I think the answer to that depends on how comfortable/knowledgeable you are with this kind of stuff. I'm not very technical (nor patient) and plan on buying from the dealer and having them install when/if I get answers to my many questions. I've seen them online for a little less than what the dealer is asking, but you need to know the correct questions to ask before you buy. Seems there have been updates and whatnot which one needs to take into account.

Occasionally you'll find an ACM on ebay, but it's usually from a UK seller. I'm sure Nalley Jaguar would give you a discount for being a forum member. I think Nalley is still a sponsor of this forum. Tell them you're a member when ordering and they should knock off some of the price. Hope that helps a bit.

 

I contacted Nalley, never got a response. That was 3 weeks ago.

Hennessey quoted me at $434.95 plus tax (that's supposedly with our discount)

JPLV has it for $371.25, but shipping is ridiculous at $46

Nothing listed on ebay at this point...

The cheapest I found it for online is $382 plus $11 for shipping on terrysjag.com so I ordered it there

 

Awesome. I'm really looking forward to the results. Please keep us informed whenever you get around to the install.

For what it's worth, when I was at the dealer the other day the guy looked at me like an idiot when I inquired about the ACM and it's functionality with my car. He said he's never heard of it! I just shook my head and said "thanks". It was a difficult visit with them anyway, as you've likely seen in a recent post of mine.

Best of luck.

 

Yeah I saw your post about the dealer. You're the one who was quoted an insane amount for a headlight replacement, right?

I had a similar experience with West Herr Jaguar (Amherst, NY) except I took my car in to have them look at a bulb that was always out. They ended up fixing it but broke my adjusters in the process. I went back and told them, they said they didn't do it and if they did do it then they would have replaced it right then and there. I said yeah right. They offered to find me a used replacement and cover part of the cost, I eventually got a call back saying they couldn't locate one (even though I found one online in 10 seconds) and the best they could do was $640 to replace it with a new one.

I have not called/visited there since and have no plans to either. Most stuff I work on myself with a couple of my mechanic friends who seem to be happy working for food, despite all my efforts to pay them. I also found an independent European car shop near my house and plan on going there for anything major. No more dealer for me.

As for the ACM, it just shipped today so I'll keep you up to date on this thread. I can totally see the dealer not understanding what the part is; after my experience with the dealer here I don't have much confidence in their intelligence (or integrity for that matter).

 

FYI... I contacted 'Jaguar Orlando' here in Orlando and was quoted over $700 for the Jag branded ACM. And it took a while to explain to the parts department exactly what I wanted. And they really weren't that helpful.
I decided to go with an FM Modulator for now. Only because the recession has kicked my butt and I really cant afford the ACM.
When all the stuff arrives I'll put it in and give a report on the quality of the sound.

 

Yeah, I asked a local dealer too. I know a guy that works at a different dealership but gets a discount at the only Jag Dealer in the area. Even with his discount it was over $500, so needless to say I passed.

If there's one thing I actually do know, it's electronics. So I should have no trouble getting this thing installed when it arrives, hopefully that means tomorrow.

I know the ACM kind of seems overpriced but for me audio quality goes a long way. I had a cheap FM transmitter (~$20) and I could never get my car stereo to pick up the signal good enough for me to even call the quality acceptable. I think $380 is justifiable but it obviously still could be lower, I decided just to go for it so hopefully everything goes smoothly.

 

Alright, the kit arrived yesterday so needless to say I was so excited I installed it right then and there.

The installation went a lot smoother than expected and the parts that need to be removed are pretty easy to remove. The only slight challenges were getting those carpeted side panels back in place, but they really weren't too big of a deal.

I was also happy to learn that I didn't need to take it to the dealer for programming. I simply plugged everything in and music from my iphone started playing. The sound quality is fantastic too, the FM transmitter I had used before cannot even compare.

I decided to update the firmware to the latest for the Dension Gateway 500 D2B. I followed Rothe's instructions on his webpage and am happy to report that this also went smoothly. Now I can actually use the phone's screen while it is connected so I can select music manually and from other sources like Pandora. It also appears to be charging my phone (iPhone 4) while it's connected, which is great since now I can get rid of that ugly car charger I had before.

Overall, this is a fairly involved installation (took me just under 2 hours) but it's not that difficult. You can't hook any wires up wrong as they only fit in their correct slots, and the only tools you really need are a couple of torx drivers, a philips driver, a small/thin flat head for prying things, 2 drill bits and a drill to use them with, and some masking tape.

I'd really like to thank Rothe for answering my initial questions and for the entire website he has devoted to this device; it was a huge help especially with the recommendation of the firmware upgrade that I would have never thought to try.

 

Sounds like it couldn't have gone better for you! I'm happy it went so smoothly and I'm now on the market for one for my car. I'm looking at that same vendor for purchase, did it come with instructions? I have very little experience with electronics or wiring, but enjoy doing things myself. Any other tips you may have would be appreciated.

 

It comes in an official Jaguar box with installation instructions, a quick start guide, and a full sized manual in various languages.

You really don't need any experience with wiring because anything you need to connect/disconnect will only fit in where it's supposed to go.

Other than that, here are a few tips that you may find useful:

- Before disconnecting the battery, make sure the car is in neutral and the parking brake is on. If it's in park you won't have enough room to remove things from the dash. Also make sure your front seats are all the way back so you can access the single screw on either side of the carpeted side panel

-When pulling the parking brake up, be sure to pull hard so it goes up as far as possible. Otherwise you won't be able to get the center console out.

