Install OEM Navigation into 2005 Legacy 2.5i?

[TwoPointFive-I]

I was wondering if I can go about purchasing and installing the navigation system that is sold with the new 06 Subaru Legacy. If so, any thoughts as to where I can get one. I have a 2.5i with an automatic tranny.

[leftride]

i would say the general consensus is that buying an aftermarket system will be much cheaper and MUCH easier to get working.

[fweasel]

i would say the general consensus is that buying an aftermarket system will be much cheaper and MUCH easier to get working.

Yeah, what he said.

[TwoPointFive-I]

thanks for your thoughts..

[rc0032]

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?p=372176#post372176

[IanKen]

Yeah, what he said.

 

Indeed. With the 2.5 he has the option for pretty much any aftermarket goodness with minimal hassle. Why settle for the "meh, so-so" OEM nav?

 

Monday my GT goes in for the 2.5i hvac transplant. If all goes well I'll soon not be missing the fake dual zone cliamte control and alternating blasts of hot and cold air and my empeg will reside in the center console where it belongs, not stuffed in the cubby surrounded by summer heat cracked bondo and not quite matching paint. Instead it'll be surrounded by the not quite matching Metra install kit.

 

http://www.funkbasealpha.com/images/foo/DSC002071.jpg

[fweasel]

Take the finished product to a good car audio place and have it dye matched to the rest of the interior. The few pieces (vinyl, ABS, ABS/bondo, fiberglass) I've had dyed in both cars are spot on to the OEM.

[Diquefiche]

Hey IanKen :

 

I am curious to know what you have going on there ? Do you mind posting what you did and how the project came out ?

 

-Steve

[IanKen]

Hey IanKen :

 

I am curious to know what you have going on there ? Do you mind posting what you did and how the project came out ?

 

-Steve

 

I posted a bit about this elsewhere, but here's the details:

 

That is my EMPEG Mk2 in a 2.5i fascia made by Metra that will not be going in my 2.5GT becuase Subaru made it practically impossible to swap out the auto climate bits for the manual cliemt bits. The ambiant temp sensor and the window/mirror defrost are controlled by a module other than the HVAC controller, a thing called the "Body Control Module " or BCM. While the HVAC controller can be replaced, the BCM cannot as it alledgedly controls all other electrical items in the vehicle. Now could an smart interface ben built to interface the manual system with the BCM? Probacly. Do I want to pay for the R&D to make it work? No.

 

Subaru really screwed us on this one. It's one thing to have a fully integrated system when it doesn't suck (See: Acura TL) but the Subie OEM audio system is super weak and those of us who opted for the zippy Legacy are hosed.

 

My current plan (which changes every 30 seconds) is to give up on the empeg and stuff a standard DIN unit from Alpine in the cubby using the JDM kit from Subaru and an iPOD.

 

You can see my EMPEG install at:

 

http://www.funkbasealpha.com/empeg%20gallery.htm

 

This was when the install was new. About six months later the cubby fabriaction job started to crack and fail in a big way. It deteriorated rapidly.

 

This has all been a total bummer becuase I'm a huge fan of the EMPEG. It doesn't have super bling like most of the current head units out there but it is an awesome music player. Even the best iPOD integration feels laughably awkward compared the the simple elegane of the EMPEG. I have 60GB of music on the thing and it is a breeze to find stuff. Even the newer DVDR/MP3/WMA solutions only handle up to 1024 tracks on a disc. The harddisk based solutions out there seem to force you to sit in your car and RIP CDs, which is just retarded. I've seen one headunit that tries to be an EMPEG but it's just a silly cheap piece of crap with flimsy chrome buttons and a pathetic UI.

 

If only the EMPEG guys had built this thing to ISO-DIN spec rather than Euro-DIN. Then I wouldn't be bitching about it here.

 

-Ian:(