Help me please. Navigation System.
 

Hello everybody, I just recently bought my 2005 RX8 and am a complete noobie to this car and it's parts. I am looking to put in a navigation system. I know where and what kind of LCD touch screen to buy, that is not my issue. My only main problem is I have no clue where to get the navigation pop up housing, I don't want to buy this from the japanese site that sells it for around 1,500 dollars. Can anyone tell me where else I can get this piece such as a cheaper site or I would also be extremely interested in buying it from someone through this site. Thanks for all your help!

It's more than just an LCD screen and pop up housing my friend. Others have attempted your same path. It's not worth it. Either A) replace the factory headunit with anything aftermarket with navi (which will also give you tons of other perks) or B) install a CarPC setup (more difficult but probably less expensive and gives you limitless perks).

But what other perks are there with a new head unit. And what do you mean by the factory head unit, its not like a normal car the whole dash is pretty much the head unit. lol if you know what I mean, can you give me more details on your two options. Thanks!

It seems that the easiest route for you is to get the metra kit.

Metra makes a piano gloss black dash kit that will allow you to install any double-din sized aftermarket navi unit. (Part number 95-7510HG) A/C controls and LCD display will still work fine. Once you have that unit in there, you'll have RCA inputs and outputs to add anything else you want. (Amps, sat radio, rear video camera, bluetooth, video game consoles, etc)

The car-pc is a little more difficult, but many have done it. Tons of info available on it. You'll get all that was mentioned above, as well as any other program features a normal desktop computer would have. WiFi anyone? How about syncing the MP3s on your desktop computer to your car while the car is idling in the garage? How about pulling up next to a WiFi hotspot and checking your email? Or downloading an album you just heard on the radio? Sick.

http://cgi.ebay.com/2004-08-MAZDA-RX...QQcmdZViewItem

I appreciate all of the help. Do you have recomendations as to what screen I should get? And what else did you mean by its more than just the LCD screeen and the pop up dash. I have seen the dash kit that already has the pop up function and everything else in it just not the LCD>

If you install the pop up dash kit and put a LCD screen in it, then all you would have accomplished that that point is installing a pop up screen that does nothing. ;)

You still need to purchase much more to get the navigation system up and running. You would need things such as the GPS antenna, the DVD navigation system itself, the wiring harness stuff to hook everything up, ect. I really don't know everything that would be involved because retrofitting the factory navigation system into a car that did not come with navigation is something that I have never researched myself.

blackonblackRX8, if you are set on putting the factory nav in your car I think that your best bet would be to get all of get this stuff out of a wrecked RX-8. You should make some calls to your local junk yards to source these parts.

If you decide that retrofitting the factory nav into your car is too much work, you do have an alternative. You could purchase the Metra installation kit that firebirdude linked. This would allow you to install an after market navigation system in the area that the factory radio goes. The kit comes with a trim piece to make the after market stereo fit flush and neat so it will look like original equipment. You could buy the Metra installation kit and a really high quality nav HU for $1000 total or less.

If you decide to do that, I would personally recommend this HU to you.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_613DNX7...NX7100+&tp=144

I recently installed one in my wifes subaru forester and I'm really happy with it.

I am looking to do a car-pc. But want the OEM housing... the 1500 is ridiculous. So I like the junk yard idea. Any websites that give info about where some are for your area or something like that? like type in zip code and then it pulls stuff up?

This site is pretty good for finding parts.
http://car-part.com/

Also, I would recommend that you just look in the phone book under auto parts - used. Thats the way the recyclers are categorized in the yellow pages of my phone book.

Exactly. You think all the navi software/hardware is stored inside that little LCD screen? Oh if it was only so easy.

Do these LCD control things such as digital gauges, movies, and your stereo system? thanks for all your help everybody.

The factory navi system doesn't do jack s#it other than navigation.

The sky is the limit in the aftermarket scene..... think I've made that pretty clear thus far.

The LCD screen that you put into the car is Aftermarket though right? Even if it is in the pop up screen.

See my sig. The Pioneer D3 is an aftermarket LCD/DVD/Navi unit. Buy the Metra kit and you can install one too.