Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Honda Civic Navigation Systems

gatrhumpygatrhumpy Member Posts: 126
My wife has a 2003 Honda Civic LX. I would like to give her a navigation system for her birthday. I would only like to get her an in-dash unit that also plays burned CDs and mp3 CDs. What are my options, and what would I need to complete the installation (i.e. Metra Dash kit, wiring harness, etc)?

Comments

  • craig14craig14 Member Posts: 8
    Persoanly I wouldn't spend that kind of money on a 3-yr old car. You are probably looking at $1200 to $1500. You may not have it much longer and your investment will never be returned. I'd look into the Garmin Nuvi. Some versions even have bluetooth. You can also move it from car to car and you can get even the highest featured unit for <$800.
  • gatrhumpygatrhumpy Member Posts: 126
    I thought about that, but if my wife ever left it out on the window, it would be gone. I want something permanent in her car.
  • civicex05civicex05 Member Posts: 42
    Check Crutchfield's website. They have a lot of useful information regarding installation of stereo/GPS systems. Their prices are a little high, but you can do a lot of research on their website for free (and then buy elsewhere).
  • battlestationsbattlestations Member Posts: 14
    To check prices and do features and comparison research, check out the The GPS Store and GPS Genie websites along with Crutchfield. You can also garner a lot of info for the specs page of each individual unit on the Circuit City website :shades:
  • civiclvrciviclvr Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2006 Civic EX with Navi. It says in the navigation system owner's manual that window tinting may impede the GPS signal for vehicles with navi systems, because the metallic properties in the tinting block the reception. I would like to get my windows tinted, but not if it means decreased GPS reception. Does anybody have more information about this?
  • blaneblane Member Posts: 2,017
    Just be sure that any tint is non-metallic.
  • kb1awvkb1awv Member Posts: 3
    My wife has the 2007 Honda Civic EX with navigation.
    The car is awesome and the navigation feature works great.

    Now I would like to hook up a backup camera. I know how they hook their power to the backup light.
    Question: Is there an AV input on the back of the navigation module that will accept the backup camera? If there is, would it just come on by itself when you step on the brake and put it in reverse or would it have to be selected somehow (accessory?).

    Please post if you have experience or know where there are downloadable drawings for the connections.

    Thanks.
    Ken in Coventry, RI
  • gatrhumpygatrhumpy Member Posts: 126
    You have to have some sort of converter to convert an RBG signal to a video signal. I got mine for $525 (back in 2004) from www.avelectronic.com. I think they are significantly more expensive now. Take that converter, install it, and the converter box has an input for a rear-view camera system that installs from a reverse brake light. I got my camera from eBay.
    Good luck!
  • iomaticiomatic Member Posts: 48
    At work and unable to read the navi manual; is it true also of '07 models not to use metallic tint? For some reason I thought the antenna was integrated up in that little roof-bump.
  • kb1awvkb1awv Member Posts: 3
    Gatrhumpy,

    Thanks for the response RE the backup camera on the Civic.
    At that price I would go without.
    I have been told that on Toyotas it goes right in with no converter.
    I thought most of the cameras were putting out a video signal, not RGB. I will have to look into this.

    What I can't figure is why they just don't offer the option on all Navigation systems. It's real easy and inexpensive when you put it in the original design.

    By the way .. the navigation unit on my wife's car is awesome. You can learn to use it without the manual and is is real fast. It gets us to places no sweat! Very logical and easy to use. I just have to learn those voice commands so I can do it without pushing buttons.
  • jessica_sehsjessica_sehs Member Posts: 13
    I am going to purchase a 2007 civic ex with navigation, can anyone tell me what they think of the navigation in the civic? Thanks, Jessica
  • barrettheadbarretthead Member Posts: 28
    i love it, it took me a bit to get used to, being my first car with navi i suspect. but once i got the hang of the range of voice commands and how to best utilize them, i am so glad that i went with the navi. it has inspired me to try out several new locals and eateries that i would have never tried otherwise.
  • jessica_sehsjessica_sehs Member Posts: 13
    Ok Thank you:) I am going to go ahead and get it. We moved 4 hours from "home" a year ago, and even though I have been back and forth several times I still have to have a map to get back. I have NO sense of direction what so ever lol! I am really looking forward to not having to call my husband and ask him how to get home lol :)
  • gavsrmgavsrm Member Posts: 4
    I'm thinking about buying an '07 Civic EX w/ Navigation and factory XM radio. I'm trying to find out if the Aux input (as for an iPod) is available if you also have XM. When I see photos of the Navi controls I see a button for "CD/XM", but none for "Aux". Does anyone know first hand if you can have both XM and Aux with the Navi unit? Thanks.
  • vvileyvviley Member Posts: 46
    You can have both. When you plug in an AUX source, a new soft button comes up that allows you to select AUX. I wanted to make sure this possible before I bought my civic, but I ultimately decided to opt for no navi since I didn't feel there was a significant benefit from having a factory installed navi vs. a garmin/tomtom etc.
  • vvileyvviley Member Posts: 46
    While I felt the factory navi was competent, I didn't feel it had enough extra to justify it over a aftermarket unit. The two advantages I gave the factory installed unit were the voice control and the fact that it consolidated all of the functions of the car. But I felt the voice control was too awkward to use and the non-portability of an in-dash until didn't help my decision as I have to switch cars occasionally and I don't want to be left w/o my GPS if I need it.

