Chinese Stereo Alternative for most VWs

79TA7.6 said:

Would I have any issues trying to bring electronic goods back?

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Not unless you're trying to come back with something listed on the "illegal in the US" list. Since it's not a high power laser, not a RF transmitting device, and you're probably not coming back with more than 8 of them, you're probably not going to have issues. I PM'd you with my other comments from my experience traveling to China.

where2 said:

........ I PM'd you with my other comments from my experience traveling to China.

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i'm interested in it.

Snowman said:

Just curious why you went via the roof instead of the floor for routing the back up camera?

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Jetta TDI Sportswagen. Roof is shorter cable distance.

Rage inducing update! (But also with a forthcoming fix)

So last Wednesday my car would not start! The battery was dead. The cause? The stereo.

I had been driving short distances, and did not recover the lost charge from the stereo drain. Very very annoying to switch cars before work.

But, all is not lost. I found out why after some googling. The power line on the can-bus that this head unit goes into with ease is actually always-on-power. So, I need to isolate the 12v power on the harness, cut it, and wire it into the switched power from a source like the cigarette lighter.

This way it actually turns off for real.

On another note, have not had time to install the forward looking camera that fits in the VW logo, the new Wifi dongle or the accessory microphone.

Ok, with some helpful advice from here:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=459552

I got it wired into 12 volt switched power at fuse #6.

The stereo goes on and off with the ignition now as it should. I will report back later on the state of the battery and hopefully add photos.

I have also figured out some neat hacks for this system too.

Pics and details of what you are doing please.

Mr. Flibble said:

Ok, with some helpful advice from here:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=459552

I got it wired into 12 volt switched power at fuse #6.

The stereo goes on and off with the ignition now as it should. I will report back later on the state of the battery and hopefully add photos.

I have also figured out some neat hacks for this system too.

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I installed this head unit in my car this week after my RCD510 decided to crap out. The unit is made by Navihouse.

Installation was very easy as well. Only problem with install is it had the wrong antenna adapter and I was initially only able to pick up 3 FM stations. I purchased this antenna adapter and now have as good as or better reception than I had before. I mounted the GPS antenna under the dash, right above the center vents (2 screws to pop the vents out) and secured it with double sided tape. The unit works very well but has a few quirks: 1) the volume on the GPS is very poor and is difficult to hear if you are also listening to the radio; 2) the clock is only in 24 hour format; 3) with the car info, everything displays in metric units and I can't find a way to change it; 4) when it pulls in your phone book, nothing is sorted in any particular order and requires you to search for a number. Overall I am very pleased with the unit. I plan on eventually installing a backup camera as well but need to purchase it still. Shipping only took a week to get here from China via DHL. Very impressive for a $160 unit.

How is the sound quality on these units? Thats my biggest concern as my stock premium with 6cd changer the volume limits to try protect the speakers in my 2006 Jetta...

OMALLEY_808 said:

How is the sound quality on these units? Thats my biggest concern as my stock premium with 6cd changer the volume limits to try protect the speakers in my 2006 Jetta...

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The sound quality is excellent. In fact, I noticed no difference from my stock system.


For those wondering how I got the #6 fuse in as described below - I followed the directions on this link right here (there are detailed pictures - it is much easier than it looks):

http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62584


I did make a mistake, I ordered the wrong cable connector from the car to the head unit, so I spend $5 on ebay to get the right one:






This "low with docking" cable is the 12v switched cable. In fact, it even has a breakable join in it that you can use to wire in 12v switched:



I soldered that connection to some extra wire you can see in the picture out of focus. I ran that wire under the dash to my fusebox. My #6 fuse had nothing in it, but had power, so I used a VW fuse adapter to add a new fuse and soldered the wire to that - so now fuse #6 is for the stereo.






You can see the 12v breakpoint here, it is the red cable:




See the yellow cable marked with CCD CVBS? That is the wire point for the FRONT camera. I tested it (which is why I am spliced into the 12 volt in this photo) and it works. You can see the picture on the stereo and it looks great.

Here is a test-fit of the camera in my logo - I haven't punched a hole in the back of the place for the cable yet, nor have I figured out where I want to get the video wire though the firewall:








Here is another photo of the forward camera unit:

PROPER WIRING FIXED MULTIPLE PROBLEMS!

Ok, I left the car parked and off over the weekend. Previously, if I did this the battery would be dead come Monday morning.

Not anymore!

This means that the battery drain has been fixed.

I also noticed that it isn't crashing in the GPS anymore. Which makes sense as the Stereo was on for a week at a time, and since it is running Windows CE, it would run out of memory eventually and reboot.

So, unless you are the type of person who drives your car for over 24 hours straight without turning off the engine, this should not be a problem as long as you wire it properly (as I did NOT when I first installed it).

Just make sure you splice the red wire into 12 volt switched power, and don't use the power off of the CANBUS like I did.

deejaaa said:

i will and will post a link to the process.

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Hey Deejaaa, any update on the radio install?

sorry. no. was out of town last days off. but I will update when I do.
saw this in New Braunfels, opposite side where vid was taken:


stills from vid:



here's the vid that happened 3 hours after we left:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=617_1464744243
the bridge to the left in my pic is where the Jeep was.

And it's raining again today.

deejaaa said:

that looks/sounds really great. you need to start a new thread when this is in your hands. post a link here so i can follow.

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Hey man, any update on your chinese navigation unit?

mrrhtuner said:

Hey man, any update on your chinese navigation unit?

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no. it's sitting on the shelf. things have changed for me too much. one tank will last 3 months because i don't make the long drives any more. sorry. might never get done.

