Android Head unit fitting - A serious disappointment - Page 3

Ennine · 19th January 2018, 23:55

Sorry. No I didn't. It took me about a week to get it to fit correctly. I have some pic's somewhere. It was in and out, in and out. Redressing cables and forcing it to tilt up a little. If I remember rightly I had to cut down a little of the plastic area in the rear of the dash. I'll will see if I can find relevant pictures. It was a total pain and of course, after two years it packed up anyway but that's a different story. Ok EDIT. Found one, this shows the saw cut halfway through the plastic lug. Hope you can make it out ok. Careful dressing and routing of the cables is also very important

Nige

T16 · 20th January 2018, 00:01

oh god...!

Well ive assessed the situation, and most of the inside of the metal bit behind the screen is literally just fresh air. So taking off the metal in the corner and 1-2mm of plastic is no sweat.

However, I would need to take off the plastic front to do the job right, and naturally that would invalidate the warranty, so before even thinking about that, has anyone ever taken a Navall/Xtrons apart? Do the two knobs come off like the BMW Alpine? I see four screws that hold the plastic front on at the reverse side, all I would need to do is separate the front bit off to give me a little space to work with.

Ive come this far, part of me is determined to actually fit it, but I am pretty unhappy, I dont feel these are really fit for purpose. Futhermore, they are a few mm thinner than the Rover/BMW units for some reason, so if you shine a torch in the gaps you can see right through the center console at either side.

The idea of going back to single DIN and no nav seems equally as depressing as taking the unit apart to cut off the metal properly, and doing the job right.

T16 · 20th January 2018, 00:06

Ahh i see, your issue was at the top!

Mine fits in perfectly to the top, but its at the bottom where the unit is too thick where it rests against the two left over squares at the bottom of the opening in the center console, (where the horizontal bar is)

Its tight up against that, wont go back any further, and the unit is about the same extra thickness that it overhangs, vs the original Rover double Din Fitment.

The idea of proper nav is overwhelming, I really would like that. But if I touch the unit, there is no going back, no chance of refund or anything.

If yours packed up, what did you replace it with, and was that a better fit?!

Ennine · 20th January 2018, 00:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by T16

Ahh i see, your issue was at the top!

Mine fits in perfectly to the top, but its at the bottom where the unit is too thick where it rests against the two left over squares at the bottom of the opening in the center console, (where the horizontal bar is)

Its tight up against that, wont go back any further, and the unit is about the same extra thickness that it overhangs, vs the original Rover double Din Fitment.

The idea of proper nav is overwhelming, I really would like that. But if I touch the unit, there is no going back, no chance of refund or anything.

If yours packed up, what did you replace it with, and was that a better fit?!

No, that was my mistake to start with, yes it fitted at the top but that lug you see stops it tipping up and therefore keeps the bottom out ! I went back to a single din but now have a Columbus head unit which is faultless even has voice control, Skoda only I'm afraid. The Navall does not take kindly to a strip down. Don't try and pull the knobs off. The front panel strips down from the back forwards, I have one stripped down on the bench and can post up some pics if you let me know exactly what you want to see but I would strongly suggest you look at other options before taking that route.

Nige

ceedy · 20th January 2018, 18:43

T16, have you actually fired the unit up to see how you like the menus and tried installing any Apps .. another little nightmare. brewing.

..

I've gone the usage way first to see if its actually decent in use before hacking the hardware.. and at the moment its a bit So so ..
Unless you use a dongle you have to park really close to a router as the wifi side is a tad weak .
Only got a decent connection on the desk 3 ft from my router , nothing in the road outside about 25 five feet away

. so going to be pretty useless on the move .

And it won't connect to my Phone via Bluetooth.

And its actaully a bit slow running the couple of free GPS progs I managed to download . not via Playstore though as that doesn't work either .

So getting on rather well , errmm NOT so far !!

C.

Ennine · 20th January 2018, 19:07

I found that Bluetooth Auto Connect on my phone dealt with the hit and miss nature of connecting to the head unit

Nige

jubbarelly · 20th January 2018, 20:03

Hi both

All these Chinese stereos were originally designed to replace a stereo in a BMW E46. Tjhey then found out from where ever that they fit the hole in a Rover 75 and MG ZT, so they wont be an EXACT fit to the Rover 75 and MG ZT dash...

You will always have a some issue of it just not quite fitting flush with the ATC panel.

I have fitted a load of these units now, some do indeed fit better than others.

