Has anyone heard anything about wether or not the GPS is available for us 2001 owners yet? Seems kind of stupid that they wouldn't offer a retro-fit yet...

In Message 7285 priusguy criticized:<br>&gt; Has anyone heard anything about wether or not <br>&gt; the GPS is available for us 2001 owners yet? <br>&gt; Seems kind of stupid that they wouldn't offer a <br>&gt; retro-fit yet... <br>Stupid?<br>Guess not if you are willing risk kitting several THOUSAND dollars worth of components and then require the end-user to pay for the 6 plus hours of labor it's gonna take to REMOVE the ENTIRE dashboard, passenger seat and carpeting in order to install the GPS antenna (mounts UNDER the top of the dash), the "missing" cables, the NAV ECU and DVD reader, the interconnect cable back to the dash, the GPS antenna cable back down to the NAV ECU.<br>And then, there's the "price" of all the parts which will NOT, in all probability, be less than the selling price for the MY02 NAV.<br>So - $1,900 for the "not yet available kit"<br>Another $65 * 6 hours labor<br>For a ballpark total of $2,300<br><br>How many $1,900 "NAV" kits (less tax and labor) will Toyota sell?<br>Less than 300? 200? 100?<br>Enough to bother with all the costs associated with "kitting" a NAV?<br>Engineering:<br>- instructions<br>- manufacturing and purchasing the components<br>- physical kitting (gotta go into a box)<br>Lawyer's field day:<br>- liability<br>- shipping to the US<br>- customs and import taxes<br>Will Garmin try to block importation?<br>- software licensing<br>Can they license the software as an aftermarket add-on? Answer just might be NO!<br>US distribution?<br>Value of $$ invested sitting on shelves, unsold.<br><br>Put yourself in Toyota's place!<br>We were DAMN lucky to get Cruise kits and then, only because Priusman went to bat for us.<br><br>Unless we can GUARANTEE 200+ unit sales, let's put this add-on NAV issue to rest!<br><br>Almost 17,000 miles and still thrilled,<br>Bill Powell - NJ "HALFGAS"<br>(Prius: Just Drive It!)

Bill,

Bill,<br><br> Does everything you say sound like you think you know everything? I like your list, but it is over doing it a bit.<br><br>First of all, I would have tacked that amount onto my prius if I had the chance at purchase, that is my choice, not yours.<br>Second, I didn't say "kitting" I just asked about the parts, which when they are available will be installed in my Prius by myself.<br>No, I will not have some greased up technician install my Nav, and yes I plan to do the installation myself. <br>As far as the installation goes, removing the dash was done when the 6-disk cd player was installed, the seat being removed is no problem, I've done it in all my cars, and the carpet being lifted to run wires is no problem either. I have already installed my own key-fob-actuated remote trunk release which had hidden wires running from the trunk to the kick-plate in the front floor board.<br><br>-Instructions will need to be given to the mechanics when the Nav system comes in (which it has for 2002) incase a repair or replacement needs to be made<br>-manufacturing and purchasing the components has already been done, they are available for 2002<br>-Lawyers field day? They are already sending it here for 2002! They aren't taking any chances that they haven't already taken legally...<br>-Software licensing? They are already sending it here for 2002! What software would they need for the 2001 Nav that they wouldn't need for the 2002? The original software is pre-installed! <br>Eventually they will need to stock replacement parts for the Nav system, they may even be stocking them now. I was interested in that, not a kit. <br>This club is supposed to be for trading ideas and learning information, not for putting people down based on assunptions (or anything else) in-order to gain some "enlightened" social status. Let's keep derogatory utterances of opinionated babble to ourselves and continue to keep the civilized modes of communication open for those who are new and still learning. I beleive "still learning" includes us all.<br> Thank You

Burns is right- If a retro GPS was easy and relatively inexpensive to install after the fact- it would 've been done. The amount of work and parts necessary must go well beyond the basics that we are thinking- (DVD, ECU'S, antenna)<br> Matter of fact- the factory wants to pass on as much stuff as possible to the distribution ports- it saves them a lot of time and hassle to let them do it instead. NAV is simply too involved as of right now anyway. Anyone getting product surveys should tell toyota to simplify(if possible) ECU's and wiring to allow for easier after the fact installation. Kinda like the cruise was for 2001 <br><br>PS no I havent communicated with Priusman either- I wrote him about "iluvmyprius'" situation.

