Spec me a Double DIN unit

exhashdotdot

exhashdotdot

exhashdotdot

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I want to upgrade the radio in my Honda Civic (FN2) because the factory version is terrible and I want built in handsfree and GPS.

Whenever I look at Double DIN units I'm shocked at how expensive they are. Do I really need to spend £200 - 300 to get a GPS unit running a 3 year old version of android? Or are there great bang for buck options?

Cheers
 
exhashdotdot said:
How are they so expensive?! Sounds like I'd be better buying a nexus 7 tablet and sellotaping it to my dash!
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When Android Auto supports tablets I think that's the route I'm going to take and just have standard double din with Bluetooth / USB.

Cost of the fancier ones that still do less than a tablet is insane
 
Im currently going to get my unit upgraded - Going to be paying out £585 including fitting for the following unit

Kenwood DNX7170DABS - Android Auto/Apple Car Play with built in Garmin Satnav

Cheapest this unit is available online is £800. Getting this from Audio Advice NI. so seems a bargin considering the online prices
 
I picked up a used Pioneer F70DAB for £300 on ebay a few weeks ago. Was looking for a while mind. Android auto will use Google maps from your phone so bang up to date.
 
exhashdotdot said:
How are they so expensive?! Sounds like I'd be better buying a nexus 7 tablet and sellotaping it to my dash!
Click to expand...

for the same reason your common or garden audiophile equipment is really expensive- it's marketed as having superior sound quality from an established name in automotive audio products.

it really depends on what you want, personally i'd put this advice in- you can take your radio with you, so investing in a good quality unit with everything you need isn't as bad as you'd think as you can keep it much longer than you keep the car you install it in.

i had a sony single din unit go through 3 cars (and i originally bought it second hand) before the internal amps finally started dying.
 
As above, a good single din stereo you can take with you. Then just get a phone mount or something to use your phone for nav. Try getting a unit with rear usb then you can route the cable to wherever you want to mount your pbone.

I did consider an upgrade to a good nav unit for my Alhambra. In the end I just updated the maps on an old satnav unit I had and ran the cables to where I wanted it mounted. I put in a cheap Alpine double din that had Bluetooth and usb, so all bases covered. So I then had spare funds to upgrade the speakers instead. Much better overall system for me, and the seperate nav will come with me. Wont have traffic updates or anything though, so using Google maps instead on your phone would be better here.
 
xs2man said:
As above, a good single din stereo you can take with you. Then just get a phone mount or something to use your phone for nav. Try getting a unit with rear usb then you can route the cable to wherever you want to mount your pbone.

I did consider an upgrade to a good nav unit for my Alhambra. In the end I just updated the maps on an old satnav unit I had and ran the cables to where I wanted it mounted. I put in a cheap Alpine double din that had Bluetooth and usb, so all bases covered. So I then had spare funds to upgrade the speakers instead. Much better overall system for me, and the seperate nav will come with me. Wont have traffic updates or anything though, so using Google maps instead on your phone would be better here.
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indeed, the great thing about aftermarket car mods is you can get only what you want to suit your own needs.

funny i went for a satnav unit for mine, because living in ni the chances of needing to navigate in europe is higher than most, and then ofc the eu comes in making eu roaming a thing so it's not really needed now.

personally for me i like the convenience that most trips i don't need to take my phone out of my pocket, just hop in, start her up and music just comes on automatically and i can call upon the slightly dodgy services of the google app to change artist if i so feel like.
 
Yeah. The other thing about my nav, an old Garmin, it was actually bought when I went on holiday to the US, in 2010. So you can take it on your hols and save on renting the rental companies nav. I currently have the latest western Europe maps in there, but it's easy to get the latest North America maps, or wherever you might go.
 
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