Aftermarket Radio

[racerx3317]

02 03 04 05 06 Ford Expedition Explorer Lincoln Aviator Navigator Radio Stereo | eBay

Hey guys. Has anyone tried this one? Looks ok. If not what do you guys recommend? Nav would be nice but I usually use my phone. BT is a must, however..

 

[k9education]

If sound quality and durability are unimportant, then I'm sure this or any of the other generic models are fine. If SQ/durability are important, then I would suggest having a look around Crutchfield, selecting a model, and then purchasing it elsewhere (such as Amazon).

 

[DUNE RCR]

Stay away from power acoustics. I had used one of their head units a couple years back thinking I was getting a great deal. Horrible mistake. Go to sonicelectronics.com and check out the head units there.(best prices I can find online) Stick with one of the known head unit brands like pioneer or kenwood.

 

[GAINMOB]

I know ppl that have power acoustics and have no probs...I do crutchfield.com cuz they give hardware for free and lifetime support...but u can use it to find what u like with the comparison feature then shop online

 

[Skauber]

Ebay has better offers than that. For me, I'll be going with one of the good 7" Android double DIN offerings on ebay, like Pumpkin or CarJoying.

I simply do not understand why the bigger house brands can't seem to be able to produce a good Android based car stereo, and the few they do manage to cough up has terrible low res screens and and an terrible outdated version of Android, and still asking 500+ dollars for it..

 

[racerx3317]

Ebay has better offers than that. For me, I'll be going with one of the good 7" Android double DIN offerings on ebay, like Pumpkin or CarJoying.

I simply do not understand why the bigger house brands can't seem to be able to produce a good Android based car stereo, and the few they do manage to cough up has terrible low res screens and and an terrible outdated version of Android, and still asking 500+ dollars for it..

Something like this, you mean?

Camera+Pumpkin 7 inch 2Din In-Dash Quad Core Android 4.4 Touchscreen Car Stereo

 

[Skauber]

Yep, also check here:

Joying® Aftermarket Best Android Head Unit, Android Car Stereo, Android Car Radio Audio Home page Android In-Dash Android GPS navigation | carjoying.com

They may not be the best high end players in the world (you don't need that in a car anyway, a true audiophile experience is impossible to recreate in a car, that's what you have a living room for), it will still give you descent sound that will outperform the stock CD player, and with possibility of hooking up amplifiers if you want more volume or boom (subwoofer).

 

[dvandoormaal]

BUMP for crappy generic Chinese decks that will leave you disappointed...

I had a Power Acoustic double din in my Delica which I only bought cause the van was Right-Hand Drive and the stereo had the buttons down the right side which was convenient and ergonomic.

It certainly did everything it said it would but the the screen resolution and brightness were AWFUL and the interface was from a Nokia bar phone.

I would spend literally another $50 and get Pioneer or Sony.

 

[Skauber]

Yep, the generic noname stuff from China does most of the time have really bad quality, but there are actually good branded products coming out from China as well. If you know what to look for, you can find good stuff. One thing to look for, is if it's a company making stuff, putting their names on it, and providing aftersale support on their stuff. That usually shows that they want to stand by their products and build a good brand. Pumpkin and CarJoying are two companies like that. Granted, are you looking to do a massive stereo with a high budget, with custom enclosures all round, so on and so forth then those probably won't fit your needs. But for anyone looking to upgrade the factory head unit, and possibly add rear view cam and dash cam and such, in addition to navigation and otherwise good compatibility with steering wheel controls and stuff like that, then those can serve you just fine.

 

[racerx3317]

Thanks for the heads up. Does anyone know if these units will work with the DVD entertainment?

 

[Skauber]

In order to get the OEM DVD entertainment to work, you need to get a wiring diagram. There may also be some aftermarket harnesses to buy that lets you do this more easily. You will however loose the function of the rear seat controls, in my opinion those are more annoying than convenient, but others may value them.

 

[Lostneye]

Yep, the generic noname stuff from China does most of the time have really bad quality, but there are actually good branded products coming out from China as well. If you know what to look for, you can find good stuff. One thing to look for, is if it's a company making stuff, putting their names on it, and providing aftersale support on their stuff. That usually shows that they want to stand by their products and build a good brand. Pumpkin and CarJoying are two companies like that. Granted, are you looking to do a massive stereo with a high budget, with custom enclosures all round, so on and so forth then those probably won't fit your needs. But for anyone looking to upgrade the factory head unit, and possibly add rear view cam and dash cam and such, in addition to navigation and otherwise good compatibility with steering wheel controls and stuff like that, then those can serve you just fine.

I am not familiar with Pumpkin or CarJoying but the fact that they are made in China doesn't mean a thing as far as quality. The majority of consumer electronics are made in China including many name brand or higher end products. Alpine, RF, Infinity, Polk, even Focal(though I think their drivers are all still produced in France the boards are made in China). For the price them seem like a decent product and I would probably try them over more well known but low end brands.

 

[Skauber]

Exactly. China produces most of the stuff in the world, sure they have ****** crap coming out of there, but there are also good stuff.

 

[Grgch95]

I put a Jensen vx7020 (279 from sonic electronic right now) in my 03 Expe with the factory subwoofer. I have had it for a year and like it better than the Kenwood unit I have in my 06 f150 that I paid over twice as much for. Sonic electronic sends you the wiring harness adaptor for your vehicle. It integrated perfectly with the factory subwoofer. I did not have factory DVD but do have an aftermarket one that works fine with it. I have factory DVD in my f150 and no one could offer help on getting it to work with the Kenwood (or any other model) without spending in excess of 200 for some crazy part or rigging the factory radio in behind the new unit to power up the DVD. There is some weird way the DVD powers up, it is not just a simple rewire.