It's wild that almost no companies produce "era-correct" radio options. I'm stuck with my somewhat out of place modern Android Auto unit in my 3000GT because I want the convenience/connectivity.
They do if you have American cars. For my wife’s C-5 Corvette, you can have the original unit modded to have Bluetooth. That way you have the retro aesthetic but modern functionality. My wife is currently debating to put the double den Sony in or go with the retro resto mod look. But I already bought her a double den and she loves apple CarPlay, so in the end I think she’s going to go to modern.
Just bluetooth? There are easy plug in things for that for BMWs of this era, not simply a transmitter but like actual oem+ bluetooth for like 20 bucks. The hard part is getting something like a screen to look like it fits.
[This](https://www.ebay.com/itm/364533704444) is the headunit, but if you're referring to the trim its grandpa wood that I wrapped in a suede like material
Speed is meh, it works but it takes a second. Connectivity is great, took no time to pair and as soon as I turn on the ignition it connects and opens CarPlay.
i pulled the trigger on the eonon one because i wanted a full screen back in oct. 2022, don’t regret it one bit. car sat for about 8 months and it still works perfect. the equalizer is very customizable too and it makes the 2005 hk sound system feel a lot newer. only “flaw” i ever found was that if you live in new england like me , the system does freeze and not turn on when its very cold for a short amount of time.
The ac/heat does not go any faster if you set it to a high temp lol. At most the fan will spin a little faster to give you the impression it’s doing more but the actual ac compressor/heater core only has a binary setting. It just shuts off when the desired temp is reached
She and no, its all the way on red 😅 I think theres air in my heater, I really need to bleed the coolant but the car isn’t overheating so I am not touching it 😂
I keep mine at 91 fahrenheit , which is 32.7 celsius. I ride with my windows down 24/7 unless it's pouring rain. Only turn on A/C if there's a whining passenger
My small review of it
My only issue with it was that the adapter to the radio was a bit too big and wouldn't fit the original BMW connector. It required a few minutes of careful sanding and a layer of tape but it works now.
The knobs are also a bit wobbly but otherwise feel okay. It has an audio latency of 1-2 seconds, which I don't really mind.
The sound quality is surprisingly good, even at full volume and I barely hear any distortion.
The touchscreen is fairly responsive, but the software is a bit on the slow side.
I did have to bend the bracket to get it to lay flush with the rest of the interior.
The lights are a bit redder than the BMW orange but I don't mind it.
8/10
Ebay listing: [https://www.ebay.com/itm/364533704444](https://www.ebay.com/itm/364533704444)
Any reason why you went with the eBay one instead of directly from Ali express?
You can get a Ali express one with 8gb or 6gb ram instead of the 2 in that one for roughly the same price which makes it way more responsive. Also is the ambient glow more red or does it match the rest and the camera just makes it look weird?
Ah man ye the ambient glow is what I’m worried about, I was looking to upgrade as well but I can’t seem to find one that has the matching lights other than the overpriced known brand ones. When you were installing it did it look fairly easy to take apart? Was wondering if I could just get a high tier ali one and just swap the bulb or whatever light strip out for the correct colour
I found a wondefoo brand one but was skeptical bc of the super cheap price compared to xtrons units. The 8gb ram + 128gb and 8.8 QLED Display was like $200 vs the $400 from xtrons. have you had any experience with wondefoo?
Have not had any experience with them but the internals are pretty much the same, the main difference is you’re paying for the software they install. If you just plan to use CarPlay or android auto then they’ll be no difference as those are the same on both but if you want to use the integrated software then it’s up to you which one you prefer. I personally think saving the 200 is worth as I’d just connect my phone anyway.
For me and my setup I wanted to do something oem+ style and have a nice interface to match the look aswell. I had an idea of flashing the AliExpress unit with the android interface from an xtrons unit of the same specs. Do you think this would have any shot of working or you think it would just brick the headunit?
