Becker Grandprix 7990 installed to W208 CLK - First impressions

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ollieclk

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Skoda Octavia vRS
Hi folks,

I thought i would do a little review to help anyone else thinking of installing a new head unit in there CLK or considering a Becker head unit.

I really wanted an o.e look and if you have looked at my other thread you will know there are very few on the market. Becker for me is the closest you will get.

The reason i went for the GP7990 was for two main reasons firstly ipod integration and secondly bluetooth for hands free connection.

So what you get in the box is the head unit, mic and keys to release the locking pins. There is no cage as its built into the unit which i thought was excellent. I had the Audio 30 head unit fitted already which is actually made by Becker.

audio30-be3307.jpg


On the rear they look almost identical and as such the speaker and power plugs fit straight in. The disadvantage is that you lose the steering controls and classic handsfree nokia brick if this is installed too. I never used it and my phone had no cradle available.

The keys that came with the Becker 7990 also fit the old head unit and it was a 30 second job to remove it. I also chose to pop the cubby shelf out at the same time but this again is very easy to remove and just pops out and clips back into place.

The first tricky job is to decide where to put the mic, ideally is should be on the roof by the rear view mirror or inline of speech somewhere else. I decided that i would try it in the cubby tray for the time being but i have found theres no real difference where its mounted. The main thing is it works, people can hear me and its on par with the hands free kit i had in my old E46 3 series. (sorry for swearing ;)).

08052009021.jpg


Anyway the next job was to fit the ipod lead (has to be bought seperately). I decided to remove the now defunct nokia brick and holder and have fed it through the centre console. Again a very easy job. Everything unscrews for the phone holder and can be eased out and unplugged. The panel around the gear stick simply clips of with a small amount of force but be careful not to pull any of the window switch wires etc... I also losend the centre console screws under the arm rest to make it easier to feed the wire.

I will be tidying it up a little bit more but i am happy with the end result.

08052009023.jpg


So the head unit, worth the hassle???

Most definatlely, the sound quality, even through the standard speakers is awesome, crisp sound with a thumping bass enough to make your ears bleed if that takes your fancy lol.

It looks very nice and oem. The construction is solid and the plastics of high qulity. Everything is straight forward to operate and I havent yet needed the manual! :cool:

The IPOD control is excellent, you can scroll through all the menus and playlists and the track name is displayed on the screen. It also charges your ipod.

The bluetooth phone automatically detects and connects to your phone and you have full dialing control from the head unit.

Bad points? Well theres not many, i dont like the cage keys, its very easy to mark the plastic around the openings if your not carefull so i would not recomend removing it too many times. Lose of steering controls, im looking into this but i dont think there is any conversion kit done. Its not a major issue and i would rather have the phone and ipod control. Thats really about it!

I chose the amber coloured screen, theres a choice of four and you can adjust the brightness to match the Mercedes interior.

All in all i am very please, it looks spot on, performs like any german piece of hardware should and sounds excellent. I would definately have another one :thumb:

Any questons? dont hesitate to ask!

The finished article...........

08052009022.jpg
 
That looks like it was meant to be there.

I bought a Nakamichi for my now sold SEC because the design suited the dashboard. A modern disco light stereo looks so out of place.

Some fo the double DIN units can also look very effective though.
 
That looks like it was meant to be there.

I bought a Nakamichi for my now sold SEC because the design suited the dashboard. A modern disco light stereo looks so out of place.

Some fo the double DIN units can also look very effective though.

:thumb:

Yes i agree, also considered one but felt this best suited the CLK. The Blaupunkt New Jersey looks good in the newer models.
 
I want a becker too!

ollieclk - im posting from Southern California USA. I really want to get the Becker Grand Prix.. where can I get it online (uk)? I contacted becker, they said they don't make it anymore.
Any info (except I dont know) will help.

thanks
David
 
ollieclk - im posting from Southern California USA. I really want to get the Becker Grand Prix.. where can I get it online (uk)? I contacted becker, they said they don't make it anymore.
Any info (except I dont know) will help.

thanks
David

Discontinued now, so just a case of looking for a second hand one that may pop up on ebay eventually.....Warning: these are fetching more money now second hand, than they were brand new!
 
Discontinued now, so just a case of looking for a second hand one that may pop up on ebay eventually.....Warning: these are fetching more money now second hand, than they were brand new!

You should have to add on the warning
Even when they do come up for sale,Jay snaps them :D:D
 
got a Becker indianapolis 7923 myself! difference in sound quality is amazing even with just standard speakers!

can't get my sat nav to work though :confused:

I know of a place that still has brand new stock of indianapolis Pro's if anyone is interested
 
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Why can't you get it to work??

What's it not doing??
 
got a Becker indianapolis 7923 myself! difference in sound quality is amazing even with just standard speakers!

can't get my sat nav to work though :confused:

I know of a place that still has brand new stock of indianapolis Pro's if anyone is interested

I might be!
 
Keeps thinking it's off road. Only recently got a GPS antenna for it.

Most likely cause is the reverse wire not connected.
You don't need to hook it up but you do need to ground it.
So loop the reverse to the negative.
 
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Pin 2 of block A needs to be ground to tell the unit you are going forward. You can tuck it into pin 8 of the same block.
 
Most harnesses you buy will not have this wire connected to the plug, so pushing a bit of bare wire in may have to suffice.
You can but the wire with the pin on the end from a BMW or VW dealer, but some bare wire and blutac will do the job too. ;)
 
Also, have you hooked up the speed signal wire?? That needs doing too, it will sort of work without but no where near as accurate.
 
That explains it, haven't done any of that!

Thanks mate!
 
The Blaupunkt E1s won't work without a speed signal. The later E1 Exact was designed so it didn't need one. AFAIK the Beckers all need it

All the Beckers have fantastic sound quality and the radio tuners are excellent. In fact the tuners are so good you rarely think about it - it's only when you jump in a car with a Pioneer / Sony / Kenwood head unit that you realise how bad the SQ is on those and how appalling the radio reception is

Nick Froome
 
Only the very latest Cascade units have an option to turn gala off.
 

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