[homeryen88]

What Your Options Are If You Want a Navigation (NAV) Solution in Your F30 but It Did Not Come with a Factory-Installed System

Last month I visited a local BMW dealership. My intent was to examine a pre-owned 2014 (pre-LCI) 335i I saw advertised on their website. But examination turned into desire and I decided to trade in my 2002 E46 325i (210k on the odometer) in order to take that F30 home. But there is one thing that is missing from this “new” car. And, that is a navigation (NAV) system to go along with her 6.5” OEM screen.

So, I scoured the internet to look for products and ideas; read helpful posts from forum contributors; and watched YouTube videos about what’s available in the marketplace to help me find a solid NAV solution. I also learned during this info-gathering journey that about 2.7 million F30 3-series cars (from 2012-2018) were sold. So, perhaps there are quite a few people out there thinking what I have been thinking … “What Your Options Are If You Want a Navigation (NAV) Solution in Your F30 but It Did Not Come with a Factory-Installed System”.

BTW, this is not a post to compare/recommend one product versus another. There are certainly many other relevant posts that lambaste or praise products in the (after)marketplace. This post talks about what are the (for lack of a better term) ‘categories of possible solutions’ that you can explore to address your NAVless car as well as to give you some insight into what kinds of questions have been crossing my mind. Let me also be clear that I’m not necessarily recommending one category over another. Ultimately, it’s your car; it’s your money; it’s your decision.

And it’s my car, my money, and my decision – which I have yet to make as of this writing. But in case you are about to walk the same path as I am now walking, perhaps this will allow you to cover more ground quickly zeroing in on a NAV solution that works for you.

Here are, what I have found to be, the 6 categories regarding NAV solutions (from least expensive to most expensive).

Phone Mount + Your Smartphone
This is the obvious one. If you have a BMW, you have a smartphone. There are dozens of YouTube videos that showcase multitudes of phone mount products available. When you type in “phone mounts for cars” into the Amazon search box, the list it generates is overwhelming. But as you consider this route, also consider this hazard ahead.

GoogleMaps and WAZE pack in a lot of color and details and icons when it’s running. Trying to take a few moments to focus on a small smartphone screen, to process all of those colors/details/icons, and then to turn your attention back onto the road could possibly take one moment too long. It’s not as simple as deciding to just get a bigger phone (with a bigger screen) either. Currently, these 4 Smartphone brands control 85% of the US market share (https://www.counterpointresearch.com...rtphone-share/) in 2019: Apple; Samsung; LG; Motorola. And among the plethora of smartphones that are available from these four companies, there is currently only one smartphone in production with a screen size larger than my 6.5” OEM screen. That would be the Galaxy Note 10+ (released Aug 2019), which has a screen size of 6.8”. Even so, who really wants to stuff such a large phone in their pocket?

So the key is to obviously keep your eyes from gazing away from the road for too long. And nowadays, manufacturers know that it’s important to maintain your line of sight with the traffic ahead which explains the increasing popularity of factory-installed-at-the-assembly-line HUD systems.

Therefore, I would recommend avoiding the types of mounts that would take your eyes completely away from your line of sight and below your dashboard horizon: CD Slot Mount; Cup Holder Mount; mounts that plug into your 12v outlet; Rennline Phone Mount. Now, you may find that you’ll be able to comfortably master the fleeting glance between your NAV app contained within that 6”’ screen of yours and the road ahead. But with two elementary-school kids usually riding in the backseat, I just don’t want to risk it.

Vent Mount, perhaps? Well, at least we’re getting closer to the dashboard horizon. However, I am personally not a fan of having any device block the vent’s airflow or any of the buttons on the front console.

Windshield mounts are probably better. But, IMHO, they remind me of fancy Erector sets that look kind of aesthetically unappealing and/or will potentially obscure the view ahead. Hanging your cell phone in front of you, in any case, will certainly obscure your field of vision to some degree.

