Retrofitting the satnav unit into the X350

[trevorprice124337]

Hi, my name is Trevor and a new member to the club. I'm currently looking to buy an X350 and would like it to have a satnav, however I've seen some very smart cars for sale that do not have one fitted. Does anybody know if it's possible to have one retrofitted.

[BrianG]

Hello Trevor and welcome. I have a 2006 model which has it factory fitted and it's OK but hardly up to modern standards. Bear in mind that the very latest DVD navigation disc is 2012, so not a fully up to date system and the main annoying problem being not recognising later post codes.

It may be possible to retrofit a sat nav system but it's a lot of work. As far as I am aware the very early cars, say 2003 to 2004 or even early 2005, had a centre console and audio system (radio) that was slightly different to the later face lifted ones (2006 on). It has been done, but you would need a car that has the single CD player radio option plus the CD autochanger option in the boot, so that the main fibre optic cable to the radio system/centre console is already in place. Then you would have to find all the modules that go in the "stack" in the empty frame above the CD changer in the boot: nav receiver, nav DVD player, Jaguar voice module, phone module, and also the fibre optic cables that link them correctly to the car.

It may be better to look for a car that already has the full sat nav option fitted!
[Edit] Although the later cars have Bluetooth for the phone it does not allow other connectivity to your phone for music - a commonly asked question. One option worth considering is to look on Google for "Jagdroid". This is a conversion and update system offered by an independent guy and provides a much better touch screen and full Android connectivity, up to date nav facilities etc. etc.

[trevorprice124337]

Hello Brian,

Thanks very much for getting back to me. Well, if only you knew how ignorant and totally lacking I am in all things 21st century. I don't have any children but am an endless source off amusement to my 3 nieces and nephew.

I have had two cars with satnav and eventually found out how to use them (with their help) and found them useful but unless I can just drop the car off to a company have it converted and pick it up again it looks like I wont be having one.

I appreciated your advice and watched the video of Jagdroid and although I heard every word I understood very few, my wife could hear the commentary and asked what on earth I was listening to and was very amused by it all.

This car will be the last one I buy and I've chosen it because we can no longer get to grips with new cars with infotainment screens that need to be accessed to do the most basic functions. It will be our "Sunday Best" car and should see me out.

I see that you had an XJ40, I also had one as my last company car and enjoyed it very much. I think the XJ X350 is (except some Bentley and RR's) the most beautiful cars ever built and I look forward to getting one.

Thanks again for you help.

Kind regards,
Trevor.

[PaulGover]

However I've seen some very smart cars for sale that do not have one fitted. Does anybody know if it's possible to have one retrofitted.

Just get a cradle for your smartphone or a dedicated generic satnav. The built-in one is good, but as noted already, the maps are now more than 10 years out of date; in most cases that's not much of a problem, but a dedicated satnav is probably a lot cheaper and it will get updates. You can also get ones that are traffic-aware, unlike the built-in one.

Of course, traffic awareness isn't necessarily useful. I was going from Banbury to south Oxford on the M40 when it got closed for an accident. Cue every car with a traffic-aware satnav trying to go down the same alternative route - a single track road over a toll bridge that only took cash... Gridlock hardly describes the result!

[trevorprice124337]

Hi Paul,
This is fun, talking to like minded people, thanks for your reply.
I live in Worcester which is near the M5 and every time the motorway is closed the local roads get gridlocked.
Before the M5 was built the main arterial road to the south west (Cornwall) for people living anywhere in the central part of the country (Derbyshire/Nottingham) and any where in between would use the A38. The A38 is still the main road for local peeps to get around so you can imagine the grid lock when the M5 is closed. Any way.............

Your advise is sound advise apart from buying a cradle for my smart phone because I don't have one, but I do use an old (hand me down) portable device which I think is a Garmin in my "knock about" city car. It's old and I wouldn't know where to begin to update its brain but it works well enough.

Now here comes the confession and very sad part. I am an extreme anorak and prefer the look of the centre console with the optional satnav and would be fitting one purely because I like the look better, how sad is that. I've been in touch this morning with a company called Cartronics who said it should be possible if it was an option when new but would need the Vin number of the car to take it further.

If it turns out to be silly money I might just buy a car with one fitted.

I'm viewing a car (without satnav) on Wednesday 24th that might suit me so will update my post with any further news on costs after that
date.

Kind regards, Trevor.