M3 with Nav or no Nav

[Obioban]

Xtrons was terrible on my Audi. It would frequently crash and the sound had noise I couldn’t defeat

So far, at least, I’m suffering neither of those.

…. admittedly I’m using CarPlay 100% of the time, so no idea how much crashing would be occurring if I used the unit’s real apps.

[old///MFanatic]

It was never in favor for me. It was just cheaper than Dynavin and maybe it still is. People have since found out exactly WHY it was so much cheaper. oceansize has the most recent unit I believe.

Dynavin set the bar and has always been the audiophiles choice for Nav unit that looks genuine to the E46.

Many car audio shops won’t even install the other like Avin or Eonon.
And even then only if sign a disclaimer you won’t hold them accountable for issues with it.
And if having a bunch of fake buttons that don’t do anything is what makes it look better to someone..sure then get the Avin and not the Dynavin. But agreed as someone already mentioned, no one in real life sees it installed and thinks it’s not factory.

[jdamore44]

After having my Avin flake out of me, I’m trying an xtrons unit this time. Going with the version they advertise as having “automotive grade hardware”… which you’d think would be a prerequisite on a car stereo, but they only advertise one unit as having that.

I was fairly dubious that they were actually not just identical units with different branding, but based on the backs they must have different internals.

Fronts (Identical):




Rear (unrelated, everything in different locations):



Also, the new unit has internal wireless carplay, instead of a dongle.

Love to see that one installed.

[Obioban]

Love to see that one installed.

Just now, as I drove to lunch.

Up close and from face level. I swear I don't smoke, despite the dust making it look like I do...

[Epsilon]

The top bezel is not aligned with the aluminum trim. It can't be unseen once you see it.

[jdamore44]

The top bezel is not aligned with the aluminum trim. It can't be unseen once you see it.

Hmm, that's not a deal breaker for me. And I'm pretty OCD about my car (as I know most of us here are)

[Obioban]

The top bezel is not aligned with the aluminum trim. It can't be unseen once you see it.

That is because my trim has warped over time— had that look with MKIV, sadly. I’m all too aware of it 🙄

[Pklauser]

Good balance of screen size without looking out of place. Don't love the silver knobs personally, but I'd live with it. Eager to hear how it holds up over time.

[Obioban]

Good balance of screen size without looking out of place. Don't love the silver knobs personally, but I'd live with it. Eager to hear how it holds up over time.

Agreed on all counts.

[heinzboehmer]

Good balance of screen size without looking out of place. Don't love the silver knobs personally, but I'd live with it. Eager to hear how it holds up over time.

Agreed on all counts.

Wonder if the knobs off the MKIV nav will fit on there

This is always an option too: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/knobs/568 (or similar from other vendors). Just need to dig through the fifty million things on there to find one that fits and looks good.

[Obioban]

Wonder if the knobs off the MKIV nav will fit on there

This is always an option too: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/knobs/568 (or similar from other vendors). Just need to dig through the fifty million things on there to find one that fits and looks good.

I’ve always been afraid to pull hard enough to find out if they’re attached by friction, but I will give the broken Avin a hard yank.

Soft yanks said they don’t come off.

[jet_dogg]

When 16x9 widescreen nav came out in 2002 it was a $2400 option and everyone wanted it. We used to go on canyon runs and we'd have the monitor on aerial which was fantastic for seeing sharp curves up ahead even though we all agreed we'd only go 7/10ths.

The business cd looked cheap and the nav at the time added aesthetically pleasing "tech" at the time. All of today's aftermarket options look corny (as they historically have) but I think Carphonics has be the best solution if looking to modernize the functionality.

I personally couldn't give a shit about modernity and just need radio/cd/streaming with a map on the screen so I can get lost on purpose and find back roads.

[t3ddftw]

Going with the version they advertise as having “automotive grade hardware”… which you’d think would be a prerequisite on a car stereo, but they only advertise one unit as having that.

AEC-Q100/Q200 components are probably what they're referring to, and it does add quite a bit to cost. Most of the time, these components are strictly used in body modules / ECUs / etc, where stability in harsh environments is king.

The owner of the assembly house where I have the BlueBus made thinks I'm nuts for (in some cases) paying 5x the typical cost for parts that are automotive grade, since standard parts are usually rated for ~85C, and the module installs in the cabin.

[jdamore44]

It's unfortunate that the Automotive-grade unit only comes with 2GB ram vs 4GB on other unit. :/

[Obioban]

It's unfortunate that the Automotive-grade unit only comes with 2GB ram vs 4GB on other unit. :/

Is it? Maybe it's because I'm only ever in CarPlay (as in, my unit boots into it), but I don't know how I'd actually notice a difference there.