Ideally then, one would want to find a dashboard mount. Bizarrely though, the general problem that we F30 owners are going to encounter (well, at least I am encountering) is that there just isn’t really any available real estate. The limited space between the top of the instrument cluster and the windshield directly above prevents anything from being set up there. Meanwhile, the middle of the dashboard is occupied by the OEM screen and the mid-range speaker. And, there really isn’t much space at all between the instrument cluster and the driver-side A Pillar.

Hmmm… what to do? Well, despite my ambivalence towards the vent mount, I wanted to say that I have come across one (of the hundreds that I’ve seen) that has at least piqued my curiosity.

• This one is an “elevated” vent mount. It gets me closer to my preferred view that’s eye-level to the dashboard, but there are no (as of this writing) reviews on this product: Scosche MM2VP2SR-SP MagicMount Pro Universal Magnetic Phone/GPS FreeFlow Vent Mount for The Car

Ultimately, I think phone mounts are solutions you could accept but not necessarily love. And despite a funny 2017 YouTube video entitled, “The Best Place to Mount Your Smartphone in Your Car?” (where the cockpit is filled with mounts of all types hanging everywhere), maybe we should just take the advice of one contributor who quipped that you could just rubber band your phone to the OEM screen. Indeed!


Aftermarket HUD Unit
Let’s call this an emerging category as the technology here is only a few years old. It’s so new, in fact, that most companies that have waded into this pool are still in the Kickstarter/Indiegogo/early-rounds-of-funding stage as they work to bring a strong product to the market. From what I’ve read though, this nascent industry is still a few years away from developing a product that might garner universal praise. What is available now gets a mixed bag of positive and negative (or maybe no) reviews. But let me just add these tidbits:
• There are working products available, but they are bulky. Let’s go back to that comment on the irregular design of the F30 dashboard. 100% of currently available aftermarket HUDs (as a NAV solution) being sold on Amazon just won’t fit. In order for the unit (at least, the ones that have come to market that you can purchase on Amazon) to sit on the dashboard, we’re going to need at least 3” of width space from front to back plus at least 3” or more for the length (left to right). And we’re also going to need about 4” of height clearance (the base + optical screen).
• This link leads to a fascinating article about the optical science involved here and you’ll certainly feel smarter after reading this: https://www.kguttag.com/2018/01/29/c...p-display-hud/
• One type of HUD product that I’ve read about during my research, though, looks to be on the right track. The technology is similar to that of a Kindle e-book reader. You can place this tablet flat onto the dashboard’s backside of the instrument cluster. A light sensor on the screen (which would of course face up) determines how much output to project and you’ll see the info displayed as a reflection on your windshield. Although this idea is still very much in the development stage, I just want to say “wow”! If they (or anyone) could meld Kindle Technology (known as E-ink technology) with mirroring technology with nanoparticle technology (at a marketable price), that would be a complete game-changer! Keep an eye on these two companies (Carloudy, EyeDrive) and let’s hope that they create the breakthrough that they are seeking! Ah the stuff of dreams.


SmartView HD Flex (SVHDF) … a mirroring device for Android users
This is a product marketed by a manufacturer of BMW retrofit solutions, called BimmerTech. It’s a mirroring device that allows you to override your OEM screen so that you can view on your OEM screen what you see on your Android phone. BimmerTech also markets a similar product for Apple users.

Here’s an informative video on this product (and mirroring) regardless of what kind of smartphone you use.

Admittedly, I am a Luddite when it comes to in-car technology. In fact, for a full week after purchasing this car, I didn’t even realize that there was a way that I could unlock all the doors all at once after I parked the car. I would just tell all the passengers to pull their door handles twice. Anyway, to get a better understanding of this possible solution, I sent several messages to both BimmerTech and Kies Motorsports (a forum sponsor and installer of BimmerTech products). Kudos to both of them for their prompt responses. I’m including all of the questions that I had asked (remember, this is from the point-of-view of an Android user) as well as the answers I had received - just in case your curiosity of such things overlaps with mine:

Q: "Regarding that "box with the two antennae" that emits the 5 GHz wifi signal... at what point would the cabin temperature possibly melt/freeze/affect its integrity? If I drive to Phoenix in the summer where the outside air temps can hit 121F degrees or to Chicago in January where the wind chill can drop to -40F, would that affect the "box"? What high and low temps can it withstand and operate normally sitting by my head unit?
A: The SmartView system is a little WiFi hub that will connect to the MMI (an interface unit that allows the SmartView to override what you see on your OEM screen) and send audio and video that it receives from your phone via Bluetooth connection. As far as temperature swings, generally things are safest when they operate from -15 to +40 degrees Celcius as with any other electronic device. We have people that live all around the world with them, including customers in Dubai, and we haven't had any issues with the extreme temperatures. Even at those temperatures, the warranty will cover it for 1 year.

