Has anyone installed an aftermarket nav. system? Was wondering if anyone installed it in the small compartment where the factory one would be installed. Any comments appreciated. Thanks

 

I was wondering if someone has done this in the past as well

 

I had posted info on my custom installon the LR world forum. I didnt cross post to all the other LR websites, cuz I figured most ppl would be freaks like me and check all of them for info... Here is that post copied:

About 3 months ago I purchased a 2006 LR3 with the promise to the wife that the next new car would have Nav. Well, money was an object for me, and comparably equiped LR3s with nav were costing 2-3 grand more, so I bought an SE w/o nav. (If money was not an issues, would have bought an '08 HSE7 with nav). It also didnt have bluetooth. But I got a really good deal and have been happy with the decision thus far.

So I scrounged all the forums for advice on aftermarket Nav/DVD. There was a nice description of a kenwood system someone had installed on the Disco UK forum, but it wasnt an exact fit and he had to do some carving of the dashboard. My main concerns were minimal changes to the factory dashboard and look and low cost.

With the Kenwood system as a backup, I went to the local sound installer for more options. The guys at Custom Sounds, San Antonio (shameless plug) suggested an alpine system, and had a monitor available for a rough fit estimate. It slid right into place in the dashboard. The retail price for the monitor was around $700, so I got an estimate of the install and went to the alpine website for an idea of the components i needed. Then, I bought those on Ebay for 1/2 price of retail.

My system is basically an Alpine 7in Monitor, TME 740-BT, with 1.15 mp resolution, and is bluetooth, nav and dvd ready. The navigation system is alpines blackbird pmd-b100 portable unit mounted in a dock, PMD-DOK1. The DVD player is alpines DVE-5207. The navi system connects directly to the monitor for touch screen control. The DVD player and navi audio run through an alpine hub, the VPA-B211A, and are controlled via a universal remote. The Hub connects to the monitor for two way A/V access. The hub is then connected to the Aux input jack on the back of the arm rest console.

So I now have a screen on my dashboard the looks basically factory. It has a fantastic navigation system w touch screen control. The blackbird also has an SD card for MP3 music. I also now have BT function throught the screen, with hands free telephone as well as BT enabled music stored on my Moto Q phone. The blackbird is portable, for camping trips or to interchange between cars. The dvd player allows DVD playback as well as MP3 playback. The HUB has the capability for a rear view camera and expansion for rear screens, game console or TV tuner, none of which I wanted or needed at the moment. One thing that I should mention, Alpine has a feature to disable DVD playback when the car is in motion, requiring the emergency brake to be engaged while viewing DVDs or using the Hub. There is way around this, but you will have to do your own search for that.

The only changes made to the car were a small hole in the dashboard for the screen wires and the monster cable wire going in to the aux jack on the rear console. The rest of the wires conect between the alpine components and are tucked away under carpets or consoles. I did not need to mess with the factory head unit or amp. The screen is mounted on its frame under the dash, the dvd is under the 2nd row seat and the hub and navi unit are under the boards where the 3rd row seats should be. Nothing is visible.

Again, cost was an issue for me. Parts ended up costing around $900 and labor was $600. All of the stuff I bought off of ebay, the monitor (300), navi dok (150) and hub (90) were new; the blackbird unit (130) and dvd (125) was used, since alpine doesnt make a stand alone dvd player anymore. I am not an install guy, so I left all that stuff to professionals who could be held accontable if the messed up the interior. But the guys at Custom Sounds did an awesome job, check out the pics.

I hope this helps anyone wanting to put in a DVD/Navi/RearCamera/entertainment system. Again, I wanted to thank you all for sharing your experiences with tires/brakes/rotors/rubbermats/etc/etc which have helped me out a ton and saved me some $$$$$[/align]

 

First of all I'd like to say hello to all of you people and Thank you allfor answering and helping me withalot of my questions. That being said I'd like to attempt to answer and help anyone that I can. I'm obviously new to this forum but not new to Land Rovers. I currently own two and just finished adding a navigation system,sirius satellite radio,xm satellite radio &traffic tuner,bluetooth hands free unit and music and video Ipod adapter to my 2005 LR3 SE. At first I was pretty scared about getting this equipment added to my vehicle in fear that somthing would get damaged but fortunately that wasn't the case and now I have IMHO a great and reliable system. I had everything professionally installed by Columbus Car and Audio accessories out of Newark ohio. The company has many stores in Ohio but the Newark division worked on my vehicle. The company has a website just google the name. They would be able to add these features and whatever else you may need. They would definetly be able to answer your technical questions better then meas would Kenwood customer service. Another avenue for technicalhelp and one I really recommend is Rhonda from Crutchfield.com. The system I went with allows all of the factory options to operate as they normally would, Even the steering wheel controls. When I need to use any of the equipment I added I justpress the Aux button on my dash. First ofall, Allof my equipment is Kenwood. I currently have a KOSL- 702 monitor mounted perfectly in my dash with to my knowledgea slightmodification. The KOSL-702 is touch screen andcontrols everything. I have a KOS-V500 factory expansion controller in place under my driver seatthat lets everything coincide. I havea KNA-G510 navigation system mounted in the roof of the top glove box. I had the Nav mounted there that way I can update it when necessary. The NAV unit is very small and is out of the way. The NAV unit is updated through SD card slot. I had the KCA-BT100 bluetoothhands free unit mounted behind the littlevent on the right side of steering wheel. I had the KCA-ip300V music and video Ipod interface installed in the center console. I had the GarminGXM-30 antennainstalled under the subwoofer spot on the dash. I had it installed under there becauseIdidn't have a speaker there. It worked out great because the GXM-30 is bulky and you don't wantit to be visible.Having the Garmin GXM-30 for me was a must. The GXM-30 has the XM satellite radio, live trafiic and weather updatesstocks and a few other options as well. The KNA-G510 Navantenna is on the dash but is small and really not too noticeable. It sits to the right of the speaker on the dash. The Sirius satellite radio antenna is also on the dash and is about as visible to people as is the NAV antenna. I have theSirius antenna on the opposite side of the speaker on the dash so it actually looks factory in a way. This is everything that I had installed butyou definetly can have other thingsadded.I purchased everything I havefrom crutchfield.com.HD radio is a option along with flipdown monitors and dvd changers as well as a rear view cam. Everything that I have is very professional looking and the only thing thatis visibleis the monitor and two small antennas. I do recommend two things if you're going to have this done. 1. Buy all of the equipment yourself, It will be cheaper. and2. Have the equipment professionally installed. I hope I helped a few people and hopefully didn't confuse anyone. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll do my best again to help. If I can't help, One of the above buisnesses I mentioned can. I can't post any pictures as of now because I'm on a loaner PC but I will have another PC soon. However I can takesome pictures with my Iphone and send them to someone else who may be interested in posting them for me. If someone would help me out with that, I'd greatlly appreciate it. Leave your Email if youwill help me to post pictures. Thanks