So I have the opportunity to get a navi/Bose along with all the associated wiring and interior pieces from a same year zr and I was wondering if any nismo owner had done this yet? If you have I would I would be interested in how much work was involved, especially with regard to modifying any existing wiring within the dash. Thanks for any help.

 

Don't bother. It's not as plug n' play as you think. Besides, OEM nav sucks and there are far better options out there. Good luck.

 

I definitely respect your opinion--I am wondering though if you have direct experience with this or are just shooting from the hip? I did take a look at all the separate parts and cables and it looks do-able--albeit it does look like the entire dash and much of the interior would have to be pulled to put everything in the right place. I was hoping that someone had attempted this already--not sure if I want to be the trailblazer.

 

If you searched you would have found this thread:

https://my350z.com/forum/audio-and-v...avigation.html

Given how much work is needed and how improved the newer navigation technology is there is, no need to install the OEM unit that is nearly 5 years+ old

 

EDIT: Nevermind, Waizzz has a better response =P

 

Thank you--I did search but didn't find exactly what I was looking for, the thread you are referencing was for a touring model and not the nismo.

Ok let me try this again. I'm assuming there are some touch points to the main wiring harness for the navi and the bose which could be different than what's in my car. The wiring harness diagrams I'm looking at are marked with "2007-2008 most models" so it's difficult to figure out if the nismo and a touring model have the same harness or not. I'm not an electrical guy but I did go to school for manufacturing/industrial engineering and I would think they would be the same for economy of scale but who knows, hence asking if any nismo owners had done the swap.

As to your assertion that there are better than OEM ones out there--amen. However they just don't look as clean as the OEM one IMHO, hence the only reason for going down this rabbit hole.

 

Google....

First post....

350 z - tech.com/forums/120-audio-electronics/68800-installed-oem-navi-nismo.html

Good luck with the project if you decide to take it on.

Quoted from broken link above...

"Sorry for the (inexcusable) delay - I'll do my best to answer your questions:

From your experience, would you say its easier to add the oem navi if the stock bose headunit is retained? I saw a few unused plugs in my own touring and I was hoping some of the wiring was already there. What exactly is missing to add nav? I imagine the center console and rear panes have to be removed to add the the DVD player.

What was missing to prevent "plug-and-play" was the dash harness and chassis sub-harness that supports the navi system. Since my car is technically an "enthusiast" trim I did not have those harnesses in the car. I am not sure what trim you have; there is a CHANCE you have a trim level that is outfitted with a navi dash harness. The other harness required is called "Body Harness #3" if I recall. It is the one that runs to the back nav DVD unit. Again, it is useless unless you have the navi capable dash harness in the car.

The stock headunit is NOT required as the navi DVD cpu produces high-level outputs for the speakers (meaning you can drive a speaker directly using the navi cpu). This is what I initially did, but then later rewired the audio output to the high-level inputs of my amp. Only drawback is that I need the head unit on or no navi audio, but when am I not listening to music?

I initially drove two speakers with no issues, and the volume control was not maxxed out. It was just personal preference to run it into the amp. The stock headunit has the plug for the navi inputs (it is the topmost brown plug). If I stil had the stock headunit and the correct connector, yes I could wire it "like stock". Honestly, driving a speaker or two directly off the navi cpu is easier.

That looks like a shitload of trouble to add the stock navi. I was debating to do it when i saw how good the 06+ system looked but when i saw the required work it kinda freaked me out.

Yes it is a lot of work, all the panels had to come out, including the cluster, and other dash panels to get the gps antenna in the stock location. The whole system pulls power from the correct fuse locations and all components are in the stock locations - the only real "custom" aspect is the control panel fitting, and the wiring itself.

I could - theoretically - make a harness but to be honest, I'd rather draft a "how to" wiring guide and provide that. I saved all the point-to-point wiring connections in a spreadsheet. That was definitely the major legwork - I had to make sure all the pin connections lined up for each plug since, obviously, they are not labelled from the factory You will also need minor experience making connectors, I used a small variety of AMP polymer connectors to make the control panel and display removable. This is not an easy job but do-able if you have the time a patience. Just depends on how bad you want it really.

And to add a final thought - the 06+ system has minor wiring differences so you would not follow the exact wiring as me (03-05). I have YET to find an 06+ system for sale. I looked high and low before committing on the 03+ system, I really really looked. "

EDIT: Weird, won't let me post link... remove spaces from link

 

Thanks for the details. I think you've talked me out of it even though I think my buddy would give me all the wiring harnesses including the ones in the link that he didn't have. If I were back in the states, with my big garage where I could leave the car in pieces for several months, I think I would tackle this but living overseas with a garage that's about 8 inches wider than my car and not having all my tools it would just end up with me hating life.

 

Late to the party but recently got a Kenwood DNN990HD. Fantastic unit and very "highend" feel to the layout. More so than the stock nav unit. OP, if you're still looking for alternatives, I'd look into the higher kenwood models. They look great in the stock din location too.