Double DIN head units

Amoeba · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:33

[TW]Fox;19952201 said:
I have decided that spending 1k fitting a 10 year old computer just because it looks a bit better than the bezel is just silly.

Yay for common sense

lewism · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:35

[TW]Fox;19952201 said:
I have decided that spending 1k fitting a 10 year old computer just because it looks a bit better than the bezel is just silly.

And increases the value of your car by about 20p. People saying OEM looks better. Of course it does. But does it perform better? I doubt it, my £30 nav would run rings around it.

At least with this option Fox can remove the unit when he sells the car and install or sell elsewhere.

paradigm · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:36

lewism said:
And increases the value of your car by about 20p. People saying OEM looks better. Of course it does. But does it perform better? I doubt it, my £30 nav would run rings around it.

At least with this option Fox can remove the unit when he sells the car and install or sell elsewhere.

Likewise he could also remove the retrofit sat-nav and sell it on for most of what he paid. Infact, I'd be pretty certain that the OEM kit will lose less value over the time it's installed than an aftermarket kit.

And no, your £30 nav wouldn't run rings around it, as the BMW system isn't just Nav.

Also in reply to the bluetooth stuff, just fit a £50 Parrot CK3000 evo and enjoy most of the OEM functionality without the need to see anything beyond the steering wheel/radio.

jigger · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:38

I had a sound system install custom done on a 750 a while back and apart from the extended door panels I could not tell it wasn't factory fitted kit.

The firm matched the BMW elephant skin effect perfectly. Maybe that would be the way to go?

[TW]Fox · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:39

It is also 10 years old, as I keep saying.

paradigm · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:39

[TW]Fox;19952258 said:
It is also 10 years old, as I keep saying.

So is the car? Replace that?

[TW]Fox · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:40

jigger said:
I had a sound system install custom done on a 750 a while back and apart from the extended door panels I could not tell it wasn't factory fitted kit.

The firm matched the BMW elephant skin effect perfectly. Maybe that would be the way to go?

The finish on the Janus design bezel exactly matches that of the oem radio.

paradigm · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:45

[TW]Fox;19952274 said:
The finish on the Janus design bezel exactly matches that of the oem radio.

Whilst that may be true, the OEM radio isn't a mass of featureless plastic. The bezel looks out of place, not because the plastic doesn't match that of the radio, but because it adds a huge amount of featureless plastic "space" to the dash.

As I said earlier, the only way I'd consider it is if the bezel could match the upper and lower sections of the dash, rather than be a perfect match for the black plastic of the radio.

[TW]Fox · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:46

paradigm said:
So is the car? Replace that?

How proportional.

The BMW Nav sucks.

jigger · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:51

[TW]Fox;19952274 said:
The finish on the Janus design bezel exactly matches that of the oem radio.

This one?
http://www.janus-design.net/english/e39doubledin/index.php

:eek:

paradigm · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:52

[TW]Fox;19952327 said:
The BMW Nav sucks.

And the bezel looks awful.

Fr0dders · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:53

its pointless arguing because its a question of preference.

Either you can stand the bezel or you can't. Trying to argue that he should / shouldn't keep it based on your taste is pointless.

For what its worth Fox, i too would put up with the bezel and have a modern double DIN unit. And modify the bezel to improve on its fit and finish to make it fit in better.

Jez · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:55

paradigm said:
And the bezel looks awful.

Come off it, its not amazing but its worth the sacrifice, this is what Fox will end up with which looks pretty good given the age of the interior to me:

paradigm · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:56

As I've already said Jez, if that matched the dash (ie, top half in wood, bottom half in black vinyl, for the image in your post) then that would look acceptable.

NVP · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:57

As you have to move the AC down, how easy is the fit to do yourself? Will you be doing it or will you pay someone else to?

Jez · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:58

I think it looks passable as it is, the perfect bezel isnt available but that doesnt look bad enough to warrant fitting 10 year old rubbish in comparison to an interchangable bang up to date bluetooth/tomtom system.

Jez · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:58

NVP said:
As you have to move the AC down, how easy is the fit to do yourself? Will you be doing it or will you pay someone else to?

The AC is already there on E39 cars?

paradigm · 30 Aug 2011 at 13:58

NVP said:
As you have to move the AC down, how easy is the fit to do yourself? Will you be doing it or will you pay someone else to?

Fox already has the HVAC controls at the bottom due to High-OBC/MID.

paradigm · 30 Aug 2011 at 14:00

Jez said:
I think it looks passable as it is, the perfect bezel isnt available but that doesnt look bad enough to warrant fitting 10 year old rubbish in comparison to an interchangable bang up to date bluetooth/tomtom system.

My point is, that brushed aluminium effect vinyl is available from 3M (DI-NOC stuff), and black dashboard vinyl is available. I'd go that route if I HAD to have a bezel.

Jez · 30 Aug 2011 at 14:02

paradigm said:
My point is, that brushed aluminium effect vinyl is available from 3M (DI-NOC stuff), and black dashboard vinyl is available. I'd go that route if I HAD to have a bezel.

Ah, i see what you mean. That would mean keeping the (awful IMO) ally trim though.