[DurocShark]

Replaced Stereo with Android Head Unit

The factory head unit was just making me more and more frustrated. I even signed up for an XM trial to see if that would make it better. But no.

Aux-in: Needs a resistor in line for any of my phones to recognize that there's a headphone cable attached. (Lumia 950 and Galaxy S5) Forget that.

Bluetooth: Aftermarket Motorola unit the car came with works for phone calls, but nothing else.

I really need full phone capabilities, and with the Android units out there, I can run Waze, Pandora, and podcast and audiobook players right on the car without futzing with my phone (especially since my Lumia 950 isn't supported for crap anymore, some things just don't work at all.)

I used the tape technique to remove the screw hole plugs, followed the instructions linked from this thread: http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96214 and dove in.

The new unit sounds MUCH better than the factory when playing radio, but the factory unit's receiver is more sensitive. I could pull in more channels. But I rarely listen to radio, instead preferring Pandora or a podcast or something.

This is the HU I got: Amazon.com : JOYING Quad Core 1024*600 Resolution Automotive in Dash Double 2 Din Android 4.4.4 Car Stereo Radio Audio Head Unit GPS Navigation HD Capacitive Muti-Touch Screen Am/fm Radio, With a backup camera : GPS & Navigation I bought the last Prime available one though. I got an install kit with the frame and harnesses that already have the RCA cords, so less cutting and splicing. Worked out great, but I'm definitely going to have to put ground loop isolators in. That thunk when turning on or off is pretty annoying.

The built in mic is really bad, so I'll have to install the wired mic. I haven't decided what to do with the GPS antenna yet, so it's not installed either. It's a big ugly black plastic box. I may still wire it to the rear deck, but I'll want to cover it with matching fabric or something to make it less obnoxious.

I haven't put the screw hole plugs back in because of the stuff that's not yet done. But I'm happy so far.

 

[orange57]

Looks good. I just installed a new head unit in a new to us 05 Navigator. The Navi has the thx stereo, and the amp turn on requires a 5v signal where as most units output a 12v signal. There is an adapter they make to reduce the voltage, basically just a fancy resistor. Not sure if maybe this is something like you are getting. Anyone know required on power for the amp? Or if the 06+ even has one?

 

[DurocShark]

Update:

The thump went away on its own. I don't know what happened, but I'm happy.

I installed the external mic last night. The built in one works, but is of very poor quality. I had to speak way too loudly to be heard. External one works fine mounted at the top of the driver's a-pillar.

I also installed the GPS antenna. I saw a post where someone removed the center speaker and the alarm led panel and ran the wire that way. I did that and couldn't find a way to get the wire fished though. So I gave up on that, and ran it under the dash to the driver's a-pillar. From there it's under the front lip of the dash back across to the plate with the alarm led. Worked great. Waze is so much better built in than on my phone!

I have a double USB bulkhead and haven't decided where to mount it yet, so I still have that to do. But I'm liking this head unit more and more. I really thought I'd have to root it to get things like an EQ, but this version of the HU has the EQ hiding under Amplifier settings.

 

[DurocShark]

I forgot to mention...

I have a Verizon mobile hotspot. I set it to never turn off or go to sleep, and leave it plugged into the car to keep charged. It works flawlessly. The charging stops when the car is off, but by the time the HU is ready to connect, if the hotspot discharged it's up and running again.

Which leads me to the one gripe I still have. The deck doesn't go to sleep, instead it powers off completely when the ignition is off. That means it takes nearly 30 seconds to be ready to do anything when I start the car. I haven't found a solution yet, even if I root the unit, so I'm stuck with it for now.

 

[iamamused]

I've been seeing a lot of these units reviewed lately, seem to be a hit. Guys over on the Nissan Xterra board that I also follow have been installing these.

I was thinking about putting it into my 9-3.

Where did you get the wiring harness for it?

 

[DurocShark]

This is the one I got: http://www.ebay.com/itm/361410515356?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

I picked that one because of the harness having the RCAs for the line out jacks on the HU.

