UPDATE: If you're looking for some cool apple carplay/android auto devices for your car that is universal and easy to setup, checkout this new video here I just uploaded. They have integrated dash cams too! ruclips.net/video/m7y6DwM8XVc/видео.html
In terms of head units, the one that I have gotten time and time again is the Sony xavax1000, it’s a double din size screen with a single din receiver so it’s relatively light. It’s got Apple CarPlay but even without using CarPlay it’s a good stereo in itself. I’ve always had a good experience with it, and the best part is it still has a volume knob which is way more convenient than the buttons to turn it down
This one came with my car, works great for me and haven't had any issues with it. How much do these usually cost? I wanna look into getting one for my other car.
Bought a very similar cheap CarPlay unit on Amazon (was around $80), worked great for a few weeks (minus the occasional crash), but when playing music at around 80% volume one day it suddenly shut down and started smoking. Was not a wiring fault, one of the solder points on the board was “too large” and it started arcing, but not quite enough to blow the fuse right away, just enough to get nice and hot and start melting the board… was on day 29 of 30… was able to return it!
@@honestguy7764 we’ve got 1 yr in Canada. But I was talking about returns not warranty. Good luck getting an RMA with Xyumaa or whatever random word they’ve stamped on the product to sell on Amazon!
As an autotech installer, I beg of you not to buy these cheap radios. If the boss is all you can afford then so be it, it will get the job done, however their quality control sucks and they are the only brand where I get customers coming back with issues. A common issue with the boss brand is randomly every few months the screen will just go black and not turn on, with the only way of resetting it is to disconnect the battery or to unplug the head unit and reconnect it. I've had multiple customers come back multiple times with the same issue. It it was me save up a little extra money and you can get a name brand radio like Sony, jvc, or pioneer for around 300 at full price. Or even better find a nice used one from a few years ago in good condition and you will have an infinitely better experience.
@@CHRIS950s it really depends on budget, a lot of the $300 ish models from good name brands are pretty similar internally, but the software is different. I like how kenwood does their software and tends to be pretty snappy. If there’s an audio shop nearby I recommend playing around with a few just navigating between menus to see how it feels. I have specific model recommendations but it’s for more premium price points. For instance the kenwood DDX9707S has been fantastic for me and I like the interface. Even just asking an install shop what some good models are that they sell in specific price points will give you some good insights (they don’t want to have troubleshoot their installs so they won’t steer you wrong cause it’ll be their problem lol)
@@OfficialYeat Yeah I use android auto but tested both, and they both work better on my cheap aliexpress unit than they do in the factory unit in my dad's Audi, kinda ridiculous, not gonna lie.
I agree I've had that cheap one about the same amount of time with about same results I just use Bluetooth and it does occasionally randomly reboot but other than that it does what it's supposed to do especially for a beater.
I've had Carplay on my brand new 2022 GMC Yukon glitch also, at least once every 4-5 hours lol, so I think its not the unit but something with the software itself.
The small adapters you’re holding at 1:02 are for retaining the factory display. It is in the manual page 2. Also you were supposed to add the clips off the factory radio onto the bottom sides. They clipped onto the climate controls. That is why it was loose. Page 3 of manual. Just helpin out if you still have the vehicle and didn’t throw away clips. Or radio bezel.
Boss Audio is the best budget CarPlay Unit. I had a Boss Audio headunit that wasnt working after a couple of months. Contacted them, they helped me diagnose the issue and figured out it was the actual headunit itself. They express shipped me a replacement headunit and upgraded me to a new unit because the old unit wasn't in stock. For the price, 3 year warranty and their great customer service, I recommend them to anyone looking for a BUDGET headunit.
I had one of those Mazda 3s when they first came out. Back in the days before you could just buy a head unit like that I put a carputer in mine. In order to retain the factory upper screen I put the stock head unit in the glove box. It was actually a pretty easy thing to do
As a guy that comes from the world of consumer electronics, it genuinely shocks me how modular cars are. Everything is just nuts, bolts, screws, and clips. Not a drop of glue or a soldered connection in sight. Here's to hoping my world trends towards yours and not the other way around 😅
There is so much professionalism in doing the accessories upgrade. I am yet to see someone showing this level of sophistication and professionalism with cars here in India. The accessory market is huge but lacks the sophistication and professionalism. Plastic trims are taken off with force and hence not maintaining the level of new like forever. It is imperative for people doing such jobs to arrange and incur all the necessary tools and products to provide the best service to clients. I really appreciate the level of professionalism with these guys. Good job.
I have found those cheap radios to be nothing but pain. Either need tons of hacking or just never work. I just finished doing my Sorento build. I did a Alpine ILX-W407, memphis mc5.700, two alpine type r subs, alpine type r component and coax for doors. Tuned using my o-scope and set the proper db overlap. No greats, fantastic sounding.
All of the Chinese cheap android units are slightly different dimensions than our standard double din. I put a MaxPeedingRods head unit. The name is interesting and they normally don't work with radios, but saw some decent reviews. It had everything I wanted to put in my wifes car we had just gotten (she totaled her Pathfinder and I picked up a cheap Versa for now until Minivans are more readily available to order). This radio had wireless android auto (and CarPlay), reverse cam and front camera inputs, mounts flush (some radios actually hang out in front of the dash, awful), and it has a volume knob. It cost $159. Its bee a great radio. Very good quality screen, with custom DSP and EQ settings, it sounds fantastic even with stock speakers in the cheapest car available in the US. It hasn't had any issues in 7 months since I installed it. It has built in GPS but we just use google maps via android auto. The only knock is the internal mic on it sucks, but I added an external mic.