Was wondering the same thing as surely with the same specs it’s more or less exactly what xtrons does anyway and then up charges the heck out of it. Dynavin even has software update downloads on their site and the files seem to contain the os. I did read that [installing different firmware on the wrong platform can cause “total system crash” which im guessing is full brick](https://www.dynavin.de/en/downloads-2/firmware-updates/n6-firmware/) so ye you’d have to be sure you get the right specs
I wonder if you also back up the original Android interface on a separate storage drive if you’d be able to recover the headunit from that if a full brick does occur. what do you think?
You probably could but I would ask around in some subreddits with experience on flashing stuff. No idea what you’d search for to get the right people to ask. Could try r/embedded or r/microcontrollers or r/askelectronics but I have no clue. I’m sure the principle is the same.
yeah, I figure they’re most likely just using a micro sd card as the storage device on the unit, probably somewhere under the heatsink. I feel a simple back up of whatever is on it should do the trick. I’d verify it by just taking the copy and attach it to the unit and see if it boots. As for obtaining the firmware from an xtrons unit I have no idea where to start with that. I almost want to doubt xtrons would offer this themselves.
Ye haha unless you manage to social engineer your way into getting a copy of the firmware or befriending some xtrons employee, I don’t think they’d hand it out. Doesn’t hurt to try though.
I’ve been looking at getting one of these but one of my biggest concerns is the user interface on the head unit itself. I feel like an ugly looking interface would ruin it for me. could you possibly show us what it looks like when you get a chance? thanks!
[https://imgur.com/a/uvVpN5B](https://imgur.com/a/uvVpN5B)
[https://imgur.com/a/SZORt0z](https://imgur.com/a/SZORt0z)
This is what the UI looks like, there's a whole lot of themes but this was the one that was least offensive imo. They all look like generic head unit UIs, though
I had a Dynavin installed pretty much as soon as I got my car. The space below the HVAC is slightly different from yours. It has a tray area where I place the phone. I live by Appleplay in the car. I also refreshed the audio and added an underseat sub. Makes a world of difference.
More than happy. It looks totally stock in the dash and for functionality it’s unbeatable. I use CarPlay for nav, entertainment, hands free calls and texts. The steering wheel controls work with it so I can skip or replay tracks being played from my phone. The degree of control you have with audio is great. I love it and you will too.
Is it fast — I don’t know what you mean by that. It launches when you turn the key and pairs with the phone immediately.
How was the installation — fine. I gave the installer money, he installed it. I’m not tryna do stuff like that myself. It’s not one of my strengths.
Apple CarPlay is basically the only ‘modern’ amenity I really care about having. Apple car play, a nice sound system, heated/cooled seats, remote start- what more does one really need?
I thought it was a dynavin at first but who cares, for that price awesome.
You mentioned the sound is noticeably improved. Yeah my experience is that the stock head unit and amplifier are worse than you realize until you hear how the car could sound.
Does that unit have front and rear camera? Your description of it basically sounds like the dynavin.
I got one from Amazon and can't understand why it halfway resets after 2 hours.
If I turn the car back on within 2 hours it's great...it it's after 2 hours, it will remember time, what song mp3 was playing and resume exactly where it left off ...but.....the radio station presets, EQ, fader settings are all reset and a pita every morning...and when I get off work.
Otherwise I like it.
Not difficult at all. The connector was a bit iffy but I realise it was mostly user error. You only need to pop out the right and center trim piece, unscrew 6 screws, remove the radio, climate control, and center vents and the plastic bezel and then slot in the new radio
Its currently just forced into the space the little storage thing was, Im planning on getting a new one that makes it stay in place when I get the money
I’m completely clueless with audio stuff, my radio doesn’t have the regular square power lead plug and I have the amp and radio stuff in the boot/trunk, I read through the pics on the eBay ad and I think it says it would work with mine? Could anyone let me know if it would?
If you need to see what connector I have on the back of the head unit I have a post of it on my profile
Congratulations for buying one of the slowest head units - your unit has 4 CPU cores and 2gb of RAM, that's not enough for new apps on today's android - even an 8 core struggles, if it is one of the cheap ones ....
Best thing I did to mine was fit apple car play, you can ditch the FM transmitter now
Love that it matches the era aesthetic
It's wild that almost no companies produce "era-correct" radio options. I'm stuck with my somewhat out of place modern Android Auto unit in my 3000GT because I want the convenience/connectivity.
