[SoYank]

The 2006 with the iDrive had two disc drives, a CD on top and a DVD on the bottom. The DVD was used for the navigation data disc. Whether a disc was in the drive, the drive always sounded, very quietly, like it was spinning even after the car was turned off.

If the navigation and radio are not turning on then this is a symptom not of the navigation but of the iDrive itself. It can be caused by a number of things (from my experience). One is an incompatible cell phone paired with the iDrive. Another is simply the system needs to be rebooted. A third is that the TCU is kaput. The first thing I'd try would be a reboot. This is done by holding down the mute button on the left of the CD drive simultaneously with the eject buttons for both the CD and DVD drives, aka BMW three finger salute. Barring this being successful, as methodtim stated, a trip to the dealership is in order. I do hope you have a warranty for if it is the TCU then I understand a new TCU costs $1200-1500.

Supposedly, an incompatible phone will damage the TCU. It would be nice if someone in the know could finally explain to the BMW public how a radio connection and software handshake between two devices using an international standard can cause damage to one of them.