Buying a new radio with bells and whistles

[willbailey]

Currently have the basic Bolero with mp3 superb 2.0 l on a 12 plate i was thinking of getting something better ,what's people thoughts on this or has anyone bought one ,or recommend something else around the same price .....thanks in advance http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182244211396?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[jafo]

I'm thinking about this :)

XTRONS 9" Quad Core Android 5.1 Car Stereo GPS Sat Nav DAB VW Golf MK5 MK6 Jetta

£199.99

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm?itemId=182010803780

[psimon]

I suppose it depends on what you want to get from the replacement unit? I would be tempted to look for a Columbus unit that does the job and may add a bit to resale value?

 

 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SKODA-SUPERB-COLUMBUS-RNS-510-LED-SAT-NAV-DVD-MP3-VERSION-3T0-035-680A-/322380285262?hash=item4b0f5cc54e:g:m78AAOSwnHZYbYIe

 

I have done this on a number of my cars and buying non manufacturer equipment was always more of a gamble with fitting issues etc (generally wiring/adapters) ...but maybe that was just me. If you buy a used unit , as above, you may need a radio unlock code...maybe the seller has it but these can also be obtained online for 10-20. Also I wonder if the used unit comes with the map dvd?

 

Just my 10 cents worth

[Chris]

I've bought an ASure android unit. Works fantastically. Downloaded Spotify and iPlayer radio and use them most of the time.

[Rustynuts]

You could pop down to me near Scotch Corner and I'll show you round a Columbus unit. Depending n what you want, I'll have something to suit I'm sure.

[BeatMaster]

I've bought an ASure android unit. Works fantastically. Downloaded Spotify and iPlayer radio and use them most of the time.

Do you have a link Chris? :)

[willbailey]

You could pop down to me near Scotch Corner and I'll show you round a Columbus unit. Depending n what you want, I'll have something to suit I'm sure.

So do you have any for sale if so what. Scotch corner is only 30 minutes 

[Rustynuts]

Yep, have a few different ones here, depending on what specification you want (DAB, SSD drive or standard).

[Reebok78]

I got a really good deal on a kenwood from the dealership when I purchased the car

Kenwood dab 525 I think

Really great sound and USB port and hdmi plus micro sd slot

Sat nav is Garmin got to france fishing no problems

[pablomax]

I can say that personally, after having it in my last two cars, I would never buy an after market head unit which did not have Android auto and Apple car play.

 

The navigation on most of the cheap units and even the RNS-510 is crap compared with google maps.

 

I would say that it is better to spend your money on one of the cheaper AVIC pioneer units (without nav) and then use carplay or AA and put your phone to work for you.

 

One other point about these cheap Chinese units. You can be quite sure that these things are not tested, either to the R&TTE nor the EMC directive required in the UK (and EU). You may think, "what's the big deal"? or "Who cares if EMC wasn't tested"...

Part of my daily work is testing products for R&TTE, FCC and various other countries. One of the things we look at during the EMC testing is how much emissions a product puts back on CAN BUS and the power lines.

From time to time, even the big boys fail these tests and need to do some major reworking.

Also from time to time, we are asked by the "Bundesnetzagentur" (regulatory authority in Germany) to test some of these Chinese imports.

Some are OK. Some.... I would never put into my car. A lot of those things can cause major damage to your entire electrical system.

We had a couple times some units which would actually blow out the fuses in our CAN BUS test rig.

At the end of the day, these cars are basically driving computers, all engineered by tons of different companies and stuck together in the hope that they will actually work. You would be surprised how much havoc some simple spurious emissions can cause.

 

Point being... be careful what you plug into your car.

[BeatMaster]

I can say that personally, after having it in my last two cars, I would never buy an after market head unit which did not have Android auto and Apple car play.

The navigation on most of the cheap units and even the RNS-510 is crap compared with google maps.

I would say that it is better to spend your money on one of the cheaper AVIC pioneer units (without nav) and then use carplay or AA and put your phone to work for you.

