Infiniti M35/M45 Navigation System

Sam_M

I own a 2007 M35x and have upgraded the nav system to version 7.3. I hate this system! It gives ridiculous directions and is very non-functional. Is it possible to replace the CD with another manufacturer's info, using the existing electronics? I would love to have a Garmin system. Is it compatible with this car?

ghstudio

Sam M....no, it's not compatible with garmin, Magellan or any of the other hand held units. I have had an 06 and now an 08 M and the directions it gives basicallly take you to main streets....maybe it takes a little longer, but you will get there.

In their wisdom, helped by their litigation department, infiniti (and lexus plus some others) seriously cripple what you can do when the car is moving. Fortunately, there is a fix that you can make if you are somewhat handy to bypass this safety "feature". You will be much happier when you install the fix.

charlieatl

I have read on message boards of a way to "fix" the hobbled UI in the 2008 M35. Can you provide more specific information?

Thanks.

whereami

Late last year I had my car at the dealership for two weeks while they attempted to fix my nav system. The were reluctant to replace the nav system as they are in short supply due to another issue the unit (more later). They relocated the antenna to someplace else in the dashboard and now it has been working flawlessly. If you're having issues with your nav system getting lost, this is a solution that works. My background in electrical engineering tells me that some of the nav units might have a preamp that's not up to spec. Moving the antenna might yield a cleaner/stronger signal the preamp can handle.

The 08 models have a combined radio/CD/Sat/Nav unit. My radio has developed a new problem. Switching radio channels from the steering wheel will not scroll through all predefined presets. This is known issue (service bulletin EL08-022). The recommended repair action is to replace the unit.

cafc

I had the same problem on an "08" M35x and moving the antenna did fixed the problem. Have not had any issues since. I suggest that you deal directly with the service director at your dealership. Tell him/her that you are willing to take whatever actions are available including contacting Infinity Corporation and possibly your lawyer.

Then tell him/her to contact Infinity of Chantilly located in Chantilly, VA. Ask to speak with their service director (Jack Wynn) and ask him about the problem. Refer to the input he received from the Infinity Engineering Group in Tennessee last April.

Infinity of Chantilly... 703-322-3600

charlieatl

Thanks whereami & cafc, but I was directing my query to ghstudio, who says there is a "fix" that may allow unrestricted use of the nav system, i.e. scrolling through more than just one screen full of POI, etc. So, ghstudio, can you steer us toward the fix your are referring to? Thanks.

ghstudio

http://forums.freshalloy.com/showthread.php?t=188339&highlight=2008+remove+conso- le

charlieatl

Thanks for the link. Whoever that guy is who figured out how to install a DVD player and have it play through the front screen has way more skill than I do. I'm still looking for some way to make the navigation system work while the vehicle is in motion though. Any suggestions on that?

charlieatl

Readers, I have found what ghstudio was trying to tell me. The nav system hack is here: http://www.freshalloy.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129278

ghstudio

my pointer is to the 08 hack. Your pointer is to the 06/07 hack. They are quite different.

kansasman

I recently purchased a used 2006 M35x w/Nav. It seems to work fine. I have no trouble inputting business telephone numbers in order to have the system steer me where I want to go. However, when I attempt to enter addresses directly, the system seems to be California oriented. It will only considers California street numbers, street names etc.. This is pretty embarassing when friends want to see all the neat functionality of the car. I've read all the other posts and can't find anyone that has had this problem.

shmang

There is actually a setting for the GPS navigation system that allow you to choose which region you are at. Just go through the setting when in PARK with "ON' position and there should be a setting that let you adjust which region you are in and that is all you need.

kansasman

Thanks for the response shmanq. I finally figured it out but it was a bit contrary to the user interface I had been expecting. I had been going through the Setting/Navigation/12 options. None of the 12 options allow the default region to be changed. However, if you go directly to Destination/Street Address and tab to the region, it will allow you to change it. The way the screen looks with the street number field being the (seemingly) only first field that can be entered, I just never thought to attempt to jump up to the region field. Problem solved...thanks again.

kansasman

I have read in these posts about the 2007 and 2008 hacks. Am I too late to the party to be pointed to a 2006 Hack?

