[NickD]

From what I can tell from the next to worthless Cruze shop manual, the displays are definitely different between navigation and the non-navigational displays. BUT THE RADIOS ARE ALSO DIFFERENT WITH DIFFERENT WIRING CONFIGURATIONS!

Are you thinking you can get by with just changing the display panel? Sure doesn't look this way. Looks like you will need the whole ball of wax plus the extra wiring harnesses. They are also showing different circuit schematic for the vehicle's audio system between the two different radios. This would take some time to trace this out, but why are they showing two?

 

[NickD]

Still can read, "With Navigation" then the following circuit without it.

Ha, will leave decipering those codes to Alan Turing, he was my hero for developing the modern computer, but most famous for breaking the enigma German code. Not sure if he could break GM codes.

 

[NickD]

$2000.00 plus another 110 buck for sales tax is exactly what my dealer wanted in 2012 for navigation. Then map updates were something like 200 bucks that came on a 2Gb SD chip that also required a socket inside the console box.

So I said, no thank you.

Got a Garmin instead, talk about luck, my Target store was giving 50% off for just four hours when I walked in. Had both GPs and traffic, 5" screen, and lifetime free maps. Just updated the maps a couple of days ago.

View attachment 143849

Since those suction cups only hold for two seconds, had a piece of 20 mil brass, could call this 0.5 mm, removed that cup, traced the base, left a long tab on the back, secured this to the bottom of the base with a flat head screw and covered it with felt. That AC outlet unsnaps, twisted the tab around it and snap the outlet back in, firm, doesn't rattle, and no mods to the car.

Removed the guts from the cigar plug, wrapped that in foam and hard wired it to the onstar fuse in the panel behind the fuse door. No cords dangling all over the place.

Also has a micro SD slot, got an Italy chip for 25 bucks, plugged that in, and worked perfectly in Italy. Try this with an OE navigational receive.

Wife wasn't very pleased at first they way I mounted it because she couldn't see. Ha, just replied, if you want to know if we are there yet, we still have 63 miles to go. But when she got behind the wheel, said I couldn't have picked a better spot.

We also have a couple extra thousand bucks in the bank.

 

[NickD]

Could fry it if you tried this, been in electronics a long time, touch the wrong wire back then, it will kill you, do this today, and you will kill the electronics.

I know with some of these preprogrammed map chips, the instant you load it, it erases whats on the chip. Do this so you can't share the map with a friend, and split the price, not sure what the Cruze is doing. With this Garmin, can back everything up on my computer, even found a second one on half price to take to Italy with me, just in case. Crazy place, half you zig-zag all over a town with 2 feet wide roads and don't even show you the route for the highway you are on. Was able to download all of my favorites to it so I didn't have to spend hours keying them in.

Google maps don't work on my cell phone unless I am within cell range, doesn't brother the Garmin in the least. Talk about a confusing maze in Venice, all walking, could slip the Garmin in my pocket to find our way back, also works in the woods.

If you do find a good deal on a used one, still have to see your dealer to match the ID codes to your radio, or you won't be able to turn it on.

Was riding with my son with my three grandkids in the back seat with OE navigation, they started crying because they wanted something to eat, son asked me to find points of interest. It would not even let me do this, he had to pull over to the side of the road and put it in park before it would let me do this. Was on a busy interstate and had a heck of a time trying to get back on. He purchased another new vehicle since then, and said hail no to OE GPS, he also didn't know he had to pay 200 bucks for a map update. Those points of interest are changing all the time.

He also learned the maps he was getting for 200 bucks were a year out of date. So much for factory GPS.

 

[NickD]

See my 2012 2LT would be worth 90 bucks more on trade-in value if I had factory GPS. Would this be a good return on my investment?

 

[NickD]

Wonder if you still can purchase a Sams Photofact for this radio, see they are still in business.

https://www.samswebsite.com/

But have to know the chassis number and the manufacture of the radio if you can even find this. Last digital car radio I had apart by guess work could trace the problem to a particular IC, but instead of using the generic stock number, used the car manufacturers in house stock number. No such parts available. I know they don't make this parts, tried to isolate it by the case style, but over a 100,000 chips of this configuration.

So in the trashcan in went.

Stilled teed off at LG with that two year old plasma TV, no darn well its firmware problem, emailed then called them, does have a USB port for refresh the flashram, but they no longer support it. Still laying on my bench, should pitch it,whenever I look at it, get teed off again. This is the route electronics has taken.

GPS chips are made by the millions, only two of them, this and a very cheap to manufacturer smudge screen. Don't even need a case or a power supply, for only $2,000.00 extra? You have got to be kidding. Most of the expense is in the firmware, even when you buy a new one.

 

[NickD]

Understand the newer Cruze's dropped the GPS cost down to 700 bucks, ha, still way too expensive for what you are getting, and still getting nailed to the wall for map updates.

Seems like whenever I switch on my smart phone, google and others, seems to have three different map programs on it, google and others are updating the maps. Took me awhile to get as smart as my phone, found a button in that super long menu list that it will only up load when I am in WiFi mode. Otherwise I was eating up my data.

It didn't work in Italy because I didn't lay out a fortune for a sim chip, but could get an idea of the trips we planned on taking in our apartment where we had WiFi.

Chevy could offer GPS as standard equipment for only a couple of bucks more, this is all it costs. Use google for free, but then you will have to pay for a data plan.

Google on my phone also has turn by turn navigation with a voice. Tired it once on a 35 mile trip with the phone in my shirt pocket. But sure ran up my data usage. And seem to have problems finding points of interest.

Almost purchased a 7" GPS last Black Friday, prices really dropped on these things, but didn't think it would fit. But now I feel it would fit, ha, will wait until next Black Friday.

In looking at new car prices, can easily add another $15,000 for so-called convenience items. Still the same body, engine, and drivetrain for all this crap that will lead to even more problems.

Really an eye opener is to see what the trade-in value is with all this way overpriced junk is when the vehicle is a couple of years old.

 

[NickD]

Here is where I put mine Nick, love it up there and it is easily removable to use elsewhere, it's a 7" Magellan with free lifetime map updates

Thought about that, how did you manage the power cord? Too lazy to pull the dash.

Ha, wife insisted on get GPS, can't blame her, this country was new to her. First one was a TomTom, was quite expensive, this had to be over ten years ago, they wanted something like 67 bucks for a map update. Was cheaper to buy a Garmin for 99 bucks with free map updates.

One thing I did like about the old TomTom was showing compass headings in degrees, but they quit doing this. Now N, NW, W, ect. Cost more money to do this, 45* increments so any displayed heading can be +/- 22.5 degrees, not good when using this in a boat or walking in the woods.

We had a 400 trip today to visit our daughter in Milwaukee with lots of road construction. Not that they need it, was using their roads for my own proving grounds. Said screw you GPS, I know a better way.

Now Milwaukee has one way roads where you drive several blocks then the one way is the other way? Wonder what brain came up with this.

We also have a netbook with Microsoft Streets and Maps on with a real GPS dongle. Wife was playing with that for awhile then got bored.

Worse GPS we have is a Dell Axim 5, screen is way to small to see it, has voice turn by turn, but in a city would say intersection ahead, drive straight, at every block would drive you nuts. Then every couple of hours would crash, had to reload it by pushing five buttons at the same time while hitting the 6th 90 times per second. Ha, still like brand new in the box, wonder if I could put this on ebay and get a buck for it.

A lot has changed over the last ten years except for automotive OE navigation. Should advertise, do you want to get screwed blue, we can do this to you.