Aftermarket Double Din Radio

[h3dshot]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to replace the factory stereo that came with my Leon.

I've been looking around and don't particularly want to pay £300-£400 for a new radio so i've been doing my homework and looking into chinese units on ebay.

They seem to tick all the boxes, cheap, music, bluetooth, aux, usb, touchscreen and potentially reverse camera compatible.

I was hoping anyone who has one/considered getting one could advise me whether its a worth while investment.

I've seen some going for between 50-100 for a non branded unit, or closer to 150 for a pumpkin or joying branded unit.
i know i'd need to replace the fascia with one that is shaped for a double din unit. this is the one I was going to buy from ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371620229458?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

And these are the units i'm currently watching.

8 inch - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272493102846?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

7 inch - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152020937236?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152336131076?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

6.2 inch - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302033199132?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Would all of these fit in the stereo gap and would they all be compatible with the fascia i've linked? Just wondering if its only designed for a particular sized unit.

Lastly, as a chinese unit they all claim to be steering wheel control compatible. i've looked into other radios like pioneers and sony's and they require steering wheel adaptors to allow you to retain use of the button controls. Should these radios be plug and play or will i also need to find an adapter to keep steering wheel controls working?

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and I appreciate any help.

 

[dMack14]

I wouldn't bother with a cheap unit like that mate, buy cheap, buy twice!

Depending on budget you'll get a better setup for circa £250-300...

Branded HU's, some don't have a CD drive if that would bother you.
https://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-pioneer-mvhav180_p-40020.htm
https://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-pioneer-mvhav290bt_p-40097.htm
https://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-kenwood-ddx4016bt_p-33058.htm

Then speak with Dave at Sere for the Fascia and clips, managed to get me one sent over Christmas pretty quickly for about £30, then i got the stalk adaptor for the steering wheel
https://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/sea...g-wheel-stalk-control-adaptor-ctsst001-2.html

and Fakra adaptor
https://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/con...-din-aerial-antenna-adaptor.html?search=fakra
for £50.

I already had a double DIN unit but you'd be much better with a better branded one than a cheap one, better quality amps, it'll sound 10 times better!

 

[h3dshot]

I wouldn't bother with a cheap unit like that mate, buy cheap, buy twice!

Depending on budget you'll get a better setup for circa £250-300...

Branded HU's, some don't have a CD drive if that would bother you.
https://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-pioneer-mvhav180_p-40020.htm
https://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-pioneer-mvhav290bt_p-40097.htm
https://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-kenwood-ddx4016bt_p-33058.htm

Then speak with Dave at Sere for the Fascia and clips, managed to get me one sent over Christmas pretty quickly for about £30, then i got the stalk adaptor for the steering wheel
https://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/sea...g-wheel-stalk-control-adaptor-ctsst001-2.html

and Fakra adaptor
https://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/con...-din-aerial-antenna-adaptor.html?search=fakra
for £50.

I already had a double DIN unit but you'd be much better with a better branded one than a cheap one, better quality amps, it'll sound 10 times better!

Thanks for the reply

Currently my budget doesn't allow for a nicer HU i dont mind buying a cheaper one for now for around 40-50 and upgrading afterwards when i have a bit more disposable cash.

Ive got a chinese branded smartphone and if im honest its amazing, does everything i need from it at a fraction of the cost of a mainstream device. I'm not saying you're wrong, but i am willing to take the risk on a cheap chinese HU. at worst it#s 50 quid that I wont get back.

Do i need to get a fakra adaptor? seems pretty steep :/

my budget is 100-150 for the HU, fascia and anything else i'd need

 

[swannley]

Hi

I can't comment for any other ones, but I not too long ago bought one of these for my van (for work). Was about £50 quid at the time I think off ebay (can't post link).

Came with reverse parking input, plays USB, bluetooth audio streaming etc etc.. So on face value - seems good!

However, mine was (and still is) terrible. It LITERALLY does everything that it's supposed to, but it does mostly everything badly. To list a few things..

- It didn't come with a cage, and was generally awkward to fit.
- The sound quality is poor/average at best.
- Radio stations won't stay tuned in (plus, no RDS)
- Bluetooth music is VERY tinny.
- Video's won't play sometimes, saying it's a safety issue (and I'm definitely sure it's wired up correctly etc to confirm the van isn't moving..)
- Calling via bluetooth has approx 1 second delay on the audio - makes calls virtually impossible
- GPS runs off a card - mine didn't come installed with any software so had to download it. However, the GPS app has it's own volume.. it means if you use the volume knob while using GPS, it won't amend the main volume of the radio, but rather only touches the GPS sounds.

Plus, it's hellishly fiddly to actually use. Now for me, there's someone in the van for approx 1 hour per week, so it's OK. It means I can have a reversing camera, listen to the radio and some USB songs with not too much bother. But I wouldn't be happy with it as my main stereo.

For comparision, I have a Pioneer AVH-X2600BT in my Cupra. Apart from the fact it's got a CD/DVD player the spec sheet is largely the same. However, using them is a world of difference. I'd totally go with dmack on this one - get a proper one!

 

[swannley]

I've just looked at your links - the one I have is the same as your 7" choices

 

[h3dshot]

I've just looked at your links - the one I have is the same as your 7" choices

Would you recommend it?

Did you need a steering wheel adapter?

Can you link me to the unit you bought? How. Would you rate the audio quality

Other than the fascia was there anything else you needed?

 

[swannley]

Would you recommend it?

Did you need a steering wheel adapter?

Can you link me to the unit you bought? How. Would you rate the audio quality

Other than the fascia was there anything else you needed?

Do you mean for the cheaper head unit, or the Pioneer one?

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk

 

[h3dshot]

Do you mean for the cheaper head unit, or the Pioneer one?

