Head Unit

[schmergal]

Still can't believe these cars don't have an aux port or Bluetooth.

Anyone recommend a double din head unit upgrade with sat/nav and all the toys

Thanks

 

[Joe_Murphy21187]

There are many to choose from... things which will be a fixed cost are:

• Fascia adaptor
• ISO wiring adaptor
• Steering wheel control adaptor (if applicable)
• Rear speaker amplifier adaptor
• External GPS antenna (as OEM won't work with aftermarket HU)
• External FM antenna (as OEM won't work with aftermarket HU)

Best non-OEM one I found was an Apline XL unit, extra larger 8" screen which only fit some cars (B7 included) and fills the dash really nicely, didn't have DAB unless you bought an additional module though, also was £1000ish...

A lot of people go for the OEM upgrade to RNS-E, however this won't add bluetooth (additional module & coding required) or an aux input (non-OEM module required to provide this functionality).

All in all, the B7 is a pain to upgrade the HU if you want anything other than OEM, even then it's expensivbe (RNS-E with BT somewhere around £1k...)

 

[schmergal]

Fork sake!!

 

[Jespy]

i've just ordered one of these: should be here next week and will give you a full run-down i know they're quite famous on Audizine

 

[Joe_Murphy21187]

If that's a Dynavin unit, I wish you the best of luck. I sent mine back for the following reasons:

• Volume clipped way before the OEM unit
• Rear speakers didn't work (since discovered that you need to plug an adaptor directly into the OEM amp, so you will need to find this)
• FM Radio reception was terrible (comes with new antenna)
• Menu screen was slow & clunky
• Contrast on the screen was quite poor, especially for top-down driving
• As soon as it was fitted the release springs/clips snapped off, so getting it out required removing half of the dashboard, and half the skin from my knuckles...

It seems like a great solution, however in reality it really didn't live up to the hype for me. Luckily I bought it from the UK distributor (not eBay) and got a full refund for the reasons above. On the plus side the guys there were very helpful over the phone, the problems however were not something which could be corrected over the phone.

 

[Jespy]

If that's a Dynavin unit, I wish you the best of luck. I sent mine back for the following reasons:

• Volume clipped way before the OEM unit
• Rear speakers didn't work (since discovered that you need to plug an adaptor directly into the OEM amp, so you will need to find this)
• FM Radio reception was terrible (comes with new antenna)
• Menu screen was slow & clunky
• Contrast on the screen was quite poor, especially for top-down driving
• As soon as it was fitted the release springs/clips snapped off, so getting it out required removing half of the dashboard, and half the skin from my knuckles...

It seems like a great solution, however in reality it really didn't live up to the hype for me. Luckily I bought it from the UK distributor (not eBay) and got a full refund for the reasons above. On the plus side the guys there were very helpful over the phone, the problems however were not something which could be corrected over the phone.

Not a dynavin mate, I know the problems with those! You can use the stock aerial with an adapter/booster. And all the reviews for this s100 unit have been great. The rear speakers can be activated by applying a 3 or 5v source to one of the pins...awkward way of doing things but can be done

 

[Joe_Murphy21187]

Be interested to know how you get on... having spunked close to £2k in engine maintenance I'm now contemplating getting all the extra bits I've wanted since I bought the car (new HU, heated seats, DTM bumper, etc).

How much did you pay for the unit and where was it from? (If you don't mind me asking)

 

[Jespy]

Be interested to know how you get on... having spunked close to £2k in engine maintenance I'm now contemplating getting all the extra bits I've wanted since I bought the car (new HU, heated seats, DTM bumper, etc).

How much did you pay for the unit and where was it from? (If you don't mind me asking)

I feel ya man! I'm desperate for Bluetooth hence bought this! Was £400 from a uk distributer on eBay once it's all up and running I'll do some sort of review!

 

[Molnboman]

I feel ya man! I'm desperate for Bluetooth hence bought this! Was £400 from a uk distributer on eBay once it's all up and running I'll do some sort of review!

Keep us in the loop.....that looks interesting for me too!

BR
A

 

[mrandyt]

Hmm I got a aux adapter for £30 and a bluetooth receiver for £5 all wired up and hidden! Jobs a good un

 

[mr.raw]

I hit a brick wall when i wanted to upgrade my b7 a4 drop top. Oem was a nice idea but for me to get it done via a pro was going to be over £1000 and did not even include bluetooth.

I went for the latest kenwood unit as paying £1k for OEM which is prob 10 year old tech is not really worth the cash.

I went for this:

http://www.kenwood-electronics.co.uk/products/car/all_in_one/DNN9250DAB/details/
More than OEM, but will last a long time.