- If you keep change in the ashtray like I do, make sure you empty it before you remove the ashtray assembly or it will spill everywhere

- I couldn't find metric drill bits (I mean, come on, this is America) so I used a 1/8" for the 3mm holes and a 3/4" for the 20mm holes. The 3/4" is about 1mm too small so I had to file it a little to get the plug thing they provide to fit properly

- My car doesn't have a CD changer so I didn't need the fiber optic loop they provided. My car also didn't need programming, it simply worked out of the box. Those are two things that may vary for you

- After I disconnected my battery I took the cover completely off and used it as a container for all the little parts and screws. Kind of a handy trick for keeping track of everything

- When everything is all put together and working, go to Rothe's site and get the Dension Gateway 500 D2B latest firmware. Just put it on a small flash drive and follow the instructions on his page. I have an iPhone and this greatly improved compatibility.

If you have any other questions about the install I'd be happy to help you out.

 

Thank you very much. I appreciate your effort to help a stranger. I just ordered mine from Terry's Jaguar. Really looking forward to installing. My only concern about this process is the programming aspect. I have the same model year as you, so I'm hopeful that I will not need any reprogramming. Nor do I have a CD changer.

Well, fingers crossed and all that. Will definitely be in touch should I run into problems. Thanks again!

 

Good luck!

I'm thinking programming won't be an issue if you also have an '05. I also heard somewhere that if your audio is muted for a few seconds when you first turn on the car it's a good sign that no programming is needed.

Let me know if you need any help

 

OK.... The install went well. A few snags. Figuring out the best live feed, and the best ground point. But I spliced the live into the live wire for the cigar lighter. It's right there and easy to access. Ground (earth), I used one of the screws around the J Gate. Sound is ok. Nothing to shout and scream about. But better than the FM transmitter I had. Getting the radio unit in and out is easy. The lower screws love to fall into the hole where the ashtray used to be! But easy enough to fish them out. I was amazed how easily Jaguar trim pieces just clip on and off. Try taking a US Ford dash apart that easily! I've tried!
That hole is huge, so I put all the stuff down there. Velcro'd it all to the bottom and the sides.
I had to remove the ashtray inner thingy. Thats where I put the switch and with the thingy in the lid, it wouldn't close. No drilling anywhere.

The big problem I came across......
The damn thing won't charge my old iPod. It charges my 3rd gen iTouch (for a minute or two until the apple software decides it's not an apple charger and I get that message and it stops charging). But my old 2nd gen iPod, nothing. I tested the connections inside with a wall charger and directly into my iMac. No problems.
The FM Modulator is live, and the 'line out' to the ipod is also connected to the live feed. So there is plenty of power getting to the ipod. I'll think on it a while. Maybe it needs a higher amp feed?

Anyway, I'm almost happy! I think I'll save for a month or three and get the real deal (ACM)

Discuss!

 

One of the things that amazed me too was the ease of disassembling the trim pieces in the way. And that "hole" underneath the head unit and the J gate is indeed massive, you could fit a mini fridge in there.

I'm not sure why your older iPod won't charge and the newer one only charges momentarily. It may be a voltage issue where the iPod either doesn't charge/stops charging to protect itself. As the charging voltage for an iPod is 5V (the allowable variation being 4.75V to 5.25V) I would test with a voltage tester to make sure the voltage provided is within that range, not too high and not too low.

As far as the ACM, I can confirm that it charges my iPhone 4 after the unofficial firmware update to the latest Dension Gateway 500 firmware. Previously it appeared to be charging but it would switch back and forth from charging to not charging several times when first plugged in. This firmware also addresses other annoyances such as the ACM rendering your device's screen unusable while plugged in.

From the sound of things the installation is much simpler than your modulator too. So if you do decide to take the plunge, you can be sure at least that it won't be as difficult of an install.

 

Ah yes. But you had to remove the center console. That still scares me! But I'll get the ACM as soon as my budget (and my wife) allow me to!

BTW, I dont use my iphone or my itouch in the car. I have a dedicated old ipod with all the tunes I want, that I keep in the car. That way it's always there, and I dont end up leaving my phone in the car all the time!

Later!

 

Center console removal is easy, it's about 6 screws and comes out in one big piece. The key to getting it out is fully engaging the parking brake as much as it will go because otherwise you will find it difficult to slip the center console over it.

 

I received my ACM from Terry's Jaguar. What a slick package. I'm installing on Sunday morning, fingers crossed it all goes well. I'm a bit nervous but the steps seem pretty easy to follow in the instruction booklet, there's just a lot of them over 70!!

More updates early next week...questions before that if I run into trouble.

 

A lot of the steps are stupid simple things like, "unscrew this," next "unscrew the bolt next to it"

It's basically a ton of illustrations and hardly any text, except for the occasional "warning, do not break this" note. Like I said, I had mine done in under 2 hours and you only need a few basic tools.

I'll happily provide any answers that I can to any questions you may have. Looking forward to hearing back on the install!

 

Well hit a snag. I tried to extract the Gateway D2B update to a flash drive but when I went to extract the file it appears to be password protected. Did you run into this?

EDIT: Please disregard. I figured it out.

 

Ok, so I"m real close to finishing. But, I can't really tell where the actual ACM module is placed on the car?? I have the cut out template, but for the life of me can't figure out where it is attached to the car with the 3M tape. Can you help?

EDIT: Well, I'm pretty good at figuring out my own problems. Those directions just didn't make any sense, but I FINALLY figured out the little module goes on the passenger side lower panel. Sheesh...now if it'd stop raining!

 

Install is done. Radio still works, everything still works but the ACM. No idea what's wrong. I plugged in my iphone 4...nothing. I tried uploading the firmware update...nothing. The only time the little blue light comes on is when i hit the reset button. Then it blinks about 10 times and comes on for a short bit then goes off. No idea what's up.

Anyone have ideas?