Aftermarket HU considerations

[musonic]

How are you getting on with this? I'm thinking about upgrading the unit in my e320 w211. I need to get a bluetooth adaptor to use the phone functionality and that will cost about 100 quid by itself. If I went for a full upgrade I would get better nav, dab, and bluetooth functionality.
Are they relatively easy to install?

 

[GLK]

All up and running, no complication, really pleased with the result.
It was easy to install, just take you time and go slowly - I had quite a list of upgrades to work through, including illuminated door sills, two cameras (reversing and left mirror), few other bits, so it took me a few days.
My concerns about sound quality and ability to drive my 'Power Sound System' (option 532) with extra speakers and subwoofer were quickly dispelled - the sound quality is great, and the unit can play the Apple lossless m4a files directly, which means I can simply copy tracks from my iTunes library - no conversion into mp3, etc.

 

[markjay]

Looks very nice.

I am assuming the controls on the left-hand side are hardware - i.e. these can not be moved to the right-hand side closer to the driver (on RHD cars)?

 

[GLK]

Thanks

Yes the controls are hardware, off screen actually, and cannot be moved.

No one ever makes anything for RHD cars, well Mercedes doesn't even bother moving gear indicators and keypad covers, unless we are in S class price bracket ...

The volume controls are on the steering wheel, the only hardware button I had to touch so far, was 'home' and it wasn't terribly taxing

I don't normally allow myself to be distracted, whilst driving anyway, so not a great deal of inconvenience.

 

[horatio]

Personally I would go for the Pioneer etc. If the space vacated is a double din then straight fit. If not, most have fascia adapters available.
It all depends on if you want the OEM look or not. Keep the old one and bung it back in when you want to sell it

Branded can be just as crappy. The touch screen on my Pioneer app radio has stopped working and seems to be delaminating inside. Happens to most of them apparently. You could buy 5 or 6 cheap Erisin/Xtrons etc for the price!

 

[bob6600]

Branded can be just as crappy. The touch screen on my Pioneer app radio has stopped working and seems to be delaminating inside. Happens to most of them apparently. You could buy 5 or 6 cheap Erisin/Xtrons etc for the price!

Quality may have gone down then. My X1R (2002) is still going strong today!

 

[GLK]

Just a couple of recent pics to show the result:

work in progress:

all done (including the air vents and the instrument cluster face):

Big improvement, even if I say so myself :

 

[stephenmercedes]

An amazing job, and I love the 'in progress' photos...

 

[markjay]

Ha ha, I have the same mod for the phone cradle (power feed via the A-Pillar trim).

 

[Edd1968]

David, help me out here, can I get one of these to fit in my A210? - without having a brain melt down!?
I don't like wires, they agitate me!

 

[GLK]

An amazing job, and I love the 'in progress' photos...

Thanks Over a year on, the unit works perfectly well, not a single problem so far. The sound quality is excellent, and I dare not turn it anywhere close to maximum, as I'm afraid the tailgate will be blown off by the subwoofer (it was never that 'meaty' with the original Audio 20).

Next on the list: Apple CarPlay adapter; soundproofing with Dynamat (new doors pending); and Morel speakers - for the latter two I'll probably be going to Comand Europe Ltd - some things must be left to the professionals.

Ha ha, I have the same mod for the phone cradle (power feed via the A-Pillar trim).

I actually removed my phone cradle from the armrest, as when I replaced the head unit, I no longer had a functioning fibre optic network, so all MOST components (CDC, UHI, Phone Cradle) were gone, and more than paid for the new head unit, I might add

David, help me out here, can I get one of these to fit in my A210? - without having a brain melt down!?
I don't like wires, they agitate me!

I can't stand wires out in the open either - I have a whole bunch of gadgets - GPS Tracker; four cameras; HUD; Garmin satnav - and not a single wire visible, nor are any of the three power sockets occupied

These new model-specific type units popped-up on the market in the last four years or so, I had a generic Double-DIN unit in my old W168 (with a custom frame, and I don't like frames) ...

