Has anyone any experience or knowledge as to how you can hardwire in a portable GPS system to the E60/61 so as not to have the power cable drooling all over the dash board. ?
Thanks for any useful comments or directions.

 

Stormbird,

Have a look at the following thread :

http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=36655&hl=

There are some useful ideas there for you.
I also explain how I fitted my Garmin, and the reasons for fitting it in a less than ideal position!

With a bit of time and ingenuity, you should be able to conceal most, if not all of the wiring to your Nav.

If you need any more info, then please PM me.

Mike

 

Thanks Mike.
I knew I'd seen something on the forum but couldn't locate it. tThis is the exact thread - thanks again.
Your set up is impressive and I particularly liked the one by hmc in the ash tray !
My only questions about placing the Garmin so low down is - do you lose the signal a lot and how dificult is it to read ?
Time to test I guess.

 

Once locked on to the satellites, I have no problems with reception. The Garmin display says that I usually get an accuracy of around 15 to 20 feet, which is good enough for me. If you are familiar with the Garmin built-in antenna, you will know that it flips out of the back of the panel. I tend to have it slotted into the cubby hole where the wires are - it's neater, and because its surrounded by 100% plastic, it doesn't affect the reception.
Obviously its not as easy to read as when it is windscreen mounted, but I tend not to look at the maps anyway - I just follow the instructions!! Just as I do when my wife is navigating, but with less argument!!!
I do like the idea of putting clear tape in front of the iDrive screen and mounting the suction pad there - I'm sure that you could drill a small hole for the power cable and route it down to the cigar lighter area - its just a matter of sealing the hole when you come to sell the car.

Mike