Hi again guys, I was wondering would it be worth getting the acura navigation for the 99' and installing it or to just get a stand alone garmin navigation? Do both work well? Also would it be worth getting a mini car pc for the car alond with a pioneeer deck? The reason being is that I think that it would be better because it has more functions like nav,ipod connection, etc.

any suggestions everyone?

 

just get a nice double din like a d3

 

get a stand alone GPS, as for the mini pc i do know of someone who custom built one and put it in a TL (can remember who it was), if your into building PC give me a ring.

 

99's navi sucks...

get o2-03 if your going oem... heres a link to cheap navi's...

some of the complete kits are 2-300 for drive, screen, cd's and all..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002-...fAudioQ5fVideo

 

One thing I've often thought about doing, and it is theoretically possible is having a car PC. I fly jets for a major US airline, and the airplane tells me everything that is going on. I can monitor every function of every single system. I would love to be able to do that with the TL. I thought about connecting a small PC mounted in the trunk somewhere, to the OBD2 port, and then connecting the PC with the OBD2 monitoring software up to a nav2DVD setup, and viola - you can now monitor your whole car on the original nav screen. I think it would be costly, but it would be an awesome feature to be able to monitor all the systems of the car at any time.

But yeah - I'd go with the aftermarket nav. There is too much work putting in the stock nav, including the speed sensors, etc etc etc. Just get the plug and play unit.

 

thanks for all the suggestions guys, I think I'll stray away from the OEM navigation because of the reasons you guys listed. But if I were to get a pioneer deck with a seven inch flip out display is there a module or drive that I would be able to get navi and dvd playback on it?

like this one?



What about a Car PC am I able to do the same with that?
sorry for all the newbie questions I'm trying to pick it up as I go

Again thanks for the help guys

edit: I wouldn't mind getting a stand along navi but I want the other features as well haha

 

Yeah I think that one will do it. But I think it requires an external GPS antenna, which wouldn't be a problem for the installer. I'm no expert, but I think you will have to have an adapter for all the speakers since they are Bose (unless you want to change them out). I haven't modded my audio or nav system so I don't know for sure.

Definitely get an all in one unit. Those aftermarket TomTom or Garmin things are just dumb. Handy for being mobile and renting cars, but come on if you own a car, get a real nav system. It's always a pet peeve of mine. lol

 

Oh alright thanks for the help Comet 2404, So after I get the antenna, how would I receive GPS just straightforeward maps from a DVD or would I need to contact a certain place and pay a monthly fee?

lol I agree with that second statement. Those things are just unattractive in a car and useless unless your constantly on the go haha. Since this is my first car it was hard trying to find a decent TL with navi, all the ones in the colorado area were high mileage, or just way to expensive so I just really went with a decent one without nav. But now I'm trying to add it one.

 

I'm not 100% sure how that works to be honest. I think it's loaded in the software, or actually no, I think if you add the navi onto the aftermarket headunit (you actually have to hook up a separate box I think), it's all in that box, sort of like the stock one with the DVD in the trunk. It may be the same setup. I know Alpine has some decent navi stuff - in fact the OEM Acura navi is made by Alpine I believe! Do a bit of research into their aftermarket products and I think you'll find what you've been looking for.

You might also be able to find some great deals right now too!

 

The factory nav from the 02-03 models were considered at the time to be one of the better ones available (but far from the best). But that involves new assemblies for the dash as well as factory interfaces.

Aftermarket Double DINs are good (do your homework and also play with the demo's at your electronics/mobile entertainment store). One caveat is that the Bose system won't sound right unless worked on properly. Have a quality professional service help you do the install.

If you want to go portable, try the Harmon Kardon units. The 310, 510 or 810 are pretty good - the 310 and 510 are electronically the same except the 510 can do video as well. the 810 is the top dog, but can also do real-time traffic (for a fee) and the wireless remote can also be configured to use their drive + play ipod adapter.

Garmin Nuvi units would be a good 2nd choice in the portable market. You will have to purchase a higher end model to get decent functionality and a smooth operation.

Magellan has started to lose their way, but their products are still competant

 

jvc EXAD kd-nx5000, best deal for the money! gps nav plus harddisk. say bye bye to cd's and ipods and all that shi...

just copy music to built in hard drive , plus you can listen to music while using NAV

I have steering wheel controls rearview cam and blue tooth connected as well.

 

I'm taking my stock nav out (02-03) and putting in a mini car pc. Check out www dot mp3car dot com if you haven't already. They have all the info on doing this.

I'm using Igo8 as my navigation software and it blows away anything I've ever seen, OEM or aftermarket as it has 3d renderings of central business districts for major US cities and the routing engine is dead on.

It's def not as easy as a DD and if you can't do the install yourself, probably not worth it either.

 

Can I get a place like car toys or some third party retailer to install the nav software and car pc?
because that sounds really nice but i have no experience with the installation of it.

I was taking a look at this but found the screen to be a little small, it looks and performs greath though. Wouldn't mind this at all just the screen size.

With a DD are you able to get 3D rendering maps or is it just 2D? Also how much would a Harmon Kardon unit be cost wise? Is getting one of these better than a car pc?

sorry for all the questions guys

 

Yea, a place like car toys could definitely do the install. If you check out bybyte.com they actually have double din pc's where the entire pc plus monitor fits in a DD slot. Or if u want the pc in a different location, they have touchscreens that fit in a DD slot. Those also come with the software navi already installed.

 

A car PC would be awesome. I've browsed the mp3car dot com forums for a little while before settling on the AVIC F90. Most of those guys know how to build a PC and have done some pretty amazing things with them.

I really like my double din. It has navi, bluetooth, dvd playback and connections for iPod, backup camera and satellite radio. It also has MSN Direct with traffic updates, gas prices and weather updates. I don't know what else you could really want. It's a bit laggy at times, so a D3 or Z3 with a hard drive might be a better option.

 

www.bybyte.com is amazing. Those double din carputers are SWEET! I totally want one. I would tear out my Bose radio and leave the navi screen just for navi, and use the carputer for everything else. That would be great - have an all glass cockpit airplane, and an all glass (well almost except the instruments) cockpit car!! haha!

I am going to get one of those one day. I didn't even know they were available!!! Holy crap!

I want it to be able to connect to the internet. When I'm sitting in traffic I want to be able to browse the web and stuff!!!

 

Yea, i-net connection is easy. Most people either use a usb wi-fi dongle via spring/verizon, whoever, or if you have a data plan on your cell phone, u can hook the cell up to the pc via data cable and use your phone as a modem. I do this with my blackberry and works great.

 

To answer your question about the Harman Kardon units - retail $250 - $400 depending on the model. If you buy online - such as ebay... you get can get on as low as $120 if you look. If you buy an older series 300 or 500 buy a 500 model.

as for 2D / 3D - if you get a DD, you need to check on which one you get