In Message 7310 priusguy<br>&gt; Does everything you say sound like you think <br>&gt; you know everything? I like your list, but it <br>&gt; is over doing it a bit.<br>Since the "I WANT MY NAV!" thread is a long-dead horse - No! <br>Unfortunately, this board does not have a search feature but the others do otherwise I'd rant about "read first...".<br><br>Several of us early adopters have performed EXTENSIVE investigation on the "missing" options last year.<br>Have you had your dashboard out yet?<br>Laid out on the kitchen table and powered up with a 12V motorcycle battery?<br>I can tell you, with authority, what IS and IS NOT there in the way of cables, connectors and "bits": There is NO provision made in the MY01 Prius for NAV - NONE, NADA, ZIP!<br>Will the MY02 NAV cause all the cables (the missing ones) to be available or is the dash backside wired with the missing cable already integrated and, therefore, near-impossible (time, $, complexity of reassembly - anyone can take stuff apart, it's the putting back together that's difficult...) to "upgrade"? Nobody knows since, AFAIK, there are NO U.S. spec MY02s available and the MY02 parts list has yet to be published.<br><br>Kitting v/s part$:<br>Have you actually priced out the cost of ALL the NAV parts - when bought as parts? Somewhere, there is even a list of "approximate" part numbers and prices: approximate because they aren't any U.S. spec MY01 Prius NAV parts since they simply didn't exist. They were "equivalent" Toyota parts that are available for other models.<br><br>I mention "kitting" simply because nobody in their right (or wrong) mind would pay "Genuine Toyota Part$" prices for all the stuff necessary to add NAV to an MY01 - assuming that one could actually obtain those parts that simply do NOT exist. <br><br>Pricing proof: <br>Use the "parts prices" for an MY01 steering wheel assembly, the cost of the cruise switch stalk and the brake switch. Betcha it's more than the kitted price. Again - go look it up, several folks did it the "hard" way before the kit came out.<br><br>Liability:<br>ANY company or individual that sells anything is legally liable, to some extent, under U.S. law.<br>Toyota sells someone something and that someone fails to follow (or even read) the instructions. Then something nasty happens? Whose is at fault? That someone blames Toyota since the instructions weren't explicit about not inflating tires with hydrogen. Reflect on ALL that yellow ink in the Prius manual - it's not there simply because the manual's designer liked yellow. Way back in the original cruise thread, there were extensive comments concerning liability in the auto industry - how Priusman literally "ran the gauntlet" to get engineering and legal approval for the cruise kit.<br>Additional point:<br>The cruise instructions specify disabling BOTH the 12V and the HV battery systems. The repair manual does not even specify removal of 12V when replacing the steering wheel or the airbag. I smell a lawyer's touch especially since I did my cruise install completely HOT - and got not a single code of ANY type.<br><br>I strongly suggest searching archives and file sections to see what has "gone before" prior to making accusatory and abrasive comments.<br><br>You don't like what I post? PLEASE press the "NEXT" link and get on with your life.<br><br>bp<br><br>&lt;text of Message 7310 truncated to avoid provoking Yahoo?s lame message length limit&gt;

Bill,<br><br>I think the only issue is parts cost and availability. Please see my Message 6974 for part numbers and approximate prices for the major GPS components. Thanks to mryellow95 for looking these up last September. These parts were listed, according to mryellow95, for the 2001 Prius with Navigation option. Almost $4200 for the Nav ECU, over $400 each for the antenna and DVD-ROM, not to mention the wiring harnesses. Prices as of September, 2000.<br><br>The manual shows the connections with and without Navigation. The parts system lists different wiring harnesses with and without Navigation. Some of our members have the time and patience to tear open the dash and tear out the seats and carpeting to do the install.<br><br>But who's going to pay over $5000 for the parts?<br><br>theboothsdad

On 7/29/2001 Bill Powell whined: "You don't like what I post? PLEASE press the "NEXT" link and get on with your life."<br><br>Bill,<br><br> Obviously I have expected to much to ask that you refrain from childish banter. To expect no repercussions for your actions is the assunption of a closed and selfish mind. To think that I should ignore your inability to communicate in my direction (someone you did not know) without being outlandishly derogatory and offensive is moronic. I was with this group when it began on the other site and have just come back after several months. I sarcastically appreciate your warm welcome, to my "catch-me-up" question. It's a wonder, we have so fewer people in this group than did the previous group with personalities, such as yourself greeting new-comers with questions. I would hope that further comments could be kept to yourself.<br> <br>Thank You