Making this short ... I need to upgrade my radio due to a bad display. so here's a two fold question, where can I find the fill-in for the speedometer buttons? and I'm looking to upgrade the stock radio (not HK) to something worth listening too.

 

Hi BShaw2887,

There are two radios from Amazon that would fit exactly. Not sure how much money you want to spend on. Here are the photos what these radios look like:

 

Unfortunately, such promotional pictures are not what the radio will look like in reality. This includes both look and feel of materials used as well as screen reflection and most of all, screen quality. I'd strongly recommend people considering such aftermarket radios to search for real user's, unedited pictures.

Further points to consider are software, i.e. user experience, ergonomics and durability, i.e. warranty arrangements (or rather, their non-existance).

There must be a reason why there are virtually no local resellers of such units (unless of course the buyer is located in China...).

 

Installed this Android 10 head unit purchased from AliExpress yesterday. Not the best build quality, (cheap feeling plastic) but has a ton of cool features including wireless CarPlay nice screen resolution.

 

Hi Giorgos,

I'd be interested to know what radio you like that works. Is there a good radio out there that replaces the speedo info center or do you prefer just a simple double din?

 

Personally, I haven't come across an aftermarket radio installation (i.e. equipment AND fitting quality) that matches the car's stock interior both in terms of looks, homogenity and build quality.

Additionally, my car has the large screen (with GPS navigation) and I'd hate to lose the comfort of using the joystick. So I'm stuck with no bluetooth streaming (which is the only thing I'm missing). A miniature USB stick loaded with music takes care of that.

 

Looks fairly decent compared to some of the others. Nice bright screen. How did the installation go? How are the chimes?

 

Hi S-2013,

Would you know which brand and how much you spent when you bought the radio on Ali-Express? They have several different models

 

Installation wasn’t that bad but do know how to take the center stack apart before tackling the job. Overall quality is OK but plastics feel cheap on the surround and on the surface decals. Mostly it’s a “plug-n-play” install but I did run into a minor fitment issue with a stock plug for the tach lighting. You will lose the CD player function and some of the backlit icons are tiny and hard to see in daylight, esp the fuel gauge. Chimes are from a supplied speaker but sound weak and timing is slightly off. Now the good are the very clear and vivid 9” screen, wireless CarPlay, integration with steering wheel controls and overall customization capability. AliExpress has several venders selling this unit anywhere from roughly $360 to over $500 depending on memory size.

 

Ahh....Thank you for the info S-2013

 

Not exactly the same car but I just replaced my gf's 2011 R60 factory radio with a Seicane Android head unit. I followed zcspec's instructions and it was definitely a lot of work. You can find the thread here with some of my pics: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...grade-diy.html. Overall I'm happy with the Android unit as she didn't have a screen, GPS or backup camera before.

 

so after a bit of research I am leaning towards the android unit from Carnaviplayer. Anybody out there with experience with this particular company/product?

 

That's the same unit zcspec installed in his R60 and that's the same thread I posted in as well. Check out his install here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4575823. I only went with the Seicane brand because I installed it in another car and was happy with it. If I were to do it all over again I would go with a unit similar to Carnaviplayer as it retains the thumb stick and eliminates the useless analog-ish speedometer which allows for a slightly larger display.

 

I like the looks of that unit, and would use it exclusively with Carplay integration. However, my car has the HK sound system, and I'm not sure how the integration with the HK amp would work out. None of these units have very good instructions available.

 

My gf's R60 has the HK amp/speakers and the only difference I encountered when I installed the Seicane head unit was to connect the AMP-CON blue wire from the radio to the harness so the HK amp would turn on with the radio. Here's a posting with a picture of the blue wires: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4584528. Seicane confirmed this when I emailed their customer service team. Granted the Carnaviplayer is a different brand but I would assume they have an amp remote on/off wire as well.

 

Was that the only hiccup? I read through your thread, and it appeared to go smooth for you, except for the amp turn on signal? How did you deal with the speaker outputs to the amp?

 

That was pretty much it. The radio's harness already includes audio lines that connect to the factory harness so no need to use the RCA audio output. I actually left the RCA connection off of the radio as it was its own separate plug. I do want to note that the FM radio volume is higher than the other audio/video sources (i.e., MP3, video, etc.) but it's still manageable. The most challenging part for me was the removal of all the dash components (including glove box) in order to access all of the bolts! Plus figuring out how to remove the rear taillight for the backup camera.