Biz wrote:

Hi all,

just thought I’d post these thoughts to get some feedback; don’t get me wrong, I can’t flaw the existing car setup (bar perhaps the sub which doesn’t really seem to do much, but anyway... ), just thought some additional gadgets may be in order. I like things neat and want no/limited cabling showing and nothing done that can’t be undone, bar LR OEM accessories. I also don’t want anything visible other than the standard dash (I would rather not have additional screens, switches, keyboards etc...)

The main idea started when I got the car and saw that there was no way to use the built-in SatNav for geotagging/geocaching. I got nowhere with those kiwi database formats, and quickly discovered there may be better options on offer. Up to now I’ve been using a very old eTrex to track/mark waypoints that can then be manipulated as required. I then thought that in addition to this, the coverage for Greece where I currently live was good enough in Athens but really poor in any rural areas I have visited, and there are other Nav software titles I have used that have better overall coverage/POIs/etc.

I then realised that despite having the ability to play mp3 CDs on the head unit, 4GB or so of music at high encoding could easily get errr, limited on multi-day trips with different tastes in the car. Hence an additional source of music could be useful. Currently I have a 30GB Zen plugged into the aux input through its headphone jack (have also used iPods and a Zune), but the quality (as expected) is poor on this connection. So the thought of a proper iPod/iPhone connection became more appealing on sound quality considerations alone – let alone steering wheel controls.

Lastly, I have been toying with the idea of running car diagnostics and a remap at a later stage and a TPMS, which implies having a computer/smartphone to hand – again this brought about the thought of either a carputer and/or iPhone, depending on the solution I go for. And an interface to have it all displaying on the OEM screen, alas without the ability to use the touchscreen to control it all

I’ve spent quite some time reading posts of what people have done and am kind’a close to concluding on the following setup:

• LR iPhone interface (the older type that gives you RCA aux inputs as well)
• Netbook to run all Windows based applications (SatNav, Diagnostics, internet etc) – this can double as TV/DVD and music player through the RCA input and GVIF video interface
• iPhone with the Logitech mouse/keyboard app on an AdHoc WiFi connection to the netbook which I’ve tried and tested at home – works great and wont clutter the cabin with additional input equipment
• GVIF interface (not concluded on the NavTV or GSMServer one yet)
• Reversing camera (again, not sure whether to go for the D4 tailgate handle option or any RGB that will feed into the interface)
• ELM Can (BT or WiFi) or Faultmate (the former giving the ability to run the diagnostics on the iPhone as well but the latter being more versatile and D3 specific)

The idea is to tuck away all the bulky items (either in the top glovebox or in the rear left storage area with the fuses), running the cabling as required behind panels and only have the iPhone on show in its cradle. Clearly, the major restraint is the cost as it seems well over £1,000 on the interfaces alone.

So, what are your thoughts? Any ideas of how the requirements could be achieved more cheaply? Any obstacles or problems that have been encountered in similar setups?

Thanks in advance for the input

(I could of course save myself the hassle and cost and leave things as are, but what would I have to play with if I did??? )

Hi, I am using VILIV S70EX after toying with the ideas of screen integration etc, but end up with a simple table with full PC capability. I am using it to run my faultmate with window XP + occasional GPS. It comes with 12v adapter which can be use in our car with no issue, best of all - the battery life is a cool 4-6hrs depending whether GPS/Wifi is on.

My wish list now is IPOD integration with our factory screen. Was convinced with NAV TV, but it's rather expensive...