NavTool Review
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Drifting
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,650
Likes: 269
From: Cape Canaveral Florida
St. Jude Donor '07 thru '26
NCM Lifetime Member
NavTool Review
I figured I would post this since I took the plunge and purchased NavTool for my 2007 Coupe (with a 2012 Nav head in it).
I do not want to get into a debate about the relative merits or deficiencies of the OEM nav system. Many of us want to keep it for various reasons, fully realizing there are better solutions out there. If you want to continue that discussion, please start your own thread.
So I have been looking at the NavTool modification for a long time, but it was never worth the cost. Lately, the company seems to have been running a series of sales that made the product affordable enough to justify. The kit does not come with cameras, but they are readily available for $10 each on Amazon. I purchased the simple kit that supports two video inputs; not the fancier HDMI kit.
As many have noted previously, the instructions leave something to be desired. Actually, the instructions NavTool provides at:
http://www.navtool.com/manual_NAVRGB3.0%20CRVT.pdf
are quite comprehensive and easy to follow, but describe only part of the installation. The PDF referenced above covers the modifications to the head unit, and I really only have two issues with them. First, as noted in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kQS...ature=youtu.be
they are incorrect in Step 6 where they tell you how to release the ribbon cable to the screen. In their defense, Denso might have changed the connector at some point. The Youtube video shows the procedure I used on mine and it worked perfectly. My only other beef is Step 14 ... what they say is completely correct, but somehow I interpreted it as meaning the metal stud was hinged or otherwise meant to move ... it is not: you simply bend it out of the way.
The part the instructions do not cover at all is how to wire the unit after you get the head unit modified. There is a pigtail coming from the NavTool box that has five unlabeled wires and two labeled video connectors (I purchased the simple NavTool; I cannot comment on the more elaborate ones).
Contrary to many reports on the Forum, I found the NavTool technical support folks to be very responsive. For whatever reason, their chat feature was not working on my computer, so I emailed them. I always received a response within 10-15 minutes, even late at night. That said, I found asking questions that required a yes/no answer worked best.
So the five unlabeled wires are:
Black - ground
Grey - ground
Yellow - switch
Orange - Backup lights
Red - +12V accessory power
The black and grey and be combined onto one lug. I also combined the ground from my backup camera.
The yellow is for a standard 2-position switch to change front/rear camera. Since I only installed a backup camera, I did not have to use this wire. Note that the default is video input #2 when a switch is not used.
I combined the orange and the power for my backup camera.
I used standard add-a-circuit connectors and tapped into the reverse lights (orange) and courtesy lights (red) in the fusebox under the passenger floor.
Everything works as expected. The resolution of the nav system is about the same as the resolution of the $10 backup cameras, and it is more than acceptable. Not as good as 4K video, but it works for its purpose. Color and contrast are fine. I have tried it in dark garages and bright Florida sun and it is fine.
Naturally, the backup "lane" marks do not turn when you turn the steering wheel (as they do on many OEM installations) since the NavTool has no steering wheel input. You also need to adjust the aim of the camera to get the distance markers correct.
My only issue was a bad ribbon cable. Again, NavTool tech support was quick to help me troubleshoot the issue, but actually getting a replacement cable took a bit more effort, and a bit longer, than I would have liked (I even offered to pay for overnight shipping ... they declined and it took a week to arrive). Nevertheless, I am not unhappy with the process.
I am posting this mostly to counter a lot of negative comments about NavTool ... if, like me, you want to keep the stock head unit and don't mind the current sale price of the unit, it is exactly what it says it is. The installation looks daunting but is actually fairly simple if you take it slow and easy. You need to be able to rear a good part of your interior apart (to get to the head unit and to run wires from the backup camera), but that is just a good opportunity to do a good deep cleaning
I do not want to get into a debate about the relative merits or deficiencies of the OEM nav system. Many of us want to keep it for various reasons, fully realizing there are better solutions out there. If you want to continue that discussion, please start your own thread.
So I have been looking at the NavTool modification for a long time, but it was never worth the cost. Lately, the company seems to have been running a series of sales that made the product affordable enough to justify. The kit does not come with cameras, but they are readily available for $10 each on Amazon. I purchased the simple kit that supports two video inputs; not the fancier HDMI kit.
As many have noted previously, the instructions leave something to be desired. Actually, the instructions NavTool provides at:
http://www.navtool.com/manual_NAVRGB3.0%20CRVT.pdf
are quite comprehensive and easy to follow, but describe only part of the installation. The PDF referenced above covers the modifications to the head unit, and I really only have two issues with them. First, as noted in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kQS...ature=youtu.be
they are incorrect in Step 6 where they tell you how to release the ribbon cable to the screen. In their defense, Denso might have changed the connector at some point. The Youtube video shows the procedure I used on mine and it worked perfectly. My only other beef is Step 14 ... what they say is completely correct, but somehow I interpreted it as meaning the metal stud was hinged or otherwise meant to move ... it is not: you simply bend it out of the way.
The part the instructions do not cover at all is how to wire the unit after you get the head unit modified. There is a pigtail coming from the NavTool box that has five unlabeled wires and two labeled video connectors (I purchased the simple NavTool; I cannot comment on the more elaborate ones).
Contrary to many reports on the Forum, I found the NavTool technical support folks to be very responsive. For whatever reason, their chat feature was not working on my computer, so I emailed them. I always received a response within 10-15 minutes, even late at night. That said, I found asking questions that required a yes/no answer worked best.
So the five unlabeled wires are:
Black - ground
Grey - ground
Yellow - switch
Orange - Backup lights
Red - +12V accessory power
The black and grey and be combined onto one lug. I also combined the ground from my backup camera.
The yellow is for a standard 2-position switch to change front/rear camera. Since I only installed a backup camera, I did not have to use this wire. Note that the default is video input #2 when a switch is not used.
I combined the orange and the power for my backup camera.
I used standard add-a-circuit connectors and tapped into the reverse lights (orange) and courtesy lights (red) in the fusebox under the passenger floor.
Everything works as expected. The resolution of the nav system is about the same as the resolution of the $10 backup cameras, and it is more than acceptable. Not as good as 4K video, but it works for its purpose. Color and contrast are fine. I have tried it in dark garages and bright Florida sun and it is fine.
Naturally, the backup "lane" marks do not turn when you turn the steering wheel (as they do on many OEM installations) since the NavTool has no steering wheel input. You also need to adjust the aim of the camera to get the distance markers correct.
My only issue was a bad ribbon cable. Again, NavTool tech support was quick to help me troubleshoot the issue, but actually getting a replacement cable took a bit more effort, and a bit longer, than I would have liked (I even offered to pay for overnight shipping ... they declined and it took a week to arrive). Nevertheless, I am not unhappy with the process.
I am posting this mostly to counter a lot of negative comments about NavTool ... if, like me, you want to keep the stock head unit and don't mind the current sale price of the unit, it is exactly what it says it is. The installation looks daunting but is actually fairly simple if you take it slow and easy. You need to be able to rear a good part of your interior apart (to get to the head unit and to run wires from the backup camera), but that is just a good opportunity to do a good deep cleaning
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 11,351
Likes: 2,445
From: Eastern
Glad it worked out for you. I also like the OEM Nav unit, and have no intention of changing it out. I imbedded a monitor inside the driver sunvisor (in place of the vanity mirror) for my BU camera, and bought the aux harness from Ray Kawal for input from my devices for music.
Great write up
Great write up
