ashleyr 0 Report post Posted April 20, 2011 Hi all, I am considering buying an 2004 E65 745i from a dealer here in Christchurch. I have read about all the issues that potentially could occur with these, but I have been bitten by the love bug! What a car! I'm hoping a 3 year warranty will at least take the sting out of any potential issues..... Anyway, on to my questions. The car is a Jap import , and has been fitted with a band expander - although it's not a great one, and the dealer has already said he needs to replace it. However, I notice that the unit is not displaying station names etc, as other ones I have seen on Trade Me seem to. Is there a software update available for this to give it NZ frequency and RDS? I assume this is one of the 'World' radios I have read about, so I would also assume this is possible? If so, anyone know how much the upgarde is? My other question is to do with the GPS. I know that Jap unit won't take an NZ disk, but I think from reading another thread, it may be able to be modified to work? I may have misunderstood this, can one of you kind experts please advise me. If it is a mod, is there anyone in Chch who could do it, or could I send the unit on it's own to someone north? Many thanks in anticipation! :bowdown: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matt45 1 Report post Posted April 20, 2011 Hi, have a look at this http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....showtopic=35097 $350 for a software change on the radio this should give you full NZ capabilitys, the band expander will need to be removed and whatever they have cut into patched up. note: RDS wont work with an expander. for NAV You will need to enquire but it is not cheap and does require hardware changes, it will be a 4 digit figure so factory this into the cost of buying the car. There is no quick easy way of doing this. For your warranty make sure it is with a good company, some eg. autosure (whom are good) will now not give warranty on 7 series AFAIK. The dodgy companys have very strict terms and will often find there way out of claims. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ashleyr 0 Report post Posted April 21, 2011 Cheers Matt, I'll check them out - although from the look of it they are Auckland based, so I may need to find someone down here. Yep, good warranty, covering full mechanical and electrical on the 745 - and the dealer is throwing that in for free, so even better! Just need to convince SWMBO now...... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matt45 1 Report post Posted April 21, 2011 Just need to convince SWMBO now...... Good luck with that haha. Give them a call anyway, maybe able to recomend someone down south. There arn't a huge amount of people out there that do conversions and retrofits on i-drive stuff in NZ at the moment ... probably because its more difficult and expensive than the older systems. Offical dealer is likley to say it cant be done. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jochen 4 Report post Posted April 21, 2011 (edited) The car is a Jap import , and has been fitted with a band expander - although it's not a great one, and the dealer has already said he needs to replace it. However, I notice that the unit is not displaying station names etc, as other ones I have seen on Trade Me seem to. Is there a software update available for this to give it NZ frequency and RDS? I assume this is one of the 'World' radios I have read about, so I would also assume this is possible? If so, anyone know how much the upgarde is? My other question is to do with the GPS. I know that Jap unit won't take an NZ disk, but I think from reading another thread, it may be able to be modified to work? I may have misunderstood this, can one of you kind experts please advise me. If it is a mod, is there anyone in Chch who could do it, or could I send the unit on it's own to someone north? Changing radio from Japan mode to Europe mode (which is what NZ uses) is a software change that requires the right BMW tools and experience. No band expander required. Once in Euro mode, RDS is automatically enabled. Changing the nav is a hardware change that requires also the right hardware, tools and experience, and is not easy or cheap. Budget around NZD 6k for the nav upgrade. (would include radio reprogramming) If you are serious about doing this, drive to Auckland and see the guy that knows how - because experience and knowhow is an absolute MUST. Edited April 21, 2011 by jochen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ashleyr 0 Report post Posted April 21, 2011 Thanks Jochen. I have spoken with SW Automotive - a very helpful company! Probably cheaper to fly them to Christchurch than drive up there - will keep that in mind if I go ahead. Prices seemed reasonable - Radio & GPS for around $2K. Phone and iPod add another $1,600 though, so might have to skip that. Hoping to get final purchase decision this weekend - I could fancy a long weekend polishing the new car!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
