Double Din Sat Nav, DVD and stereo

[Tweenie32]

Hi

I need a double din for my bongo and looking on eBay - does anyone know what specifications fit it and what I should be looking for?

Thanks

Hannah

[Bob]

DIN Is the international standard so any unit should fit in the dash.

If you still have the original radio fitted you will need a short adaptor lead which can be had for a very few ££ from e bay.

Can't give advice on actual units as it really depends what you want, and warm welcome to the Forum.

[BigPanzer]

Hi,

There have been reports of some of the cheaper Chinese made "all in one" units having a high current draw (up to 1/2 amp) when switched "off". Perhaps somebody with more up to date knowledge could confirm or debunk this rumour?

Also, do check the depth of the unit you are intending to fit. Think I've read of a couple of cases where the intended head unit was about 5mm deeper (front to rear) than the easily available depth in the Bongo.

Peter

[wonkanoby]

"all in one" units having a high current draw (up to 1/2 amp) when switched "off".

recall that was aldi or lidl units

[George217]

I recently bought a double din and had it fitted by an auto electrician (our local Halfords hadn't a clue). I spoke to him before I bought the unit, and he advised to keep away from the cheaper internet buys. Specifically, avoid the ones with names that are not familiar. I bought a Kenwood, but any well-known named units would do the job for you, so it's down to the features you want.

[g8dhe]

Yes it has occurred in several designs
The actual problem arises in the specification for the ISO connector, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connector ... er_.28A.29
Whilst A4 is +12v power it doesn't specify if it is for backup or drawing full power, whilst A7 is switched +12v again it doesn't specify what its function is, consequently different manufacturers have used the pins differently.
The most common convention is A4 +12v backup power only (a few mA at most). A7 switched +12v and supplies power for operation (1-2 Amps in most cases).

[andylawton]

Hi

I need a double din for my bongo and looking on eBay - does anyone know what specifications fit it and what I should be looking for?

Thanks

Hannah

I fitted this one in my Ford Freda . Its great But the cradle needs to be 182 wide x 118mm in height
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-7-Android- ... 4b05ea97e2

[Bob]

Welcome aboard Andy.

[BigPanzer]

Hi,

To my way of thinking, George is right, with car audio, as with much else in life you get what you pay for and I would always go for one of the reputable, well established makers when choosing what is a fairly complex bit of electromechanical equipment. I don't think there is much to chose between any of the major players - Sony, Kenwood, JVC, Alpine, Clarion or any of the Masushita companies or whatever, it depends on the unit closest to your required spec. You can sometimes, as I did make a saving by buying "last years" model.
It is very much a personal choice, but I'm not keen on "all in ones". It only needs the smallest fault in a component costing less than 1p and you lose everything - no navigation, no stereo or video.

Peter

[Jimbobvfr400]

Hi,

There have been reports of some of the cheaper Chinese made "all in one" units having a high current draw (up to 1/2 amp) when switched "off". Perhaps somebody with more up to date knowledge could confirm or debunk this rumour?

It seems to be an issue with a fair few of the Android Headunits, it's not normally a problem if the unit is connected to a switched live, as soon as it's transferred over to a leisure battery, I.e. Permanent live, then switching the unit off will leave it in standby and drain significantly more current. I briefly owned a Pumpkin unit with this issue, it was possible to turn it off properly with multiple button presses but far easier to fit a switch to cut the power.

To be fair a fair few aftermarket units have a standby and proper off, the Sony in our car does, rhe clock still displays in standby but holding down the power button turns fully off. Again not a problem if rhw supply is switched but can be when connected to a permanent live.

[redrocket]

I have one of these Chinese android does everything double din jobbies. I haven't noticed any real drop in voltage when the thing is in backup and not powered on so my guess would be half an amp is extreme. But i have noticed that it does use a lot of power when on from the leisure battery as at the minute I've disconnected vsr relay so it's not getting topped up by anything. I have bought a watt meter as I'm a geek and want to know what draw from all the things connected to it is as I've installed a solar charging system. Long and the short of it i will know by tomorrow what draw these things have on the battery and will report back

[hiddenmission]

Hi,

Could I add a few additional questions? My set up is a double DIN space, but currently occupied by two single DIN units. It looks like there is a bar inbetween, part of the facsia. Is it easy to remove that bar, and how do you do it? Brute force/hacksaw says the Mrs., but don't want to inadvertently saw through a main artery.

And also: any good tips for getting someone to install a new unit? I'm probably going to buy a fairly simple CD/radio touchscreen unit with iphone/blutooth, etc. Last time I fitted car audio, you just fiddled with a plastic connector at the rear. Specialist audio shops seem to charge a fortune AND want you to buy their overpriced units. I've found someone online called wecanfit.co.uk, but notice someone on this thread talking about getting an auto electrician.

Grateful for any tips.

[George217]

Yes t'was I who had an auto electrician fit mine but this was in the main because my Bongo arrived with the original Japanese unit in place plus 5 kilos of wire spaghetti behind it. My local Halfords were clueless hence my using a specialist. If you are comfortable with someone that's great.

[George217]

Sorry- should add. Agree a price for the job beforehand. I had a reversing camera fitted too to replace the original unit and was happy with the price and end result.

[hiddenmission]

Thanks - it sounds like it might be a wise move.