Thanks to all who have replied, apologies for not getting in touch sooner but I had to go away unexpectedly - I checked bmwnavmaps1 but I need the UK maps, it looks like I am going to have to potentially waste some time and a postage cost just to check if a DVD I get from one of these sites will work in my car's DVD player.

Also, this 7 character postcode limitation, how do I know what version my iDrive is running and whether I need an update or not, I think the likelihood is that I do need an update as I can't even enter numbers in my postcode field let alone 7 characters!

Am I going to have to take it to a BMW Stealer and pay stupid money fo a software update?

Is there a compatibility issue with versions of iDrive and the DVD versions (i.e. 2011 DVD not working with older iDrive etc

I was kinda hoping the updated DVD may allow me to enter 7 character postcodes but it doesn't sound like it is going to be that easy!