Nav vs non-nav? Is the nav worth the wait?
#1
Advanced
Thread Starter
Nav vs non-nav? Is the nav worth the wait?
I found a clean 2005 Acura TL 6 speed manual at a dealer with 126,000 miles and it is immaculate. No dents or dings, paint is spotless no scratches, leather has no rips or stains, everything works. Carfax is clean, theres a pretty detailed list of maintenance records. Everything seems perfect about this car. The only thing is there is no navigation system. So i wanted to ask how beneficial is the nav compared to the non nav? I tried finding a list of the differences but i couldn't find one. I know the nav comes with a really good sound system, bluetooth, xm radio, etc. Does the non nav still have bluetooth and xm radio? Is the sound system the same? This seems like a stupid reason to not get a car but i wanted to ask you guys because looking around on the forum it looks like its pretty difficult to change out the stock radio. Music is very important to me because i have long commutes and music is the only thing that gets me through it. But maybe thats just me being nervous before a big purchase. So please, call me out if you think I'm being stupid
#2
Moderator
iTrader: (1)
the nav unit is from 2003. it's so horrible that I dont even use mine. I rather use my cell phone and use google maps.
with that being said; a nav unit completes the look of the interior. a non-navi TL look incomplete as there is a psuedo-screen with black plastic bars going through the "square"
with that being said; a nav unit completes the look of the interior. a non-navi TL look incomplete as there is a psuedo-screen with black plastic bars going through the "square"
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DMZ (10-31-2015),
lukelikespizza3 (10-23-2015)
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lukelikespizza3 (10-23-2015)
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#5
Team Owner
I love having my nav also. I'm a whore for fully loaded cars. Is it old school? Yes. But you can update the maps. I'm also not a fan of cluttering up my car with stuff that shouldn't be there, like cellphone holders or aftermarket nav units. Yes, they are better for maps, however, having a clean and clear dash is important to me.
I rarely ever use mine, but I do enjoy having the on screen display.
I rarely ever use mine, but I do enjoy having the on screen display.
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justnspace (10-23-2015)
#6
Team Owner
It comes down to personal preference, really.
#8
Team Owner
I know, I know. They are fairly rare, but they do pop up from time to time with 6MT and Navi. Especially if he lives in a big city.
#10
Team Owner
There always was at least one black one available (no thanks), or the others were beat to shit and neglected. Mine finally came up and I got tired of waiting, so I bit the bullet. The mint ones seemed to have been scooped up and new owners were holding on to them.
#11
Advanced
Thread Starter
Thats what i want, but they are a little out of my price range and hard to find so I'm "settling" for the base which imo is still really great car. I just want the nav mostly for: 1. looks like you said. 2. i feel like the radio system is easier to operate with the nav touch screen. 3. backup camera. if i need directions ill always use google maps on my phone no matter what car tbh.
#12
Team Owner
04-06 don't have a backup cam. Only 07-08 does. And if you want a 6MT, there is no 07-08 base version available.
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lukelikespizza3 (10-23-2015)
#13
Team Owner
iTrader: (15)
I 100% agree. There were a bunch of 6MT type Ss around here back in the day, but when I finally decided to buy one, they were hard to find.
There always was at least one black one available (no thanks), or the others were beat to shit and neglected. Mine finally came up and I got tired of waiting, so I bit the bullet. The mint ones seemed to have been scooped up and new owners were holding on to them.
There always was at least one black one available (no thanks), or the others were beat to shit and neglected. Mine finally came up and I got tired of waiting, so I bit the bullet. The mint ones seemed to have been scooped up and new owners were holding on to them.
Racist......
reported......
OP, when I was looking for a 1G TSX I debated between having Navi or non navi. Like others have said the Navi screen does give it a more clean look.
Is back up camera a necessity? - If so, then you will have to save up a little more to get a 07-08
Is 6MT a must - If so, save up a little more for an 07-08 TL-S.
Also, look outside your current state. Couple hour drive for a cheaper price may be worth it.
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lukelikespizza3 (10-23-2015)
#14
Suzuka Master
you can add back up cam for the 04-06 with Navi unit, there is plenty aftermarket available for it. Depend on your budget 04-06 MT is affordable now however TL-S with MT price isn't so nice even with the high mileage one. TL with NAV help the interior looks more luxury the non nav look likes a step up from Accord, BTW you the only things you will loose in a non Nav car is voice command and back up cam. Thank god that ELS was made standard back then unlike today.
