Could this be the definitive stereo/ Nav upgrade?

[Audifan]

I personally like a OEM look and came across this unit. Has anyone tried one of these?

[MikkiJayne]

Ronin here tried an Android equivalent (about half the price). I believe it was rather problematic with the Bose system though and he's ended up swapping pretty much everything.

[Audifan]

Oh. This one states it support original BOSE sound system. Eventually I want to upgrade the speakers in my car.

[MikkiJayne]

Originally Posted by Audifan

Oh. This one states it support original BOSE sound system.

Yeah so did Ronin's but it never actually worked properly. The Bose system has some weird input levels and grounding stuff going on so it pops and bangs with aftermarket head units.

8" floating screen, 720p display, Android-based, with Android Auto: https://amazon.co.uk/dp/B08CH2B7N3



Worth a punt perhaps? Sound quality and usability are usually the concern with this sort of unit though. You have to wonder why these no-name Chinese units have 720p panels for a few hundred when to get a similar thing from the big brands costs £1000 or more. They're all made in China whatever the badge.

Also an interesting option from Joying: https://www.joyingauto.eu/joying-and...al-output.html



This would almost fit in the stock aperture - slightly wider, but not too tall. There's a 10" version too which would be the full height of the RNS, but full width of the wood trim. Lots of tax to pay when it comes in from China or the EU though. I can't find it in the UK.

[MikkiJayne]

This one would fit in the stock aperture, and with a custom bezel would leave space at the side for a physical volume control, possibly a USB slot, possibly other buttons - I'm thinking a custom board interfaced through the steering wheel remote. Maybe tiptronic buttons for actual steering wheel controls too.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323941507544

[Ameiseuk]

Have a poke about the XTRONS site - they make 'OEM' sized units for a lot of vehicles.

I installed one in the Crafter which has a Mercedes trapezoidal shape - slotted right in.

Did make the mistake of going for a WINce unit over android.

WINce unit did have a cd/dvd slot which allows us to go 'old school' and fire up a dvd in the van on a wet night and play it on the TV/sound thru the sub/speaker system. Android unit on offer at the time was a mechless unit so no DVD slot.

Found on install the sound was pretty dire (couldn't hear bluetooth, anything thru USB etc.) got hold of their secret menu code after much complaining to Xtrons which gave me default volumes etc. and it now works a treat.

Nav works of an aftermarket SD card - managed to find one which allows you to input vehicle size and actually works well.

[MikkiJayne]

Shame the Xtrons units don't have Android Auto, but they do have volume knobs, and the A3 / A6 versions could be made to fit the D2 aperture.

Hmm...

[MikkiJayne]

Having compared the Xtrons and Joying range I'm still inclined to go with Joying as they have more options and support Android Auto.

Joying have two options which pique my interest, both of which I mentioned earlier. Mindful of Mark's comment about display height, I made a cardboard cutout of the 8.8" wide screen version and experimented with positioning:

Floating just in front of the vents - simple enough to mount, but looks a bit of an afterthought?



It won't fit in the aperture at the bottom, but could float just proud of the wood trim with a custom mounting panel



Up at the top. Out of the way, but I don't like this location. Its too far away for the touch screen for a start.





This is my favourite so far. Its in reach, doesn't obscure anything, is simple enough to mount, and could either float there or have a mounting pod contoured to blend in to the dash. The brains of the unit would sit in the original aperture and be connected by a ribbon cable - they specifically support this option with a longer cable available.



I initially discounted these units as pure touch screens because of no volume control, but look what I found on their web site:



This is a radio remote control which fits in a cupholder. Looking at other pics of it, I think it may be possible to shrink it a little and put it where the menu button lives. I've already relocated my menu button to under the armrest to make room for a PF double cupholder, but I might be persuaded to relinquish the extra space for a stereo control unit.

The double-din dash aperture could be repurposed to include a Brodit phone holder with USB cable to achieve charging and the connection to the head unit for Android Auto.

Obviously all of this is very dependent on the units being competently functional and sounding good of course. Based on Joying's forum, this appears to be a bit pot luck but I suspect we'll find that with all of these types of unit.

Thoughts welcome...

[Audifan]

Originally Posted by MikkiJayne

This is the best option as the other ones just don't look classy in my opinion.

[Audifan]

Here is another OEM look aftermarket radio