Q: Can you listen to the Radio/CD while SVHDF is running? Or are you only able to use one or the other?
A: You are only able to use one or the other. All the other sources will be overridden when AUX is on and SmartView is being used. You can switch on the fly by setting up a Hot Key on your radio display. Just one key will be needed and it will be #8 in this case to launch or to exit SmartView.

Q: My car has Bluetooth. When a call comes in, I hear the telephone ring over my speakers. I speak with the caller using the car’s microphone by my visor. If SVHDF is turned on and a call comes in, what happens then?
A: With Smartview HD Flex running, the phone itself will ring.

Q: Can SVHDF play YouTube Videos or home movies while the car is in motion? Or, does the car have to be coded in some way?
A: SmartView works when the car is in motion, so no need for additional coding as it is a mirroring device. Whatever app you turn on from your phone (WAZE, YouTube, home videos, Accuweather radar), you’ll see it mirrored up onto your OEM screen.

Q: If I am using my GPS app and need to hear the directions, will I / can I hear the sounds over my car speakers (since my phone connects to the in-car Bluetooth)? Or does the sound just emanate from my phone only? If the sound does automatically come over the car's speakers, how can I turn that function on and off (maybe I want to just hear the directions over the phone's tiny speakers because the kids are fast asleep in the backseat)?"
A: Phone sounds are defaulted to the car’s speakers. But, if you do not want your phone's sounds to be ported to the car’s speakers via Bluetooth, then disconnect from the car through Settings on your phone.

Q: If SVHDF is running, does it automatically turn off when you turn off the car? Before you leave your car, do you need to press the Hot Key again? Do you have to manually disengage the connection through the "settings" function of your smartphone?"
A: SmartView automatically turns off when the car is turned off. It is powered by the head unit power and ground.

Q: When installing SVHDF, does it matter what kind of “IDrive console dial” I have? Does it matter if my car’s IDrive system is NBT or ID4 or higher?
A: No it does not.

Again, thank you to BimmerTech and Kies for your prompt replies. I love the idea of mirroring. But the one thing that gives me pause is that I really like listening to the radio or my CDs (well, music) while I’m driving. So, that media function gets overridden when I turn on/switch over to SVHDF. Yes, you can probably listen to some Android-supported music app (Pandora, Spotfiy) while mirroring WAZE. But, as a helpful BimmerTech representative told me, “Bluetooth is not a hifi transmission protocol, yet. There have been many advances in BT technology, but it's far from ready for high fidelity audio transmission. Wireless audio is still lacking. If you're going to want the most out of a sound system, it has to be playing over a high quality source via a wired transport.”

Oops, I meandered into a non-NAV topic. Let me quickly re-focus and get back on track…


Android Auto MMI Plus (AAMMI+)
This solution’s cost is similar to purchasing the SmartView HD Flex (and is also offered by the same company, BimmerTech). But whereas SmartView HD Flex is a mirroring product via Bluetooth, the AAMMI+ is run through a USB connection.

• This article explains this tech product very well: https://www.techradar.com/news/android-auto
• And these guys are hilarious ambassadors (search on YouTube: “yakub and yuri carplay vs android auto”) for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality.
• And this YouTube video talks about the recent and significant update made to Android Auto just this summer (2019):

Again, being a Luddite when it comes to in-car tech, I had questions. Happily, BimmerTech enlightened me with their answers.

Q: As you know, Android Auto just released a significant update (summer 2019) that gave this product a major face lift. May I ask when will AAMMI+ be updated so that your product will also look like/work like the just-updated Android Auto? Do you have a timeframe?
A: The updated version is now available.

