Installing Nav?

Hey guys, although i bought a 911 CS (coming in a few days!!) i love this forum the most so i figure id ask my quesitons here and continue being a member. I was going to order my 911 for summer delivery, but they were able to locate exactly what i wanted pluse some really cool options (like sport exhaust and sport chrono, pasm and others). Only problem is it didnt come with Nav but it was a sacrifice that had to be made to get this car and enjoy it in a couple of days rather than order one and wait until August. So as some of you may know, the carreras come with the screen, whether it has Nav or not. Is it possible to add Nav to it? I understand Id have to buy some more equipmetn for it... but how feasible is this? My dealer told me that the porsche Nav is not that great and if i wanted to add it it would cost $3500. He recommended i get the new Porsche Design nav or a Tom Tom for like 500 bucks. Recommendations??? I would rather have the built in Navigation but if i cant do it....

it is possible and his price quote is spot on... but not if you buy it from a sponsor and follow our article to install it yourself, as it's pretty simple, and then pay a dealer to program it (< 1 hour of labor). http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/m...?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=P&Product_Code=9970449010x&Category_Code=electronics997 It will then only cost you about $2350. Or you could save some money by sourcing used parts on ebay and such... - Suneet

Hey thanks bro. That link you sent me... Is that the same hardware the dealer uses? Is that the actual POrsche COmponents? Also is it easy enough to install myself? By doing it myself do i void warranty/lower value of the car or anything? Would you just buy a frigain TomTOm and save 3g's and all that hassel?

Also with that link you sent me, the screen module is iincluded in that price. I have the screen and cd player in the car, all i need is the Navigation components

Ccombo, That link is from Suncoast, a Porsche dealer here in FL. That listing doesn't include the screen, but instead includes the DVD navigation drive, the GPS antenna, the Optical Waveguide, and the DVD drive mount for the front boot. It's all Porsche parts, you give them your VIN number and they send you exactly what you need for your car. Also, theyve known to strike deals with forum members. They just include the screen in the description because it's a basic description of the Porsche PCM II nav system. While a TOM-TOM or Garvin might give you an easier and more easily updatable navigation unit, why have two screens in the car... I personally have the screen and no nav and never really miss the nav as I just google map things before I leave... but in your position, I'd actually get the factory one put in. The one in my dad's Cayenne does a great job. - Suneet

Here's a step by step from Kman S with pics on a Cayman. The front boot of the 911 is practically identical, and the entire install is done in the front boot. Even the same power lead for the cd-changer that kman uses for power is available in the front trunk, as is that extra fiber lead that you need... all in the same locations too. Once you install it, dealer will program it, no lost value. No-one will be able to tell it didn't come that way. - Suneet

IMHO Nav Not Worth it I ordered the Nav and basically regret it. While Porsche may know something about car mechanics, they know very little about user interface design. The Nav has a very poor UI, and while yes it can do the basic job of getting you from A to B with directions, that is about all its really can do. It has nowhere near the ease of use and flexibility of other Navs I have used (Volvos and Acuras). The key problem is that the UI is very "modal": You have to enter a mode to do something. Example: When you have a route set, and you want to "lookup" some other destination, you first have to cancel the current destination, before you can do so. Example: when driving, I frequently want to "see" what on the map nearby my current position, perhaps to look for alternate routes, streets. In the Nav, you have to change the mode to "cursor", and then use the number pad keys to scroll (which is painfully slow). Then have to change back to showing the current location for route guidance. In other Navs, you can immediately scroll freely about the screen, and then simply "cancel" to return to route guidance. Example: one of the best features in the Acura nav is the ability to search or shops, restuarants, etc. nearby or in a city, and sort by distance. With just a few clicks you can find just about anything in the vast directory. With P-Nav, you cant search the directory at all. Instead, you have to basically know what you are looking for and what city it is in. This is because you have to first list the city you want, before you can enter the place of interest. Oftentimes, you don't know what city the place is in, your stuck. These are just a couple of examples. Basically, its very Teutonic in design: "You will use the UI the Nav the way We say, Yah!" Get a Tom Tom.

