Android Headunits, Worth the Chance? // Seicane Stereo with Carplay & Android Auto Review

[@alexandertorres9617]

This is my opinion as a electrical engineer; Bough one unit like this time ago, aesthetically looks fine, you can configure wheel buttons easy (you dont need to spend 50-70 for a wheel control interface) its replaceable. Now the bad things i've experienced like internally radio has no circuit protection, you need third party apps for Android-auto or carplay, audio quality is bad compared to branded units, the most important one... You can monitor your network and see whats going on in your router, eveything I do or things that goes through that radio is going to a strange server prob somewhere in asia in other words they are stealing your data, bank accounts, network id etc. You should be careful

[@FanatikBuilds]

Really appreciate the input for everyone Alexander! The final point is a very good one if you’re at all concerned about your privacy (we all should be). I don’t have the headunit linked to any wifi and don’t have a data plan on my phone either, so there’s no way for it to relay any information… but that’s not likely a situation that many others would find themselves in though so it’s good to be aware 👍 thanks, and happy new years!

[@extrakimF]

Well there's 100's of different brands, do your research and don't buy the cheapest crap out there.

[@shikiryougi8076]

Nice fear mongering and racism considering most tech is produced in Asian countries and how Google, Facebook and Amazon already have a lot of your "stolen" data. You're more at risk of being scammed by a fake caller ID that pretends to be your bank than an android auto device.

[@mickeynissan9887]

@@extrakimF Usually there’s a single generic manufacturer in shenzen and a hundred shell companies that order by bulk and just plug in a splash screen. The short shelf life of those shell companies is helpful in throwing off the stench of low quality and corner cutting.

[@extrakimF]

Yes. But there's also a few companies that have their own software, companies that have been around for a lnog time. That's why you shouldn't buy the cheapest crap out there.

[@FanatikBuilds]

UPDATE 2/13/23: Sold the car, radio was working like new still. UPDATE 12/27/22: Nothing new to report! UPDATE 9/9/22: Still going strong. It will fail to connect to CarPlay one in ten times or so, but cycling the key brings it back.

[@jayinmi3706]

That's the issue with most of the Chinesium Android Tablet radios is that they don't last. They get great reviews initially, and nobody goes back to update. I do car stereos for a living, and it's gotten so bad, we generally won't install them for people anymore. Looking forward to the updates!

[@FanatikBuilds]

@@jayinmi3706 It’s really too bad isn’t it Jay, because I’m actually surprisingly impressed with it as of now… that could change though 😂 and you’ll all be the first to know if it does! Hope you’re doing well man!

[@DONALD-MAGA]

@@jayinmi3706 Wait, isn't everything made in China and Thailand these days? Some say assembled in US but where are the parts manufactured?

[@DoeBoy999]

@@jayinmi3706 Like any headunit there are brands that are better than others. No mainstream brand can offer the customization that an android can plus you have to spend 1k+ just for an optical out. Joying, Atoto, Daisata, Teyes all seem to be more cream of the crop. Really their only problem is software

[@GaryCameron780]

Thank you for keeping us up to date. I've recently purchased a Seicane for my F-150 and am looking forward to it.

[@fairplayer916]

Wanted to say, the white noise you hear when the phone is connected and nothing is playing is not the head units fault. Subarus are notorious for alternator wine. Their Factory units, and most higher end aftermarket head units have isolators built into them to filter it. But you can just as easily buy Standalone isolators to run in line to clean up the power wires going to the head unit. Had the same problem on a 2004 Subaru Outback.

[@phillytwo1five]

😊

[@Mr.Thermistor7228]

Wow thanks for sharing that

[@juniorminaya2851]

check the head unit.theres anoise option there.

[@aserta]

Word to the wise. If you have an OG player for your car (like in this case the og subaru unit) keep it in a box along with any trim). All cars have the potential to become classics. And rule no1 about classics is the closer to spec, the easier the dough flows.