Man I spend a pretty penny on my radio. It was a custom fit for my 10 gen Civic. It is the XYGAV radio. It is almost perfect (bugs here and there but it is rare and easily fixed) boots up and loads into wireless CarPlay before I even start driving, screen is big and bright and also performance is super snappy. Even if CarPlay disconnects it will reconnect on its own in seconds!) The onboard amp surprising good enough to where I can run some JBL components in the front and Coaxials and the sound quality just off of the head unit alone is so good, it actually surprised me. If you actually like your car then you should spend money on a high quality radio. They can be quite expensive but think about it you interact with it all the time so don’t bother with the cheap ones. Having a high quality radio will make your car feel much more modern and up to date. The OEM radios are probably better designed and much more reliable then a cheap head unit … they are cheap for a reason
There was an aftermarket radio installed in my car by the previous owner and he had spliced directly into the main wiring harness. I had to buy and install another plug to repair the work the previous owner did.
My dad and uncle have been installing radios in their cars for years and they dislike splicing for this very reason because there may be unwanted mistakes. They both always buy the adapters we've currently still got a pioneer stereo from the 2000s with a ford canbus adapter for a 2006 ford galaxy which my dad had a few years ago 😂😂and my uncle has all of his canbus adapters for all of the VWs he's had over the years including the fakra adapters and I've just got an android unit for my 2009 VW Polo so I'm going to get an adapter from him rather than buying another again
Best radio imo for the budget is the $300 Sony XpA1000 or something it just has wired apple car play but a very good interface overall and quick, haven’t had any issues a year later
I agree. I got one for for my old Camry cause I wanted a radio mainly to use Apple Carplay. I replaced my single din standard aftermarket radio with bluetooth. I didn't want to spend too much cause my car is an old beater and was considering the cheapest possible route like this vid but had a feeling I would be more frustrated with it like they said at the end of the vid. So glad I went with the Sony XPA1000. It has everything I need and nothing I don't for a great still cheap price.
I wanna get this but my car is old 2004 Camry LE. Maybe I’ll get this and when the car finally breaks down then just take it off and install to the next car lol
@@fightnight14 yeah but also be conscious if it fits your car if you use crutchfield you can put in your make and model and it’ll show you all radios that fit, that’s how I picked out mine but any Sony brand radio is just going to be better from my experience, albeit not the absolute greatest but for the price it’s a great deal
@@nickcaruso3052Absolutely, its reasonably priced, and performs well. They should fit a lot of models with a double din. The single din, full size screen also works well for Subaru Legacy 4th gen where the factory Sat Nav would go. The half double din just clears the chassis rail at the bottom so it saves you on having to get a $500 dollar fitting kit from Japan for an aftermarket radio
Pretty sure you can fix the low sound output on the cheap one by turning the source input sensitivity up in the settings don’t turn it up too high or you will get distortion and clipping
I have a Pioneer 1550NEX, a quality apple carplay radio that is very responsive and fluid despite being a resistive touch screen. A 350 dollar radio is way better than a 200 dollar radio when it comes to carplay. If you're budget is under 200, just get a single din radio or hold off a little longer and increase your budget.
I have a model similar with the cheap unit, I got it for 50 bucks with reverse camera included . The screen does dims when headlight is on and can be switched off with audio in the background , but the USB connection is unstable for android auto, radio reception, speaker output is meh. The Bluetooth connection for audio out is stable, but the microphone sucks. If you just want the cheapest option, it’s alright for 50 bucks. My unit has been working for 1 years plus, without any faults, apart from the loose USB port, it’s unexpected.
@@josuemontalvo221 The android auto experience for this unit is not that great. After USB plugged into my phone, the unit need around 10-20 seconds to load the android auto interface, which have a great 50:50 success rate. Now that the USB port is loose over time, a sudden vibration will disconnect the android auto connection. To rectify the problem, I may consider soldering a new USB port in. But honestly for short drive, wired android auto is no ideal, wireless android auto or Bluetooth would be more convenient.
@@TheXshot Wired android auto or apple car play may be affected like my case, a USB port or USB cables. Wireless phone connection would be better for both convenience and long term reliability.
Only problem I've ever had with the cheapo chinese ones is trying to use google maps natively, but android auto takes care of that. They work perfectly fine for music, videos, OBDII apps, browsing, basically anything you could want to do with a radio. they've got all the i/o you could ever need, and you can get them as low as $40. For $40 I'll deal with having to plug my phone in when i need navigation, and if it takes a shit after a few years big whoop it was $40, but my friends had the same one as me since 2019 and it's still working fine. And if you don't like the preloaded interface you can always root it and make it look however you want, there's loads of apps and android skins out there for head units. Plus the chinese ones don't have all the bullshit warnings and safety features that prevent you from using it while driving.
I have a 2007 Dodge grand caravan. I was happy with the stock radio, not that into listening to boom, boom music. Then the laws changed, Everyone wants to have access to me while on the road. I can adjust a radio but not touch a cell phone. So here I am checking out radio head units.
Finally someone who feeds the solder. Someone who actually knows how to solder properly. Too many just throw the damn solder on the top and “paint” it leaving a cold solder joint. I’m subscribing just because you know what tf your doing. 👍
yeah you dont solder the individual wires before tho. insane waste of time. twist and solder, that connection will never break. These solders i could pull apart easy.
Im a professional installer, never buy cheap radios or anything sound related. They may work for a while but they will go out, and they never have the finess thats radios like sony, poineer, jvc, kenwood, and even alpine have (not a big fan of alpine radios). If you really want a good budget friendly radio. I say go for a boss or planet audio radio. They are cheap but they seem to have come along ways since they started.