 

[Hoohadelight]

Did you lose steering wheel controls with this?

 

[DurocShark]

Did you lose steering wheel controls with this?

Yeah, but I don't use them anyway so I don't care. If you use them there are adapters out there...

 

[Maine9-5]

Very cool setup. I was thinking of doing something similar....but need to wait for it to get warmer out before I attempt the project.

Also - I just wanted to give you a shout out for listening to Pantera. Vulgar is definitely my favorite album. Very nice! Woo Hoo!

 

[DurocShark]

Very cool setup. I was thinking of doing something similar....but need to wait for it to get warmer out before I attempt the project.

Also - I just wanted to give you a shout out for listening to Pantera. Vulgar is definitely my favorite album. Very nice! Woo Hoo!

Having Waze (and Pandora) in the dash has been an amazing improvement over using my phone. Especially since I like Windows Phone, and Google won't update Waze for WP any more, so I lost voice prompts last year.

 

[Katsura]

Cool! What navigation does it have? The standard android Google map? If so where does it get its data from? Ie Google map need to be online to work?

 

[DurocShark]

It comes with some nav I've never heard of. I replaced it with Waze, but you can run anything that's available for an Android phone.

That said, yes, you need a data plan for anything that either shows real-time traffic, or doesn't cache the maps. I have a Verizon mobile hotspot set to never go to sleep and plugged into a USB charger. It uses power slightly faster than it charges so once a week I have to bring it inside and give it a full charge. You can also use the mobile hotspot built into your phone if you have that service. I do, but the MyFi is more convenient.

I've been talking to Joying via email about using a Verizon USB dongle, but they have no information on whether it'll work or not. I need to go to a Verizon store to borrow one to test after I figure out where I want my bulkhead USB ports. The device has two USB ports in the back and a MicroSD card slot in the front (actually 2, but one stores the maps for the built in NAV). I don't want to run those USB ports into the glovebox like most installers do, so I'm trying to figure out where to put my bulkhead ports.

 

[TankTak]

Duroc, get a usb extension and run it from the back and put it into an unused blanking panel on your dash or even run it to the center console and hide it there

 

[DurocShark]

Yep, did similar on my 9-3 here:

http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=277545

This bulkhead I bought is larger, and won't look as clean in a blank. So I'm trying to decide where to put this one. I'm kinda thinking inside the center storage console...

 

[DurocShark]

I do miss the qi charger plate though. No good places to put one in the 9-5 without going to a single DIN stereo.

 

[TheCleaner]

Would you be willing to post a quick youtube vid of what it does on starting the car and at shutdown as well as just the basic speed of the animations and responsiveness of the touchscreen, etc?

Also, it sounds like you really know what you are doing. I'm assuming the Prestige AS3 is what you had/have. Was the wiring harness you bought enough for a normal person that doesn't do stereo installs to be able to handle to get the whole thing operational or will I need a pro to install this properly and not fry anything or get pissed at myself?

 

[DurocShark]

LOL I have no idea what I'm doing. I just followed instructions... Seriously, I've done my own stereos since the 80's, but never anything like a professional install.

I'll try to remember to do a video soon.

 

[DurocShark]

Oh, and yeah, it's the Prestige HK. The harness I bought included the RCA plugs to attach to the pre-amp outputs in the HU. So it was super easy. The only trick was getting running power. But that came from an existing tap in the fuse block that was done for the Motorola Bluetooth gear.

 

[TheCleaner]

Oh, and yeah, it's the Prestige HK. The harness I bought included the RCA plugs to attach to the pre-amp outputs in the HU. So it was super easy. The only trick was getting running power. But that came from an existing tap in the fuse block that was done for the Motorola Bluetooth gear.

Interesting. I'd be curious on any splicing you had to do. I'm going to go forward with this if you have been happy so far. I'd like the steering wheel controls for volume...so I'll have to research that.

 

[DurocShark]

The only splicing was into that power tap.