[PaddyMcGrath]

I actually meant to write this months ago, but kept getting sidetracked and pretty much forgot about it. A post by a member on another site reminded me, so decided to sit down and put this belated post together...



Anyone who knows me or who has followed any upgrades I've made to my E90, will know I'm not the sort to just dive in. When choosing any modification, I take my time to research every option available and weigh up the pros and cons of each. As I've slowly tried to build something I'm proud to call my own, one of the main niggles that always annoyed me was that my 2006 E90 was a non-iDrive model. I did research how much it would cost to retrofit iDrive, including installing a new dashboard but decided that it wasn't worth the expense or effort involved.

So, my attention turned to what double-din navigation units were on the market. Pretty much everything I tried left me underwhelmed. The GUIs were clunky, the specifications were poor, the design a little bit too much Max Power. I wanted something easy to use, subtle to look at, just something a little bit more BMW if you get me.

During a rare lunch break at Players Classic in Goodwood last year, I got talking to some of the guys from Kenwood UK who told me to check out their range of double-din and all-in-one DNX units. I was impressed, in particular by their DNX7230DAB which featured a 7" touchscreen, Garmin navigation, DAB, CD, DVD, SD, iPod and a host of customisable features, right down to the colour of the backlighting on the buttons.

The summer is the busiest time of year in my area of work, so I spent most of it sending e-mails back & forth, myself asking a thousand questions and Kenwood replying with a thousand answers. Towards the end of the summer, I took the plunge and ordered the DNX7230 along with the fitting kit and fascia adapter for a 2006 E90. Having built up a nice relationship with Kenwood, they invited me to their HQ in Watford so they could fit it and talk me through the unit's features.



First thing was to remove the OEM Professional radio and heater controls. I would be the first to concede defeat at any sort of wiring, but Keith (from Kenwood) made it all look so easy and talked me through the process.



Before we got ahead of ourselves, Keith chose to install the DAB antenna first. Removing the 'Airbag' plastic badge allows access to the screws which hold the A-pillar trim in place.



With the antenna affixed to the windscreen, we ran the wire down the inside of the A-pillar, behind the dash (accessed by removing the end pieces of plastic from the dashboard) behind the glovebox and into void where the head unit would eventually sit.



We repeated the process on the driver's side with the microphone for the handsfree. Keith told me that as their microphone is directional, fitting it into the OEM microphone location would result in poorer call quality (as the OEM location points down at the centre console, where this is pointed directly at my face).



Wiring it in was straight forward. With a constant live sourced from the car's battery wire behind the glovebox (the constant live leading to the unit has its own in-line fuse) the car's original plugs were inserted into a Connects 2 adapter box, with the plugs from the Kenwood plugged into the other side of said box. A Kenwood patch lead was used to retain MFSW controls.



It was then time to check all functions and operations before refitting the heater controls and the fascia adapter.



The Connects 2 fascia adapter is finished in the same material as other plastics in the cabin, a really nice touch.



Previously, an install like this (essentially anything involving wires) would have scared the life out of me. Maybe it was Keith's expertise, but everything just looked so straightforward. Still, if you're like me I would recommend a pro-installer.



I've been running it for a couple of months now, and really couldn't be happier. There's a big difference in sound quality over the OEM Professional radio and the level of options at hand really allow you to customise this precisely to your preference is staggering. From the tilt angle of the screen (which can be set different when the unit is off) to custom backgrounds, from seemingly endless equaliser settings to the elegant method you can switch between navigation and your music or radio. On my iPhone 5, I can even call up Siri by pressing and holding the 'TEL' button on the unit, with Siri talking back to me over the car's speakers.



In case you were wondering, you can still adjust and reset all the OBC settings (consumption, avg, speed, trip, time, date, etc.) through the steering wheel stalk and screen between the speedometer and rev counter.)



I probably still have only scratched the surface, as everyday I seem to learn something new but I'm confident that I made a good decision here. I've lost no functionality over stock and gained so much. Who needs iDrive?

[bmw325i]

Very nice.

I have a similar setup but I have an Alpine s920hd. I'm very happy with it. Do you have a Kenwood rear view camera? I've been looking for a new one, but most of them don't seem very high quality.

[kceire]

Glad I inspired the write up Paddy

[Ali-E90]

Agree, very nice setup! I love the double din pioneer I have, though it's getting a bit dated now compared to newer models (mostly a slower interface than newer units).

Cheers!

[PaddyMcGrath]

Originally Posted by bmw325i

Do you have a Kenwood rear view camera? I've been looking for a new one, but most of them don't seem very high quality.

I don't, just didn't see the need for one at the time. Everything is there for it to be installed though so might think about it in future.

FYI, my photobucket account ran out of bandwidth so the photos above will be missing until the first of next month.