I had to replace a cheap head unit in an 02 camry that was spliced into the wiring harness, switched to a sony xav-ax1000 and was infinitely better fit. Japanese on Japanese efficiency makes my heart happy
Good video, but I’d highly recommend eye protection when soldering. Not worth losing an eye for the minor inconvenience. Extra ventilation is also important to avoid the fumes..
Had the cheap Amazon radio for almost 2 years now. There are QC issues with soldering and the harness connector. Has the connector fry on me and had to basically install new pins. After that is works pretty much fine
Do not solder wire splices in a car. Solder will crack and fail from the vibrations present in a car, since wire is free to move around. Always use crimp connections, which you seal with water proof heat shrink, or self sealing crimp connections. Also stagger the splices, so you don't end up with a fat bundle.
lol, I got one of these Chinesium Apple car paly head units for $40 on Slamazon. Just finished crimping the wires, now I need one of those double din install kits for it. It's for my old Mitsubishi Mirage from 2001. It's just gonna be a temporary headunit until I can do something a little better like the Boss, don't need Alpine or Pioneer.
The 5th position for the HVAC controls not working is relay driven. Mine is the same. Works here and there. It’s NOT the switch cluster. I have a ‘04 GMC Envoy XL.
My questions is always how is the EQ? Ones of those had good adjustments. Crossover adjustments? How many speakers can it power? A lot of them get pretty hot powering 6 speakers
I’ve got a boss double din head unit with Apple CarPlay, slightly different model than the one in this video, but I do love that deck, works great, looks great, sounds great. And it does not glitch !
Just a tip, from someone who does motorsports grade wiring. DO NOT SOLDER! I know this seems like the best and most secure way to join wires, but adding heat to wires decreases the resiliency of the thin strands. You might end up with wires fracturing around your solder joints in the future, especially in a car where road vibrations will just expedite failure of weakened wires. Invest in a proper set of crimpers and barrel connectors. Crimp properly, cover with glued heat-shrink. A correct crimp is STRONGER than a solder joint.
You should have just got one of the Mazda 3 specific head units that Joying makes. I have the 8" one and it's great, looks factory too. Steering wheel controls work, it retains the factory screen and displays info from the radio on it, and lets you control vehicle specific functions from the radio itself. Also, the Metra install kits for the 3 are horrible. The Scosche kits are better and let you retain the factory screen.
My 1997 Tj had 225k miles, and still had the stock speakers. They were blown the fuck up they just rattled with any bass at all. I was so happy when I bought new speakers for it
I got a similar though not identical BOSS CarPlay unit almost 2 years ago. I believe it was the cheapest unit Best Buy sold at the time. Within seven months, the voice activation button broke. The warranty proved to be useless because they wanted me to return the broken unit to them before they would send me a new one. I don’t have the skill to remove a CarPlay unit from my dashboard, much less to install it again when they send me the replacement. That’s why I went to Best Buy in the first place. So screw BOSS. I’m still able to use it because fortunately CarPlay has a voice activation button on the screen as well but if I had to do it over again, I would spend extra money to get something better from a more reputable company.
That’s what happens when your a newbie on car audio, you never check if parts are compatible with the vehicle until you really screwed up lmao but if you buy a name brand radio will fit no problem without modifications to the mounting bracket.
Nice clean work, thanks for the run down on the units :-) When I solder multi connectors I like to stagger the cuts so I don't end up with a bunch of them together in a clump and can wrap the loom neatly in one go once I've soldered everything.
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Will this survive 120-degree daily temps. I live in AZ, in the summer its like 110 almost every day from June to October. So I just been thinking about it... don't want the electronics in my radio to get fried.
Does upgrading to a new Apple car play radio deactivate any functions that exist? Like navigation, pcs , lighting controls, locking controls, etc. Will I be able to control all in same in new head unit with out loosing features that already exist? Thank you for your video. Oh I have a 2014 Toyota Avalon limited. Thanks
Learned my lesson with cheap touchscreen android auto crap, after a hile mine started to push the touch on it's own, turning the volume to max and changing to radio and so on... I was lucky that I could returned it and get my money back.
When installing a new/different head unit I'd recommend not soldering two connectors like this. Every joint in cable is bad for audio. The new unit seemed to use standard ISO10487 connector like many aftermarket units. When I have installed units like this I usually take ready made adapter with car specific connector on one end and make ISO connector on to it (pin the other ends of cable and plug them into ISO connector shell). ISO connectors for that are few bucks, expensive part is the correct crimping-tool. This all applies if you are going to do it maney times - I understand how correct tools wouldn't pay of for one-off thing.
My friend just bought a 2000 Accord with what’s essentially an Android tablet for a head unit. Android settings, google play store, the whole nine yards. He wants to change it but I told him to keep it, it’s gold. And an awesome conversation starter lmao. Just start playing angry birds on that shit.
I want to ask that CarPlay is OEM or some kind of apps simulation, because my car is CarLink 2.0.Some time it can't detect my phone.Is there anything can solve this problem.I want to have OEM CarPlay but my car is 2015 leave the factory, so it can't Install OEM computer.
