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BMW Nav vs Garmin decode part numbers

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2022 1:29 pm
by JohnnyRidesAlone
This is what I think;

BMW IV = Zumo 660
BMW V = Zumo 590/95
BMW VI = Zumo XT

I intend to hire one on holiday. I know that Jog weel on GS will not work if I use Garmin

Corrections or confirmation welcome

Re: BMW Nav vs Garmin decode part numbers

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2022 4:07 pm
by Stu
They are similar to what you have posted but not the same

A lot of people say the XT is superior to the Nav 6

Re: BMW Nav vs Garmin decode part numbers

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2022 3:58 pm
by JohnnyRidesAlone
Thanks Stu,

My objective would be what BMW cradle would run what Garmin. When I was in Italy I ran my 660 on a GS 1200 cradle ** . No jog wheel but was OK.
My issue is that loading an SD card with my routes onto a hire unit can be hit and miss. In Portugal it took forever to load.

** It did work until I realized I had not clicked it into place and it popped off at 80KMH into Giuseppe’s Fiat !. He was not happy but saw the funny side in the end.

Re: BMW Nav vs Garmin decode part numbers

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2022 6:53 pm
by Stu
On that basis I believe the 660 will fit the cradle and the nav V and VI

I don't believe a 590/595 fits as I believe the power outputs/inputs are different

Re: BMW Nav vs Garmin decode part numbers

Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2022 1:32 am
by lkraus
The connecting pins are the same for 660, 590, 595, Nav V and VI. The case dimensions vary, so I'm pretty sure a Zumo 59x will not fit an RT's factory GPS mount, but might work on a GS. The NAV VI is more like a 595 with an improved screen. The XT uses totally different connections and mount, though there are adapters available to use the BMW cradle for mounting and power.

Re: BMW Nav vs Garmin decode part numbers

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 12:15 pm
by Sleuth
I have a BMW Navigator 4, & 6 and also had a Garmin 595. A friend has the Garmin XT.

The BMW Navigator 4 is indeed a rebadged Garmin 660, but that's where it ended. The basic mount for the BMW Navigator series has remained the same, although the case sizes changed. I can place my Nav 4 into the mount of the 6, I just cannot use the wheel to control it.

While the mounts for the 595 and XT look similar to the Navigator, however, they are different. The Garmin GPS's are much bigger and appear sturdier.
They do not fit at all onto any of the Navigator mounts.

Re: BMW Nav vs Garmin decode part numbers

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 2:31 pm
by jfheath
When people were asking me for the document "Avoiding the Potholes" - which is intended to help people using Basecamp with the Zumos 590 and 595 - I got a lot of requests from members on the AdvRider.net forum. I understood from what some of their members told me, that the 590 information I provided was pretty close to the Nav V. I believe that Nav VI introduced some changes which were also made available when the 595 came out. The hardware for the 590 and 595 is the same - or at least, you can load 595 software onto the 590. My 590 is forever changing state between a 595 and a 590. The 590 software is more reliable in some respects.

It was evident that some of the weight from BMW on their special Nav versions of the Zumos had gone a long way to improving the 590/595 for the rest of us. I believe the ability to skip a Via Point was due to the BMW owners complaining to BMW that they had no way of not visiting a Via Point. Certainly 'Skip' is listed in one of the items that was added in subsequent software upgrades.

However, later BMWs do not have any satnav system that is manufactured by Zumo. They seem to have broken the link with Garmin, or vice versa. And I believe that happened before the XT came out.

I assumed, even after getting an XT in my hand, that I would be able to make a few simpe amendments to the above mentioned document, to make it suitable for the XT. I was wrong. Many of the basics are the same, but the way the XT operates is completely different from the 59x devices. And I still haven't fathomed out precisely how it makes its decisions.

viewtopic.php?t=521

Re: BMW Nav vs Garmin decode part numbers

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2022 9:19 pm
by Stu
Sleuth wrote: Sat Oct 01, 2022 12:15 pm While the mounts for the 595 and XT look similar to the Navigator,
The mount for the XT looks nothing like that of the 590/595 or the Navigator series

Its a totally different mount

Re: BMW Nav vs Garmin decode part numbers

Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:42 am
by Sleuth
Stu wrote: Sat Oct 01, 2022 9:19 pm
Sleuth wrote: Sat Oct 01, 2022 12:15 pm While the mounts for the 595 and XT look similar to the Navigator,
The mount for the XT looks nothing like that of the 590/595 or the Navigator series

Its a totally different mount
Thank you Stu for the correction. My apologies, I had only seen the XT mount a couple of times, and I thought it looked similar.

I should only comment on what I actually know, rather than what I think! :D

Re: BMW Nav vs Garmin decode part numbers

Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2022 10:16 am
by jfheath
Sleuth wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:42 am I should only comment on what I actually know, rather than what I think! :D
Personally, I prefer people to say what they think, even if what they say isn't correct - because there will be plenty of other people that think the same thing. It gives the opportunity for the correct information to be posted in response - which otherwise may not happen.