    In the end, I ended up with a Garmin Nuvi (which I love.) The only complaint I have about using aftermarket units in the Civic is that because of the severe slope of the windshield, it's hard to find a good place to mount the GPS w/o interfering w/ visibility and keeping it within arm's reach (it's a loooong way to the front of the dash.) I actually ended up mounting it in the cubby-hole right in front of the shifter, and that's been working great for me ever since.
  • gavsrmgavsrm Member Posts: 4
    wiley,

    That's exactly the info I was looking for on the Aux source. Thanks so much! So, are you happy with your Civic so far?
  • vvileyvviley Member Posts: 46
    While I'll never stop wanting bigger, better, and faster, I can definitely say I have no buyer's remorse here. I still look forward to driving it every chance I get.
  • liderbugliderbug Member Posts: 5
    Has anyone modified their nav system? I did find in the manual the copyright for M$ - surprised the the startup logo isn't a M$ flag ... Would be nice if the system was Linux, with a dev kit. That way we could add a second row of (soft/programmable) radio buttons, or a menu of destinations, or bluetooth, or add a backup cam or ... . It's just, and don't get me wrong, my navi is nice, but... I wish the menu system was just a bit easier with a few more options.
  • rv65rv65 Member Posts: 1,076
    You can change the splash screen but thats about it. The system runs windows CE which is custom made. Linux will never happen

    http://guicide.com/cars/2006civic/nav/hacks/
    http://guicide.com/cars/2006civic/nav/hacks/HowToReload.html

    This is about all there is in hacking this system. You can add any picture you want if it's in that format. You can easily create it yourself.
  • liderbugliderbug Member Posts: 5
    Hmmm, my last 3 desktops came with "Windows" installed - only time those computers ever ran M$ was to prove the HW was working - 2 min and OverWrite with Linux.

    "Linux will never happen" - Oh, that was the wrong thing to say - that's right in there with a triple dog dare. :P

    ;)
  • schroeds16428schroeds16428 Member Posts: 10
    hi, i was wondering what the depth of the voice commands were other than like finding an address or ATM

    thanks
  • gavsrmgavsrm Member Posts: 4
    Hey schroeds16428! You can basically control anything that is controlled via the navi/radio unit. For example, you can call out radio stations by frequency ("FM one-o-five point nine). You can also enter addresses with voice commands, and have the choice to enter letter-by-letter and number-by-number, or you can also say entire words for numbers, street names, city names, etc. You can't control air conditioning. You can also navigate most (in not all) of the menus hands-free. The options on the screens have numbers typically, and you can voice command the option number to choose one, or say "OK" to accept a choice. It's pretty cool! Hope that helps. Are you wondering whether you should splurge for the navi option or not?
  • schroeds16428schroeds16428 Member Posts: 10
    Thanks for the information it was very helpful. It seems like it is worth the extra money. i just thought that it was a simple navigation system. Im definitely going to opt for the EX navi now. i also had another Q. does it let save addresses so u dont have to re-enter them again?
  • gavsrmgavsrm Member Posts: 4
    You can save addresses, including contact phone numbers, too. It has two separate address books, User 1 and User 2. You can also take an address that you found as a POI (Point of Interest) by doing a search, and save it into your address book, edit the name, etc. I'm really very happy with my choice to get the Navi. It's not for everyone, since it is expensive, but I find that I use it all the time. Good luck with your purchase!
  • ayadashourayadashour Member Posts: 1
    hello everybody, im planning to buy a honda civic 2008 next month. and i want to buy a factory navigation system for it . cuz our dealer here in saudi arabia doesn't provide it. is there any possible way to buy the system on the net and ship it to saudi arabia.
    please who ever knows post the link over here.
  • rlwelchrlwelch Member Posts: 1
    My wife and I are moving to Europe and are in the process of purchasing an '08 Hybrid here in the States. The car has a navi on it and we want to know how, if possible, to get it to work in Europe.

    I'm aware of different Region codes for the DVDs but is there any way of working around that? All options and thoughts on this are appreciated!

    Thanks a lot
  • chambone13chambone13 Member Posts: 1
    Can I install a factory navigation system from an "EX" to an "LX"? Both are 2008 sedan models. I can get a new one for a good price, but want to make sure I can have it installed. Thanks.
  • dbadgerdbadger Member Posts: 1
    Hi All,

    I just purchased an '09 Civic EX-L with the Navigation. My question is, is it possible to sort the entries in the Address Book? For example, my old portable GPS always sorted saved locations by proximity... so when I was in my hometown it showed addresses close by, when I was out of state visiting family the items at the top of the list were the closest, etc.

    I can't find any way to automatically sort or manually reorder the items in the new Civic's Address Book. So in the above example, if I'm away visiting family, I have to page down past pages of stuff in another state to find a nearby saved address, which is a pain.

    Is there any way to change this? Thanks.
  • oktexchicoktexchic Member Posts: 2
    I was wanting the EX, but dealer only has the leather w/Nav .. that's like $3500 difference ... a big chunk! Leather is hot in summer, cold in winter .. don't think it's that great, & the nav alone is $2K. The only nav I used always gave me bad directions so I went back to use mapquest maps to get me where I'm going. ANY FEEDBACK here?
  • niwhsaniwhsa Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    I have a 2008 honda civic and the GPS/radio display started going blank intermittently -even during cool weather at night.

    Does anyone know why this may be happening?
    Is there anything I can do to resolve this?
  • jeromed1jeromed1 Member Posts: 1
    My 2008 civic just had the same thing happen. Prior to this...never a single glitch. I took mine into the dealer this morning. They called a few hours later telling me the Nav unit was going bad. Lucky it is still under warranty...so they have to pay for this one.

    I am very curious to dig and see how big of a problem this is, since I know that part is not cheap.
  • martin13martin13 Member Posts: 21
    Honda sent me an email to sell me an update for my nav system - $99.

    Worth it?
Sign In or Register to comment.