Make sure you get a good quality Bluetooth receiver, though. Most are crap and only support the lousy SBC codec. Look for models supporting AAC, AptX or LDAC, for proper, transparent audio. Ideally also a ground loop filter. I can recommend the Eono BTR (I'm not affiliated or anything, just happy with it). The Tunai Firefly also has the same good specs.
i’m obv hella late to this stereo-swap-shindig … & i am fairly certain that you’ve likely solved the issue of the incredibly inconvenient amazon head unit debacle …. but i can’t - not - comment on this as i just narrowly avoided putting a torch to my denali’s gas tank & saying to hell with it for this exact reason. & a 2 week long fight with the dash kit. but i stuck it out. i am rebuilding an 07 gmc yukon denali 6.2 ….factory nav hasn’t even entered this century so it was either pay $169 to GM for an update that gives me nothing more than a built in ‘02 tomtom that does nothing - or - spend the money on a new unit & bring at least some of my truck into the present. my main goal was carplay. so we’re on the same page there. but i have no interest in dumping money into this truck until i’m certain it’ll return my investment. or until i have the plagued 6L80 back in. anyway, i’ve gone through about 6 dash kits. went to autozone - got one of theirs. none of them fit this display. the standard is like 6&13/16” x 3&7/8” & these amazon ones are 7”x4”. i also happen to have an 07 with bose which apparently is impossible to find install hardware for. even attempting to match the RPO codes with crutchfield was giving me the wrong product matches. i wound up taking my dremel with a plastic cut off disc & using it to graze along the inner edges of the frame until it was able to fit around the display. after that i sanded up to 10000 to give it back it’s finished look. you cannot tell i’d done that & it beats the hell of out looking any more ghetto than the truck already does. maybe this could help for any other projects down the road where an affordable nav would be the best option.
I agree with the single Din option. Get a good phone mount and you should be golden. I got a gooseneck one that bolts along with the seat of the car so its really sturdy and a lot more comfortable
my dad has a bad taste with boss headunits, he told me to never buy them and ill take my dads advice. it apparently burned up on the week of the install so he went to get a kenwood excelon with nav installed and it lasted a lifetime. only reason I replaced it atter I got the car was to get a bigger screen. i tried a cheap chinese one for a while but after a while in the cold it kept blinking and restarting so I ended up buying a expensive 10inch stereo. morale of the story is to not buy cheap stereos. P.S both boss and kenwood where installed at a local shop that has installed our alarms systems also and they have lasted for years, one of them is still working 100% after 17 years! so I know it was the stereo and not the install.
Yea I would rather spend 100 on a single din pioneer or Kenwood media receiver with apple car play / Android auto that will actually last and sound good. Use a window mount for the phone and your set 👌,
uhhh i have a O8 Mazdaspeed 3 why did you guys remove the Upper LCD. The speed 3 has digital AC controls. You need the upper LCD to see whats going on. The radio / clock segment will not function anymore but youll still have AC information.
I have one of this in my 04 Suburban , im using android auto , great stereo but nobody can ear me on Bluetooth calls ... I change the mic settings volume and still only noises... any help?
Anything you recommend for a 2014 Mustang GT? My radio died awhile back and I'm looking to get it replaced for something with Android Auto and Apple Car Play.
UPDATE: If you're looking for some cool apple carplay/android auto devices for your car that is universal and easy to setup, checkout this new video here I just uploaded. They have integrated dash cams too! ruclips.net/video/m7y6DwM8XVc/видео.html
In terms of head units, the one that I have gotten time and time again is the Sony xavax1000, it’s a double din size screen with a single din receiver so it’s relatively light. It’s got Apple CarPlay but even without using CarPlay it’s a good stereo in itself. I’ve always had a good experience with it, and the best part is it still has a volume knob which is way more convenient than the buttons to turn it down
Having a volume knob is such an underrated feature!
This one came with my car, works great for me and haven't had any issues with it. How much do these usually cost? I wanna look into getting one for my other car.
@@ThatWasSketchyy anywhere from like 250-300. I actually bought a used one though for my current car and I still haven’t had any issues with it haha
I miss my volume knob 😥
I bought the Sony even though it had a smaller screen because of the volume knob. Worth the trade off. 👍
Bought a very similar cheap CarPlay unit on Amazon (was around $80), worked great for a few weeks (minus the occasional crash), but when playing music at around 80% volume one day it suddenly shut down and started smoking. Was not a wiring fault, one of the solder points on the board was “too large” and it started arcing, but not quite enough to blow the fuse right away, just enough to get nice and hot and start melting the board… was on day 29 of 30… was able to return it!
Damn… glad I didn’t cheap out on mine
here in europe we have 3 years of warranty😊
@@honestguy7764 we’ve got 1 yr in Canada. But I was talking about returns not warranty. Good luck getting an RMA with Xyumaa or whatever random word they’ve stamped on the product to sell on Amazon!
@@honestguy7764 here in america was have the money to buy a new one every day
As an autotech installer, I beg of you not to buy these cheap radios. If the boss is all you can afford then so be it, it will get the job done, however their quality control sucks and they are the only brand where I get customers coming back with issues. A common issue with the boss brand is randomly every few months the screen will just go black and not turn on, with the only way of resetting it is to disconnect the battery or to unplug the head unit and reconnect it. I've had multiple customers come back multiple times with the same issue. It it was me save up a little extra money and you can get a name brand radio like Sony, jvc, or pioneer for around 300 at full price. Or even better find a nice used one from a few years ago in good condition and you will have an infinitely better experience.
Thats why if boss is used, boss elite should be used. Boss elite has 3 year warranty for a reason.
I made the same mistake, mine would blow the fuse every 4-5 months and I would put a fresh one in and it would work perfectly.
Any models in particular you recommend?
@@CHRIS950s it really depends on budget, a lot of the $300 ish models from good name brands are pretty similar internally, but the software is different. I like how kenwood does their software and tends to be pretty snappy. If there’s an audio shop nearby I recommend playing around with a few just navigating between menus to see how it feels. I have specific model recommendations but it’s for more premium price points. For instance the kenwood DDX9707S has been fantastic for me and I like the interface. Even just asking an install shop what some good models are that they sell in specific price points will give you some good insights (they don’t want to have troubleshoot their installs so they won’t steer you wrong cause it’ll be their problem lol)
boss does always have to be reset it sucks. the New DUAL TECH radios are the best no problems at all and cheaper than boss
video starts @ 22:06
Goat
Thank you
exactly what i needed for this bloated ass boring content
Life saver.