[@FanatikBuilds]

It's in the box the new one came in! Unfortunately the factory trim was a little worse for the wear, but I'm sure it could be fixed up if necessary! 👍

[@Mr.Thermistor7228]

This is solid advice not often heard

[@MrPkosec]

​@@FanatikBuildsp+++oo

[@David-jt9nt]

i would rather not for that reason, i hold onto original working parts incase my after-market parts fail, but when I buy a truck or car its going to be used almost every day

[@Adam-yg9xk]

I've been running a Secain Android radio in my 04 Tundra for a few years and it's still working great. You can adjust the volume sensitivity in the settings, mine was the same way. The volume at 2 was too quiet and 3 was super loud.

[@FanatikBuilds]

Good feedback, thanks Adam! Appreciate the heads up too, I'll have to look again for that setting ... toning it back a bit would be nice! 💪👍

[@chiranthanmr]

To anyone buying head units, please make sure, it's a minimum of 4 gb ram. Else it'll be slow AF and you'll regret

[@DarkReaper-or9el]

Headunit reloaded on the cheap Chinese stereos are alr but 4gb ram definitely reccomended😊

[@AshLordCurry]

Frrrr. Not even worth it if it's 2GB and even 4GB is the BARE MINIMUM.

[@itsmelube3071]

😂😂😂 I'm on the lowest 1GB RAM, and i have not had an issue while using maps, media, and even multitasking ( Maps and Music Media). It's not an issue running android 12 like a pro 😂

[@DarkReaper-or9el]

@itsmelube3071 guess it varies mines really slow but because I use headunit reloaded app it's alr no glitches or anything

[@johnnyhoover5125]

Man mine just turns on and off and sometimes just turns the sound on and off so frustrating The manufacturer sent me and update hopefully that can fix it

[@Jmcinally94]

One of the cool think with Android head units is you can change the launcher so the display can be tweaked how you like!

[@ceebee7707]

how do you do that?

[@MoodbashA2.0]

​@@ceebee7707 most of them have a theme app or something like that

[@HostileMAV]

I bought a Seicane headunit for my Altima. It was nice having a huge screen and apple carplay. The unit was plug in and play. Steering wheele controls and the Bose amp all worked. I did have noise coming from the speakers though and was pretty disappointed by that. There was a slight hiss but it also was making ticking noises. At first I thought it was maybe a ground loop, but it was the unit itself. I noticed in the factory service manual that the shielding for the RCA cables going to the factory amp were not used in their harness. This is also where i noticeed they cheaped out with the harnesses. They used cheap aluminum wires. I pined the shields and grounded to the chassis of the radio. The sound quality did not change. I ended up replacing it with a Kenwood radio. I was getting a different ground loop noise, but when I pined the shield into the harness the Kenwood was silent. I think this is due to the fact the name brand radio has better separation between the analog and digital circuits. Also, I did experience a weird issue where my TPMS light would turn on for no reason. I think the android unit was interfering with the TPMS signal. When I switched to the Kenwood, issues when away. On another note, I decided to try another brand android headunit called Joying in my brothers Subaru Outback. It was definitely more expensive but they make a better product. For one, they use copper cables, Sound qulity was excellent compared to the Seicane with no hiss or ticking noises.

[@tylerbarrett6652]

Always LOVE to see a new video on this channel... !!! Thanks for the upload.

[@FanatikBuilds]

Thanks Tyler, that really means a lot man! 💪👊

[@barefootgreg2019]

I bought a Seicane after seeing a similar video on a different channel. Upon opening the box one of the required harness was missing, Seicane did send the needed harness but it took a while. There was almost always 48 hours between email responses and the language barrier caused our communication to regress to pictures and drawings. Once the harness arrived the installation was easy, not as easy as yours though and I was only able to get most of the steering wheel buttons to work, not all. All in all, I was mostly happy with the product, for a about six months. I did love the way it looked, better than factory. Bluetooth and carplay were both sketchy and as time moved on the connection issues seemed to worsen. Finally, the AM/FM module stopped working all together. After a couple of weeks of back and forth emails with Seicane they did send me a new module. I pulled the head unit and started taking it apart and then realized the amount of disassembly and soldering required to replace the module was more than I was will to do. So, I bought the cheapest double din with car play I could find and slapped it in the Explorer and shelved the Seicane.

