The Nav system in ours cars seems really outdated. I'm considering upgrading the system with a car audio shop here in Toronto.

Some of the options he threw out there was to install a pioneer nav system and take out the existing one. Another would be to upgrade the screen to a touch screen panel and run a new nav system to it so it functions using the touch screen features.

What are your thoughts on this guys? What do you think something like this should cost me?

At the same time, I'm putting the Dension Gateway 500 + BT in the car as well.

 

Gut reaction is that a touch screen would be too far away to be practical but then, when I use my stand alone nav in the other car I'm forever stretching forward to poke at it an generally interact. There are a fwe threads here you can search out where upgrades were done using the stock nav set up up. Looks like you've already found most of them. Costs from the projects I recall being posted here have generally been high enough that (for me at least) they did not seem worth it (I recall a German Youtube vid where they did a huge upgrade of the entire nav/audio system and that cost abt 9000 euros I think). Depends what you want to get out of it.

 

There is a guy in New Zealand on Pistonheads who has done it.

 

That might be the same guy who just installed a Garmin unit in place of the OEM piece. Great install, looks like it belongs there... AND IT WORKS!

 

Try some new/updated NavTech disks ... many old threads on here about it 9as in from Volvo) ... updates the maps (only) much less expensive .... I did it and helped

 

Hey please let me know how the Dension Gateway 500 + BT works for you. I found the BT with my iPhone 4 to be crap. Doesn't always auto connect and half the time it does, sound doesn't come thru. Firmware's upgraded to latest and everything.

As for the Nav, personally I just grabbed the newest Navteq disks and called it a day. Yeah there's far better nav systems out there but the cost vs return seemed pretty weak for me personally. Volvo XC90 2006 Discs cost me $230 shipped for my 07 Vantage. A far cry from the $800+ Aston wanted.