PCM Sat nav factory fitted - Page 1 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

I agree it looks great...for 2003 there is the new PCM2...I had an 02 996 for a few days earlier in the year which was fitted with PCM 1 ....I was never going to order one on my car,but thought i would play with it anyhow,it was fun to see the map of yout location and your car as a moving dot,just like something out of a bond film,,,,thing is the map changes and you get these colours moving..i found it quite distracting.After a couple of hours i turned the thing off leaving a static display of the radio station or cd playing.....Once I had mastered it I never even touched it again.I just got on with driving the car.My own car arrived a few weeks later and I have no regrets about not specifying it.However I have a couple of friends who do a reasonable mileage and use it as a business tool. In terms of value a lot of the imported cars have it fitted,this is because they get 10-15% discount on options from germany...when they try to sell the cars at uk list with no wait for delivery they have got the list price up,therefore increasing their profit margins.If you keep the car for a long time you may get some value from fitting it,but in terms of getting a return on your investment(?) when you come to sell,18" alloys,leather are more important.

My 996 has got it and as clubsport said, it is fun for a while but the novelty factor soon wears off. As for doing it's job, the Sat Nav is OK but sometimes a bit slow, especially in London. The higher the density of roads, the less warning you get of an impending turn. You don't need the phone handset (although I have got one), as the unit operates hands free. The audio aspect is adequate. It's nice to have everything controlled from one screen but the functionality of it is no more than a standard stereo. Don't forget you get the onboard computer built into it as well, which can be useful if you're a geek like me. Oh and it can't be retro-fitted, but you probably knew that already. >> Edited by HermanTheGerman on Wednesday 27th November 09:14

Is that right? I actually wanted to spec it in my new 03 Boxster S I got a while back. They *seem* to be advertising the system in the "Techquiment" section of the Porsche site so maybe with the new wiring system (MOST or something?) it could be retro-fitted? Bloke from Becker told me their existing systems can't be fitted to the new cars because of the difference in wiring harnesses...but perhaps the new Porsche systems can. I'm told that *all* Porsches are fitted with a speed-pulse system so that the stereo can alter the volume automatically with speed...and that's basically what the GPS system needs to compensate for the movement of the car...clearly it needs an antenna too. Hmmmn. Think I might get hold of Porsche and ask the question...

As the system has been changed for the 03 model year, you may be right Don. The first incarnation of PCM cannot be retro fitted however, according to AFN that is. The PCM unit is made by Siemens. I know that Becker also make navigation units that can be fitted at any time. They are the same size as a stereo so will simply slide into place. The PCM unit is of course a lot bigger as it has a mini display unit built into it. Without being rude, are you perhaps getting the different systems confused ?

I think the tequipment version is just the Becker radio navigation unit which I had in my first 996. I retro fitted it but bought the unit in Germany where it was cheaper in €'s than they charge in £'s in the UK. I very much doubt with the new fibre optic cabling that you could retro fit the PCM plus it would need a new fascia and moving all the air con controls. The Becker unit is a useful tool if you do a lot of mileage in areas you don't know well but no where near as useful as the PCM system. I had the PCM in my second 996 and found it was great with one exception. I didn't have the phone handset and the only way to dial was to use the twist button to search through an on screen number pad. I have the PCM 2 specc'd on my soon to be delivered Boxster S which cures this problem by having an alfa-numeric key pad next to the screen. It also now allows you to play CD's from the head unit even when you're using the sat nav. You have to look at it more as a total communications/audio pack rather than just sat nav. Ie it includes all stereo (I have also gone for the Bose system), phone (and Aircon) controls as well as the navigation features. The new one also allows you to use it more like a map so you can scroll around the area you're in and also scroll to view the entire route of a programmed journey. It also has neat touches like telling you where nearest restaurants, service stations, stations, airports, as well as places of interest along the route. A toy - yes you can certainly live without it but also great aid if you're touring Europe or travel a lot of business miles to unknown destinations. Bottom line is you can get a pan-European road atlas and the latest GSM phone for a great deal less.

http://www2.uk.porsche.com/isapi/english/gbr/accessories/boxsterteq/item.asp?id=214&kat=Audio+%26+Communications The web-site would suggest that the proper PCM unit is "Tequipment". Bugger knows if that means you can actually buy it! But there it is.

I use my Porsche as a business tool. I cannot live without SatNav because I am driving somewhere new every time I get into the car. I also need a handsfree phone system, so I've got the PCM. The nav is good but not excellent. The phone system drives me to distraction - how can it be legal?!? Its the most disteracting thing I've EVER experienced. You can get a Becker radio that fits into a standard DIN slot instead of a normal radio, so I assume it will go into the Porsche. This has excellent navigation performance, will lead you around all the traffic jams (works in D and NL) and you have all of Europe on 1 CD. I have it in the Mondeo, and it is far superior to the PCM satnav, where the CD incidentally only has 1 country and major routes of Europe. Support for the PCM 1 is not good either. The latest satnav CD's are from year 2000, and no updates forthcoming because "Siemens is late with new software". I would delay the purchase of a new car just to get PCM 2. Or go for the Becker system - beats PCM sat nav hollow. Rgds, WalterU

I Can't afford it but is it a usable item? The dash looks ace with it fitted, but is it worth £1620. I've always fancied it but the high price puts me off & theres £523 for the phone atachment & £344 for the 6 disc changer