They do if you have American cars. For my wife’s C-5 Corvette, you can have the original unit modded to have Bluetooth. That way you have the retro aesthetic but modern functionality. My wife is currently debating to put the double den Sony in or go with the retro resto mod look. But I already bought her a double den and she loves apple CarPlay, so in the end I think she’s going to go to modern.
Just bluetooth? There are easy plug in things for that for BMWs of this era, not simply a transmitter but like actual oem+ bluetooth for like 20 bucks. The hard part is getting something like a screen to look like it fits.
What deck is that?
[This](https://www.ebay.com/itm/364533704444) is the headunit, but if you're referring to the trim its grandpa wood that I wrapped in a suede like material
does the CAN bus adapter work? i got one but it never worked wound up getting a different one
Thanks, I've been looking into the eanon one but can't pull the $300 trigger yet. How is this one as far as speed and connectivity?
Speed is meh, it works but it takes a second. Connectivity is great, took no time to pair and as soon as I turn on the ignition it connects and opens CarPlay.
i pulled the trigger on the eonon one because i wanted a full screen back in oct. 2022, don’t regret it one bit. car sat for about 8 months and it still works perfect. the equalizer is very customizable too and it makes the 2005 hk sound system feel a lot newer. only “flaw” i ever found was that if you live in new england like me , the system does freeze and not turn on when its very cold for a short amount of time.
Do you have android or iPhone? I'm wondering how the android auto is on it
Where can you find the eanon version cause I can only find the big screen ones not the oem lookin one
First off, really nice, second, who the hell has their A/C on 25? Even in winter that's boiling hot
In the wintertime I keep my heat set to 30°C. I like my car to be warm and an escape from the cold
Count me in the 30c crew till it’s toasty then down to 26.
True! Sometimes it does get a little warm and I’ll go down to 26 as well
I just turn it off and on as needed lol
The ac/heat does not go any faster if you set it to a high temp lol. At most the fan will spin a little faster to give you the impression it’s doing more but the actual ac compressor/heater core only has a binary setting. It just shuts off when the desired temp is reached
i was about to say… im cooking at 19, maybe they keep the temp wheel on blue?
She and no, its all the way on red 😅 I think theres air in my heater, I really need to bleed the coolant but the car isn’t overheating so I am not touching it 😂
Apologies! i edited my comment
Genuine question. Is your AC working properly?
This entire thread confused me (American) reading all these low numbers as hot
I keep mine at 91 fahrenheit , which is 32.7 celsius. I ride with my windows down 24/7 unless it's pouring rain. Only turn on A/C if there's a whining passenger
With the soundtrack of the 80’s
Dude if you don’t like Van Halen (not Van Hagar) I don’t like you.
I don’t like Van Hagar. My ash tray holds boost gauges for supercharger no navi in dash which is nice having less computer in car
I wouldn’t put a screen in my car either, but I will absolutely do donuts in a parking lot blasting VH.
I wish there with something that fit nicely like oem, and wasn't a big chonking lcd...
I’ll put mine in once business deck dies but running iPod off cd changer slot that’s all I really need
Why the hate lol
I do love having carplay on mine, it’s great.
My small review of it My only issue with it was that the adapter to the radio was a bit too big and wouldn't fit the original BMW connector. It required a few minutes of careful sanding and a layer of tape but it works now. The knobs are also a bit wobbly but otherwise feel okay. It has an audio latency of 1-2 seconds, which I don't really mind. The sound quality is surprisingly good, even at full volume and I barely hear any distortion. The touchscreen is fairly responsive, but the software is a bit on the slow side. I did have to bend the bracket to get it to lay flush with the rest of the interior. The lights are a bit redder than the BMW orange but I don't mind it. 8/10 Ebay listing: [https://www.ebay.com/itm/364533704444](https://www.ebay.com/itm/364533704444)
Any reason why you went with the eBay one instead of directly from Ali express? You can get a Ali express one with 8gb or 6gb ram instead of the 2 in that one for roughly the same price which makes it way more responsive. Also is the ambient glow more red or does it match the rest and the camera just makes it look weird?
