I have an 05 TL bought in August. I have to tell you I really regret not getting Nav. I know some people have done installs themselves with lots of work and hassle. I would like to get Nav installed -but wondering what options are out there. I want the stock Nav and I'm guessing it will be a pretty penny.

Right now the only option I know of is to buy on ebay and get it installed.
Any other suggestions?

Can I buy the parts from Acura direct? Or have some auto electronics, place/body shop or dealership do something like that?

Thanks for the help

 

There was someone here that did a non navi to navi install on their TL. Not sure of where the thread is... but do a search and you should be able to find it.

From what i remember, he got everything working correctly.

 

Basically you have 2 options - trade in your car or buy the parts yourself and install it.

Figure out which one is cheaper and go with that route.

 

I have the same problem as you my friend. I just bought a navi system from a junk yard they give you a hard time because they dont want to get dirty with the wires it will cost around 2k to have it up and running.

 

I'm in the same boat as you guys, wishing I got the navi. But here's a link to someone who did the conversion. https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...avi+conversion
He got most of the parts brand new for $1700 + he had a shop isntall it for $500= $200 more than factory, not TOO bad. He got his aprts from www.acura-parts.com and another website, he also wrote downt he part #'s as well. A lot of good info in that thread. You guys should check it out.

 

I was in the same boat...until I built a computer for half the cost of the navi.

I have two navigation systems, 500+ albums of mp3s, music videos, thousands of old school video games played via playstation controllers, wi-fi, and many possibilities for upgrades...

click here

 

hmm.. $2,000 or using my excellent sense of direction.

two thousand dollars vs. sense of direction






















ill stick with my excellent sense of direction, kthxbye.

 

It seems many people regret not getting it. I'm really glad I got it.

I have good direction as well, however if you're in a strange place and need to find a street, it's easier to have the Navi. Also the font size and screen looks better than the non-navi imho.

good luck in your research on getting it installed.

 

How does your excellent sense of direction help you go to addresses you've never been before, especially in other cities? My favorite thing about the navi is that it lets me go to places I would have no clue how to go to, for instance during thanksgiving weekend I was in Orlando and my sister invited me to her house in Cocoa Beach, I just asked for her address and voila, it's just another world not having to look up shit in mapquest and then mess around with that crap when you're driving, but if you don't think it's useful so be it

 

There are two distinct advantages to NAVI. First when you haven't been somewhere before... it will get you there. Second, I find it comforting on a long trip when I'm travelling on the highway in that I don't have to be constantly looking at signs to see where I am and looking for the pending off ramp. Its nice to see the split screen give you estimated time and kms/miles to when you need to make your next manouver.

 

I too am one who regretted it and comtemplated on finding all the parts and then getting it installed. But after seeing how much it was all gonna run me, i figured I'd just get a tom tom and use that for the time being since I dont really plan on keeping the car for more than 2 years. The Tomtom is definately a great investment for those of us who have TL's without Navi.

 

I kind of regret getting navigation. Mapopolis on the pocketPC was way better than Acura's software. I'm more of a DIY guy so I would have gone with the car PC route like ITL if I didn't get factory navigation. Then again I'm also lazy so who knows when I would have gotten it installed.

 

I wouldn't buy another car without NAVI after I got this TL NAVI. Before I bought the car, I thought it would be just another toy to try out. And I know some toys get tired of it within a month, NAVI didn't. (I buy and throw away lot of toys. Ipaq, bluetooth desktop set, DSLR camera, MiniDV Camcorder)

Two advantages someone said above are very true. It gives peace of mind by showing where you are in middle of long stretch in night. I don't have to look for signs driving 70MPH. When I go to part of town where I don't usually go to, I can find a house at once just by address.

Finding motel is big when I go to places I never been to. It is worth $2000 (or C$3000). I would of gotten TSX navi instead of regular TL If I had to.