Q: When I look at the various YouTube videos that talk about Android Auto, I noticed that users are using a touch screen. Can you purchase a touch screen to complement this product?
A: Regarding the touch screen, at this time, there is no such product available. Also, if you have a 6.5” OEM screen, please note that our 8.8” VividScreen upgrade and the AAMMI+ are not compatible with each other. If you already have an 8.8” OEM screen though, that would be fine for this product.

Q: What is the warranty on this product?
A: 1 year.

Q: The price point of the SVHDF and the AAMMI+ are very close. Why would someone choose one over the other? Does one provide a better NAV solution over another?
A: From a NAV point of view, there is no difference. Once you’ve launched SVHDF, you’d hit your ‘home’ button on your phone and say something like, “Ok Google, navigate to 123 Main St.” and Google Maps will commence. Similarly, once you’ve launched AAMMI+, you’d press the “talk” button (technically called the Voice Command button) on your steering wheel and say, “Ok Google, navigate to 123 Main St.” and Google Maps will commence.

But SVHDF and AAMMI+ are two totally different systems. SVHDF can only be operated using your phone; It transmits via Bluetooth; music quality via Bluetooth isn’t as good; your phone is your "touch screen"; you can mirror anything on your phone; you won’t be able to listen to your radio or CD because that side is overridden. AAMMI+ can only be operated with the IDrive controller or voice; music quality remains the same; app options are more limited (e.g. YouTube is not available); you can listen to music while using Google Maps by launching a music app like Pandora; it’s more of a manual exercise using the IDrive Controller as you’ll need to (in some cases) scroll to where you’ll need to go to do what you want to do.

Oops, I did it again and we’ve somewhat meandered into a non-NAV topic. Let me quickly re-focus and get back on track…


BMW OEM NAV Retrofit
I came across this product after surfing through one of the forums.
Integrated Navigation Retrofit for Entry Media Head Units (SA663) - BMW (PK65902450301).
https://www.getbmwparts.com/p-integr...-pk65902450301

The seller is GetBMWParts, based in Silver Spring, MD (just outside of DC). They are a BMW internet parts store, so they only sell OEM parts/equipment. They are also a sponsor of these forums. Their “office” is contained within the BMW of Silver Spring dealership. I’ve purchased items from them before when I was modding my E46. Again, not knowing much about this retrofit product, I asked these questions:

Q: Will a dealership install this?
A: All parts necessary for a complete retrofit are included in this kit when purchased here on our website. This is a genuine BMW part/product designed specifically for your vehicle so it can be installed successfully at any US BMW dealership and is eligible for warranty coverage (https://www.getbmwparts.com/warranty). However, check with your local dealership on this as I’ve heard that a lot of dealerships do not want to perform this install work.

Q: So, there are of course new IDrive generations. I believe the current one is called MGU. Prior, there was NBT EVO ID6 then NBT EVO ID5 and so on. I believe the one that I have is just called NBT. With new IDrive iterations/advances, can I assume that the NAV look and functionality and processing speed also gets refreshed/updated/advanced with each new generation? If that might be the case, what generation of IDrive is this retrofit most similar to? Maybe ID4? Maybe CIC? I guess I’m trying to ascertain how many generations is this product behind the newest version (MGU).
A: Yes, your vehicle has the NBT system and I actually believe that system is the one that this retrofit kit will most closely resemble once installed in the vehicle.

Q: With this retrofit, when were the maps last updated?
A: I believe that when this system is installed and coded to your vehicle, it would be loaded with whatever map version is currently available from BMW at the time (which would be the 2019 update at this time [as of this writing]).