[@FanatikBuilds]

Great feedback for us all man, thanks! For sure, customer service can be interesting ... I've only dealt with one member of their team but it's been acceptable from a communication aspect, other than the 24hr+ delays between messages. There was over a month of back and forth before I even received the unit for review! I can imagine in a situation of a customer needing help it could be even slower. Odd that you couldn't get all the steering wheel buttons working ... I was surprised that just the one harness was all that was necessary in the first place (thought none of the buttons would work) so it's doubly weird that some of yours did, and others didn't. I'd be interested to pop the case open on my unit at a point and look inside ... should have done that for this video, no idea why the thought escaped me! Cheers man 👍

[@barefootgreg2019]

@@FanatikBuilds The Explorer has the Microsoft Sync stuff in it and the two buttons I could not get to do anything were the "Voice" and "OK" buttons. I figure it had something to do with Sync. They don't work with my current head unit either. At this point I could care less about AM/FM so I may revisit the Seicane.

[@FanatikBuilds]

@@barefootgreg2019 Ah I see, hope you can get it all working the way you want!

[@qwe304]

I like having my music and navigation easily accessible and visible, without having to deal with any tacky car phone mounts. It also let be add a sub with minimal work. while its not as snappy as a bluetooth radio or fm-transmitter, I feel the convenience of never needing to mess with my phone outweighs that.

[@FanatikBuilds]

Progress on the GT6 to come, thanks for your patience!! ❤ ... P.S. Who spotted the accidental reveal of something from a future episode?

[@m7mdzuhair9gamer61]

What?😊 (It is annoying me i keepon clicking that fricking emo🎉ji)

[@Chalky.]

Finding out how often a manufacturer provides firmware updates is usually the best way to initially decide if its worth considering.

[@kitecattestecke2303]

So none of the head units should be built in... Which manufacturer does updates to the same unit? Pumpkin?

[@Chalky.]

@@kitecattestecke2303 Maybe you're forgetting that this is about buying aftermarket headunits... Think about it.

[@ArthurEmbleton]

​@@Chalky. In order to install updates, I'd have to give my head unit internet access which I don't want to do because I've no idea what data will be sent off to who knows where.

[@Chalky.]

@@ArthurEmbleton Offline updates are almost always an option on Android devices.

[@donnyguntmash605]

​@ArthurEmbleton lol mate that's a stupid thing to worry about considering everytime you hop on the internet your data is being collected and sold to who knows where 😂

[@shanemcguire3953]

We got a seicane android for our daughters BK Mazda 3 several years back .It slotted straight in and hasn't missed a beat

[@mattr822]

I bought one for my 2012 f150 about 3 years ago with no issues i absolutely love it the only problem was it didn’t have wireless CarPlay but I got the dongle to make it wireless and it works awesome

[@mrman8856]

Yeah this video definitely just helped me make my decision, I'm going to pay extra $500-$600 for a reputable multimedia head unit. The $100-200 for all these problems isn't worth it. Those cheap Android tablet radios do have bigger screens though.

[@officialWWM]

Lol, enjoy wasting your money. I have installed 2 of these units in my wife’s car and my Jeep and they are awesome!

[@mrman8856]

@officialWWM I never bought the Apline I had in mind lol. I ended up getting a Teyes 3 10 inch screen, and I saved myself about $400 dollars. But it's not this in the video, which I still wouldn't buy.

[@officialWWM]

@@mrman8856 good choice! Yep, you have to be careful which brand you buy and do your research.

[@kazoz3520]

@@mrman8856 Thanks for the tip on Teyes. Their products appear ideal for my needs, & wants :)

[@quasitoantrax]

​@@officialWWM which one would you get for a corolla 2010s

[@GrapheneBurst]

I bought an Android floating 10inch screen in 2019, it's still running strong today. I ended up switching to an external amp because the internal amp was lacklustre, and discovered that the rca outputs very clean sound (as tested with an oscilloscope - slightly over 2v at full volume with no distortion). So I added some beefier door speakers and a sub, and it sounds great. My only issue is that I find the unit slow and unresponsive at times, especially when using any Google branded apps, like maps or Chrome. I switched to waze, and that worked great until Google bought them. Android auto looks slightly blurry, but is responsive and reliable. The best part is that after adding a backup camera, tpms, and obd2 with torque, I have all the modern features of a new car. I plan on buying the tesla style screen for my 2013 f150 - it looks factory and can control the climate controls!