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robocam (10-29-2015)
#15
The DVD-A Script Guy
05 6MT here and not once have I regretted not having nav. Cell phone GPS is all I'd ever want and having things I can do with simple knobs and switches is far better than having to go through menus to get to. I know there's voice control but blah blah blah. It's a 6MT man... It's to be driven!
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lukelikespizza3 (10-23-2015)
#16
Team Owner
Go through menus? The navi in the 3G is pretty simple, lol. Everything non-nav related has physical buttons anyway.
#17
Suzuka Master
05 6MT here and not once have I regretted not having nav. Cell phone GPS is all I'd ever want and having things I can do with simple knobs and switches is far better than having to go through menus to get to. I know there's voice control but blah blah blah. It's a 6MT man... It's to be driven!
Last edited by truonghthe; 10-23-2015 at 03:33 PM.
#18
Safety Car
iTrader: (5)
also remember that a lot of these OEM nav systems in the TL break down eventually. there are lots of 04-06 cars that have to be repaired (not super hard but still something to know), and there are even 07-08 issues as well.
my oem nav went out (unfixable except by alpine) so i just use a garmin permanently setup in my car and i love it 100x better than the original nav (traffic, no yearly fees for updating, super accurate, etc). i still use the oem nav screen for audio selections and display.
i try to keep things oem and oem looking, but this time functionality blew looks out of the water. since these pics i've hard wired the gps and the cord can't be seen like it is in the pics
driver view
garmin 2599 graphics focused
my oem nav went out (unfixable except by alpine) so i just use a garmin permanently setup in my car and i love it 100x better than the original nav (traffic, no yearly fees for updating, super accurate, etc). i still use the oem nav screen for audio selections and display.
i try to keep things oem and oem looking, but this time functionality blew looks out of the water. since these pics i've hard wired the gps and the cord can't be seen like it is in the pics
driver view
garmin 2599 graphics focused
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lukelikespizza3 (10-23-2015)
#19
Suzuka Master
^^^^how many k miles you have on the car?
#20
Safety Car
iTrader: (5)
100,600 miles.
the nav went out about 6 months ago and i tried to fix it on my own and took it to 2 shops, and neither had an idea what was going on and said i troubleshot everything they would have done. the only fix was through alpine and it wasn't guaranteed. my gps is off and doesn't show me in the correct spot (about 5 miles inaccurate) and only moves the position marker 1/5th as much as i drive. it's pretty bad. everything else is fully functional
here's some threads:
https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-b...d-help-925482/
https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-b...k-used-934268/
the nav went out about 6 months ago and i tried to fix it on my own and took it to 2 shops, and neither had an idea what was going on and said i troubleshot everything they would have done. the only fix was through alpine and it wasn't guaranteed. my gps is off and doesn't show me in the correct spot (about 5 miles inaccurate) and only moves the position marker 1/5th as much as i drive. it's pretty bad. everything else is fully functional
here's some threads:
https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-b...d-help-925482/
https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-b...k-used-934268/
#22
Finding a good condition TL is more important than Nav. I agree though that the screen classes up the interior, my other two cars have Nav and I love having the screen. I was looking for a nav TL as well but when I come across my '06 non nav with 79k miles I had to jump on it. While it doesn't look quite as nice, I don't mind it as it is my daily and my phone is better anyhow. The nav screens tend to have issues as these cars are older, so that's a plus for no nav.
Last edited by b15; 10-23-2015 at 05:10 PM.
#23
I love having my nav also. I'm a whore for fully loaded cars. Is it old school? Yes. But you can update the maps. I'm also not a fan of cluttering up my car with stuff that shouldn't be there, like cellphone holders or aftermarket nav units. Yes, they are better for maps, however, having a clean and clear dash is important to me.
I rarely ever use mine, but I do enjoy having the on screen display.
I rarely ever use mine, but I do enjoy having the on screen display.
On the 7G Accord, the non-Navi interiors still look good. On the 3G TL, the non-Navi interiors dont look complete without the Navi screen
On these cars, my preference is Navi
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DMZ (10-31-2015)
#24
Team Owner
100,600 miles.
the nav went out about 6 months ago and i tried to fix it on my own and took it to 2 shops, and neither had an idea what was going on and said i troubleshot everything they would have done. the only fix was through alpine and it wasn't guaranteed. my gps is off and doesn't show me in the correct spot (about 5 miles inaccurate) and only moves the position marker 1/5th as much as i drive. it's pretty bad. everything else is fully functional
here's some threads:
https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-b...d-help-925482/
https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-b...k-used-934268/
the nav went out about 6 months ago and i tried to fix it on my own and took it to 2 shops, and neither had an idea what was going on and said i troubleshot everything they would have done. the only fix was through alpine and it wasn't guaranteed. my gps is off and doesn't show me in the correct spot (about 5 miles inaccurate) and only moves the position marker 1/5th as much as i drive. it's pretty bad. everything else is fully functional
here's some threads:
https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-b...d-help-925482/
https://acurazine.com/forums/audio-b...k-used-934268/
That being said, I still feel like your navi can be fixed... it's clearly working, just not properly... one of the GPS sensors is to blame. There's nothing mystical about the system... just gotta replace those parts until you find the right one. I recommend reading up and figuring out which it is (someone, somewhere, likely fixed their navi... this system isn't exclusive to Acura, as many other brands use the same Alpine system).
