Good in-dash GPS unit?
#1
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Good in-dash GPS unit?
Hey guys, my Bullitt didn't come with the Ford navigation unit so I was thinking of buying an aftermarket GPS unit. Ideally I want one that looks kind of stock, like it belongs in the car. I don't want to spend an insane amount of money, so what would be some good choices? I really know nothing about car GPS units. The most important thing to me is the actual GPS. I don't need 8 million options, I'd be using it for the GPS 99% of the time.
#2
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I bought a factory 09 Sable nav/sat radio unit to put into my 07 that had a Shaker 500 in it. I bought the head unit for $60 delivered off eBay. The only drawback is that it shows the Mercury logo when first coming on. Otherwise, all functions were open and usable. Quite a nice set up and it's all original and works great.
I had a Pyle (apt name for those piles of scat) DVD unit, but when the motor went out, within 6 months, I decided I wanted factory. I looked at all the different combos, and the Sable/Taurus, 08 and up were the best fit. The F150's, 09 and up, have camera's turned on with the Nav head.
I had a Pyle (apt name for those piles of scat) DVD unit, but when the motor went out, within 6 months, I decided I wanted factory. I looked at all the different combos, and the Sable/Taurus, 08 and up were the best fit. The F150's, 09 and up, have camera's turned on with the Nav head.
#3
Shelby GT350 Member
I have a Clarion NX702 and I really like the NAV unit in it. It has real time traffic, which is free, and I use that all the time. Before I get on I95, I pull up the events list and see if anything is along my way, of course if I using a route it will let me know automatically. It seems to match the maps traffic data on my phone and is fairly accurate most of the time.
Last edited by 05YellowGT; 12/4/13 at 05:24 AM.
#4
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I bought a factory 09 Sable nav/sat radio unit to put into my 07 that had a Shaker 500 in it. I bought the head unit for $60 delivered off eBay. The only drawback is that it shows the Mercury logo when first coming on. Otherwise, all functions were open and usable. Quite a nice set up and it's all original and works great.
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Has anyone tried one of these Square-S units? It looks really similar to the OEM unit, but it could be total crap?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2008-2009-Ford-Taurus-In-dash-GPS-Navigation-DVD-CD-Radio-Stereo-SD-Deck-F-350-/161031756877?_trksid=p2054897.l4275
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2008-2009-Ford-Taurus-In-dash-GPS-Navigation-DVD-CD-Radio-Stereo-SD-Deck-F-350-/161031756877?_trksid=p2054897.l4275
#7
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It's supposed to fit all 2005-2009 Mustangs. I actually just emailed the seller on eBay to ask what color the buttons light up and he replied within an hour. He said they light up green just like the stock interior lights. That's one thing I really like. I don't want something that has completely different colored lights on it and looks really out of place.
#8
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I wonder if I could find such a thing at a junk yard, Maybe from newer wreckage. Im going to start looking around. This thread has sparked an interest in me. Just great.
#9
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You would definitely save a ton of money if you could find one in a wrecked Mustang. Hard thing would be finding one equipped with the navigation unit though. It doesn't seem like the GPS option was as popular on the '05-09's as it is now. Good luck though!
#11
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The one I got, has all the goodies, turned on, which makes it a nobrainer for swaps. It even plays DVD's, thru the navigation disc slot. These cars have rear seat DVD's available, so they are turned on. This must be why they (Ford) says they don't work in the Mustangs. You can watch a DVD while moving. I tried mine after installing, and it does play going down the road, you just don't have navigation. It's a great head, but getting hard to find as people find that they are very plug and play. I tried the experiment and it worked.
I am currently switching to the 2011 clockspring set up so that radio controls work without a lot of wiring changes. It lseems to be a simple change, as the steering column are the same from 05 up. Ford made a change for the c/s to handle wheel controls, and not have to cut the steering wheel plug ins. I decided to do the 2010 up switch. I can easily add the 4 wires, and do it cheaper (than the 2 wpt440 way) by doing it the right way. I had to order a $9.00 part to put into the 05-9 column, to hold the clock spring, but everything thing else seems the same. I'll keep you guys posted on this if anyone is interested.