jeffry

My '06 M35 has been flawless since day one, thankfully. Has anyone has tried the 7.4 navigation up-date? I got a promo from Navteq for $149, I thought the DVD was from Zenrin?? Thanks

shmang

Yes, I have the updated Navtec 7.4. It added so much more POI and a lot of new streets added. I got it after heard a lot of good things about the update. It is totally worth it if you use the navigation system often.

jeffry

Thanks shamang, Just what I needed to know. I recall an earlier post about 7.3 being junk & would hate to waste the $.

jeffry

Does anyone know if real-time traffic can be added to the Sirius radio/nav system. On their web site looks as though it is available for some cars but I don't see Infiniti as one. Thx, Jeff

ajohansson

Hello from Sweden!
I have a problem with my FX35 that i shipped from the states...I knew that the Nav system was a problem. Think its locked to US region...but there must be a way to unlock the system and make the Navigation open to all maps...the GPS must be the same all over the world...Hopefully someone could help me with this issue...it must be the same problem on all cars exported to Europe.

I was thinking to either unlock the DVD player...or make a regionfree copy of a europe map would solve it...but i dont know how to do it.

I would be so happy if someone out there can help...Greetings from Sweden//Arne Johansson

shmang

Ok, here is your answer.

The DVD provided for US only has the map data for US and Canada. So, you need to get a DVD that has your local region data. I am not sure if Navi Tech has that or not, just do a search on the internet. Good luck!

ajohansson

Yes the maps are for US...but i have tried the european maps , but there seems to be a lock in the system...could the DVD be locked to US...like it is on some regular DVD players?
Any further advice would be helpfull!
Thank you//Arne Json

tayl0rd

The first/best option that you want will be extremely cost prohibitive [to install a Euro version of the nav system.] Try this and move on.

shmang

That is very possible. I would contact NaviTec and see if they can do a firmware refresh to get the European firmware in there, so it will display that.

james27

If the DVD player is like those you get to plug into your TV or your computer, most of them will only allow you to switch region codes once, then they remain locked to the last version. No idea if the one in the car is that way.

mltsurger

I have a 2008 M45 x ,with xm radio and Nav. Traffic.I did not want the X-M satilite music but was able to sign up just for the traffic at 9.95 per month. It works relatively well.

valentin650

Hi,
I am looking for 2007 M35/M45, but I read in 2008 Infiniti switched from DVD Nav. System to HD Nav. System. Does anyone know is the HD Navigation is a big improvement over the DVD system? Is it worthwhile to pay more for 2008 models to get the HD nav. system (I didn't see any other improvements in 2008 except lane departure improvements, which does not seem important).

Thanks.

shmang

Hard drive are faster (compared with DVD), but I don't think there are functionality changes. They pretty much provide the same functions. So, if you do not zoom on the GPS map a lot or do not mind to wait for a split of second(Yes, the difference might be less than 0.2 sec for each zoom and move operation) for it to come up, there is no difference.

But, there are other things you might want to take into consideration like longer warranty left, newer car, less mileage, etc...

valentin650

Does the 2008 M35 Navigation system have a touch screen interface? If yes, is it a lot more convenient than 2007 M35 controls?

ghstudio

The 2008 has touch screen, but much more limited voice control. The 2007 can control most anything with voice...passenger temperature, etc. In 2008, they cut back on the commands considerably.

The 2008 nav system voice commands will drive you nuts....for example, in order to call home....you have to say: phone directory, then wait for a voice prompt; then say home, then wait for a voice prompt and finally say dial. In the 2007...you say "call home"

Similarly. If you drive around the same city, or even the same state....in the 2007, you say something like: destination, same city....and it knows where you are and you then can enter the street name. In the 2008, you ALWAYS have to start by telling the system what state you are in....and then what city. It's just awful.

(note I had a 2006 and now drive a 2008....and I hate the 2008 system). I would recommend paying extra for a 2007 if navigation is important.

valentin650

Thanks a lot for the information. Are 2006 and 2007 navigation systems the same, or is 2007 improved over 2006?