 

My sentiments exactly, my sister just got a Porsche Cayenne this weekend and when I asked if she got the "Communication Management" (Porsche's version of TL's navi) she said that the car was expensive already without it and didn't want to pay the extra 2k, if it were me I would have gotten a cheaper car/SUV and gotten the navi instead of paying for a big name car and missing out on a feature I wanted

 

Join the club. Same thing happened on our 2G TL. We got it without Nav. Then when I got my G35 with Nav, my wife got mad that we didn't get Nav on her TL. I looked long and hard, and found it to be expensive and not worth it to try and get a factory nav installed.

I found all the parts and such, but apparently if you opt for non-nav, they switch wiring harnesses in the dash, instead of just not using them Nav related wires. So to transplant a Nav, would require splicing almost every wire in the harness, from what I was told.

With that being said, that's how we wound up with our 05' TL. We traded in our 03' TL for an 05' w/Nav.


With that being said, I thought I knew my hometown like the back of my hand. There's this mall I"ve been going to for 20+ years. I was meeting my wife at a restaurant there, and set it in the Nav, because I was coming from an off-site meeting. Anyways, I found a completely new way to get there, that was shorter than the way I've been going for 20+ years. In fact, the street I took to get there, I didn't even knew existed. I thought it was a cul-de-sac, but it wasn't.

And even if I do know where everything is, the phonebook/points of interest is handy, when you just want to lookup a phone#, so you can call ahead, make reservations, check hours, etc.

 

Isn't that a crazy excuse? "The car already cost $XXX...." That's like buying the Porsche Cayenne V6. Just buy a lesser SUV and get it loaded. No way would I spend that kind of cash and skimp on options! After Navi on my '00 TL I'd never go without at least ONE of our vehicles having NAV. Just bought a used Expedition without so, so the TL's replacement will definitely have NAV.

 

that is your opinion and I respect that. I, on the other hand, think completely different. When I purchased my TL I didnt even consider Navi simply because I do not need it and I could not justify the expense for it.

Here we go again.

saying the car already cost xxx$ is not a crazy excuse. I am sick of this argument. Believe it or not, some people can live with or without Nav. I myself didnt get it because I didnt need it. Plus I didnt see the need for the extra coin. Im not here to downgrade Navi by any means, I have seen it myself and it is awesome, theres no argument there. But again, some people can do without it. I can tell you this without any doubt, when I buy my next car, if Navi is standard then great, but if its a 2000 dollar option then you can keep it.

 

I got the Navi to complete the package of my "Lux" car. Nice leather seats, nice engine, navi etc. Now that I have a navi(first one) im spoiled rotten and always press go home when im only 5 miles away .

 

This was my dilemma. Decided to convert to navi. I had already started to mod and didn't want to swap all of that on to another Tl. The $2000 I spent was well worth it, IMO.

 

I LOVE NAVI. At first, I thought.. why would i need it? What a difference it makes!

 

I didn't buy a nav with my 2G TL. What a mistake. That mistake was corrected when I traded up.

 

http://www.garmin.com/products/sp2720/
about $900.
software updates are <$150.

also works in:
rental cars
motorcycle
pickup
girlfreinds' AltimaSE
company land yacht

 

There are plenty of other options,

PocketPC with Bluetooth GPS Receiver and your choice of Nav Software.

PocketPC Phone (Audiovox PPC-6600) is compatible with Acura HFL, I added a Globalsat BT338 Bluetooth GPS Receiver (About $ 130 USD) and PharosGPS Ostia Navigation Software about $100 USD with yearly updates costing $50USD.

I have been using Ostia for 3 years now and like it very much and since May of this year added a Bluetooth GPS Receiver (Globalsat BT338) to use with my PocketPC Phone (Audiovox PPC-6600) and could not be happier with the whole setup. Please note that I only use it for Navigating on Roads, mostly in Eastern Canada.

Best regards

frenchnew

 

I can see some version of this being standard fare in most cars in the future, much like power windows and heated seats. The ability to get to a turn-off late at night while travelling on the highway as Actuary said, is a very good navigation tool. In Canada it's a 5% premium on the purchase price. Given the car has so few options, its not like your faced with a lot of choice to mull over. I, like many, would never buy another car without it in the future. I see that the US version of the Civics (or maybe its the SI) have NAVI as an option now. If my daughter was going to buy a car, I'd want her to have that option.