To each their own, and do what you like. However, for the last 5 years, I have installed nothing but Android head units in my cars, and I am very happy with them. Yeah, the documentation and quality would probably be better from a name brand unit like Kenwood, Pioneer, etc. The problem is, none of those companies make a head unit that runs off the Android OS. I believe Kenwood had one a few years back, but from what I heard it was crap. It didn't have enough RAM, which can make an otherwise good system, run like crap. So keeping that in mind, I would make sure that any Android head unit you bought, had at least 2GB of RAM. Shouldn't be a problem, most come with 4G nowadays.

 

I thought I'd give a quick update. Given the failing state of my current head unit, I received full support from the "fun suppressor" to move forward with the "Tesla style" screen replacement. I've placed my order and it should be shipped today. The seller also tossed in a free backup camera so I can replace the "Costco" wireless solution at the same time. Besides, I'm going to need that ashtray space for @Cabrio Bob's ADU unit, which hopefully arrives tomorrow.

As promised, I'll share my work for others to see (goodness, this is bound to be fugly - apologies in advance) and share my impressions both good and bad with this technology upgrade. I'll update the board once the work begins. Fingers crossed.

 

Is it shipped from China or a US holding area?
We may be in for a long wait if China.

 

Beware of electronics from China ...

 

My head unit is just fine. No indication of failure. And with the new nav disks, an acceptable solution.
However, I don’t need traffic updates. I’m not a commuter.

it’s funny how we have different opinions about the tech. I want just enough to enjoy the ride. If I want to listen to music, I have an outstanding audiophile system at home. Perhaps I’m one of the few that organizes a trip before hand and sets waypoints to interesting locations along my way to a destination.

But I must say that pic of a head unit, it’s installation, and the commentary all looks dodgy to me.

 

Im going to install a DSP with two Aux inputs along with a remote controller that I will possibly mount in the ashtray area...

in fact... This is exactly what I'm planning:
I

 

Since the TSD (head unit) is bypassed, there's no display of the song title, etc., and I presume that the steering wheel controls for volume and song track won't work. Am I right that your Bluetooth source device will control the volume and song selection?

 

If you're on about the introduction of a DSP and not having control on your display then no, but with a remote on the DSP.you can control levels, settings and selection of inputs.

Being a bit of a techie, it's my intention to install a 4g router/dongle and a mounted 7" tablet on a Brodit clip that hooks into the centre dash vent. I will control all my music and navigate from that...

 

Before there was GPS on phones and in cars, I planned my routes with a paper map. Didn't plan waypoints or interesting locations though, just the quickest route. I much prefer using the navigation programs. In regards to music, I very seldom listen to music in the house. In fact, in my current location, I didn't even bother to buy a stereo system for the house like I normally do, I only got a soundbar for the television. So yeah, different strokes for different folks.

What exactly do you find "dodgy" about the head unit? I have had numerous Android head units in different cars, and have been generally happy.

 

This is a Chinese unit that I put in my Porsche Cayenne and I have to say, i loved it! Never gave me any issues, vast improvements on sound quality and bass. Tied up to my phone real nice and was great on a journey entertainment wise... Its got to be one of the best Head Units I've ever owned! Yes the build quality is not the same as say Sony or Pioneer but it was really easy to use and really easy to add programs the suit me as an individual rather than being locked in to what the Sony and Pioneer empires dictated!

I must add... I did do some homework on the make and I found plenty of reviews by third parties on this unit. That gave me the confidence to order away as many others had done so before me and had no issues... I suppose that's the difference here. We can only see some naff video of a Chinese lad installing the unit and nothing else onlive. No reviews, no genuine third parties giving any confidence in sending lots of money over in to the unknown...

I personally would be interested in this head unit as I loved my Android, but I'm not willing to send off 800 euro on something that I have zero comeback on.

What we should do lads, is all chip in and see if we can order one... I'm willing to lose 20 or even 40 euros to test the ground...

 

I had an Android unit in my MG ZT260 and loved it, no issues with it in the 4-5 years I had it before I sold the car
I've ordered a Tesla Android unit and it's on its way and can't wait to install it! 😀 Hopefully it works but as there are lots of similar units for almost all brands of cars I'm thinking it can't be that bad! 😁 Fingers crossed! 😊

 

It's coming from China. I received the tracking link this morning, so I'm anticipating a few weeks of shipping time. And I still have everything BUT bluetooth phone pairing functioning in my vehicle, so it's operational. Sub-optimal, but operational nonetheless.

 

I'm already serving as the board's guinea pig on this one. At least I'm not the canary in the coal mine as if the install and user experience is awful OR I've lost controls that I fully expect to have, I can re-install the OEM head unit and HVAC control elements. It's not like I'm having to do a serious hack job here - those OEM elements unbolt and I couple a few dongles on the back and and I'm theoretically "good to go". That's my hope anyway.

 

Haha! Likely very true. I'll add them to the queue, which no doubt includes every Google, Apple, and Amazon device + the NSA. The notion of privacy disappeared a loooong time ago in today's connected world.

 

Peter and Kurt - really appreciate you guinea pigging this for the forum. I'm with Jeremy on the hardware. The biggest worries are two fold. One is software configuration which as Jeremy noted, should be relatively easy to crack as it's android.
Second is the hardware and how it plugs in to the OEM. Please, if you can, please take detailed pics of the hardware you see attached to the back of the tablet. I'd ask you to remove it but that's asking too much prolly. My point is the tablet is very replaceable. The parts between that interface with the OEM are not, I'm guessing.

As to big brother watching/ listening, if they want to hear me sing out of tune, fart and belch while driving my car, have at it. I seldom talk State secrets while in my car. I usually only do that when I pull Alexa next to my Samsung TV while holding my iPhone in my hand.

As to China products in general, I will remind my good friend Stuart that CTek's are manufactured in China:-)

 

But do they have cameras and microphones in them? 😂

 

My apologies for hijacking this thread, but you hit a nerve and it's important. Time to wake up, get your head out of the sand, and realize what's been happening.

"Made in China" is the existential crux of the matter. What isn't Made in China? China's Belt and Road Initiative is part of their plan for world domination. The world is at a crossroad, and the future of our freedoms is at risk.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/05/22...tion-cold-war/

"It is our populations - the U.S. and Europe - that built the world order of today, not China. The world order that we have, based on democracy and based on the rule of law, is where this planet should go if it's going to have a future." Senator James E. Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Source: Wall Sreet Journal, November 19, 2020, page A2.

See also:
https://www.foreign.senate.gov/press...rliamentarians

I try to not buy goods made in China, but it's virtually impossible.

 

Agreed 100% and something else that is scary is that China is buying up vast quantities of new residential developments in the US, I know this from personal experience...

 

A large part of the time when a person buys something from a "Chinese Seller" for a large discount, it's the exact same item from the exact same assembly line as a more expensive item, but relabeled.
Of course, a lot of the time it's a cheesy crappy look-alike part that isn't worth the shipping it took to get.

How to tell the Difference is the thing.

Lately I've bought a bunch of cheap crap off " tophatter dot com " for a couple bucks or so per item. Some is actually pretty decent, you just have to read the description carefully, especially for dimensions.
A couple things I bought were almost Throw-Away stuff, but most were well made and quite a good deal. It just takes a loooonngggg tiiimmmmeeee to receive in some circumstances. Like, three months on occasion.