That's why you're the GOAT
I have that cheap one for over a year. The CarPlay works pretty well. It glitches sometimes but you get what you pay for lol
even genuine carplay in a expenisve new car isnt the best.
@@OfficialYeat Yeah I use android auto but tested both, and they both work better on my cheap aliexpress unit than they do in the factory unit in my dad's Audi, kinda ridiculous, not gonna lie.
send the link for the bezel around the head unit you ordered, i ordered the same things and mine didn’t fit ether. send the link
I agree I've had that cheap one about the same amount of time with about same results I just use Bluetooth and it does occasionally randomly reboot but other than that it does what it's supposed to do especially for a beater.
I've had Carplay on my brand new 2022 GMC Yukon glitch also, at least once every 4-5 hours lol, so I think its not the unit but something with the software itself.
The small adapters you’re holding at 1:02 are for retaining the factory display. It is in the manual page 2. Also you were supposed to add the clips off the factory radio onto the bottom sides. They clipped onto the climate controls. That is why it was loose. Page 3 of manual. Just helpin out if you still have the vehicle and didn’t throw away clips. Or radio bezel.
Boss Audio is the best budget CarPlay Unit.
I had a Boss Audio headunit that wasnt working after a couple of months. Contacted them, they helped me diagnose the issue and figured out it was the actual headunit itself. They express shipped me a replacement headunit and upgraded me to a new unit because the old unit wasn't in stock. For the price, 3 year warranty and their great customer service, I recommend them to anyone looking for a BUDGET headunit.
I had one of those Mazda 3s when they first came out. Back in the days before you could just buy a head unit like that I put a carputer in mine. In order to retain the factory upper screen I put the stock head unit in the glove box. It was actually a pretty easy thing to do
I’ve had that exact cheap radio for almost 2 years in my car and to be honest once you are used to it you can avoid the issues it has and it’s not bad
As a guy that comes from the world of consumer electronics, it genuinely shocks me how modular cars are. Everything is just nuts, bolts, screws, and clips. Not a drop of glue or a soldered connection in sight. Here's to hoping my world trends towards yours and not the other way around 😅
Once you see how computerized cars are, the modularity won’t be as great as you hoped lol
90’s - 2010’s maybe
I've been doin car stereos for stleast 15 years . I admire this .. you are the first dude online rep it like a real installer . This is pro
There is so much professionalism in doing the accessories upgrade. I am yet to see someone showing this level of sophistication and professionalism with cars here in India. The accessory market is huge but lacks the sophistication and professionalism. Plastic trims are taken off with force and hence not maintaining the level of new like forever. It is imperative for people doing such jobs to arrange and incur all the necessary tools and products to provide the best service to clients. I really appreciate the level of professionalism with these guys. Good job.
I have found those cheap radios to be nothing but pain. Either need tons of hacking or just never work. I just finished doing my Sorento build. I did a Alpine ILX-W407, memphis mc5.700, two alpine type r subs, alpine type r component and coax for doors. Tuned using my o-scope and set the proper db overlap. No greats, fantastic sounding.
You save money, but you end up wasting a ton of time. Not worth it. Having one last more than 2 years is quite rare.
All of the Chinese cheap android units are slightly different dimensions than our standard double din. I put a MaxPeedingRods head unit. The name is interesting and they normally don't work with radios, but saw some decent reviews. It had everything I wanted to put in my wifes car we had just gotten (she totaled her Pathfinder and I picked up a cheap Versa for now until Minivans are more readily available to order). This radio had wireless android auto (and CarPlay), reverse cam and front camera inputs, mounts flush (some radios actually hang out in front of the dash, awful), and it has a volume knob. It cost $159. Its bee a great radio. Very good quality screen, with custom DSP and EQ settings, it sounds fantastic even with stock speakers in the cheapest car available in the US. It hasn't had any issues in 7 months since I installed it. It has built in GPS but we just use google maps via android auto. The only knock is the internal mic on it sucks, but I added an external mic.
Man I spend a pretty penny on my radio. It was a custom fit for my 10 gen Civic. It is the XYGAV radio. It is almost perfect (bugs here and there but it is rare and easily fixed) boots up and loads into wireless CarPlay before I even start driving, screen is big and bright and also performance is super snappy. Even if CarPlay disconnects it will reconnect on its own in seconds!) The onboard amp surprising good enough to where I can run some JBL components in the front and Coaxials and the sound quality just off of the head unit alone is so good, it actually surprised me.
If you actually like your car then you should spend money on a high quality radio. They can be quite expensive but think about it you interact with it all the time so don’t bother with the cheap ones. Having a high quality radio will make your car feel much more modern and up to date. The OEM radios are probably better designed and much more reliable then a cheap head unit … they are cheap for a reason
There was an aftermarket radio installed in my car by the previous owner and he had spliced directly into the main wiring harness. I had to buy and install another plug to repair the work the previous owner did.
My dad and uncle have been installing radios in their cars for years and they dislike splicing for this very reason because there may be unwanted mistakes. They both always buy the adapters we've currently still got a pioneer stereo from the 2000s with a ford canbus adapter for a 2006 ford galaxy which my dad had a few years ago 😂😂and my uncle has all of his canbus adapters for all of the VWs he's had over the years including the fakra adapters and I've just got an android unit for my 2009 VW Polo so I'm going to get an adapter from him rather than buying another again
Best radio imo for the budget is the $300 Sony XpA1000 or something it just has wired apple car play but a very good interface overall and quick, haven’t had any issues a year later
I agree. I got one for for my old Camry cause I wanted a radio mainly to use Apple Carplay. I replaced my single din standard aftermarket radio with bluetooth. I didn't want to spend too much cause my car is an old beater and was considering the cheapest possible route like this vid but had a feeling I would be more frustrated with it like they said at the end of the vid. So glad I went with the Sony XPA1000. It has everything I need and nothing I don't for a great still cheap price.
