2 din stereo radio thingymajig - opinions please .

[Shayne]

I've spent a couple of hours (again) trying to make sense of these systems the only thing i have learned is that nobody cares if radio might one day be something i'm interested in assuming i survive a nuclear war - but not before , nor do they care that my phone is just a phone meaning no bluetooth no internet no heart monitors or nagging apps .

OK so rant over i seen this which i like simply because it looks plain with no fancy chrome and stuff .

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-Androi...024318?hash=item590c188abe:g:DEcAAOSwnoVa8Thc

I want to save my music to an SD card and play it in the truck

GPS i would hope should get me where i'm going

I need a reverse cam (3 boys in this street like their lowered/slammed cars and its an accident waiting to happen)

Unless somebody points out a glaringly obvious reason why i shouldn't i'm going to send a link to my nearest mobile auto spark saying how much to fit this , so your thoughts would be appreciated .

 

[Higgy]

I've spent a couple of hours (again) trying to make sense of these systems the only thing i have learned is that nobody cares if radio might one day be something i'm interested in assuming i survive a nuclear war - but not before , nor do they care that my phone is just a phone meaning no bluetooth no internet no heart monitors or nagging apps .

OK so rant over i seen this which i like simply because it looks plain with no fancy chrome and stuff .

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-Androi...024318?hash=item590c188abe:g:DEcAAOSwnoVa8Thc

I want to save my music to an SD card and play it in the truck

GPS i would hope should get me where i'm going

I need a reverse cam (3 boys in this street like their lowered/slammed cars and its an accident waiting to happen)

Unless somebody points out a glaringly obvious reason why i shouldn't i'm going to send a link to my nearest mobile auto spark saying how much to fit this , so your thoughts would be appreciated .

Looks a nice bit of kit. far too complicated for my brain. iv just fitted a kenwood DD with mp3 I pod etc etc that was bad enough..good thing having ya tunes on a SD card tho.... go for it have it fitted..

 

[StarCruiser]

From my experience using buttons for volume, a rotary volume knob is far easier to find and operate while keeping your eyes on the road.

Some rear view cameras are better than others I’ve read.

 

[Michael Montgomery]

Only thing I would say Shayne is the larger the unit the harder the install. There just isn't that kinda space in the dash for larger units. I struggled with my newer double din and if I ever get a chance ill get the Alpine iLX-700. Yes a pricy unit but on my wish list.

 

[Julian T]

This is on my watch list at the moment, primarily because the controls are on the right of the radio and thus closer to the driver, of RHD vehicles, most radios being made for LHD vehicles as 2/3 of the world is LHD.
I do agree with the rotary knob for volume and the space needed for fitting a double din radio, but I think the 80 has enough room for a double din head unit.

Shane re the lowered boy racer types I have a story for you all,
One winter some years ago now I was tail end charlie in my 80 of a queue of cars waiting for gap in traffic when I felt quite a firm bump from behind, when I checked all my mirrors there was nothing behind me but after a moment I noticed a open door visible in my drivers side rear view mirror, on alighting from my vehicle I found a small vehicle wedged under my rear bumper who's young driver was most voluble about not being able to stop, and apparently I should have seen him coming and moved out of the way.
After a few short words I advised him that my vehicle was undamaged and I was going to be on my way and he could arrange his own recovery, seeing as how his vehicle had discharged the contents of its radiator on the road.

that was but one of three vehicles to be stopped by the rear of mine, with no damage to mine so as you can guess I am quite partial to the strengths of the 80 series.

 

[Richard Turner]

If the volume control is on the left you can lean your knuckles against the upright on the dash steadying your hand for volume adjustment. A rotary dial is preferable.

 

[Shayne]

I would like a Kenwood Dervis because it uses Garmin navigation which is what i'm used to and i.m.o is hard to beat (i hated tomtom) but from what i can tell they only use SD to update maps even if the prices didn't jump in multiples of £300

I was looking at that same Xtron to Julian but i like the function over style look of the one i posted .

I'm not concerned about the location of the buttons because the on/off button is the only one i use in my 90 which has been playing the same tape cassette home mix on a constant loop for about 5 years , i'm deaf so turn it up or turn it off i park to play with my satnav because i have to dress like a ninja and sneak up on touchscreen if im to make it do anything i want it to do .

Comments about fit are a little worrying though , as said i've found a few mobile sparks offering this service but i don't want to call them out only to be told it won't fit so does anyone else have a 7 inch double din fitted in their 80 ?

 

[Michael Montgomery]

Just checking my Sony XAV-W650BT I installed last time its 6.9 inches (17.5 cm) in depth so sounds about the size of my previous double din Shayne. Still tight I had to tidy all the wiring and use a tie down clip at the rear top to allow fitment easier. Always very flimsy the putting back the dash. Done it plenty of times never enjoyable.

 

[StarCruiser]

Mine is around the same size as that Shayne. It’s a Kenwood and I’d gladly sell it to you as it takes SD card and has an updated Garmin sat nav that I’m beginning to hate. The only thing is I have it well and truly installed so I’m probably going to persevere with it. Incidentally it updates via USB. But only when Garmin get their act together.