I just searched for "W168 android" on eBay, and these came up:

8" Android 8.0 WiFi DAB Radio GPS Sat Nav Stereo For Mercedes A-Class W168 98-02 | eBay

7" Android 8.0 WiFi GPS SatNav BT DVD Stereo DAB Radio For Mercedes A-Class W168 | eBay

Two different styles, as discussed above in this thread, better spec than mine - 4GB RAM, as opposed to 2GB in mine - and UK registered company, so warranty and returns are local.

It'll be easy to fit, as it comes with all the required connectors and CANbus decoder (and a bunch of connectors (generic ISO) you won't need).

 

[stephenmercedes]

I can't stand wires out in the open either - I have a whole bunch of gadgets - GPS Tracker; four cameras; HUD; Garmin satnav - and not a single wire visible, nor are any of the three power sockets occupied

mmm... so, this would bug you then? LOL

 

[GLK]

My eyes! My eyes! Ha ha

I have two points, sort of distribution boxes - one is inside the panel below the steering wheel, and is the power point for GPS Tracker; SatNav; HUD; Front Dashcam and Garmin accessory.
The second one is an actual box, inside the glove box - this one is for the left mirror camera - power and video; video signal from the reversing camera; switch box for video input; a couple of USB ports; power bank and two more feeds for a couple of extra cameras I'm planning (to only operate when the car is parked and the ignition is off).

It's pretty easy to hide those things / wires, if like me, one is bothered by them ... sometimes I wish I wasn't though

 

[stephenmercedes]

My 2001 car has one single accessory socket, or 'cigarette lighter' as they were known back then. A decade ago, it would have bothered me, and I would have taken steps to have concealed all sorts of wiring options. However, I'm older, wiser (read - lazier!), and have different life priorities now, so as long as the additional wiring is safely tucked out of harms way, I'm a happy bunny. But, I do appreciate a good concealment installation, so well done...

 

[GLK]

Yes, I agree - as we get wiser, priorities change: I had my HUD unit mounted on top of the dash for "testing", and it's now been two months, and the little wire going out of the unit and into the windscreen-dash gap, doesn't bother me anymore - well, I can't see neither it, nor the unit itself, so that helps I will eventually hide the unit inside the dash though ... just not right away.

 

[Edd1968]

Thanks Over a year on, the unit works perfectly well, not a single problem so far. The sound quality is excellent, and I dare not turn it anywhere close to maximum, as I'm afraid the tailgate will be blown off by the subwoofer (it was never that 'meaty' with the original Audio 20).

Next on the list: Apple CarPlay adapter; soundproofing with Dynamat (new doors pending); and Morel speakers - for the latter two I'll probably be going to Comand Europe Ltd - some things must be left to the professionals.



I actually removed my phone cradle from the armrest, as when I replaced the head unit, I no longer had a functioning fibre optic network, so all MOST components (CDC, UHI, Phone Cradle) were gone, and more than paid for the new head unit, I might add



I can't stand wires out in the open either - I have a whole bunch of gadgets - GPS Tracker; four cameras; HUD; Garmin satnav - and not a single wire visible, nor are any of the three power sockets occupied

These new model-specific type units popped-up on the market in the last four years or so, I had a generic Double-DIN unit in my old W168 (with a custom frame, and I don't like frames) ...

I just searched for "W168 android" on eBay, and these came up:

8" Android 8.0 WiFi DAB Radio GPS Sat Nav Stereo For Mercedes A-Class W168 98-02 | eBay

7" Android 8.0 WiFi GPS SatNav BT DVD Stereo DAB Radio For Mercedes A-Class W168 | eBay

Two different styles, as discussed above in this thread, better spec than mine - 4GB RAM, as opposed to 2GB in mine - and UK registered company, so warranty and returns are local.

It'll be easy to fit, as it comes with all the required connectors and CANbus decoder (and a bunch of connectors (generic ISO) you won't need).

Thanks for that. Saw the last pic and nearly had a melt down!!

 

[GLK]

Thanks for that. Saw the last pic and nearly had a melt down!!

It's simpler than it looks: CANbus green wire to QuadLock green wire; ignore the large connectors both sides of the QuadLock, ignore the individual function wires, out of the rest you only need RCA in and out plugs and USBs, and of course, antennas - GPS and AF/FM, DAB, or digital TV, if you're going for it.