Maybe T16 you are onto something where the unti fits and butts up against those corner bits you circled. I recall some cars have these and some dont. The highline cars I think it is that dont.

I always bend the lugs in a little at the top and push the unit up from underneath then back and in moving any wires out of the way. I also remove the bracket that used to hold the infrared box as I found it gets in the way. Ive never had to modify or trim any of the car dash or stereo for that matter to make them fit.

Ceed - The blutooth issue. What phone have you got and how are you trying to connect it to the unit?

Thanks
Jub

ceedy · 20th January 2018, 20:47

Hi Jub, not lost faith in it quite yet .. its just I've spent the whole afternoon trying to get something working. before I get onto grief of fitting

I've got a Chinese Phone that I use and its been ok with my old Erising unit for the last 4 years.. i would be using an Xperia that I got last year for Xmas , but dropped it down the Lav this Xmas

.

Just got Synic GPS working on it too. so thats the main Bug outa the way.

The Wifi is a tad feeble . I can sit in my car with the Chinese Phone connected to my router but this won't touch it .
But ok here beside me on my desk next to the PC .. ( 3ft from the router) .

jubbarelly · 20th January 2018, 20:59

The wifi on mine (9" Android 6 Octa Core version) is okish when in my garage and the router is about 20ft away through 3 walls.

I think the wifi is designed to be used to connect to a mobile hotspot device in the car. I use my phone as a hotspot and its fine. Ive got it so it auto connects to the hotspot when it connects to the stereos bluetooth

Jub

Dallas · 20th January 2018, 22:01

My RunGrace picks up my router which is 25ft away through one wall.

I can sit in the house at my desk and download files from my PC straight to my Rungrace unit which is in the car sat on the drive, all you need is a 'Wifi File Transfer' application, which can be downloaded from the Playstore.

You do need a good router and DD unit with a good wifi range though, or you could extend your home wifi by purchasing a wifi extender to boost the signal. These can be bought for as little as £20, and they work really well. I have a TP-Link to extend the wifi to our caravan, its certainly makes life a lot easier.

20th January 2018, 18:43	#25
ceedy This is my second home All Trophy Blue ,ZT260#50 , ZT CDTI Auto, ZR105+ and 1.8T Firefrost spoiling the Set . Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nr Sherborne But in Somerset.. Posts: 6,074 Thanks: 916 Thanked 1,214 Times in 768 Posts	T16, have you actually fired the unit up to see how you like the menus and tried installing any Apps .. another little nightmare. brewing. .. I've gone the usage way first to see if its actually decent in use before hacking the hardware.. and at the moment its a bit So so .. Unless you use a dongle you have to park really close to a router as the wifi side is a tad weak . Only got a decent connection on the desk 3 ft from my router , nothing in the road outside about 25 five feet away . so going to be pretty useless on the move . And it won't connect to my Phone via Bluetooth. And its actaully a bit slow running the couple of free GPS progs I managed to download . not via Playstore though as that doesn't work either . So getting on rather well , errmm NOT so far !! C. __________________ The Three Bloo's Wifey's Zr105, MY CDTI & 260 #50 and Number One sons 1.8T in Firefrost When I were a lad Zero to 142 in 10.25 secs at the Pod on my Blown Norton. 210 Kart Champ in 70's

20th January 2018, 19:07	#26
Ennine Posted a thing or two Ford Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Portmahomack Posts: 1,330 Thanks: 545 Thanked 317 Times in 193 Posts	I found that Bluetooth Auto Connect on my phone dealt with the hit and miss nature of connecting to the head unit Nige __________________ Ni9e How to: Replace touch screen Navall II [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

20th January 2018, 20:03	#27
jubbarelly I really should get out more....... MG ZT 180 SE Poseidon, Peugeot 508 GT Sport Tourer Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Wolverhampton Posts: 2,509 Thanks: 232 Thanked 266 Times in 185 Posts	Hi both All these Chinese stereos were originally designed to replace a stereo in a BMW E46. Tjhey then found out from where ever that they fit the hole in a Rover 75 and MG ZT, so they wont be an EXACT fit to the Rover 75 and MG ZT dash... You will always have a some issue of it just not quite fitting flush with the ATC panel. I have fitted a load of these units now, some do indeed fit better than others. Maybe T16 you are onto something where the unti fits and butts up against those corner bits you circled. I recall some cars have these and some dont. The highline cars I think it is that dont. I always bend the lugs in a little at the top and push the unit up from underneath then back and in moving any wires out of the way. I also remove the bracket that used to hold the infrared box as I found it gets in the way. Ive never had to modify or trim any of the car dash or stereo for that matter to make them fit. Ceed - The blutooth issue. What phone have you got and how are you trying to connect it to the unit? Thanks Jub Last edited by jubbarelly; 20th January 2018 at 20:07..

