replacing a head unit

[ian]

Go onto Facebook buy swap and sell Brisbane there are some late model Amarok with navigation for $350 besides others going cheap

[JustCruisn]

How good are those ebay head units any way ?
Do they crash or lag, is radio reception any good, can screens be read in full sun, how is sound quality etc ?
When I did mine years ago these units were really poor, so I skipped. Just wondering if they have improved or not.

[maltbbe]

For what it's worth, I just installed a $200 'Joying'-branded unit in my partner's Saab; there weren't any aftermarket options (not even fascia kits), so I needed something I could custom-fab into the dash. I think all the brands and sizes all pretty much the same on the inside, though. This one has 1gb of RAM and an old version of Android, but it seems fine; it's like having a cheap Android tablet glued to your dash, but it doesn't seem any less laggy than the infotainment systems in a new Honda or Corolla, for example. Radio reception is fine, the screen is bright and pretty responsive, and sound quality is totally acceptable. As long as you don't push them, I think they'll work fine as basic head units.

The real problem with this one (and most of these other units, I think) is that having a big Android tablet glued to your dash doesn't always make a lot of sense. There's a lot of swiping and poking at tiny icons to adjust the volume or change the radio station, you need to have a Wi-Fi hotspot running on your phone to use Google Maps or Spotify - there's even a preinstalled Youtube app on mine for some reason. We're trying to get it to run Android Auto, which would make it a much better head unit, but on a VW I don't see much point in trying something like that when you can just buy an Android Auto (and Carplay)-enabled RCD330 for less cash. They seem much better than they used to be, though - there are a few big names, like Joying, Xtrons and Seicane, that get consistently good reviews and seem to make pretty quality products.

[Bmos87]

Hi,

Just about to install a Pioneer AVH-A205BT into my 2008 147tsi Jetta, Im not sure where I can wire in the Reverse Trigger for the head unit? All the google searches point towards wiring it into the reverse light at the rear, but the wire from the ISO patch isn't long enough and the Pioneer reverse camera uses a power and earth at the ISO connection. Does anyone know of a reverse trigger wire located in the dash??

Cheers,
Brett