#25
Team Owner
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DMZ (10-31-2015)
#26
Safety Car
iTrader: (5)
The Navi repairs are 99/100 very easy to do, and cost less than $200. You're that 1/100, unfortunately (hey, it's gotta be someone, eventually!)
That being said, I still feel like your navi can be fixed... it's clearly working, just not properly... one of the GPS sensors is to blame. There's nothing mystical about the system... just gotta replace those parts until you find the right one. I recommend reading up and figuring out which it is (someone, somewhere, likely fixed their navi... this system isn't exclusive to Acura, as many other brands use the same Alpine system).
That being said, I still feel like your navi can be fixed... it's clearly working, just not properly... one of the GPS sensors is to blame. There's nothing mystical about the system... just gotta replace those parts until you find the right one. I recommend reading up and figuring out which it is (someone, somewhere, likely fixed their navi... this system isn't exclusive to Acura, as many other brands use the same Alpine system).
yea the thing i was worried about was that my navigation is completely fine it's just the yaw sensor..but when i did all the troubleshooting (and hours and hours of reading) the yaw sensor still came up green on the diagnostic checks. i talked to a local company that specializes in fixing oem nav systems (even the dealer recommended them) and they were saying they have no idea how to fix it and i would either need a new unit or a complete rebuild and even that wasn't a guarantee. and then i thought about how old the system looks and acts and was like i'm gonna take one for the team on looks for this one.
maybe i should start hanging trees from my rear view mirror to make it look more in place
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TacoBello (10-25-2015)
#30
Suzuka Master
sockr1 every navi unit will crap out eventually this same goes for lexus too, I saw many LS430 navi screen crap out too.
#32
Suzuka Master
iTrader: (2)
I've owned my '06 non nav 6MT for just about eight years and I've never once said to myself..."damn, I wish I had the navigation". I agree it does look better, but I don't mind my Garmin stuck to the windshield one bit.
It's tough enough to find a base 6MT and even tougher to find a clean one. Jump on it.
It's tough enough to find a base 6MT and even tougher to find a clean one. Jump on it.
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lukelikespizza3 (10-25-2015)
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lukelikespizza3 (10-25-2015)
#34
Suzuka Master
looks nice because he painted the trim piece, on higher mileage car the radio trim piece keep feeling/flaking by themselves. You are right tho buying a used car we don't have option pick and choose between exterior color/options and actual condition of the car
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lukelikespizza3 (10-25-2015)
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justnspace (10-31-2015)
#37
Pro
My nav unit went out, well the unit in the trunk scratched the disc. Got Acura to cover it, I only had to pay $200. I like to keep stock things working and I know I will get flamed big time for this, but I actually like and use the nav and think its great. Its never led me wrong.
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TacoBello (10-30-2015)
#38
Senior Moderator
iTrader: (1)
I love having the Navi because it gives me a big overview of the streets in the area and helps me with taking shortcuts all the time. Good luck OP.
#39
Head a da Family
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: New Friggin Jerzy
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Back in the day when people were buying these cars and all these threads popped up with 'should I get the Navi?'. My take always was that it was better with than without because that way, you wouldn't be among the 1000's who didn't get it banging their heads into the wall later on wishing they had. Back then, it was considered state of the art. 11 years later, of course the new systems are better, but the system still works and I've never regretted buying the car with it. It's the heart of the interior.
Over the last year, I've had my Nav unit repaired at Alpine, had my CD player repaired, replaced my HFL unit, and had a backup camera installed. At 230K, I'm still lovin it!
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Over the last year, I've had my Nav unit repaired at Alpine, had my CD player repaired, replaced my HFL unit, and had a backup camera installed. At 230K, I'm still lovin it!
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TacoBello (10-31-2015)
#40
Safety Car
iTrader: (5)
What were your cd and Hfl issues and how did you get them fixed? Currently my CD player doesn't work but I don't use it anyway, and lately my Hfl won't connect or pair with my phone suddenly.