I wanna get this but my car is old 2004 Camry LE. Maybe I’ll get this and when the car finally breaks down then just take it off and install to the next car lol
@@fightnight14 yeah but also be conscious if it fits your car if you use crutchfield you can put in your make and model and it’ll show you all radios that fit, that’s how I picked out mine but any Sony brand radio is just going to be better from my experience, albeit not the absolute greatest but for the price it’s a great deal
@@nickcaruso3052Absolutely, its reasonably priced, and performs well. They should fit a lot of models with a double din. The single din, full size screen also works well for Subaru Legacy 4th gen where the factory Sat Nav would go. The half double din just clears the chassis rail at the bottom so it saves you on having to get a $500 dollar fitting kit from Japan for an aftermarket radio
@@fightnight14 Don't forget to get a size spacer for Toyota though.
Pretty sure you can fix the low sound output on the cheap one by turning the source input sensitivity up in the settings don’t turn it up too high or you will get distortion and clipping
The way you drilled into the cup holder console is exactly how I made mine look oem and sleek, I love it!
I have a Pioneer 1550NEX, a quality apple carplay radio that is very responsive and fluid despite being a resistive touch screen. A 350 dollar radio is way better than a 200 dollar radio when it comes to carplay. If you're budget is under 200, just get a single din radio or hold off a little longer and increase your budget.
I have a model similar with the cheap unit, I got it for 50 bucks with reverse camera included . The screen does dims when headlight is on and can be switched off with audio in the background , but the USB connection is unstable for android auto, radio reception, speaker output is meh. The Bluetooth connection for audio out is stable, but the microphone sucks. If you just want the cheapest option, it’s alright for 50 bucks. My unit has been working for 1 years plus, without any faults, apart from the loose USB port, it’s unexpected.
Hmmm, my original Seat Leon FR 2019 unit also has an unstable connection with Android Auto, but not with Apple carplay.
I bought the same one and I have the exact issues as you.
@@josuemontalvo221 The android auto experience for this unit is not that great. After USB plugged into my phone, the unit need around 10-20 seconds to load the android auto interface, which have a great 50:50 success rate. Now that the USB port is loose over time, a sudden vibration will disconnect the android auto connection. To rectify the problem, I may consider soldering a new USB port in. But honestly for short drive, wired android auto is no ideal, wireless android auto or Bluetooth would be more convenient.
@@TheXshot Wired android auto or apple car play may be affected like my case, a USB port or USB cables. Wireless phone connection would be better for both convenience and long term reliability.
@@tkangwei I have tried multiple cables and phones. Only happens to Android auto and usually only after an hour or so
Nice install! Personally I would've had the head unit stick out a little further but that's just me. But if it's a free car, no complaints 😉
Only problem I've ever had with the cheapo chinese ones is trying to use google maps natively, but android auto takes care of that. They work perfectly fine for music, videos, OBDII apps, browsing, basically anything you could want to do with a radio. they've got all the i/o you could ever need, and you can get them as low as $40. For $40 I'll deal with having to plug my phone in when i need navigation, and if it takes a shit after a few years big whoop it was $40, but my friends had the same one as me since 2019 and it's still working fine. And if you don't like the preloaded interface you can always root it and make it look however you want, there's loads of apps and android skins out there for head units. Plus the chinese ones don't have all the bullshit warnings and safety features that prevent you from using it while driving.
I have a 2007 Dodge grand caravan. I was happy with the stock radio, not that into listening to boom, boom music. Then the laws changed, Everyone wants to have access to me while on the road. I can adjust a radio but not touch a cell phone. So here I am checking out radio head units.
I knew those bags looked familiar. The dash kits are from Metra electronics, I design those here in Holly hill Florida! 🤙🏻🤙🏻👌🏻
Cant wait to have you home baby you’ll look sweet next to my N/A Hatchback 3 😭😍
Finally someone who feeds the solder. Someone who actually knows how to solder properly. Too many just throw the damn solder on the top and “paint” it leaving a cold solder joint. I’m subscribing just because you know what tf your doing. 👍
yeah you dont solder the individual wires before tho. insane waste of time. twist and solder, that connection will never break. These solders i could pull apart easy.
@@Smirfsit’s a decent added measure but If all surfaces are properly wetted twisting makes no difference in the strength of the joint.
@@Smirfswhat he’s doing is tinning the wires. It is actually required prior to soldering the conductors together according to j-std
I have that exact same Amazon radio in my car and never had any issues. Car play works perfectly fine
turned out awesome, cool usb install.
Im a professional installer, never buy cheap radios or anything sound related. They may work for a while but they will go out, and they never have the finess thats radios like sony, poineer, jvc, kenwood, and even alpine have (not a big fan of alpine radios). If you really want a good budget friendly radio. I say go for a boss or planet audio radio. They are cheap but they seem to have come along ways since they started.
I had to replace a cheap head unit in an 02 camry that was spliced into the wiring harness, switched to a sony xav-ax1000 and was infinitely better fit. Japanese on Japanese efficiency makes my heart happy
I love watching these kind of videos. Yall's dedication to making the units fit is impressive to say the least. Keep up the good work!
I decided to spend the extra money on my Apple Carplay headunit and I went with the kenwood DMX7706s, I would 100% recommend this headunit.
