Chinese Units

[Tigris]

Hi Guys

I want to buy a double din unit (Satnav+ DVD+ etc') for my w208 CLK.
2 DIN SAT NAV IN CAR DVD PLAYER**CAR LOGO FEATURE**HD SCREEN**FULL EU MAP | eBay

The branded ones (Pioneer, etc') are all around £500+. I see there are loads of Chinese units on E-bay for £200.

The seller seems to have very positive rating and gives 1 year warranty (UK seller, UK stock, etc). He told me he sold it for loads of Mercs.

Anyone had any experince with those units?

Thanks for your input guys

 

[Spinal]

I have one of the single-DIN ones made by XTRONS.

The unit is ok; but not great. My issues are:
- interface is "clunky"
- not enough RAM/processor, so everything is a little slow
- if used for 4+ hours, it overheats... then crashes every few seconds rendering it useless
- GPS mutes the music whenever commands are issued - but doesn't pause it. Coupled with the 3-5 seconds of silence before the music resumes, this makes audiobooks very difficult to listen to

M.

 

[Tigris]

60 views and only one reply? I guess you guys are COMAND/Alpine/Pioneer oriented and are not experienced with the lower market rubbish.

Spinal - appreciate your input very much! I guess I can live with a few "bugs" if it saves hundreds of pounds (I have seen some units cost more than my entire car...)

 

[Ted]

Tigris, if you go for it I would appreciate a review/fitting overview.

 

[removed]

I have a double-DIN Xtrons unit, but I selected one without GPS - their satnav is rubbish, I use a proper one - Garmin 3790.

There are a few issues with Xtrons you should be aware of:

1. For the operating system they use a dumb down (if that's possible at all) version of Windows, so prepare to see garbled file/song names as in DOS of last century. I spend a few hours renaming all files into 8.3 format, to at least be able to see some sense.
2. When playing mp3, converted from iTunes, it sometimes skips a first second of the song.
3. Avoid any units with motorised screen - they overheat (so I've been told and went for the one with fixed screen - no overheating issues).
4. My unit does not mute (nor pauses) a song when reversing, and the volume button (which normally mute when pressed) only operates as volume±. The remote control mutes sound fine at any time though - important, if your music is loud and you want to hear your parking sensors beeping.
5. Unlike the Pioneer in my Nassau car, this one (Xtrons TD601) takes a couple of seconds to read 32GB SDHC card, before it starts playing, so your music starts about two-three seconds after you turn the ignition on ... could be a major issue for some

Having said that, reverse cam picture is excellent (unit switches to it automatically, once the gear is shifted to R, of course); sound is very good; I like the controls and the fact that volume is a turn knob, not up/down buttons; bluetooth works perfectly, including automatically pausing audio when a call comes in; iPad/iPhone playback is great - both via the 'back' connector (in the glove compartment) and the front one. So, generally I'm happy with it, as I didn't expect it to be of same quality as £500 brand name unit, nor did I want to spend much on a radio for a £2k car :bannana:

Here are a couple of pictures from some old threads:

music

reverse cam view

 

[Tigris]

Thanks, I appreciate your input DaveGK and sharing your photos. May I ask if you fitted it yourself (unit / camera)?

All I really care about is having a proper fixed Satnav, I dont care much about the other features. How bad is the satnav on your unit? unusable?

 

[removed]

No probs

I had a professional to fit the camera and sensors, and to connect the unit. I did the mechanical part of the install - converting the C-class fascia, cutting the sub-frame, modifying the cage, etc, etc.

This unit doesn't come with satnav (by choice), I bought a different model before this one and had to send it back - constant re-sets, awful interface, took ages to get a fix, only to loose it in a couple of minutes - went back in three days, and I bought this one. Anyway, I prefer to have satnav on top of dashboard, in my line of sight, plus I really like Garmin interface, and unlike the Xtrons, I'm keeping Garmin (and ecoRoute!) when this car is sold
The main reason I wanted a double-DIN is for the camera, plus the ability to read SD/USB of the modern head unit. And it looks much better :bannana: