Sat Nav Upgrade

T

Topless

Member
Hi all

I've recently got myself a z4 and it looks like the satnav needs updating. It came with the 2004 Europe disc.

I've been searching on here and on the net but tbh I'm a bit daunted by the info out there. I googled z4 satnav upgrade and theres loads of sites out there doing updated discs for various prices but I don't know if I should just stick to a genuine BMW disc.

Ive got a few questions which hopefully some of you can help me answer.

What is firmware?
Can I trust these 3rd party SatNav upgrade sites? Has anyone got any experience with them?
Are there any upgrades which give my dated looking graphics a fresher look?
Can I really damaged my satnav if I get the wrong disc?

If theres any other help or advice you can offer i'd be grateful. If there is a beginners guide to SatNav upgrades and someone could point me to it, that would be great too.

Thanks
 
There are a few threads on the subject Topless. Start with this...may answer a few questions for you. Horses for courses (genuine vs illegal copy).

http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30688&p=414983&hilit=satnav+updates#p414983
 
I have an OEM 2008 disk for sale for £20 if you need a much later disk.
 
I've got a copy of the firmware you can download from my google drive if you want the link? It's not a dodgy modified copy, just a standard v32 image which is the latest official one.
 
Thanks for the replies.

@pvr - thanks but I'm looking for the newest one possible.

@Stuart Truman - thank you but Im afraid I don't know what firmware is or what I would do with it if I downloaded it. Sorry for being such a newb but computers are not my forte.
 
The firmware is the actual program running on the nav computer.

To tell what version you're running go into the setup menu and you'll see a number up in the top right hand corner that will start with a 4 and then something like 1/00. If it says 4-1/00 it is up to date.

There are other versions that people have made to allow things like speed camera alerts but these are known to have some bugs. Some people have reported their nav switches to French (can you imagine anything worse!) and a few people have suffered occasional hangs.
 
Thanks. So when I download the firmware how do I get it onto the car. Do I burn it onto a disc? What difference will the firmware make?

I guess I still then need to get an updated map disc right?
 
Yes, you use a program like image burn or Nero to turn the file into a cd. You put the cd in your nav computer and it will recognise it and update the program.

It is mainly bug fixes unless you have a really old version, in which case the new version adds a 3d Birdseye view of the maps.

Check the version you have, there's a good chance it's up to date already but worth checking.

Yes, you'll need to buy an updated map disk.
 
Just to let you know. I bought my z in July, with OEM 2006 disc installed. Bought 2012 disc with updated firm ware disc from flea bay about a month ago. Worked fine until last week and had nothing but trouble since. Sat nav either doesn't turn on or it reset itself and freezes on the move. Gone back to old disc in the hope it will sort itself out.

Spend the £99 and get OEM original and you'll get the support and back up that comes with it.


E85 Z4 3.0Si
 
Stuart Truman said:
I've got a copy of the firmware you can download from my google drive if you want the link? It's not a dodgy modified copy, just a standard v32 image which is the latest official one.
Click to expand...

This fixed a reoccurring problem I was having with my sat nav running a modified firmware, beware of anything that's not a standard copy. I'm not saying all are bad, but the version I had kept resting the system and rebooting itself. Not what you want when you're in the middle of a city trying to navigate somewhere.
 
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