#12
Legacy TMS Member
Try to get a head out of the 08's and 09's as they are Audiophile's, and can be used in a number of applications, where some of the older ones won't do what you want in all cases (unless you have them reprogrammed). The 08-09's are Pioneer AVIC's and the newer models are made by Sony and I don't don't have the info on the Sonys' yet. The Pioneers are the best for the swaps to our cars. If you have a Shaker 500 head from the factory, all the wiring is in there, but some guys have problems with the 1000's, as the subs won't work without the heads being reprogrammed. Hope this helps you out some.
#13
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I know about the reprogramming, but for $100 plus shipping, why, for a Mercury logo. I couldn't ask for a better head, as the Sable/Taurus (08-9) are open for all uses, except back up camera. The F150's with Audiophile's have the back up camera also open.
The one I got, has all the goodies, turned on, which makes it a nobrainer for swaps. It even plays DVD's, thru the navigation disc slot. These cars have rear seat DVD's available, so they are turned on. This must be why they (Ford) says they don't work in the Mustangs. You can watch a DVD while moving. I tried mine after installing, and it does play going down the road, you just don't have navigation. It's a great head, but getting hard to find as people find that they are very plug and play. I tried the experiment and it worked.
I am currently switching to the 2011 clockspring set up so that radio controls work without a lot of wiring changes. It lseems to be a simple change, as the steering column are the same from 05 up. Ford made a change for the c/s to handle wheel controls, and not have to cut the steering wheel plug ins. I decided to do the 2010 up switch. I can easily add the 4 wires, and do it cheaper (than the 2 wpt440 way) by doing it the right way. I had to order a $9.00 part to put into the 05-9 column, to hold the clock spring, but everything thing else seems the same. I'll keep you guys posted on this if anyone is interested.
The one I got, has all the goodies, turned on, which makes it a nobrainer for swaps. It even plays DVD's, thru the navigation disc slot. These cars have rear seat DVD's available, so they are turned on. This must be why they (Ford) says they don't work in the Mustangs. You can watch a DVD while moving. I tried mine after installing, and it does play going down the road, you just don't have navigation. It's a great head, but getting hard to find as people find that they are very plug and play. I tried the experiment and it worked.
I am currently switching to the 2011 clockspring set up so that radio controls work without a lot of wiring changes. It lseems to be a simple change, as the steering column are the same from 05 up. Ford made a change for the c/s to handle wheel controls, and not have to cut the steering wheel plug ins. I decided to do the 2010 up switch. I can easily add the 4 wires, and do it cheaper (than the 2 wpt440 way) by doing it the right way. I had to order a $9.00 part to put into the 05-9 column, to hold the clock spring, but everything thing else seems the same. I'll keep you guys posted on this if anyone is interested.
As for putting in the 2011 clockspring, that is interesting. Do keep us posted.
#14
Legacy TMS Member
Has anyone tried one of these Square-S units? It looks really similar to the OEM unit, but it could be total crap?
2008 2009 Ford Taurus in Dash GPS Navigation DVD CD Radio Stereo SD Deck F 350 | eBay
2008 2009 Ford Taurus in Dash GPS Navigation DVD CD Radio Stereo SD Deck F 350 | eBay
#15
Legacy TMS Member
7G numbers are the pre audiophiles, and they won't work well in the 07 and up for some reason. The 8G's, ending in DA and higher (EA, EB. etc) are the ones that will fit most applications and are Pioneers. The 7Gs are Audiovox or Clarion's and don't work well with the newer Ford models.
The number I listed as a good number, is one of the few with all functions available, including Sirius available, radio controls (SW1 or SW2) are usable, SYNC is also usable from the wheel controls. What I have found is, these will play a DVD while driving down the road, by putting your DVD into the navigation disc slot. I didn't think it would play after 5mph, but it does. Makes sense, since your navigation display works at any speed. This is the only reason I can see, why they don't want you using this model in our Mustangs. The F150 Forum is where I came up with this mod. They use it often. I would of never found this one, if I hadn't gotten the number from there.
Later models (like AG1T and similar) are SONY models, and have different internals, so I don't know if you can P&P one of those yet. I haven't found anywhere where someone has tried the newer radios, as most have removable faces that we don't use. If someone knows, chime in and give us your info. I haven't seen it on the F150 sites yet either.
