yo_clarkie

I am thinking I may need to keep the standard head unit based on the feedback to my question - thanks folks! Intravee's are not too hard to find on uk ebay, an option and possibly my first step

Bugger, good points - maybe I will add an ipod setup and muse the Mk4 thing a bit

Hi, just bought an early X5 4.4 as a replacement for a Touareg and am very happy with it. Have owned all sorts of cars but this is my first BMW, and so far I like it. As its 10 years old there are a couple of items that need to be addressed, done almost all of them already, with a possible faulty LCM to go! Very impressed with the build quality of the X5, way better than the Touareg. Looking to invest in diagnostic software next and get some workshop manuals as I like to do the bulk of work on my cars myself. Also have a Peugeot, Alfa Romeo, MV Agusta and a Suzuki Boulevard, I suspect I am using more than my fair share of the earths resources, but one of the above is my wife's ;-) Looking forward to knocking up a few "How to's" and picking a few brains. Cheers Dave

First post, first BMW - its all very exciting! Hello! So, as an avid hacker of cars/consumer electronics/computers/GPSs its out with the gas axe on poor unsuspecting X5.. (Its a BMW forum so I won't mention what I did to my previous car - a Touareg) As above I have a 2001 with the non DSP Alpine 16:9 display, the TV tuner and the GSM phone fitted and have been researching my options (the phone was broken but I have that going again already). So far it looks like to get this all up to snuff I would need to add: Bluetooth ULM + bits US$600+ Mk IV Nav computer + mounts + GPS antenna+ cabling US$550+ for the Nav ? for the rest - dunno? Alpine KCA-420i + Intravee II (if they do in fact still make them) + 5V ipod cable NZ$400 And at that point I will have state of the art 2005 electronics in the car - wahoo!!! Or I could bin the lot and fit one of the two aftermarket (China) head units - one sold locally that physically looks a bit sad (small screen), but software looks good, or the other (from ebay) where the hardware looks better, but the software - not very nice. Any recommendations folks? (P.S. I picked the car up at 9.00am in WGN, drove it to AKL today and pulled the stereo apart to find that mine is pre Sep 2002 (no suprise since its a 2001) and the AUX isn't an option and the AUX in the rear seats is Mono so no use either - day one down)