Again another question before i take the plunge into getting my first 8.

Is the Sat Nav any good or are you better off with a hand held one ? I don't think i would use the DvD player much..

Also dose the Sat Nav screen have any inputs for Video in ?

 

lol get ready for a flaming lol.

but to answer your question
1. its not to bad esp if you have the up to date nav disk
2. the dvd player is only for the nav and wont play dvds
3. it does not have any inputs but they do sell plug and play fixs to this

 

I have the OEM sat nav and, while it's a nice feature, almost every aftermarket product works better. The input is slow, using the joystick to cycle through the text menus, and the map updates are ridiculously overpriced ($199 US for the disc). The integration is nice - it has wheel speed / steering input sensors so it can track you underground a bit - and I like the pop-up hood, but for significantly less money you could pick up a Garmin or Tom Tom or the like and get more features out of it.

 

i think i will have to use one when i go looking tomorrow to see if its worth it or not. Must get leather tho ... just because i can lol. Thanks for quick replys

 

I've got the factory nav & really like it. I don't have to worry about hiding a portable one when I get out of my car & the updated map is fine

 

That is the one definite advantage of a built in factory nav system.

For my own needs, the biggest value of a nav system is traffic alerts. It has saved me many hours of grief driving the I-95 corridor. I also have three cars that can be used for trips, and it's handy to just take the GPS along in whichever car.

But it does get to be a pain dismounting and hiding it at every bathroom break.

Ken

 

good point on the traffic alerts...that could come in handy...

 

Is the traffic alert Free or is there a Sub you have to pay for.

 

Depends on the brand of GPS. With most of them there's a trial period that comes with the unit or receiver, then an annual fee of about $60. Delphi and Navigon include a lifetime subscription with theirs. I've got a Delphi, which I bought on a really good sale deal. A bit dead end, since they only made two models and now only one, but it has the same maps and GPS chip as everyone else uses.

Navigon has a wider selection of units. You can find lots of reviews at gpslodge.com. Two recommendations for taffic. First, make sure you get one that that uses Traffic Message Channel. The traffic data comes in as FM RDS messages, free reception. There are systems that send the data via satellite radio or cell phone, which I think costs you. Second, get one where the traffic antenna is integral with the power cord. On mine it's separate, and a pain to string out each time.

If you're in Europe traffic data is free.

Ken