Yellow Dog

Hi Fellow Beemers, I have a 2006 Jap import 525i. It's a great vehicle and I am very happy with it. The only issue I have is that the HDD Nav unit in the boot. Service providers would prefer me to change the head unit and say there is no upgrade to the HDD unit for New Zealand.

My first question is to ask if anyone has managed to convert the Nav maps & speech to English? If so, what's the process?

My feeling is that as I already have a DVD with maps and language on it, why don't I simply remove the HDD unit and copy the Map and voice data on top of the Japanese maps and data.

Another issue is that when I first boot up the Navigation software, it states that there is no ETC card present. I am presuming that the ETC card fills the slot that opens on the HDD unit, labelled CARD.

I've attached a photo of the unit and also of the version data screen.

Any feedback as to the degrees of craziness my suggestion registers at would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Andrew

mmx

Hi, I know my reply is late, but I'll give you some pointers regardless (better late than never, right?)

I think the CCC/iDrive units installed in Japanese E60s actually came with the navigation maps loaded onto a hard drive rather the DVDs sold elsewhere in the world. I know the units came with a MiniDisc slot as opposed to the DVD reader at the time the E60s were introduced in Japan.

First, to do any work on the CCC (coding, programming, map updates, etc.) you'll need an ICOM A2+B kit (~300$ USD for the OEM clones without software from China, check eBay). Do not attempt this on a K+DCAN cable, as it will take hours and quite possibly brick the entire set of CCC modules. You will need software such as INPA & WinKFP (known as "BMW Standard Tools") and/or ISTA/P (the successor to INPA and WinKFP; highly preferred) along with an ICOM A2+B which includes the MOST connector (the "B" in ICOM) and quite a bit of patience to read/study/learn this stuff. There are a few forums out there dedicated to BMW coding & programming; a few Google searches will lead you to many threads with people wanting to do what you are trying to accomplish.

ETC stands for "Electronic Toll Collector", the system used in Japan to collect -- you guessed it -- toll fees on various highways automatically. Almost any car manufactured or sold in Japan comes standard with this card slot. You can safely ignore the warning as I'm guessing you won't be using it any time soon.

Yellow Dog

WOW - Thank you very much for this excellent advice. The ETC card had be baffled. I used to work in IT and I guess I could set myself up to fix my own satnav and then offer it as a service to others. Most providers here just want to change the entire unit, which is such a shame. I had a Subaru years ago with a Mini Disk and guess it is something that only ever caught on in Japan.

My current state of play is that I was going to remove the hard drive and clone it onto a new one. I was then going to replace the language and map files, with local ones, and then see if it wants to play ball and come to the party.

Clearly I do need to do some more research, though I will first attempt my clone idea. Thanks again, your information was perfectly timed and you have revealed information that I failed to uncover.

mmx

You're welcome.

Your drive cloning+modifying & map file replacing idea may work as long as the filesystem is not too difficult to work with (I'll be surprised if they use FAT32 or NTFS...). I don't know if one can simply connect the drive to a regular computer and have it appear in the OS without a bit of work, but perhaps it's been attempted before. I'm betting the interface is IDE and/or the drive uses ATA commands for communication, so get ready to bust out an older desktop motherboard.

I've read someone was able to clone their CIC hard drive onto a SSD using Clonezilla. Furthermore, BMW's ISTA/P software has an application called "HDD Update" that allows maps to be loaded onto CIC units. I'm not sure if it'll work for your very unique (and rare!) navigation system.

Please keep us posted with your findings!

E60Japanese

[QUOTE=Yellow Dog;1568417]Hi Fellow Beemers, I have a 2006 Jap import 525i. It's a great vehicle and I am very happy with it. The only issue I have is that the HDD Nav unit in the boot. Service providers would prefer me to change the head unit and say there is no upgrade to the HDD unit for New Zealand.

My first question is to ask if anyone has managed to convert the Nav maps & speech to English? If so, what's the process?

My feeling is that as I already have a DVD with maps and language on it, why don't I simply remove the HDD unit and copy the Map and voice data on top of the Japanese maps and data.

Another issue is that when I first boot up the Navigation software, it states that there is no ETC card present. I am presuming that the ETC card fills the slot that opens on the HDD unit, labelled CARD.

Hello
I am living in Japan with a japanese E60 so I maybe able to help
You can change language to English on the computer screen in your car
if you dont know how please let me know and i will take pictures of the Japanese screen and how to do it

The ETC card fits in behind the review mirror
there is a slot for it to slide in
There is also a little button to press to remove it
Its electrical so you will need your ignition on the take it out

I hope this may help
If you need any help please ask

I've attached a photo of the unit and also of the version data screen.

Delboy999

I have the same problem as the initial person stated, Japanese import and would like it converted to UK or European map, seems like a lot of work , leads, downloads etc, if I take out the hardrive box and replace it surely that should work if loaded with a new map but how do I get over the ETC problem as my mirrow has a slot in it for a card but no card in it also there is a device stuck on the windshield behind the mirrow which I believe use to pick up the toll signals, can I rip that out now and would that help to stop the warning flagging up No ETC card installed, thanking you in advance

Yellow Dog

Save yourself a lot of time and effort, by replacing the OEM unit. Just look on eBay or AliExpress. There are some great videos on YouTube, so you can do it all yourself. Good luck

Delboy999

Just had my car done, cost me £1100. got the sat nav working, had the unit removed and replaced also had new CD player installed to replace mini disc, got new maps added on DVD disc, also got Bluetooth added and a V speed on dash to show actual speed against Kilometer clock, Got radio working on all english channels now and all errors cleared on car. The hdd is still current in the boot but non operational, the ETC internal mirror is still in place and does not effect the Sat Nav as is the pickup on the windscreen, so it seems the best remedy although expensive is a direct removal and installation then programed, also had the MP 3 done and now my phone works, radio works, Mp3 works, also able to navigate and check my speed , got front washer jet on headlight to do, then get car keys buttons to work and change the dials to read MPH on the dash then its a good job well done

Delboy999

In the boot of my car i have a sat nav hard drive which i dont use, is there any other use for it , ie delete files and insert the OEM map so i can run my Sat Nav on it rather than using the cd player

trousersalive

So did the cloning HDD approach ever work? I have the same issue with my E60 and am keen to have a crack.