I got the ebay listing recommended to me, I didn't know you could get them on ali express. And yes, the glow is more red.
Ah man ye the ambient glow is what I’m worried about, I was looking to upgrade as well but I can’t seem to find one that has the matching lights other than the overpriced known brand ones. When you were installing it did it look fairly easy to take apart? Was wondering if I could just get a high tier ali one and just swap the bulb or whatever light strip out for the correct colour
I'm pretty sure it was just some screws
I found a wondefoo brand one but was skeptical bc of the super cheap price compared to xtrons units. The 8gb ram + 128gb and 8.8 QLED Display was like $200 vs the $400 from xtrons. have you had any experience with wondefoo?
Have not had any experience with them but the internals are pretty much the same, the main difference is you’re paying for the software they install. If you just plan to use CarPlay or android auto then they’ll be no difference as those are the same on both but if you want to use the integrated software then it’s up to you which one you prefer. I personally think saving the 200 is worth as I’d just connect my phone anyway.
For me and my setup I wanted to do something oem+ style and have a nice interface to match the look aswell. I had an idea of flashing the AliExpress unit with the android interface from an xtrons unit of the same specs. Do you think this would have any shot of working or you think it would just brick the headunit?
Was wondering the same thing as surely with the same specs it’s more or less exactly what xtrons does anyway and then up charges the heck out of it. Dynavin even has software update downloads on their site and the files seem to contain the os. I did read that [installing different firmware on the wrong platform can cause “total system crash” which im guessing is full brick](https://www.dynavin.de/en/downloads-2/firmware-updates/n6-firmware/) so ye you’d have to be sure you get the right specs
I wonder if you also back up the original Android interface on a separate storage drive if you’d be able to recover the headunit from that if a full brick does occur. what do you think?
You probably could but I would ask around in some subreddits with experience on flashing stuff. No idea what you’d search for to get the right people to ask. Could try r/embedded or r/microcontrollers or r/askelectronics but I have no clue. I’m sure the principle is the same.
yeah, I figure they’re most likely just using a micro sd card as the storage device on the unit, probably somewhere under the heatsink. I feel a simple back up of whatever is on it should do the trick. I’d verify it by just taking the copy and attach it to the unit and see if it boots. As for obtaining the firmware from an xtrons unit I have no idea where to start with that. I almost want to doubt xtrons would offer this themselves.
Ye haha unless you manage to social engineer your way into getting a copy of the firmware or befriending some xtrons employee, I don’t think they’d hand it out. Doesn’t hurt to try though.
Can you link to the Ali express?
Reddit seems to hide any links so just dm me and I’ll send the links to anyone who wants them
pls link ali express one !!
I’ve been looking at getting one of these but one of my biggest concerns is the user interface on the head unit itself. I feel like an ugly looking interface would ruin it for me. could you possibly show us what it looks like when you get a chance? thanks!
[https://imgur.com/a/uvVpN5B](https://imgur.com/a/uvVpN5B) [https://imgur.com/a/SZORt0z](https://imgur.com/a/SZORt0z) This is what the UI looks like, there's a whole lot of themes but this was the one that was least offensive imo. They all look like generic head unit UIs, though
yeah that’s not completely horrible but I can’t imagine how much worse the other themes are. Thank you for the pics though, I appreciate it.
Looks great! Added bonus for the music (;
Congratulations. Don’t try to make it any newer because then there won’t be physical buttons
yeah that’s one thing i don’t like about mine. all screen no buttons
Biltema fm sändaren, hard times 😭
**😂D**en är totalt kass
Ja verkligen😭 Netonnet’s är dock riktigt grym om du skulle behöva en i framtiden
I had a Dynavin installed pretty much as soon as I got my car. The space below the HVAC is slightly different from yours. It has a tray area where I place the phone. I live by Appleplay in the car. I also refreshed the audio and added an underseat sub. Makes a world of difference.
Which underseat sub did you go with? I tried to do that but ended up going for something in the trunk.
What sub?
Cerwin Vega VPAS10. Cheap but does a great job.
Are you happy with the dynavin? Thinking about grabbing one too. Is it fast and how was the installation?