[@roberts.wilson1848]

As with any headunit, an external amp is mandatory if you want above basic level of sound. I hear just fine with just my simple unit. Music sounds plentiful and rich, no interference or crackling noises.

[@wooblebloc]

I just installed one in my Holden Colorado (Australia’s version of the American chev colly) basically the same unit from china but with a few different programs etc. great unit. Works well enough to say “hey I’m glad I didn’t spend $1700+ to get a generic brand unit” but only issue I have with these types of units are they are very complicated and somewhat messy. So much going on with them that it is easy to screw something up if you accidentally delete a file or something you don’t want. You have to be very careful on what you play around with. But in saying that once you wrap your head around it you have a very functional unit that should last a couple of years. Depending on updates you can download

[@FanatikBuilds]

Thanks for the feedback Andrew! That's pretty much where I am at this point too, "wouldn't spend the extra" ... though it's the long term reliability that will be most telling. Yes, if you are well-versed with Android then there's tons of capability at your fingertips, but if not, there's also a ton you can screw up!! I'm mostly only going to use Carplay so we'll keep our fingers crossed 🤞 and see how things go. Cheers man! 👍

[@3rutu5]

Funny I just started thinking about my Holden Colorado 2016 model and doing this. What put me off is the different looking faceplate with the AC etc

[@witchcraftauto]

You made a really important rule that people who are looking into getting an android radio need to understand, nothing less than 2 gb of RAM! Honestly, you follow this rule and you should be good.

[@FanatikBuilds]

Seems to be the case! Long term reliability is the thing I'm most interested in at this point ... thinking that by using Carplay and not installing lots of apps on the machine, there's little to cause degradation of performance... it'll be the quality of parts and build construction that clinches it eventually!

[@extrakimF]

@@FanatikBuilds Nothing less then 4GB of ram is what I would say. Buy a "famous" brand and skip all low level junk. You do get what you pay for. I have used my Joying for over two years now, still runs great.

[@sali-ali]

I have one with 256MB RAM with Windows CE for my Mazda 3 and it works flawlessly since years. Bluetooth is perfect, H264 media playback is perfect, the menus are super fast. It has mirrorring of phone screen function, overall you won't really miss ANDROID if you buy the Windows CE version and usually it's up to $60 cheaper.

[@jmpardo2933]

I think the best app for an android unit is headunit reloaded, you have android auto using your phone resources, so it is much faster, and you can use the voice assistant. It's easier if you set an automatic hotspot. Not a single fail in three years, and it is a budget screen with 2Gb.

[@FanatikBuilds]

Cool, thanks for the heads up! 👍

[@Rabblewitz]

I know I'm probably in the minority here, and while I do appreciate the backup camera and the fact the the screen is larger than my phone if I need to display a map, IF there was a delete options for these screens on new cars, I'd absolutely select it!! While I don't mind electric cars, to me, these screens are the worst part of electric cars. For example, that monitor in the Mustang Mach E is just hideous! When I had to get a new car a few years ago, one of the criteria was finding a car with a smaller and unobtrusive screen. And I want knobs and switches ... I don't want to be looking at a screen while I'm driving, to make sure I'm touching the right area. But that's just me. 🙂

[@FanatikBuilds]

Not at all man, I agree on a level! The GT6 is not getting any screens ... ZERO. I did really miss my touchscreen in my previous daily though, and not even being able to pause music on the factory bluetooth unit here was annoying. I'm also terrible with road names so navigation is just nice to have! Hoping this video can be helpful for people looking into these things, as there's a ton of install videos, but very few actually talking about features/pros/cons, compared to a "big name" product. Cheers dude!

[@Rabblewitz]

@@FanatikBuilds Oh I get it ... different strokes for different folks, as they say. I didn't mean to be negative to what you put up. I think my daughter has trouble navigating anywhere without her phone. 🙂 And the different car radios all tend to work differently, some better than others. But yes, it is easier to touch the screen than to fumble for your phone to pause if that is what you are using. Granted, mostly what I listen to ... audio books, podcasts and the like, I usually put on a USB stick. I have an iPhone now, but I find it inferior to the Android tablet I used to have, when it comes to playing music.

