highwaycruiser

Hello. Long time listener, first time caller. Now it's time for me to rustle things up, now that I've passed my obligatory 15 posts.

I have seen that a lot of the Maximas on this board are modded like crazy... screens and computers and all sorts of stuff. And as much as I admire your do-it-yourself workmanship and creativity... I am not one to pull that stuff off, myself.

I got the car in it's current configuration because I wanted cloth seats.. however... that means it came with none of the gadgetry. No bluetooth support. No GPS mapping. etc. Not only would I like these features, but I'd like them the way Nissan intended... is it possible for me to walk into a Nissan Dealer and say "upgrade my stuff," and they can do it without voiding any sort of warranty?

I love the "car" parts of my car. Drives like a four door sports car. But can I "upgrade" my gadgets?

MAXDOUT04

Im sure they can do it if not they will send it out but it will cost you quadruple the amount it would if you took it to an aftermarket shop

slic33

you only void the gadgets you make changes too. Which sounds like it would be just about everything in the dash.

chernmax

iTrader: (15)

You'll get raped at the dealership cost wise, just go aftermarket...

TrojanNemo

iTrader: (2)

i'm in the same boat. however, i've come to the conclusion that taking it back to the stealership will only result in getting robbed and probably more problems. so i've found my way around it.

Kenwood DDX-6019: in dash dvd player (~$900)
Kenwood KNA-G510: add-on GPS navigation for dvd player unit above (~$800)
Kenwood KCA-BT100: add-on bluetooth support for the dvd player (~$200)

i think that about covers it. and the best part (for me at least) is that i can buy them separate and use them as i go installing them. first buy the dvd, then the nav, then the bluetooth, a lot easier than shelling $2,000 outright. at work we sell the ddx6019 and it is a great machine for the price, thats where i decided to get it. now today i found out its even better because you can add all that extra stuff, and apparently it all works great.

EDIT: for the ipod, the best (cheap/easy/good quality) solution i've found is to get the Monster iCarPlay cassette adapter. only cost you $20 and it gives you better sound than any FM transmitter (tried a $50 one first and it was crap) and you dont have to do any modding to the HUD :-)

jsmithsole

iTrader: (5)

Yes but the next step would be to get the PAC adaptor and plug it directly to the HU. Cassette adaptors are definitely better than FM transmitter but still crap in my opinion.... .02

TrojanNemo

iTrader: (2)

can you give me a link to said PAC adapter? is that the DIY thing going around or is that aftermarket?

highwaycruiser

I neglected to mention... I am fairly friendly with my local dealership, including one of the mechanics (been a long time customer with other Nissans), and I'm fairly certain they would give me a decent discount of some sort. So I was just wondering if this was possible, not if it was practical in the economic sense.

Guess I'll have to drive by sometime soon and just ask them.

jsmithsole

iTrader: (5)

As usual, info is in the stickies.....
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=340324

But here's a quick ebay link for one:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=340324

Nietzsche

iTrader: (7)

You can ad the nav and swap the screen out. You could do it yourself too. It's not that hard. As for bluetooth I am sure its just a module plug in although I don't know for sure.

hpric

just set up a carpc and you'll have all the bells and whistles. I'm running an Aopen Mini pc with DVD/CDRW combo drive with 7" touchscreen. I use it for Navigation,Mp3's, DVD's, wireless internet, Bluetooth phone. Total cost was about $1200

jsmithsole

iTrader: (5)

Sounds a bit out of range for what he is looking for but this will most likely be my next move. Can you send me a link with some pics?

Monotaur

Can I also get more info on this? Sounds intriguing...

koyoki

well.. you could buy another se and just swap out the seats. hehehe.. would be much much cheaper. that way you can sell the other car much more.

highwaycruiser

koyoki- If your proposition wasn't so absurdly expensive, I'd do it.

Well, I'm visiting my dealership at a little over the 10,500 mark. While I'm there I'm going to inquire about it to the service people at the desk, as well as to my mechanic.

Also... could someone elaborate one exactly what software works well for turning a PC into a nav system? I hope it doesn't need some sort of mobile 'net connection... and can it list restaurants and parks and stuff, like most GPS units can?

TrojanNemo

iTrader: (2)

same here! for that price its definetively better to get that pc. shoot my dvd player + navi was gonna cost me ~$1700

alrighty after a quick online search i found the computer part. looks great. now i definetively want to have it in my car. it's a much better solution to having to buy everything separate. could you mind sharing which screen you have and how you managed to get it running? can we get a touchscreen that'll fit into the dash and put the pc under the glovebox? it's so tiny it would fit there perfectly and then loading things would be real simple (for the passenger anyways). can you share your setup, please!

hpric

The touchscreen fits in the same spot as the factory display screen. What I did was remove the small compartment under the radio and placed my factory display there (wires are long enough). I then swapped out my factory radio for a nicer unit with DVD+/-/CDRW and aux input so I can run a dvd to my headrest monitors and still be able to hear my Nav voice prompts. The pc is about the size of a single din radio and is currenlty located under my seat along with an external sound card and XM reciever that feed my music to the radio. Everything is controlled via the touchscreen or a small wireless mouse & Keyboard that I have sitting in my drivers door compartment. I'm using Iguidance as my Navigation software (very nice, you can change all the colors and fonts even use my car as the icon). I removed the cig lighter on the center console and placed a usb connector there so I can plug in my bluetooth adaptor and surf the net whenever I want. Total cost came out to about $1200 and I did all the work myself and trust me I am not that handy but I did want this thing looking perfect so I took my time. I showed the car to the Sales Mgr at Nissan and he was blown away by how nice everything looks, works and sounds. You really need to visit www.mp3car.com , That is the site that I used for all the instructions and even some parts.

highwaycruiser

Well, for those of you who care... I asked my local mechanic, and he said it would cost "several thousand dollars".... and after checking the Maxima manual, I am not surprised... Not only does stuff have to be installed in the dashboard, but.... the Bluetooth microphone is up in the roof. The bluetooth box is under the seat. Rewiring the steering wheel. And I forgot about the GPS antennae. All in all, a much bigger job than I thought it would be. So, not only is it ridiculously expensive, but ridiculously difficult, too.

So you either have to go the cheapie route (buy a seperate Bluetooth thingy and a Garmin StreetPilot or Nuvi), or the ultimate do-it-yourself PC route.

Hmmm...

hpric

I also have a the parrot bluetooth kit that I picked up on ebay $139 and installed it myself. Pleased with it so far