I previously gave up on retrofitting BMW Navigation pro since I could not find any BMW dealer in my area that were willing to do the retrofitting and coding.

I then saw Garmin 885 and 855 with this cool voice recognition feature where you don't even have to raise your finger. I was against after market portable navigation route however this cool responsive voice recognition changed my mind.

Now my problem is that I do not want power cable hanging around but then I have never tried 'tapping' in or hardwiring before. I am pretty much a newbie when it comes to electronics. I have done soldering like once in my life back in grade school (educational radio kit).

Now back to my question,

I wonder if this going to be all I need for hardwiring the garmin

http://cgi.ebay.com/GARMIN-nuvi-850-855-855T-860-hard-wire-charger-cable_W0QQitemZ380119783337QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGPS_Accessories_Cables?hash=item380119783337&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A15%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50
Why does this cable has fuse built in? I thought the point of hardwiring is that you do not have to worry about fuse in the cigarette charge blowing up.

and if I do get this cable then where would I connect these to? Is soldering required?

thanks in advance

 

I have not hardwired a Garmin before, but from the looks of it, thats all you seem to need as long as you have the OEM vehicle mount, not the mini USB.

As far as connection, you basically have a few options, none of which really require soldering.

Option 1: (I don't recommend this) You can run the wire behind all the plastic bits all the way until the fuse box, and then wrap the wire around ONE SIDE of a fuse that is for an accessory which only comes on when the car is on. Then just wrap the ground around a bolt near by and you should be all set. But, it's a little mickey mouse if you ask me.

Option 2: Use "scotch locks" or "wire taps" to tap into a wire that is for a keyed accessory (like above). I would do that for the positive, and then put an eye or spade on the negative and find a bolt to ground it.

Option 3: Some people like to scrape a bit of the plastic insulation off the wire, wrap it around, and then tape it up. IMO, I would just go Option 1 then because you wont damage the wire, but it is an option. Again, find a ground, and you are all set.

Option 4: Hire a professional. Its not a tough job and should take less than an hour IMO.

GL

 

You want the fuse. When you connect the cable's ground to the car's metal frame there is another shorter path for the short to take rather than back to the fuse box. If you do a search on the V1 radar detector hardwire, aftermarket satellite radio install, or cell phone mounts, you'll get some ideas as to tapping and mounting options.

 

I dont recommend it either.

I had it but I did a test with the hardwire kit. I left the garmin plugged into my car and locked up my car. The garmin stayed on and never turned off. I stood there for 20-30 minutes and stayed on. So i was worried that it would drain the battery.

My solution was, I took the cigarette adapter that is in the passenger footwell. I took the cigarette lighter apart and hid it behind the glove compartment. I plugged in the cigaretter power adapter to the Garmin power USB and routed the wire through the corner of the Idrive screen and its nice and all hidden.

 

I've hardwired a Garmin into my 5er.
My preferred location for the Nav is just forward of the gear lever - it's out of direct vision, but it doesn't stick out when I'm parked up and some yob comes up and smashes my window because he can see a Sat Nav on display. I used the suction mount in the cubby under the CD drive - don't know if you have that in your LCi.

As we don't get the glove box power socket in the UK, I tapped into the cigar lighter by the ashtray - this meant taking the centre console out of course!. I drilled a small hole in the back of the cubby for the Garmin Mini USB plug to come through. It has been very reliable and as soon as I switch the engine off, the Garmin powers down (or asks to run off its battery).

Not the easiest way of doing things, but it kept me occupied for a couple of hours.

I have seen somewhere on here that a member had covered the plastic base by the iDrive with a self adhesive clear plastic film. This allowed him to use the Garmin suction pad and the unit was more in the eye line. He had run the cable up through the trim and come out next to the iDrive. Maybe I'll do that next time!

Mike

 

This is the closest I have gotten to hard wiring:
This is my DIY:

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=67846