My opinion is the opposite of the post above. While the UI on the Porsche nav may be a bit clunky at times, it is extremely useful system overall. The nav in my wife's Volvo pales in comparison. The screen resolution is so low that only a few road names are displayed on the map. With the Porsche high res screen, every street name is displayed. For my wife and I, one of the most useful aspects of having a Nav is driving with the map on and being able to look for upcoming street names. On the Volvo, you can't do this. You would have to enter a destination address in order to find your way. With the Porsche, it makes getting around extremely easy. Yes, it could be better. Storing and renaming an address in memory can require endless twisting of the knobs. I do agree that with the poster above that the system's cursor/scrolling feature is awkward, but I rarely use it. I have this system on my Cayman and my Cayenne. In fact, the Cayenne was my first experience with nav and I had no idea what to expect. When I replace the Cayenne at the end of this year, I now know what to look for in a nav system and my first priority will be a system that has a high res display and will display all street names when zoomed in accordingly.

Hey ckombo, If my memory serves weren't you considering the MB CLS vs the CS? Anyway the C2S is a great car, I actually went to buy one and ended up ordering the Cayman! Anyway, I have some great advice for you: Buy a mapbook and spend the $'s on two weeks in St Lucia or someother exotic island of your choice instead! Seriously, I don't get Nav at all; most of my journeys are familiar; home - work - airport - shops - family etc etc!!! The only time I have used Nav effetively is driving in LA!

I agree with Midnight Blue that its all in how you use the Nav. I too think the high resolution with street names is very very useful. And that was something of the genesis of the frustration: Its very helpful to see the streets nearby the current position, and it was more of the small size of the screen that drives--at least for me--the need to scroll quickly. And thus, I found the overall UI compromised. I also agree that it takes "endless button twisting" to store information. So: you have to decide what's important in a NAV: just getting basic directions? If so, you can pay a lot less. For the price of the P-nav, I expect a lot more features and ease of use.

i think im going to save the almost four grand and buy a Garmin for 500 bucks where i can actually use it as a speaker phone via bluetooth; comes with a lot of other cool features too. This way i can swap it between my two cars. Ill put the 3 grand somewhere else on the car over time, or just go on vacation like Mex said. Yes i was considering the cls or the cayman. They gave me the cls to have for 3 hours and i "liked" car....i didnt loveee it like i did the porsches. To be honest, i enjoyed my ride home with my 6-speed A4 better - thats when i knew. DOnt get me wrong though, its a gorgeous car, but at this stage in my life, im not ready for it yet. IM A DRIVER!!!!!!! I went in to get the cayman with my dad, and he surprised me with the carrera S!! We are both tall and built guys, so i really did need the extra leg room-shoulder room and reclining space of the carrera. I love my dad man, hes the best. He was always super strict with me right until now that i am graduating and making my own money haha. This was a great "your being cutoff, and congrats on your graduation" present thgouh... If you guys dont mind, id like to stick around on this forum cuz it is the best one out there. Il show you pics of my new car when it comes in at the end of this week!!

I have opted to have a Pioneer AVIC-D3 installed on the stock Becker radio that came with the car. My cost was about $1700. however there is a more advanced Eclipse product that is supposed to employ the same system as that used in Lexus. I have not confirmed that but if that is the case then that is the one you want. Figure an just under $3000. for the Eclipse installed. Here is my reveiw on the D3: http://www.planet-9.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=123&cat=5 -Stevie

Do you know the name of that Eclipse product?

Stevie, where did you find the double DIN template that the navigation sits in? Congrats on a great install. Well Done. Brian

Brians, I my installer reused the factory piece with some body filler and SEM Medium Dark Titanium bumper paint. Had to trash the Becker radio though. -Stevie