E46 aftermarket headunit install

[qube 3568]

i'll get a photo of how mine is set up so you can see but basically it plugs behind the existing unit and i route it to the little compartment below the AC controller.

wiring for the mic etc u can wire it behind steering wheel/dash or anywhere really

[gjm 3191]

One of these is on it's way.
https://www.crazysystems.co.nz/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=184 (They're cheaper on TradeMe, from the same supplier.)

Apparently they are pretty much plug'n'play... Which just leaves the small matter of getting to the back of the existing kit to sort!

[gjm 3191]

Grrr.

Spent what seemed like forever swearing about random bits of unnecessary plastic filling the back of an E46 dash. Finally gave in and removed the HVAC unit (anyone who has done this knows it means working up from the gearstick) in order to move some plastic housing to make room for the combined blocky connector and wiring.

Hands scraped, cut and gouged, but we got there.

And... It doesn't work.

There's the usual big blocky connector, and a smaller 10-pin one. The 10 pin one (on the new kit) has just 4 wires to it - we may have this the wrong way around.

Just to make life more interesting, a previous owner (not the wonderful chap we bought it from!) has butchered, bu88erefd, fT^&Eed, mangled, trashed and generally ruined the wiring behind the head unit. FFS! Why spend so much time and effort ruining something when it'd be easier to do the job properly?

It'll come apart again tomorrow. I might have broken something this evening.

[HardBall66 135]

On 6/2/2019 at 7:10 AM, hunter said:

Other option is Eonon Android unit, effectively  a Dynavin "clone" they seem well reviewed and you get a lot of functionality, and up to date android OS.

I purchased an Eonon for my E39 recently and am not happy with it - the quality of these Chinese 'white label' units makes it too much of a crap shoot, and does not work out cheap at all once you add import duty and a couple of accessories.  If you're going to spend that much it's better to spend a little more for a decent brand.  

Avin seems to be a better brand, coming in cheaper than Dynavin but getting good reviews (word is they have lifted their game recently and now offer great after-sales service).  One thing I like about Avin is the optional dongle which allows full integration with the car's on-board computer, restoring all the outputs and settings you would normally have to sacrifice when you move to an after-market unit, plus it gives you access to more OBC features than your car came with, as well as the ability to leverage these outputs in apps such as Torque. 

This is what I was hoping to achieve with the Eonon, but the quality is just not there.  My unit lost USB, so they sent me a replacement motherboard which I had to fit myself, and now it has also lost Wi-Fi.  This leaves me with blue tooth only, so not entirely useless, but a long way away from what I paid for.

[gjm 3191]

Disappointing to hear about the Eonon.

Forgot to update! Got it all out, moved one connector from what looked like the correct position to what is the correct position, and all works well. Instructions are no help with that - it does look self-explanatory but as is so often the way, there were two ways to do one connection and I got the wrong one.

Only issue we've noticed is that the mic gain on the handsfree is a bit low. Not sure if relocating the mic will help with that but we'll give that a go.

Other than that, works as it should. Playing music from phone and a call comes in? Music playback either mutes or pauses and the call can be connected. There's a remote control which is about as pointless as a spare fuel tank in a canoe which could be used but is unlikely to ever get out of the glovebox.

Miss M is happy.