Satnav; With or without?

[DOOM]

I was kind of disappointed when I found "my" perfect Coupe and it didn't have the satnav. I really really wanted it, as I thought of it as a real luxury feature.
Now that I think of it, I couldn't have been more lucky. I didn't not convince myself, I actually save myself the trouble having to replace the tablet every 2-3 years with the new one (because I would certainly and almost immediately change it for a tablet).
Go do whatever your heart tells you to, though.

[Felix79]

Also, the NAV system uses a DVD disc and drive for the map data. The one in my car seems to be on it's way out, as the buffer seems pretty weak. I don't like electronics that are dependant on a mechanical storage device. I would rather have a unit that stores things with flash memory (like an SD card or the chips of an SSD), as it's not going to skip or fail when you're on a poor section of road. Because the roads in and around Oxford are so bloody bad, my disc gets jogged and the GPS stops working all together. That's too distracting to have happen if you were dependent on it a journey, while driving.

As said earlier, the system really looks dated as the screen is so small, yet the edges are pretty large and the BMW UI leaves a lot to be desired. It just doesn't feel as intuitive as modern systems.


In the new year, I want to get the iPhone kit that can be wired into the system, as then I can at least have my phones TomTom commands then play through my Zeds speakers, when I have music playing. If I was able to find a way to run the image on my phones screen through to the BMW screen, I could at least help the LED screen on my iPhone X last longer, as OLED displays eventually start to burn/fade as they have more hours used on them.

[KevinC]

My original coupe that I bought in 2007 did not have it. If it had come with it, I probably would have gladly accepted it - back then.

I recently went searching for a replacement, and NO nav was an absolute must - any car with nav was immediately rejected. It was antiquated when new and absolutely ancient now. The flip-over screen is an abomination in the middle of the dash - looks SO much better without it.

A prominent M-car reseller in the USA told me that non-nav Z4M's fetch $4k more than a similar nav-equipped car. That's a pretty drastic difference and tells you what the overall market (stateside at least) thinks of this turd.

[Thunderous One]

Pro, the screen
Con, can’t fit your own custom ICE

Had I realised I cannot change the CD (as it operates the satnav and OBC) then i would have opted for without satnav, it depends how important music is to you?

[Thunderous One]

My original coupe that I bought in 2007 did not have it. If it had come with it, I probably would have gladly accepted it - back then.

I recently went searching for a replacement, and NO nav was an absolute must - any car with nav was immediately rejected. It was antiquated when new and absolutely ancient now. The flip-over screen is an abomination in the middle of the dash - looks SO much better without it.

A prominent M-car reseller in the USA told me that non-nav Z4M's fetch $4k more than a similar nav-equipped car. That's a pretty drastic difference and tells you what the overall market (stateside at least) thinks of this turd.

surely in the USA the simpkest thing to do would be uninstall the satnav and fit a blanking plate?
That would be a $50 fix and considerably less than the $4k drop?

[IAmOrion]

Pro, the screen
Con, can’t fit your own custom ICE

Had I realised I cannot change the CD (as it operates the satnav and OBC) then i would have opted for without satnav, it depends how important music is to you?

Erm... what!? Mine came with the 6 CD Changer and Sat Nav (6 speaker setup)...

I removed it all, fitted an oddment tray in place of the sat nav, and installed a Pioneer DAH230DAB Double Din stereo. Works perfect.

The only time there's a problem using "custom ice" as you wrote is if you have the 10 speaker setup as it has a separate amp etc - it can still be done, but it's a lot of work in comparison with the 6 speaker setup

[KevinC]

surely in the USA the simpkest thing to do would be uninstall the satnav and fit a blanking plate?
That would be a $50 fix and considerably less than the $4k drop?

Slapping a $50 blanking plate would look horrendous, unless you recovered the entire dash to hide it - and that would be costly to do it right. But that is the solution I would chase if I'd settled on a nav-equipped car. Also then have to replace the head unit with the non-nav model, which is pretty easy to find on Ebay at reasonable prices.

[Thunderous One]

Pro, the screen
Con, can’t fit your own custom ICE

Had I realised I cannot change the CD (as it operates the satnav and OBC) then i would have opted for without satnav, it depends how important music is to you?

Erm... what!? Mine came with the 6 CD Changer and Sat Nav (6 speaker setup)...

I removed it all, fitted an oddment tray in place of the sat nav, and installed a Pioneer DAH230DAB Double Din stereo. Works perfect.

