XM Radio? Nav System?

[benscott03]

Hello:

I am looking to buy an 03 300xi. Wondering what the best way is to get a built in Nav screen and XM radio? Should I do this later with an outside vendor? Or should I pursue it through the dealer? Does this void your warranty?

Thanks in advance!
Ben

[Terry Kennedy]

I am looking to buy an 03 300xi. Wondering what the best way is to get a built in Nav screen and XM radio? Should I do this later with an outside vendor? Or should I pursue it through the dealer? Does this void your warranty?See the large number of posts here about "factory or aftermarket NAV" for discussions of the pros and cons of that.

Eventually, there will be an XM Direct kit available for cars with NAV (BlitzSafe is [slowly] working on the adapter - the problem is that the protocol is completely different for non-NAV and NAV cars). See note below.

In the meantime, you could use the BMW Aux Input option, which gives you a line-level input jack where you can connect a stand-alone XM receiver of your choice.

None of this will void the warranty on the whole car. If a fault happens in a related area, it is BMW's responsibility to prove that the fault was caused by the modification. Do a search for "Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act".

Note: If you really mean a model year '03 car, the radio and navigation computer might not be compatible with BMW's Sirius option (which is what the XM Direct kit pretends to be). You can change those parts out (you might even be able to get the dealer to swap the radio for free - see the "radio lawsuit" thread here).

[gfeiner]

Here is a thread from the blitzsafe forums on the status of their XM direct adapter for BMWs with Navigation. As Terry said, they are slowly (if at all) developing the adapter. According to the thread, they've been working on it since April with no end in sight.

http://www.blitzsafe.com/blitz_forum/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=2&TopicID=266&PagePosition=1