[@KingNast]

I hear ya on the knobs and switches.. I just want to be able to adjust the EQ with physical sliders instantly when I want to, and not have to fumble through menus to get to it while driving. There aren't many options for EQs like that nowadays

[@Rabblewitz]

@@KingNast Yep. My previous car (a 2010) had an EQ, but you had to go through the menu to access it, then used the generic buttons below the display to change things. That is the first car radio where I had to read the owners manual to figure out how it worked, beyond the bare basics.

[@mtwata]

As someone who usually buy the cheap stuff, I learned the hard way that when it comes to electronics, branded is better. It doesn't have to be the top brands. Like you said the Alpine just works, and that's why it's worth the extra money.

[@Ghryst]

alphine doesnt have the extra functionality of full-android. your argument is invalid.

[@TheHugeWTF]

Did you watch the video? The conclusion was that Alpine was worse in most use cases.

[@mtwata]

@@Ghryst more features doesn't equate to better. Watch the reliability part again, then go ahead and look for long term reviews on branded vs unbranded cheap stuff.

[@mtwata]

@@TheHugeWTF i never said Alpine has better features. I said it works. Reliability. And if you watched the video you'd see he mentions that.

[@Ghryst]

@@mtwata Wrong. more features DOES equate to superior. i can prove this just by comparing my fully featured intellect to your basic brain capacity. if i have two can openers, and one can also be used to perform brain surgery, it is far superior to the basic one.

[@burkead]

Good to see you again. Hope the Triumph build is going well.

[@FanatikBuilds]

Thanks Burke, making good progress on it, next episode is going to cover a lot! 👋✌️

[@fjellmike]

Android HA has few disadvantages: firmware updates (rare or non exist), upgrade of android os version is very limited which leads to point where you cannot anymore update apps via play store. reliability of hardware/software like said on other comments. Support from manufacturers limited or non exist. Im currently running pumpkin android HA myself but will prob change to either alpine/pioneer HA with full support of android auto/apple carplay.

[@internetcancer1672]

Pumpkin? HA?

[@fjellmike]

@@internetcancer1672 ment HU

[@mchughcb]

Have run the seicane in my Suzuki SX4. This unit did not have android auto. I use the Tom Tom app with the blue tooth . The Zlink mirror didn't work. The only issue is the unit will stop working.screen goes black, like its over heating and will then reboot when you restart the ignition. Might go for a day or two then it happens again. I've just bought a new updated version with 8Gb. There is no instructions with it I'll have to get an electrician to check it to hook up again to my reverse camera. Android auto works wirelessly but I haven't worked out how to turn it off.

[@elliot3147]

Great video. Thank you. I ordered one for my buick that has the same "tablet" and it is reassuring to see that the android auto and car play work.

[@jimr5703]

I bought a Boss Audio 9" touchscreen 18 months ago for my 2004 Crown Vic. Totally transformed the car into something from this century. I made sure it was android and carplay compatible for my iphone. Reads off my text messages upon request, wireless phone connection, it's been just perfect and intuitive. Admittedly the Crown Vic cassette/CD system was made of sticks and pebbles and powered by a potato, but even by modern standards the Android system is pretty darn nice. The floating screen looks natural, even in a vintage environment like the Crown Vic. That was a huge surprise.

[@skateboardcraze]

Tip to try, fixes hissing** My previous vehicle had a hiss like you are showing in this video. I scratched the grounded connection, and also ran an additional wire directly to the neutral ground on the subframe directly off the battery. Brought the hissing down 90%

[@stacarter]

Mine works great in my 2015 Jeep Wrangler. Best feature is the BT OBD unit to Torque that lets me deal with error codes as well as run a nice dash of important temps and pressures.

[@mileniliev5247]

Does the wrangler have the Uconnect bullshit that Renegades do? Did you manage to get the car settings to work through it?

[@DeepakKumar-lv4te]

Did the obd dongle come with it or did you buy that separately? Also do you leave it plugged into the obd port all the time?