One other point about these cheap Chinese units. You can be quite sure that these things are not tested, either to the R&TTE nor the EMC directive required in the UK (and EU). You may think, "what's the big deal"? or "Who cares if EMC wasn't tested"...

Part of my daily work is testing products for R&TTE, FCC and various other countries. One of the things we look at during the EMC testing is how much emissions a product puts back on CAN BUS and the power lines.

From time to time, even the big boys fail these tests and need to do some major reworking.

Also from time to time, we are asked by the "Bundesnetzagentur" (regulatory authority in Germany) to test some of these Chinese imports.

Some are OK. Some.... I would never put into my car. A lot of those things can cause major damage to your entire electrical system.

We had a couple times some units which would actually blow out the fuses in our CAN BUS test rig.

At the end of the day, these cars are basically driving computers, all engineered by tons of different companies and stuck together in the hope that they will actually work. You would be surprised how much havoc some simple spurious emissions can cause.

Point being... be careful what you plug into your car.

Are the results published or any insight into which brands tend to be OK and which to avoid?

[pablomax]

Are the results published or any insight into which brands tend to be OK and which to avoid?

Generally not. Some makers will put their reports online, but most do not.

 

The big boys normally get a so called "expert opinion" from a notified body and an eMark. Something like e1 or e13. The number represents the country which issues the certificate. If you look on your window, you will see normally e1 or e9 for the window cert. Each type of part has his own standards.

E1 is normally the hardest to get (Germany) since they have a strict on-sight inspection of the manufacturers building.

For an expert opinion, you will see something like CE1588. The numbers denote the notified body. 1588 is ACB in the UK. They are strict.

The thing is, EU and FCC have a totally different approach.

In the US, you have to prove you are compliant with the standards and you THEN you can sell. If you get caught later, your in trouble.

In the EU, no one looks. You just self declare that everything is great, stick and CE mark on it and sell away.

Then, maybe, possibly, at some point, the bundesnetzagentur or other group will do a market surveillance and have a look if you really are compliant. If not, you are in trouble. The odds it happens are really small and companies know this and so they cheat.

We had a Chinese part maker testing with us for a accessory for a major car maker. They were failing hardcore. They wanted to to close our eyes, but of course didnt. I found out later they got a "pay per test report" service from another lab in Taiwan a couple weeks later. The bundesnetzagentur got a nice tip ;)

 

Take basically ANYTHING with Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi. In 2016, according to the bundesnetzagentur market surveillance, 90% of the overseas products were found to be non compliant. 65% were found to fail the basic electrical safety requirements. These are the ones that keep you from being electrocuted.

They want to change all that with the new RED directive, but since the Brussels guys cannot locate their anus with two hands, I do not see it getting better.

 

Bottom line, just about all the knock off stuff is not actually tested. Would something happen? I doubt it. But the chances are certainly higher.

[pablomax]

Are the results published or any insight into which brands tend to be OK and which to avoid?

One other thing on brands.

We do a lot of VAG stuff. All the MIB2 stuff and RNS stuff, we do all those.

That is one of the reasons it costs 2k to install OEM navigation. All the testing and paper work alone for world wide approvals for one of these head units can be way over a million €. That is not paid directly from a car maker. That is taken on by the Continentals and Harmans and Panasonics and so on. They have to wrap that all into the price to VW plus some profit and pay all their people. 

[Nathanio]

One other thing on brands.

We do a lot of VAG stuff. All the MIB2 stuff and RNS stuff, we do all those.

That is one of the reasons it costs 2k to install OEM navigation. All the testing and paper work alone for world wide approvals for one of these head units can be way over a million €. That is not paid directly from a car maker. That is taken on by the Continentals and Harmans and Panasonics and so on. They have to wrap that all into the price to VW plus some profit and pay all their people.

And people forget this. Qualification to get certification of a product is expensive.

I am engaging with some suppliers on a military product at the moment and I'm getting quotes of $55,000 per device type to qualify. No guarantee it'll pass and might need redoing.

At my last place it cost us north of $150,000 to get a product qualified for use in industry. No selling to the public and it took 6mths. This was with our own in-house safety engineer and years of experience in the field.