The number I listed as a good number, is one of the few with all functions available, including Sirius available, radio controls (SW1 or SW2) are usable, SYNC is also usable from the wheel controls. What I have found is, these will play a DVD while driving down the road, by putting your DVD into the navigation disc slot. I didn't think it would play after 5mph, but it does. Makes sense, since your navigation display works at any speed. This is the only reason I can see, why they don't want you using this model in our Mustangs. The F150 Forum is where I came up with this mod. They use it often. I would of never found this one, if I hadn't gotten the number from there.
Later models (like AG1T and similar) are SONY models, and have different internals, so I don't know if you can P&P one of those yet. I haven't found anywhere where someone has tried the newer radios, as most have removable faces that we don't use. If someone knows, chime in and give us your info. I haven't seen it on the F150 sites yet either.
#17
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please keep us posted on the clockspring mod. I am very interested in this.
I know about the reprogramming, but for $100 plus shipping, why, for a Mercury logo. I couldn't ask for a better head, as the Sable/Taurus (08-9) are open for all uses, except back up camera. The F150's with Audiophile's have the back up camera also open.
The one I got, has all the goodies, turned on, which makes it a nobrainer for swaps. It even plays DVD's, thru the navigation disc slot. These cars have rear seat DVD's available, so they are turned on. This must be why they (Ford) says they don't work in the Mustangs. You can watch a DVD while moving. I tried mine after installing, and it does play going down the road, you just don't have navigation. It's a great head, but getting hard to find as people find that they are very plug and play. I tried the experiment and it worked.
I am currently switching to the 2011 clockspring set up so that radio controls work without a lot of wiring changes. It lseems to be a simple change, as the steering column are the same from 05 up. Ford made a change for the c/s to handle wheel controls, and not have to cut the steering wheel plug ins. I decided to do the 2010 up switch. I can easily add the 4 wires, and do it cheaper (than the 2 wpt440 way) by doing it the right way. I had to order a $9.00 part to put into the 05-9 column, to hold the clock spring, but everything thing else seems the same. I'll keep you guys posted on this if anyone is interested.
The one I got, has all the goodies, turned on, which makes it a nobrainer for swaps. It even plays DVD's, thru the navigation disc slot. These cars have rear seat DVD's available, so they are turned on. This must be why they (Ford) says they don't work in the Mustangs. You can watch a DVD while moving. I tried mine after installing, and it does play going down the road, you just don't have navigation. It's a great head, but getting hard to find as people find that they are very plug and play. I tried the experiment and it worked.
I am currently switching to the 2011 clockspring set up so that radio controls work without a lot of wiring changes. It lseems to be a simple change, as the steering column are the same from 05 up. Ford made a change for the c/s to handle wheel controls, and not have to cut the steering wheel plug ins. I decided to do the 2010 up switch. I can easily add the 4 wires, and do it cheaper (than the 2 wpt440 way) by doing it the right way. I had to order a $9.00 part to put into the 05-9 column, to hold the clock spring, but everything thing else seems the same. I'll keep you guys posted on this if anyone is interested.
#18
Legacy TMS Member
I ended up using the WPT440 connectors for the switch over and the original clockspring. It does work, when you can find the 2nd plug. Most say they are white capped and have to be removed to use the plug. Mine was black and I couldn't find it for nothing. Finally pulled another clock spring I had, and it had the white plug cap. Once I found it, then it would work fine. This worked great. I now have full functionality on the steering wheel controls. I had to use SWC 2 controls with navigation head, but that was because those were the ones that were already programmed to work.
I did find out how to change the logo without having the programming redone, so now my unit works with SYNC, Navigation, SW controls, and touch screen. It is a perfect combination for the 07 Mustang.
I want to thank Randy and Jim for the help on making this a fully functional system, for under $300, including the Boss steering wheel. Thanks guys for the help and different schematics to make this work. I hope the info I gave in return was beneficial.
#19
Legacy TMS Member
What I have found is, these will play a DVD while driving down the road, by putting your DVD into the navigation disc slot. I didn't think it would play after 5mph, but it does. Makes sense, since your navigation display works at any speed. This is the only reason I can see, why they don't want you using this model in our Mustangs. The F150 Forum is where I came up with this mod. They use it often. I would of never found this one, if I hadn't gotten the number from there.
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