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk

The cheaper one

 

[swannley]

I can't post a link right now - not enough posts under my belt. It was a 7 inch touchscreen USB / GPS / Bluetooth receiver in ebay, similar enough to pretty much all the ones on there if you search.

I would have needed an adapter for steering wheel, however the van (54 plate vauxhall vivaro) doesn't have steering wheel controls.. so..

I'm fairly sure you'll need the appropriate wheel adapter no matter what car you put it in, along with the right ISO cable and an aerial adapter. It did come with an IR remote though if you want to forego the wheel controls.

I'd give it 2/5 for audio. It's clear enough, but very tinny. Seems like a cheap amp inside. Very little bass and the EQ is pretty naff too.

And no, honestly I wouldn't recommend them. They're alright in a sense, but they don't sound very good, they're awkward to use and you can't really make calls through them.

That all being said, YMMV and I may have just picked a dodgy brand. But I'd guess you'd probably be wanting another one pretty soon.

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk

 

[swannley]

If you search for a 7021G head unit, it's one of those.

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[h3dshot]

I can't post a link right now - not enough posts under my belt. It was a 7 inch touchscreen USB / GPS / Bluetooth receiver in ebay, similar enough to pretty much all the ones on there if you search.

I would have needed an adapter for steering wheel, however the van (54 plate vauxhall vivaro) doesn't have steering wheel controls.. so..

I'm fairly sure you'll need the appropriate wheel adapter no matter what car you put it in, along with the right ISO cable and an aerial adapter. It did come with an IR remote though if you want to forego the wheel controls.

I'd give it 2/5 for audio. It's clear enough, but very tinny. Seems like a cheap amp inside. Very little bass and the EQ is pretty naff too.

And no, honestly I wouldn't recommend them. They're alright in a sense, but they don't sound very good, they're awkward to use and you can't really make calls through them.

That all being said, YMMV and I may have just picked a dodgy brand. But I'd guess you'd probably be wanting another one pretty soon.

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated. I think I'll have to spend a little more and get a branded one then :/

 

[The_Saint]

I looked at the EBay ones but agree with the people who say they are junk having read many user opinions, I wanted Sat Nav and was lucky enough to pick up a Philips unit CED1800BT that a seller had on EBay at the time for £250 all in.
If I was buying now, I'd go Android - this one in fact
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pumpkin-Lollipop-Bluetooth-Scirocco-Navigation/dp/B01B4DGDB6
I know about your budget but I'd hang on until I had saved up.

 

[h3dshot]

I looked at the EBay ones but agree with the people who say they are junk having read many user opinions, I wanted Sat Nav and was lucky enough to pick up a Philips unit CED1800BT that a seller had on EBay at the time for £250 all in.
If I was buying now, I'd go Android - this one in fact
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pumpkin-Lollipop-Bluetooth-Scirocco-Navigation/dp/B01B4DGDB6
I know about your budget but I'd hang on until I had saved up.

Thanks for the advice mate. I think I'll be upgrading to mk3 Leon next year so don't want to go too daft on a radio. I think I'll look at pioneer unit around 150

For clarity could someone please list exactly what I'll need that won't come boxed with the radio?

Steering wheel control adapter
Fakra?
Aerial?

Thanks

 

[The_Saint]

I listed what I used in my video I was asked to do

Philips CED1800BT in a Seat Leon Mark 2 2010.
Components required to fit as seen.
Double DIN cage
VW Golf Mark 5 Double DIN Fascia adaptor
A Fakra Aerial convertor.
From the Connects2 website
Part No. CTSST001.2
Part No. CTPHILIPSLEAD - the single cable connects to the Brown SWC Lead that comes out of the Philips (the other 4 SWC leads don't seem to be needed)

The SEAT fascia adaptor £28 hadn't arrived by the time I did the video.
See here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNy4gZFnzyI

The advantage of that Pumpkin Android unit I mentioned is that you don't need any of the above I believe

 

[spellacy1972]

For £100 I'm selling an appradio complete with iphone 4 and 5+6+7 connections.


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[spellacy1972]

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[dMack14]

Apologies for lack of replies from my original post, not been near a computer and my phone is hopeless.
Branded HU's are miles better, i know it might mean a little longer to save but the cheapo ones have terrible amps in them, and will likely sound worse than your factory HU.
You'll need the head unit, which will come with a cage, you need the fascia and clips to hold this in place (Give Dave at Sere Motors a call, they have a section on the forum, guy knows his stuff and got the part i needed spot on). Then you'll need the stalk adaptor and Fakra adaptors i put on my first post.

Oh, and the keys to remove the standard radio, i managed this with keys i had lying around from other radios. It was a fiddly job i won't lie, i had the whole dashboard in pieces but it looks the part now it's in!

 

[h3dshot]

Apologies for lack of replies from my original post, not been near a computer and my phone is hopeless.
Branded HU's are miles better, i know it might mean a little longer to save but the cheapo ones have terrible amps in them, and will likely sound worse than your factory HU.
You'll need the head unit, which will come with a cage, you need the fascia and clips to hold this in place (Give Dave at Sere Motors a call, they have a section on the forum, guy knows his stuff and got the part i needed spot on). Then you'll need the stalk adaptor and Fakra adaptors i put on my first post.

Oh, and the keys to remove the standard radio, i managed this with keys i had lying around from other radios. It was a fiddly job i won't lie, i had the whole dashboard in pieces but it looks the part now it's in!

Great thanks very much for your help.

I'm doing a bit of shopping around seeing which branded unit is best value for money. Will update you guys when i finally bite the bullet

 

[Rickz]

For your budget you should be able to get a pretty decent branded one, i think my Sony XAV602bt was around that price or just under and for an extra £150 can add sat nav