How do I change Radio & sat nav in new car from Japanese?

[judyvin]

I have just bought a newly imported car but the Radio, Sat Nav, Parking Cameras are all in Japanese. I can't find the model of the system on the internet and I cant find an online manual either. It is a Panasonic system, CN-R272. Does anyone know how to do this? The alternative is to buy a replacement but not too happy about this having spent a lot for the car in the first place.

[13roman58]

We had the same problem, it is made for the Japanese market, we could only get a few channels but great for directions in Tokyo

[judyvin]

Oh. So you didn't manage to change it?

[thickey]

just bought a Japanese import Honda Jazz. was told it would be very expensive to change the sat nav radio system.

[Keithcaley]

Hi, There are a few Youtube clips that show how to change the menu to English on Japanese car audio systems - yours may not be one of the examples, but in general aim for 'Main Menu' - use Google translate camera option to guide you, and you should be able to find your way around the onscreen menu system enough to find the option for English...

As the previous poster mentioned, the frequency range on Japanese systems is rather different to here, so what you need is a little gadget called an 'FM Band Expander' - which will allow you to access all of the FM stations here - and you're in luck, because I have a spare one!

PM me if you want it - it didn't cost very much!

Have a look at some of these links

As for the SatNav, you would need an SD card with Cyprus mapping in the correct format - your dealer may be able to help with that, or email Panasonic direct.

[come_on_aylin]

We also have this problem with our Satnav and after extensive research found that the language could not be changed. We tend to listen to music via a SD card or CD. The clock on the Satnav is stuck on Japan time but we can change the time of the car clock via the menu with a little trial and error. I believe the only solution would be to replace the system.

[judyvin]

Thanks for your replies. I have decided to replace and at a cost of £200 its not too bad in relation to the cost of the car.

[Keithcaley]

Fair enough - try to make sure that for whatever brand of system you buy, you can actually get the mapping data for Cyprus in the correct format, so that you can use the SatNav - it won't necessarily come with the maps pre-installed...

[terry2366]

Why not ensure the retailer here changes it before they sell it?? Surely their responsibility as this has been going on for ten years at least

[jofra]

....try to make sure that for whatever brand of system you buy, you can actually get the mapping data for Cyprus in the correct format...

Out of curiosity, how many formats/brands do you know of that provide routable maps of the north?
I have a couple of (older) Garmin devices, for which a (fairly recent) routable map is available and serves me well. I also received (as a present) a TomTom , but as far as I can tell, TomTom maps apparently only cover the south (because the TRNC doesn't exist? }....

[lasagne33]

Hi

I bought a Japanese import BMW 116 (5 years old) when I arrived. It turned out not to be a great car as the electronics were unreliable. The garage I bought it from used a place in Lefkosa to do the electronics. The place was on the same industrial estate as Intergas. I went to pick it up after one repair and got chatting to the guy there about the Japanese voice, Sat Nav and radio frequencies. He said he could fix it all electronically no parts required.

Now I can’t remember the quote for doing everything but I didn’t balk at it (my guess would be 500 - 800 TL), there and then he did the radio, a cost of about 150TL. The surprising thing was (I watched him) he connected his mobile phone to the Electrical connector under the dashboard and using an app on his phone he changed the radio in 5 minutes flat.

I was amazed and felt tucked up really as it took so little time, but once I’d had a word with myself I drove off happy listening to Bayrak.

I never did go back as I got rid of the BMW soon after.

I did notice on that estate there were quite a few electrical garages and they probably all do it.

Hope that helps

Lasagne

[Keithcaley]

Lasagna,
Thank you for that really usefull information.

Jofra, I believe that you can export mapping data from the 'Pro' version of Google Maps in more than one format, but I don't have any information about the formats generally available, or which models such mapping is available for. I was just trying to make people aware of the possible issues. Lasagna's post was a revelation to me!

[lasagne33]

Hi all

I will try and get the company name and phone number and post it.

Kind regards

Lasagne

[waddo]

Just wonder if the car electrics guy - at the side of Ya Belese in Alsancak - can perform the same service, he seems to be very good at everything else!

[lasagne33]

Hi all

I’ve tried several times to get the phone number and company name from the garage I bought the BMW from. He has not replied.

I guess he may be a bit sore I didn’t buy my second car from him.

Just thought I’d let you know.

If we had decent Google Earth I’m sure I could find it but it’s not detailed enough.

Kind regards

Lasagne

[MikeK]

[quoteThanks for your replies. I have decided to replace and at a cost of £200 its not too bad in relation to the cost of the car.][/quote]

Hi Judyvin. Can you tell me where you purchased your replacement from please.

Many thanks

[judyvin]

It was replaced by Tiga, where the car was purchased.

[Keithcaley]

It was replaced by Tiga, where the car was purchased.

Did they ensure that the SatNav was functioning, or tell you what you needed to do to get it working?

[Groucho]

If you have an Android phone or tablet, you can download the offline Japanese language translator into Google Translate from the Playstore and use the inbuilt camera translate function to work out what the player is displaying so that you can navigate the unit's menu system.