Good video, but I’d highly recommend eye protection when soldering. Not worth losing an eye for the minor inconvenience. Extra ventilation is also important to avoid the fumes..
such a pansy. but no eye protection when using the Dremel.. smh stop being a karen
I installed that same unit in my 1998 Lincoln Continental and I really like it
Had the cheap Amazon radio for almost 2 years now. There are QC issues with soldering and the harness connector. Has the connector fry on me and had to basically install new pins. After that is works pretty much fine
That free snap-on mini flathead for popping plug tabs tho😂 sameee
Do not solder wire splices in a car. Solder will crack and fail from the vibrations present in a car, since wire is free to move around.
Always use crimp connections, which you seal with water proof heat shrink, or self sealing crimp connections. Also stagger the splices, so you don't end up with a fat bundle.
lol, I got one of these Chinesium Apple car paly head units for $40 on Slamazon. Just finished crimping the wires, now I need one of those double din install kits for it. It's for my old Mitsubishi Mirage from 2001.
It's just gonna be a temporary headunit until I can do something a little better like the Boss, don't need Alpine or Pioneer.
The newer Atoto units are pretty good.
The 5th position for the HVAC controls not working is relay driven. Mine is the same. Works here and there. It’s NOT the switch cluster. I have a ‘04 GMC Envoy XL.
What made you decide not to reinstall the climate notification panel?
My questions is always how is the EQ? Ones of those had good adjustments. Crossover adjustments? How many speakers can it power? A lot of them get pretty hot powering 6 speakers
I’ve got a boss double din head unit with Apple CarPlay, slightly different model than the one in this video, but I do love that deck, works great, looks great, sounds great. And it does not glitch !
Is it the be7acp or something like that? Put one in my 2011 speed 3, and it works fantastic
I put a boss in my rv, only complaint is the onboard navigation is slow and tries rerouting and crashes when I go under a bridge
Just a tip, from someone who does motorsports grade wiring.
DO NOT SOLDER! I know this seems like the best and most secure way to join wires, but adding heat to wires decreases the resiliency of the thin strands. You might end up with wires fracturing around your solder joints in the future, especially in a car where road vibrations will just expedite failure of weakened wires.
Invest in a proper set of crimpers and barrel connectors. Crimp properly, cover with glued heat-shrink. A correct crimp is STRONGER than a solder joint.
You should have just got one of the Mazda 3 specific head units that Joying makes. I have the 8" one and it's great, looks factory too. Steering wheel controls work, it retains the factory screen and displays info from the radio on it, and lets you control vehicle specific functions from the radio itself. Also, the Metra install kits for the 3 are horrible. The Scosche kits are better and let you retain the factory screen.
My 1997 Tj had 225k miles, and still had the stock speakers. They were blown the fuck up they just rattled with any bass at all. I was so happy when I bought new speakers for it
thank you for being honest and giving a few days later update
Love your vids man keep them coming
Az baby
Eonon Headunit would of been sick for this, i have one in my 3. 9 Inch screen on it
I'm looking at getting one myself....How has it been for you ?
@@paulbushjr8335 not a single problem. It’s a very good purchase
@@Crizpyx Good....thank-you
I got a similar though not identical BOSS CarPlay unit almost 2 years ago. I believe it was the cheapest unit Best Buy sold at the time. Within seven months, the voice activation button broke. The warranty proved to be useless because they wanted me to return the broken unit to them before they would send me a new one. I don’t have the skill to remove a CarPlay unit from my dashboard, much less to install it again when they send me the replacement. That’s why I went to Best Buy in the first place. So screw BOSS.
I’m still able to use it because fortunately CarPlay has a voice activation button on the screen as well but if I had to do it over again, I would spend extra money to get something better from a more reputable company.
Hey man what kind of wire do you for the car play because for me it says "unsportive device
You guys in Tampa?
2 years late my Cheqp android Kunfine brand and it is great!
That’s what happens when your a newbie on car audio, you never check if parts are compatible with the vehicle until you really screwed up lmao but if you buy a name brand radio will fit no problem without modifications to the mounting bracket.
You get what you pay for, if you want the best go for Kenwood or Alpine head units, maybe even Pioneer as an alternate
12:25 looks like you still ended up losing your car screen though. why did you have to use the cubby / delete kit?
Nice clean work, thanks for the run down on the units :-)
When I solder multi connectors I like to stagger the cuts so I don't end up with a bunch of them together in a clump and can wrap the loom neatly in one go once I've soldered everything.
Favorite mod on that speed is those seats 🔥 I was going to upgrade the head unit on my 2013 MS3 but she threw a rod so that head unit mod is TBD 🥺
Who smells a radio before they install it I fw ur video tho 😂
I've tested out this kenwood unit, its decent. I think i might opt for that one in most of my cars.
Theres something great about the sound of old creaking brittle plastic that you pray wont break 😂
Came for one thing saw more love this type of content guys
I have been waiting for this!
You’re a good influence
3:55 You would think they would come all together for your brand of car?
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Will this survive 120-degree daily temps. I live in AZ, in the summer its like 110 almost every day from June to October. So I just been thinking about it... don't want the electronics in my radio to get fried.
Great video guys👍🏼
Does upgrading to a new Apple car play radio deactivate any functions that exist? Like navigation, pcs , lighting controls, locking controls, etc. Will I be able to control all in same in new head unit with out loosing features that already exist? Thank you for your video. Oh I have a 2014 Toyota Avalon limited. Thanks
I’m just casually watching a car video & then realize y’all are driving down Gilbert right by my place I knew the roads looking familiar
Never tried either but i love my sony xav-ax7000 except having to run a separate power and ground to handle the amperage consumption
If you're going to have music in your videos, please make it the same volume as your voice. Besides that, great tutorial and very helpful.