[@erick1fpb]

Finally!, i was looking for a good review of it

[@simmosideways]

I've used both - for a car that you want to hop in and drive wireless android auto and a non-android headunit is much better. Android is great, but it becomes a headache for something that is important to just be up and running when you jump in the car. My opinion has actually changed quite a bit as I installed a PC in my car with a touchscreen 10+ years ago, and then later installing an android tablet in the car. It simply is not advantageous when 99% of the time you just want maps and music, and the other 1% of the time you can use screen2auto to do something else.

[@lilalali6753]

Absolutely right. I have Android head unit and I would not buy it again. Primitive and disappointing. Expensive, too.

[@tuanbe]

I got one looking exactly the same. They all seem the same: hardware coming from the same manufacturer but rebadged. It's called the K2501. Initially didn't like it but after a firmware upgrade it starts to grow on me. Your volume bias - amongst 500 other settings - can be changed in a hidden settings menu

[@FanatikBuilds]

Very helpful info man, thanks for sharing! 👍

[@iPhoneProymas]

i love all these head units but theres one thing all of them are missing and thats the reason i dont put it in my car, the volume knob, i hate the tab tab tab to adjust the volume, i love just being able to spin a knob.

[@FanatikBuilds]

True! Most of these units do seem to forgo that feature and the touch sensitive controls are awkward to use… however, in every car I’ve owned that had a volume knob, I never really used it. For me, steering wheel buttons are way safer and easier! Personal preference though I guess ✌️

[@scootypuffjr.]

Joying has them

[@tasos-v]

I've just bought an unknown Chinese version with quad core, 2gb and 32gb and I've got to say, wired android auto works even faster that what yours seems to be doing with the zlink app, pretty happy so far

[@iamthebatmanxiii3574]

I have been looking everywhere for an android head unit that would fit my car and finally I came across this video and this company

[@FanatikBuilds]

Glad the video could help a bit man, really liking this thing so far! If you do go for one, use PayPal... best to keep some buyers protection when return shipping costs as much as the unit 👍

[@iamthebatmanxiii3574]

@@FanatikBuilds thank you, I'll keep that in mind.

[@brianm9085]

it's odd how hard these things are to find when you don't know what they're actually called...appreciate this coming up in my recommendations, definitely sounds like something I'll be looking into. I have zero interest in wiring and each of the other "solutions" i've seen all require rewiring a bunch of stuff.

[@PhillipMwaniki]

This is a very comprehensive review of android radio. Good stuff on this.

[@evlsc400]

You want something modern in your car so you are looking at this unit, things to consider: can your vehicle take an auxiliary input that is wired into the factory amplifier? if so, just obtain an android tablet and AUX IN to your car and mount it however you please, android auto to it or car play USB adapter to it and you're set.

[@peterkornis5377]

I'm using a similar one in my Peugeot. Also Android based, under the brand of Junsun. I have the 4-core, 2GB RAM version and use it for CarPlay without any issues. It only has the wired option, but I don't mind. I hard wired an original lightning cable to one of the USB's of the head-unit and only a like 4-5" are out of the dash right next to where I have the phone holder mounted. With wireless CarPlay I'd need some charging anyways so... Only other thing I use the head-unit is to adjust the central display on the car (it is adjusted through the original head-unit. The Junsun one came with a CAN box, it has soft keys which I can use to adjust the central display. This also means, any generic head-unit would render that part of my car useless.) I love this HU very much, also hooked up a backup cam to it. It was money well spent, it was around $150

[@eondrache7786]

Looking for a new head unit myself and came across this. Want to point something out. Android 11 head units are just starting to show up. Android 11 pushed wireless carplay and Android Auto support as a base line feature. Check the listings if you can and ask the manufacturer if the head unit supports these features as we should finally see them show up as a base feature. If you see 2 units, 1 is Android 10, the other is Android 11, shell out the extra money if you want wireless Carplay/Auto. It is really nice to have for future proofing.

[@kenGPT]

Liked for having Moog in your Spotify! And I have the same WRX so I'm def going to look into this one.

[@FanatikBuilds]

😎✌️ … still working fine fyi! The wireless CarPlay is by far my favourite aspect of it.

