talk about an easy "Plug n Play" install... I'm wondering if it'd be just as easy to install a Navi into a 99 TL that didn't have Navi in the first place. Thoughts?

Jung

doopstr

Someone here has put a Acura NAVI in a non navi TL. From what I remember it was hela hard and I'm not sure if he got the sound working.

jjpark

Stinkers...

y2kaibo

hi guys,

i'm trying to make my 2000 tl dvd navigation work from my wrecked TL in another car, if i don't get it to work, i will probably sell it. not sure how much yet, i'll have to see what it is worth, i have the security code and LCD screen DVD rom/drive/computer, that was pretty much all i could get from it after the wreck. email me if you have any info on wire harnesses or if you know what i have is worth. my email address is y2kaibo@hotmail.com