 

[Shayne]

Cheers lads i don't want to over think it , the reason my 90 never got one , so if it will fit i will contact the fitters

As i understood it Rich the sd slot on the kenwood is for the garmin map you update , so it can't be used for maps and music ? but regardless i wouldn't pay kenwood money for something that doesn't excite me at all , i'm a neanderthal and as far as i can tell SD card music is the only modern alternative to good old fashioned reliable and lasting tape cassettes .

 

[chapel gate]

In theory if its double din it should fit any double din opening as din is a standard of standardisation by the mighty germans.
i had to trim some of the surround when i fitted mine.

 

[Richard Turner]

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/2GB-RAM-7-...rksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&_mwBanner=1&_rdt=1

That's the one I got.

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-Lan...rksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&_mwBanner=1&_rdt=1

That's the adaptor I used.

It has a usb plug on a cable I just plug a usb sd card reader in it, it has a long cable so I have it down near the handbrake.

You need to trim a little from the dashboard face but it is dead easy if you look at the back of the dash panel there is a little step on the surround round round the radio, I just cut that bit out with a Stanley knife heated with the blowtorch.

 

[Shayne]

Not sure i would trust anyone else to trim and i have all the patience you could want for things like that so maybe i should have a go at fitting it myself and then get someone to come and fix the wiring which i'm sure to mess up because i have no patience at all for car electrics .

 

[uHu]

The rotary vs button volume is a real safety and convenience issue. Using buttons you have look at to adjust the volume or stop the sound is neither convenient or safe. A rotary knob is normally such that after using it twice, your hand remembers where it is and can reach it without the slower brain and eyes having to step in. If you have integrated steering wheel controls though, I find that you can manage safely without rotary.

For the 2-din / space issue, there are units which are 2-din or bigger at the front, but only 1-din behind. So that the part that goes into the space in the dash is only one-din or smaller, and the screen is just a thin board with a 7" or 8" display. I saw that Alpine even has a unit like this where the slim button bars are separate from the screen, and can be placed over/under or on the sides, outside the 2-din space.

 

[Chris Boorer]

I bought my double din on eBay from a guy that calls himself brash imports the basic unit is plug and play and uses original mounts from current radio I had the unit fitter and running is half hour as a basic unit it took a fair bit longer with all the extra bits I bought to add to it but once fitted I had a stereo that has just about everything I'm still trying to figure out how to toast my bread though LOL

 

[StarCruiser]

They are quite straightforward to fit. Pretty much plug and play and might even have the adapter cables. The only tricky bit is routing the leads from the mic and satellite GPS antenna. You do need to tuck the wires out the way in the 80 but it wasn’t tight enough to give concern.
I too had to trim the dash but that was no big deal.
Steering wheel buttons would make the volume easy.
One tip on install is to place the GPS antenna in full view of the sky in the centre of the dash right against the screen. I tried to hide mine in the dash and it was useless.

 

[Higgy]

Not sure i would trust anyone else to trim and i have all the patience you could want for things like that so maybe i should have a go at fitting it myself and then get someone to come and fix the wiring which i'm sure to mess up because i have no patience at all for car electrics .

Do you have a local Halfrauds? love em or hate em when I was messing with my Kenwood they were more than helpful got me sorted with everything I needed..the lad only looked about 12 but he knew his way around a dash board... maybe worth a shot Shayne

 

[clivehorridge]

My DD JVC unit is just for music and the rear view reversing camera, so can't comment on Sat-nag issues. Mine has a USB socket on a lead, so a USB / SD card reader can be plugged in or use a USB stick, hidden away in the glove box.

As well as, I use bluetooth more and more these days, easy to connect from any of the devices we have on board, the family members phones, iPads and such like.

A funny story when going by taxi from the airport to a clients offices in Oslo, Norway, my Romanian, Italian and Greek colleagues were interested in the music the taxi driver was playing on the radio...

Suddenly, they played a Romanian traditional song, which was a bit out of keeping with what they'd played before, but it caught Valentin's attention straight away.

When it finished, to their even greater surprise, and a big frown on the Norwegian driver's face, another Romanian tune came up... followed by another ..... WTF!!

Of course, somehow Valentin's phone had connected itself to the bluetooth radio in the taxi.

+1 on the rotary volume control, and mine has a mute when you press it like a button, a most useful feature for a host of reasons.

 

[Shayne]

I will never understand why anyone thinks having add ons of any kind is a good thing to me its like plug in the toaster , run the bath ensuring the plugs in though you don't want or need a bath , go outside and turn the shed light on and you may now change channel on your tv .

Then we have the unquestionable logic of ignoring a 4.2 diesel electricity generator in favour of a battery which probably has less than a 4 hours lifespan if you turn all the "connected" junk on , but thats ok because the toy battery comes with a lead usually not more than a metre longer than it needs to be so you can charge it with your 4.2 generator so long as you remember to plug it in before you arrive a your destination .

Call me old fashioned but it either des what it says on the tin right out of the box or its no good to me

 

[TALAMAN]

Fully agree with the comments on the button for volume having recently tried a "NON button" stereo and it was downright dangerous! As Clive says the mute button is very handy too.

Good luck!