20th January 2018, 20:47	#28
ceedy This is my second home All Trophy Blue ,ZT260#50 , ZT CDTI Auto, ZR105+ and 1.8T Firefrost spoiling the Set . Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nr Sherborne But in Somerset.. Posts: 6,074 Thanks: 916 Thanked 1,214 Times in 768 Posts	Hi Jub, not lost faith in it quite yet .. its just I've spent the whole afternoon trying to get something working. before I get onto grief of fitting I've got a Chinese Phone that I use and its been ok with my old Erising unit for the last 4 years.. i would be using an Xperia that I got last year for Xmas , but dropped it down the Lav this Xmas . Just got Synic GPS working on it too. so thats the main Bug outa the way. The Wifi is a tad feeble . I can sit in my car with the Chinese Phone connected to my router but this won't touch it . But ok here beside me on my desk next to the PC .. ( 3ft from the router) . __________________ The Three Bloo's Wifey's Zr105, MY CDTI & 260 #50 and Number One sons 1.8T in Firefrost When I were a lad Zero to 142 in 10.25 secs at the Pod on my Blown Norton. 210 Kart Champ in 70's

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

20th January 2018, 00:01	#22
T16 I really should get out more....... ZT CDTi 135, ZT260SE Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Dundee Posts: 2,877 Thanks: 10 Thanked 331 Times in 213 Posts	oh god...! Well ive assessed the situation, and most of the inside of the metal bit behind the screen is literally just fresh air. So taking off the metal in the corner and 1-2mm of plastic is no sweat. However, I would need to take off the plastic front to do the job right, and naturally that would invalidate the warranty, so before even thinking about that, has anyone ever taken a Navall/Xtrons apart? Do the two knobs come off like the BMW Alpine? I see four screws that hold the plastic front on at the reverse side, all I would need to do is separate the front bit off to give me a little space to work with. Ive come this far, part of me is determined to actually fit it, but I am pretty unhappy, I dont feel these are really fit for purpose. Futhermore, they are a few mm thinner than the Rover/BMW units for some reason, so if you shine a torch in the gaps you can see right through the center console at either side. The idea of going back to single DIN and no nav seems equally as depressing as taking the unit apart to cut off the metal properly, and doing the job right.

20th January 2018, 00:06	#23
T16 I really should get out more....... ZT CDTi 135, ZT260SE Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Dundee Posts: 2,877 Thanks: 10 Thanked 331 Times in 213 Posts	Ahh i see, your issue was at the top! Mine fits in perfectly to the top, but its at the bottom where the unit is too thick where it rests against the two left over squares at the bottom of the opening in the center console, (where the horizontal bar is) Its tight up against that, wont go back any further, and the unit is about the same extra thickness that it overhangs, vs the original Rover double Din Fitment. The idea of proper nav is overwhelming, I really would like that. But if I touch the unit, there is no going back, no chance of refund or anything. If yours packed up, what did you replace it with, and was that a better fit?!

20th January 2018, 20:59	#29
jubbarelly I really should get out more....... MG ZT 180 SE Poseidon, Peugeot 508 GT Sport Tourer Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Wolverhampton Posts: 2,509 Thanks: 232 Thanked 266 Times in 185 Posts	The wifi on mine (9" Android 6 Octa Core version) is okish when in my garage and the router is about 20ft away through 3 walls. I think the wifi is designed to be used to connect to a mobile hotspot device in the car. I use my phone as a hotspot and its fine. Ive got it so it auto connects to the hotspot when it connects to the stereos bluetooth Jub

20th January 2018, 22:01	#30
Dallas This is my second home 1979 Capri 1.6L, 1982 Capri 1.6L, 2016 Dacia Stepway Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Dorset Posts: 8,595 Thanks: 3,496 Thanked 3,397 Times in 2,218 Posts	My RunGrace picks up my router which is 25ft away through one wall. I can sit in the house at my desk and download files from my PC straight to my Rungrace unit which is in the car sat on the drive, all you need is a 'Wifi File Transfer' application, which can be downloaded from the Playstore. You do need a good router and DD unit with a good wifi range though, or you could extend your home wifi by purchasing a wifi extender to boost the signal. These can be bought for as little as £20, and they work really well. I have a TP-Link to extend the wifi to our caravan, its certainly makes life a lot easier.