Anybody updated/replaced the radio head unit in their WH Laredo?

[chrisk]

Hi Guys,
I have been looking at the posibility of ungrading the head unit in my WH Laredo to an aftermarket on that has gps, sat nav and reversing camera along with all the other bits & bobs that we usually use like radio, dvd & bluetooth for phones.
I visited my local autobarn store on the weekend and there were a couple of units that would fit the bill ranging in price from $1200 for a Phillips unit to $2000 plus for other brands. The nigger in the wood pile is always a canbus cable/adapter to connect and intergrate these units into the Jeeps electonics and they can start at $200.
Also, all the units I was looking at were capable of supporting 2 rear view cameras(one on car, one on caravan).
Just wondering if anyone else has successfully completed an upgrade like this and I'm interested in your thoughts on the process and how satisfied you are with the final product and if it intergrated well.

[briteway]

I'm in the process of doing mine. Had financial issues (still do) but I can manage to just buy a cheap Chinese 7" for $270 and has everything, no need for adapters.

I was planning of getting a Pioneer system in the past and the money dried up so can't afford that. I was gonna get the whole system for $1400 but all the bits and pieces/adapters were to come from the US. The 7" head unit was from a Melbourne eBay store for ~$800 including GPS maps.

There's more info in another thread: http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/...2&postcount=97

[warod]

Lemme know how you get on with the El cheapo Chinese gear....
I've got the Navus Garmin GPS siiting on my dash and I don't like it. Also have the U-connect BT dongle hanging out the front of the radio bezel...don't like that either.
Would consider the Chinese aftermarket if you Guinea pigs give the thumbs up ? LOL

[fester]

If you are chasing adaptors of any sort try these guys.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/

Being american they have all the jeep adaptors and far cheaper than here. My autobarn wanted $200 to set up a steering wheel control unit. Dear, tricky instal and set up blah blah blah. Got it from these guys for $50 and virtually plug and play.

Gotmy head unit there also as not available in Aus.

Those all in one units are pretty good for the money. Love to here the sound quality against big name brands but likely the average punter would hardly notice.

[briteway]

Originally Posted by warod

Lemme know how you get on with the El cheapo Chinese gear....
I've got the Navus Garmin GPS siiting on my dash and I don't like it. Also have the U-connect BT dongle hanging out the front of the radio bezel...don't like that either.
Would consider the Chinese aftermarket if you Guinea pigs give the thumbs up ? LOL

No worries mate. I'm waiting for my unit to arrive and will let you know. I also can't stand that frikken Navus even if it WORKED! What a waste of money on that junk.

I got the bezel for the 7" double din already, tried it (took the Navus off) and fit perfectly, covering the hole going to the Navus. Now just waiting for the head unit. Definitely, it's gonna be better than the Navus and the existing radio by 1000%. I'll update you with pics. For under $500 with everything working (BT, GPS, steering wheel controls, etc.) you can't go wrong. I know many people who installed these Chinese units and are still going after a couple of years.

[briteway]

This is the unit I bought for $270: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....t_11044wt_1139

EDIT: I've never used these Sygic maps and don't know what they're like. The beauty is that the software runs on Windows CE 6 and I have iGo maps that are very good, which should run off the same SD card. I'll give it a test and if I go that way and anyone else would need it, I could upload them.

[quigebo]

I have the chinese cheapie 7" touchscreen in my WH for a few years and its been working well so far for me..

Camera is good day or night and is great for hooking the boat up, oz explorer and iGo maps work well, bluetooth to my iphone that streams video and itunes music and takes another video input and dvd/cd..

cant go wrong for the price I reckon!