The only time there's a problem using "custom ice" as you wrote is if you have the 10 speaker setup as it has a separate amp etc - it can still be done, but it's a lot of work in comparison with the 6 speaker setup

no, the point I’m making is I have the satnav in my coupe
I cannot remove the business cd to put in my iPod Alpine, so I’m stuck with the business CD player and aux input
Had I known this I would have waited for a non satnav coupe as music is more important to me than a flip screen or satnav

[Thunderous One]

surely in the USA the simpkest thing to do would be uninstall the satnav and fit a blanking plate?
That would be a $50 fix and considerably less than the $4k drop?

Slapping a $50 blanking plate would look horrendous, unless you recovered the entire dash to hide it - and that would be costly to do it right. But that is the solution I would chase if I'd settled on a nav-equipped car. Also then have to replace the head unit with the non-nav model, which is pretty easy to find on Ebay at reasonable prices.

surely putting in a dash from a written off Z4 would cost way less than the $4k difference

[IAmOrion]

no, the point I’m making is I have the satnav in my coupe
I cannot remove the business cd to put in my iPod Alpine, so I’m stuck with the business CD player and aux input
Had I known this I would have waited for a non satnav coupe as music is more important to me than a flip screen or satnav

But you can...?? Unless you have the 10 speaker setup.... do you??

Just don't connect the screen.

I actually made my self an oddment tray using an old sat nav unit.... I've actually just bought one of these to see it it'll fit straight in or at least be easily modded to fit my Z4 -- £25 off eBay

[Thunderous One]

no, the point I’m making is I have the satnav in my coupe
I cannot remove the business cd to put in my iPod Alpine, so I’m stuck with the business CD player and aux input
Had I known this I would have waited for a non satnav coupe as music is more important to me than a flip screen or satnav

But you can...?? Unless you have the 10 speaker setup.... do you??

Just don't connect the screen.

I actually made my self an oddment tray using an old sat nav unit.... I've actually just bought one of these to see it it'll fit straight in or at least be easily modded to fit my Z4 -- £25 off eBay

hey, that’s an excellent option!
Really appreciate the suggestion and looks good
Let me know how you get on as this is the best suggestion thus far for me
I’m desperate to fit my Alpine and then an Edge active sub in the boot
Lol, I’m no boy racer but a 50yr old brought up on dance music of the 80’s 90’s and naughties!

[IAmOrion]

]hey, that’s an excellent option!
Really appreciate the suggestion and looks good
Let me know how you get on as this is the best suggestion thus far for me
I’m desperate to fit my Alpine and then an Edge active sub in the boot
Lol, I’m no boy racer but a 50yr old brought up on dance music of the 80’s 90’s and naughties!

Ha, I'm with you there.... well, just over 10 years younger than you but still. That being said, I didn't go all out with the stereo stuff, I have a subtle "Active subwoofer" setup behind the driver seat and my Pioneer Double Din.

This is the same as what I've just bought: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143011131925. Might be worth adding it to your watch list if you use eBay just so you can look back at it later and remember the details and bmw part number.

I figured for £25 it was worth a gamble, and it looks very similar in design shape, so fingers crossed it'll adapt quite easily (Even better if it's straight in).

Will report back next weekend probably depending on how quickly the seller posts out the one I purchased.

I got the idea when I saw that item on a BMW I saw in a "UK Crash" video on youtube. The guy driving that car is an absolute dickhead, and deserved his smashed screen, but that's off topic haha. But it's where I spotted the said replacement for my idea...

[earthdweller]

If it’s specifically the sat-nag we’re talking about then I don’t use mine...I use a TomTom stuck to the Piano Black dash at a lower level, so it doesn’t distract whilst driving.

If we’re talking about the pop-up display that’s used for other tings too, then I’d happily have it again...but with a no sat-nav option (which was never an option).

i don't have it .. i use the same solution but with either my tom-tom or iPhone with waze or googlenav running

i have professional multi media in my other BMW and tbf the aftermarket systems are better and dont go out of date ... what i do like about the pronav is the music interface though

[jamesditchy]

The sat nav is poor as many have said but I do like the computer display side of it which allows you to view your range, consumption and averages without scrolling through on the stalk mounted control

[scarlet-jester]

I have one and do not have an issue with it. This would have been a expensive (I presume) addition at the time of purchase so it adds to the 'spec' of the car IMHO. I like the stats it displays also. I have made no effort to update the sat-nav as NZ is a small country with not so many people and roads so do I not feel a need for it. If I need it, I would just use my phone and Google maps.

I would never use having or not having the screen as a reason for not buying a given Z4. For me it is down to the model and mileage - all the rest is secondary for me including colour.