Learned my lesson with cheap touchscreen android auto crap, after a hile mine started to push the touch on it's own, turning the volume to max and changing to radio and so on... I was lucky that I could returned it and get my money back.
i feel you on no radio my ford escape radio just died and i kept on running it for 2 years before switching it for a GTI lol
When installing a new/different head unit I'd recommend not soldering two connectors like this. Every joint in cable is bad for audio.
The new unit seemed to use standard ISO10487 connector like many aftermarket units. When I have installed units like this I usually take ready made adapter with car specific connector on one end and make ISO connector on to it (pin the other ends of cable and plug them into ISO connector shell). ISO connectors for that are few bucks, expensive part is the correct crimping-tool.
This all applies if you are going to do it maney times - I understand how correct tools wouldn't pay of for one-off thing.
Can you guys do a video of stereo replacement on 2011 Chevy equinox not touchscreen to apple car play head unit there is no video on RUclips of it
22:20 "this is like a windows xp computer"
funny cuz technically it is
its windows ce 🤣
I have a question, why would a touch screen car head unit not work in cold weather?
My friend just bought a 2000 Accord with what’s essentially an Android tablet for a head unit. Android settings, google play store, the whole nine yards. He wants to change it but I told him to keep it, it’s gold. And an awesome conversation starter lmao. Just start playing angry birds on that shit.
I want to ask that CarPlay is OEM or some kind of apps simulation, because my car is CarLink 2.0.Some time it can't detect my phone.Is there anything can solve this problem.I want to have OEM CarPlay but my car is 2015 leave the factory, so it can't Install OEM computer.
I'm glad my car came with CarPlay from the factory. I have 2019 Hyundai Accent.
something that the driver will touch and probably use everyday i think its worth it to splurge a little and get a nice brand thats known for quality.
Honestly a $10 Bluetooth radio transmitter and a $5 air vent magnet phone mount is the way to go
Make sure you get a good quality Bluetooth receiver, though. Most are crap and only support the lousy SBC codec. Look for models supporting AAC, AptX or LDAC, for proper, transparent audio. Ideally also a ground loop filter. I can recommend the Eono BTR (I'm not affiliated or anything, just happy with it). The Tunai Firefly also has the same good specs.
i’m obv hella late to this stereo-swap-shindig … & i am fairly certain that you’ve likely solved the issue of the incredibly inconvenient amazon head unit debacle …. but i can’t - not - comment on this as i just narrowly avoided putting a torch to my denali’s gas tank & saying to hell with it for this exact reason. & a 2 week long fight with the dash kit. but i stuck it out.
i am rebuilding an 07 gmc yukon denali 6.2 ….factory nav hasn’t even entered this century so it was either pay $169 to GM for an update that gives me nothing more than a built in ‘02 tomtom that does nothing - or - spend the money on a new unit & bring at least some of my truck into the present.
my main goal was carplay. so we’re on the same page there. but i have no interest in dumping money into this truck until i’m certain it’ll return my investment. or until i have the plagued 6L80 back in.
anyway, i’ve gone through about 6 dash kits. went to autozone - got one of theirs. none of them fit this display. the standard is like 6&13/16” x 3&7/8” & these amazon ones are 7”x4”. i also happen to have an 07 with bose which apparently is impossible to find install hardware for. even attempting to match the RPO codes with crutchfield was giving me the wrong product matches.
i wound up taking my dremel with a plastic cut off disc & using it to graze along the inner edges of the frame until it was able to fit around the display. after that i sanded up to 10000 to give it back it’s finished look. you cannot tell i’d done that & it beats the hell of out looking any more ghetto than the truck already does.
maybe this could help for any other projects down the road where an affordable nav would be the best option.
I agree with the single Din option. Get a good phone mount and you should be golden. I got a gooseneck one that bolts along with the seat of the car so its really sturdy and a lot more comfortable
For cheap, i would go with atoto they work very well.
Randall seemed upset that he had to unbox and install that lmao.
Always fired up over here!
my dad has a bad taste with boss headunits, he told me to never buy them and ill take my dads advice. it apparently burned up on the week of the install so he went to get a kenwood excelon with nav installed and it lasted a lifetime. only reason I replaced it atter I got the car was to get a bigger screen. i tried a cheap chinese one for a while but after a while in the cold it kept blinking and restarting so I ended up buying a expensive 10inch stereo. morale of the story is to not buy cheap stereos. P.S both boss and kenwood where installed at a local shop that has installed our alarms systems also and they have lasted for years, one of them is still working 100% after 17 years! so I know it was the stereo and not the install.
I’ve actually used environmental splices. They are solder and sleeve in one.
where can i purchase a new cover for fitting a carplay unit in a 2008 honda jazz
Yea I would rather spend 100 on a single din pioneer or Kenwood media receiver with apple car play / Android auto that will actually last and sound good. Use a window mount for the phone and your set 👌,
when you solder, do you just match wire colors? you didn't really go into detail.
uhhh i have a O8 Mazdaspeed 3 why did you guys remove the Upper LCD. The speed 3 has digital AC controls. You need the upper LCD to see whats going on. The radio / clock segment will not function anymore but youll still have AC information.
Can this device be install in every car? Please kindly answer 😢❤
on the Mazda you should've been able to keep the top climate display
I agree with going with a single din unit. You’d get WAYYY better sound quality.
I have one of this in my 04 Suburban , im using android auto , great stereo but nobody can ear me on Bluetooth calls ... I change the mic settings volume and still only noises... any help?
You should put the screen back the one on top of the stereo, it tell you your ac/heater temperature and also the range/distance on your fuel
Anything you recommend for a 2014 Mustang GT? My radio died awhile back and I'm looking to get it replaced for something with Android Auto and Apple Car Play.
What’s the best head unit with wireless CarPlay for 2015 Suzuki swift 1.2 dds ?
What happened to the factory LCD screen?