Q: How do you update the maps (when it’s time)? How much does it cost to do that?
A: When ready to update to a newer version, you would have to purchase the EntryNav update USB and an activation code. Total of $167 USD.

https://www.getbmwparts.com/oem-part...kgUGFnZQ%3D%3D

https://www.getbmwparts.com/p-2019-n...k2018navupdate

Q: Not sure if you can answer this, but I would be interested in replacing my OEM 6.5” screen with an 8.8” screen. It would be an aftermarket purchase, so I’d install it at the point-of-sale. In any case, may I ask … by upgrading to the bigger screen, what would happen to the NAV visuals? Would everything just get “bigger” and “stretch”? Or, would the view ratio remain the same? In that case, would there be a black nothingness as the border of the map or would the NAV actually show more of the surrounding area?
A: Sorry, but we actually have no idea.

Q: If a dealership were to install this, what would that entail?
A: Installation would require: disconnection of the negative battery cable; removal of the bottom right dashboard trim / glove box / head unit / central information display; replacement of the IDrive Controller (scroll wheel) which is included in the kit. It’s about 2.5 hours to install everything and we charge 1.5 hours to program the retrofit. We generally allow for an additional 1.0 hours for any hiccups or issues that may arise. Let’s call it 4.0 total hours minimally though. Our labor rate is $157.00, so a total labor install of $628.00 (or more) should be budgeted. I would definitely recommend, though, that you find a reputable install shop as their rates will be significantly lower.


“Enhanced” Systems
A few years after I purchased my E46, I came upon the Dynavin. I thought that it was quite ahead of its time. It had a touch screen, provided a flush OEM look, and it offered a litany of features (along with a NAV system) to improve my cockpit experience. Groundbreaking at that time, it was probably one of the more expensive infotainment upgrades imaginable. It’s this all-in-on piece of tech that I refer to as an “Enhanced” System. Alas, the Dynavin hasn’t aged well and has become somewhat irrelevant in the era of the F30 (at least, I don’t see any word-of-mouth referenced in the forums). Instead, most forum members now talk about products by AVIN (

) or by BimmerTech (

).

In any case, once you get into this territory, you’re not just thinking about a NAV solution but really an all-in-one infotainment system with a cornucopia of features. Giddiness and a lighter wallet await you in this category.


Ok, and there you have it. Phone Mounts; Aftermarket HUD units; the SmartView HD Flex; Android Auto MMI Plus; a BMW OEM NAV Retrofit; and “Enhanced” Systems. Phew! We covered them all. And while it has been a long journey for me (and I’m still on it), may this post about NAV solutions get you to where you want to go a little bit faster (see what I did there?). Mod On!

[Frankly30]

I'd like to address on the mentioned OEM retrofit solution from BMW because there are some misinformation. I used to own that myself.
First you aren't getting the same NAV as cars that came from factory with NAV built in, but a software from HARMAN/Becker that's looks and works quite the same as Becker Map Pilot you can find on Mercedes cars.
But to our disadvantage, they don't maintain updates regularly like the Map Pilot (although there is a way to make the newer Mercedes Maps on work them).
You can find the official update here: www.integrated-navigation.com
The North American maps cost $99.95 while European Maps cost 89,95€ although new users get them as part of their 90 day map update guarantee for free.
Be aware that they won't mount a GPS antenna on your roof, but that they use the same GPS "mouse" as the one's from the 10.25" Android Screens and hide it above your dashboard according to the installation diagram. Surprisingly the signal is pretty good though.
What does really suck though, is the TMC/RDS antenna, I barely only had a signal when I was on the highway, and never received anything when I was in town. It is fixable if you replace that tiny wire with a proper FM antenna and hide it under a pillar.
And it's only compatible with the 6,5" screen! Try installing this to a 8" or 10.25" screen and you'll only see a mess of random pixels.

Overall I really didn't like this solution, as it was just filled with flaws. Considering you can get a factory NAV (Buisness or Prof) for almost the same money, it really isn't worth it!

[klutch117]

You covered 99% of all the things I was wondering about as I contemplate upgrading my 2017 330i 6.8 screen without NAV to in a full featured display/system. Thank you for such a comprehensive analysis.

[Adem8654]

Hey guys I need help and i cant make a thread yet idk how im new but I have one question, I have a 320i 2014, and it seems that I have an Entry NBT system, would i be able to still get an 10.25 android screen for NBT with no issues? or would I have to do something to the headunit?