Thanks

ghstudio

I believe that the 2006 and 2007 are the same however the 2006 originally had the microphone in the center roof panel....and it was moved in 2007 to be right over the driver which worked much better. There was a no charge service bulletin on the 2006 to move the microphones to the 2007 location to improve sound. The 2008 is very different.

txrosa2626

I have been searching for a disc to upgrade my Navigation system on my M35. The car is a 2007 and the original system is not upgraded. I searched on eBay, but did not find one for now. I know the Infiniti site has them, but they run around $190. Any suggestions?

jeffry

Does anyone know when the new version will be out. They were offering the current version last Summer for $150 so I figured the new one might be about now.

omnis

you can go to www.navteq.com. They sell an upgrade disc that is compatible with the 07 M35.

mltsurger

Are you able to update the 2008 hard drive Nav. set up?

ipassgas

Does the2010 M35 Navigation system in a car purchased in the US work in Canada?

ghstudio

I do almost all my driving in SW florida and the navigation is spot on. This past weekend, I drove to Atlanta and the navigation was driving me nuts. 08 M35.

1) it said the drive was going to be 9+ hours, however my garmin, mapquest and my actual experience was that it takes 8+ hours. In fact the time was almost 1 full hour off.

2) Using the nav for directions around atlanta, I would get to a turn and before I could make the turn, the nav system thought I overshot it and gave me a recalculated route. This happened almost at every corner. I even tried to reset my location in settings, but that didn't help and finally I reset the entire nav system. Returning home, it once again hit every corner spot on. And yes, it gave me directions how at 9+ hours again. (infiniti nav, garmin and mapquest all used exactly the same routes).

Any ideas, other than saying Atlanta is strange....:)

james27

Each application may use a different idea of what the speed limits are over the same roads. This could change the time to arrival by quite a bit.

ghstudio

In answer to my own problem...there is a setting under navigation for average speeds on different types of roads. The Interstate speed was set to 55mph and on a long trip, that makes a big difference.

dan41

I've had my car just over 3 months and I wasn't aware this option existed. Thanks for sharing.

slyfox16

Anyone have a suggestion on what to use to clean the Nav screen? I have a 2010 M35x, and have a problem during the day seeing the screen. Is there something I can clip onto it to provide a lip/shade for the screen?

m35macman

There is a night/day setting that changes the brightness for day/night use - have you tried that?

murph47

murph47

Hi, I have a 06 M45 and the Navigation system no longer functions. It will turn off and reset about every 15 seconds, which also turns off and on the radio if playing. I have had to stop using the navigation and move the navigation DVD switch to "Open" which allows the radio to work but I loose use of the Navigation. My guess is I have to replace the navigation DVD player, but thought I would check if anyone knew if my problem is indeed to player. Also, was going to try to find a salvage yard DVD. Assume the 06 and 07 M35 and M45 are my range of cars to search for players (after confirmation it is the player that is the problem). The navigation DVD is located in my glove box. Thanks for any feedback!

slyfox16

I bought a 2010 M35 3/10. I got a mailing about updating the Nav system for
$150. Does anyone know how much of a difference there is and if it is worth doing? Drive mainly on the East Coast

charlieatl

I would not bother. I just updated my 2008 and in my local area (north Atlanta) found that a lot of restuarants in the update had been closed 2 years or more. In addition, there is a major freeway exit that is mislabeled. I'm going to research this further but frankly did not see an improvement.
Be also aware that the $150 is just the beginning for some of us, the 2010 included perhaps: you cannot install the update yourself, you have to get the unlock code, take your vehicle to the dealership and pay them around $125 to upload it for you.
Coupled with the clunky user interface, this is a sketchy system in many respects.

jeffry

I wouldn't bother, I found more errors on the version 7.5 than the old one on my 2006. Since the nannys won't let you see more than 5 'points of interest' options I always take my wife's Magellan when we go out of town. A better investment IMO.

There was a "Nav Hack" shown here (or on the nicoclub.com forum ~2008) that showed how to bypass the nanny. Personally, I'd have to get a shop to do that for me, tho reportedly 'simple'.

arcolino11

hello does anybody know if there a easy way to override the dvd player only playing in park and foot break on? sometimes I have passenger in car that would like to watch movie.