Following this


Bajan

Is the unit still working??
I just ordered one, almost indentical but with a USB port on the front. Interesting to see how good or bad it is
This is what I bought:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/7-Car-DVD...063795?hash=item465c2b79b3:g:hyYAAOSw5cNYd0dE

I bought the ebay 7021B china gps head unit. It works great. It took me a bit to get the gps software to located on the internet and load. Maps show up but the gps sensor shuts off automatically. Turn it on using touchscreen and it never locates me. Other than that you need a 8gb microSD card for the maps. Unit wont recognize a larger card. Music sd card works with 32gb size. Cost $58.

Installed my unit today, a picture of it can be seen here:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=5239544&postcount=24
My stereo is made by Eincar and it was very easy to install. I tucked the GPS antenna under the dash right above the glove box, there's a hole in the top of the glove box where you can squeeze your hand in.
I did not install the backup camera that came with the stereo at this point, maybe later.
I'm still unsure if this stereo will drain the battery or not, maybe I should hook up my amp-meter on the battery and check it. Seems like some cars have problems with that and some are fine
My stereo came with a canbus module and it does turn off when I remove the key from the ignition, which means that it is completely shut off?
The instructions that came with it were pretty bad but after spending some time searching the net I found that the plug in the picture below (Red and orange wires) should be left unplugged if the car has canbus, that should also point towards that the unit does shut off completely when the key is removed IMO.
I left it unplugged and taped the connectors.

Here's a link to the manufacturer and the unit I have:

https://www.eincar.com/car-dvd/spec...uchscreen-with-4gb-sd-map-remote-control.html

So I am assuming I can buy this to replace the one that has my Lifetime Sirus Subscription on my 2014 JSW & it will pass for the Buyback ???

To be honest, dont bother, just get a used radio off of ebay for the same $$ I have bought 3 late model VW RCD 310's for around $40.00 or less each. Bolts right in and no wiring. Dont even worry if the radio code is not included, they wont check. I used the US ones, but the chinese ones are dirt cheap too.


http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=rcd310&ssPageName=GSTL

THANKS for the info.

A bit of an update, left the car in the garage for 3 days to see if the stereo would drain the battery. It did not, the can bus adapter seems to work like it's supposed to!
Really happy with it so far, the only downside is the weak radio reception but maybe that can be improved with a better antenna adapter.
It even goes into reversing screen automatically when I choose reverse gear, I haven't wired anything to get a reverse signal, it's all from the can bus.

The camera that came with the stereo was very bulky so I haven't installed it. Don't think I will either, unless the camera can be powered from the stereo with no additional wiring. It's not something I feel I need at this point.

Where is the cheapest place you guys are finding to get these? Most listings I'm seeing are 200$ plus.

https://www.eincar.com/car-dvd/spec...uchscreen-with-4gb-sd-map-remote-control.html

This is what I have. Canbus power and steering wheel controls works like OEM stereo.

Heres what is confusing me- I have an 06 Jetta without the larger MSDS screen in the dash and without steering wheel controls. Per the FAQ, if my car had a bluetooth module, it would be installed behind the radio by the dealer. Was this done on ALL cars or was it optional?

I'm wondering where you put the bluetooth module that it seems you have to buy with all of these systems and it is critial to what I want to do-use Spotify from my ihpone.

Remeciis said:

Heres what is confusing me- I have an 06 Jetta without the larger MSDS screen in the dash and without steering wheel controls. Per the FAQ, if my car had a bluetooth module, it would be installed behind the radio by the dealer. Was this done on ALL cars or was it optional?

I'm wondering where you put the bluetooth module that it seems you have to buy with all of these systems and it is critial to what I want to do-use Spotify from my ihpone.

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Isn't the BT built in the stereo?
I think it is since they are marketed BT compatible?

I don't use that feature so I don't know for sure, hopefully someone else knows.

Mr. Flibble, you said-"The sound quality is excellent. In fact, I noticed no difference from my stock system."

Really, the "no difference" worries me... I replaced my non-monsoon VW factory double din with a Jensen VX7020 and there was a MASSIVE improvement in SQ (bass, volume, everything) with the same stock speakers. How many RMS amps is that rated for? You said it's really light. Does that mean that the amp components inside are undersized?

Never thought I'd be singing accolades for Jensen, but they have been around for decades and will be around for a while. I feel the UX is better than some fly-by-night brand in my opinion (if sound quality, US based phone tech support from people that speak English and that type of thing is important to you).

VincenzaV said:

Mr. Flibble, you said-"The sound quality is excellent. In fact, I noticed no difference from my stock system."

Really, the "no difference" worries me... I replaced my non-monsoon VW factory double din with a Jensen VX7020 and there was a MASSIVE improvement in SQ (bass, volume, everything) with the same stock speakers. How many RMS amps is that rated for? You said it's really light. Does that mean that the amp components inside are undersized?

Never thought I'd be singing accolades for Jensen, but they have been around for decades and will be around for a while. I feel the UX is better than some fly-by-night brand in my opinion (if sound quality, US based phone tech support from people that speak English and that type of thing is important to you).

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That sentence had me worried too, but the HU I bought has much better sound that the RCD300 it replaced. I actually thought our speakers were knackered but after the HU change they sound pretty good for OEM speakers.
The Chinese stereos seem to evolve pretty rapidly, look at the specs and software before you buy!
It's a RNS510 clone and it does everything very well so far. Who knows how long that will last though.

Hi,

I got this Chinese stereo that fits to my 2005 Golf, but I have a problem with Canbus. When the canbus is attached, it turns itself off after a while and doesnt turn on. I tested without Canbus and it works perfectly. I am wondering if I use without Canbus, is it gonna drain my battery? And also is anyone also experience this?

Thanks,

Ceren