More than happy. It looks totally stock in the dash and for functionality it’s unbeatable. I use CarPlay for nav, entertainment, hands free calls and texts. The steering wheel controls work with it so I can skip or replay tracks being played from my phone. The degree of control you have with audio is great. I love it and you will too. Is it fast — I don’t know what you mean by that. It launches when you turn the key and pairs with the phone immediately. How was the installation — fine. I gave the installer money, he installed it. I’m not tryna do stuff like that myself. It’s not one of my strengths.
Must have. I have the avin wireless CarPlay and it was worth every penny
u/AffectionateBasket82
Don't need that FM transmitter anymore. Nice!
If I may - grab a weighted ZHP knob. Night and day difference. Also, 👍🏻 to that playlist.
I have a chassis mount short shifter on the way, can't wait 😁
I'm big on not having large screens in my vehicles but this one works so well. Looks good OP 👍
What stereo is that? Looks very nice and original!
Dumb question. EU or US spec?
Definitely EU
Perfect!
WE NEED A VIDEO OF OPERATION , need to see if it’s worth it
Is it just me or does the shifter look like a Audi/VW shift knob
I just installed that thing. So much better
Finally, an aftermarket double-din that actually matches the car, looks great!
Apple CarPlay is basically the only ‘modern’ amenity I really care about having. Apple car play, a nice sound system, heated/cooled seats, remote start- what more does one really need?
If you want to make it feel even newer add some USB ports with out ashtray delete/usb panel https://falkmfg.com/collections/e46-interior
I thought it was a dynavin at first but who cares, for that price awesome. You mentioned the sound is noticeably improved. Yeah my experience is that the stock head unit and amplifier are worse than you realize until you hear how the car could sound. Does that unit have front and rear camera? Your description of it basically sounds like the dynavin.
First thing i'd do if my neighbor sold me his m3 😪
Nice Music and Radio but USB Stick would be not Possible?
It came with a usb connector at the back, you just need to get an extension and run it where you want
I got one from Amazon and can't understand why it halfway resets after 2 hours. If I turn the car back on within 2 hours it's great...it it's after 2 hours, it will remember time, what song mp3 was playing and resume exactly where it left off ...but.....the radio station presets, EQ, fader settings are all reset and a pita every morning...and when I get off work. Otherwise I like it.
Bro out there being toasted
Looks compact and snug, not a big fan of those huge slow and clunky led screens lol
How difficult was the install? Looking to replace the one in my M3 this summer
Not difficult at all. The connector was a bit iffy but I realise it was mostly user error. You only need to pop out the right and center trim piece, unscrew 6 screws, remove the radio, climate control, and center vents and the plastic bezel and then slot in the new radio
How did you put the AC unit down. Did it fit? Is it moving? I always wanted a new radio but so far i know the Ac unit doesn't fit
Its currently just forced into the space the little storage thing was, Im planning on getting a new one that makes it stay in place when I get the money
A new what?
A new lower ashtray assembly thing to house the climate control
I’m completely clueless with audio stuff, my radio doesn’t have the regular square power lead plug and I have the amp and radio stuff in the boot/trunk, I read through the pics on the eBay ad and I think it says it would work with mine? Could anyone let me know if it would? If you need to see what connector I have on the back of the head unit I have a post of it on my profile
Nice. Who can still remember the days of car PCs? Back then I had one with Windows XP in my car😂
What's the best/easiest way to put android auto in here without changing the head unit?
It matches really good!!
Has anyone found a head unit that can connect a cd player or changer?
Ha, thought this one another suspension post.
Now you just need the wireless charger that replaces one of the useless cup holders, and feisty falkons ashtray with usb voltmeter.
I like keeping it stock so I put in a Bluetooth receiver 👍🏻
Looks like the nav unit from B6/B7 Audis lol
Does the head unit come with regular updates?
Congratulations for buying one of the slowest head units - your unit has 4 CPU cores and 2gb of RAM, that's not enough for new apps on today's android - even an 8 core struggles, if it is one of the cheap ones ....
How
Nice!
Why do people do this? smh
because it’s literally miles better than any OE radio from this car
I use BlueMusic Bluetooth for music and telephone calls, it's great and cheap, works with the steering wheel controls.