[e90Nate]

pics dont seem to work for me, nice write up tho!

[PaddyMcGrath]

Originally Posted by BigNate

pics dont seem to work for me, nice write up tho!

Run out of bandwidth on Photobucket although I think if you click the thumbnail, it'll bring you to the photo on Photobucket itself? It does for me anyways.

[e90Nate]

youre right, thanks, looks awesome! the only issue i would have is my heated seats control

[bmw325i]

Originally Posted by BigNate

youre right, thanks, looks awesome! the only issue i would have is my heated seats control

Get the lci climate control panel with the heated seat buttons built in.

[alexwhittemore]

Originally Posted by PaddyMcGrath

Run out of bandwidth on Photobucket although I think if you click the thumbnail, it'll bring you to the photo on Photobucket itself? It does for me anyways.

probably because you already have them cached or something. Doesn't work over here, they're all dead.

[PaddyMcGrath]

Originally Posted by alexwhittemore

probably because you already have them cached or something. Doesn't work over here, they're all dead.

I've put everything to 'Public' now so should be okay? BigNate above was able to view them earlier.

[e90Nate]

yup and i still can, just need to click on the thumbnail like you said

[alexwhittemore]

Still nothing. Again, I'm guessing you both have them cached in your browser.

[PaddyMcGrath]

Originally Posted by alexwhittemore

Still nothing. Again, I'm guessing you both have them cached in your browser.

They couldn't have been cached in his browser if he wasn't able to view them beforehand? The photos should be back on Saturday, I hope.

[bmw325i]

Originally Posted by PaddyMcGrath

They couldn't have been cached in his browser if he wasn't able to view them beforehand? The photos should be back on Saturday, I hope.

They work for me when I click on them. Why don't you just upload them here?

[Viktimize]

Originally Posted by PaddyMcGrath

I don't, just didn't see the need for one at the time. Everything is there for it to be installed though so might think about it in future.

FYI, my photobucket account ran out of bandwidth so the photos above will be missing until the first of next month.

Just attach the pics right to your post so they don't ever disappear.

[PaddyMcGrath]

I post on a lot of different forums, so it's easier to have them uploaded in one place. I think this is the first time I've ever run out of bandwidth before. Anyways, they're back now ahead of schedule

[Maaarkk]

Only seeing this now after noticing it in your build thread and creeping through your posts to see if you'd done a write up! lol.
Looks perfect, been wanting something like this for mine for so long but never pulled the trigger.
Seeing as you've done a lot of research, along with this unit, are there any others that would closely compare? & what sort of price ranges are these?
Would be interested in knowing how much roughly it cost you to get it and have it fitted? Pm me if you don't want to say on here

[SHEEDI]

Nice work but i think its bad idea to put Nav there, Nav should be at your eyes level,because you dont want to take your eyes off the road to read Nav down there, just my 2 cents ................

[PaddyMcGrath]

Originally Posted by Maaarkk

Only seeing this now after noticing it in your build thread and creeping through your posts to see if you'd done a write up! lol.
Looks perfect, been wanting something like this for mine for so long but never pulled the trigger.
Seeing as you've done a lot of research, along with this unit, are there any others that would closely compare? & what sort of price ranges are these?
Would be interested in knowing how much roughly it cost you to get it and have it fitted? Pm me if you don't want to say on here

I can't remember exactly, but think around £1,000 all in if you plan on installing it yourself. It might have come down in price since, I haven't checked.

Originally Posted by SHEEDI

Nice work but i think its bad idea to put Nav there, Nav should be at your eyes level,because you dont want to take your eyes off the road to read Nav down there, just my 2 cents ................

I don't really agree with that because with any screen, you're taking your eyes off the road. I sit pretty far back so even glancing down, I still have the view through in the windscreen in my peripheral vision. I tend to study the nav when stopped, and only glance when moving so it's never been an issue for me. Before this I used to use the TomTom app on my iPhone which is mounted even lower!

[bmw325i]

Originally Posted by Maaarkk

Only seeing this now after noticing it in your build thread and creeping through your posts to see if you'd done a write up! lol.
Looks perfect, been wanting something like this for mine for so long but never pulled the trigger.
Seeing as you've done a lot of research, along with this unit, are there any others that would closely compare? & what sort of price ranges are these?
Would be interested in knowing how much roughly it cost you to get it and have it fitted? Pm me if you don't want to say on here

Alpine, Pioneer, or Kenwood are all good options depending on what features you want and your budget. I installed an Alpine S920HD and it ended up being about $800-900 all together.

The metra kit doesnt fit very good. I am going to replace it with this one
http://www.mybimmer.net/E9x_doubledintrim.htm

[cdgatti]

Paddy - are you using an amp in the hu or your trunk amp?