[@kenGPT]

@@FanatikBuilds I ordered it. 4GB version w/o the harmon kardon amp option. I use Android so Hopefully that works out.

[@AlbertJaron]

Does anyone have the problem that when they start the engine there is no sound and the unit needs a reset?

[@tonygall0]

The volume issues could be related to the volume setting on the OG unit when you pulled it out . On my Lexus ES the volume on the OG should be set in such a way (I’m thinking it’s 50 or 75%, but could be wrong) before pulling the OG out because that is setting the volume range of the built in amplifier. Too much or too little volume on the OG unit when pulled basically confuses the factory amp and can cause distortion or lack of volume, respectively. Perhaps the Subbie has a similar situation.

[@alitty3224]

You think I should try plugging my factory one back in & cranking the volume before turning the car off? Then install the new one

[@tonygall0]

@@alitty3224 I think you are supposed to have the volume half way up. I read that on the club Lexus forum.

[@velvetrooster5569]

I have a volts wagon and the volts wagon radio whether you get the basic radio or the entertainment system have a basic shape to them, which means they’re interchangeable throughout the majority of the volts wagon lineup within the last 10 years. My 2013 Volkswagen beetle came with a basic radio. It did have Bluetooth which was nice but I wanted something more than that. There is a line of OEM Volkswagen entertainment systems known as the RCD 330. These are OEM volts wagon made infotainment system, and the majority of them have Apple CarPlay and android auto. I was able to find one for my Volkswagen beetle and it’s really easy to install especially with the trim and interior around the radio in the Volkswagen beetle specifically. Depending on which Volkswagen model you have, it may require slightly more disassembly, but overall it should be pretty easy. Remove the trim around the radio and undo 4 T20 Torx screws. Then you just unplug the current radio and remove it and the RCD 330 has the same exact plugs as the radio that comes in the car so you just plug it back in put the screws back in and snap your dashboard trim back into place. As far as entertainment systems go, it’s pretty basic in terms of the software, but the notable feature is Apple CarPlay and android auto, which really makes the system feel full featured. Granted that this is your phone doing the majority of the work, but it is showing up on the screen on the infotainment system. Period what that does is allow you to have digital maps on screen for point-to-point navigation with the map and navigational directions being dictated. It also allows you to play music directly from your phone without a loss of quality through Bluetooth because Apple CarPlay and android auto in most systems are wired which allows you to retain for quality. It also allows you to make and answer phone calls while you are driving and it works if you have radio control buttons on your steering wheel. It also allows you to use your streaming apps, such as Spotify or Pandora music. This is different from an android head unit which might require you to sync the hotspot on your phone to the head unit in order to use those streaming music apps. Because the Internet data connection is directly through the phone. That means you’re not going to have a poor connection which a lot of wireless companies tend to unfortunately provide through hotspot on your phone even if you have the best and newest phone available. That’s right people. The hotspot connection on your phone is not nearly as good as the direct data connection on your phone, which is why Apple CarPlay and android auto is better than just having a standard android powered head unit in your car. It also means that your navigational lights are going to be Much more accurate and overall just better since you have your choice of Apple Maps or Google maps or Waze maps or whatever GPS map you choose to use. I’ve had a standard android head unit in my car, and while it was more useful than just the standard radio that came with the car it was very disappointing, which is why I ended up getting the RCD 330 with Apple CarPlay. If you have a volts wagon made in the last 15 years this unit should fit in your car. The RCD 330 fits standard in most Volkswagen cars.

[@extrakimF]

There should be a option to change the number of volume steps, I think that my Joying has the option to go up to volume 60 = every "click" will raise the volume just a little.

[@alfredoibarra9825]

Disconnecting the battery for an extended period of time will erase the settings of the cars computer. Recently caused a car I was working on to fail to start and then once started, a strange idle and putter out. Prius specifically along with a few other manufacturers warn strongly against disconnecting battery.

[@zayturner5075]

Any update on how the unit has been doing ever since? Any lags or "boot up" or freezing or connecting problems ? As i believe you mentioned in your video, the aftermarket radio units don't do as well as big name audio units so im interested to see how long this has lasted.

[@Drummer55]

Excellent info! I have a similar unit I purchased from Junsun. Like your unit, it came with the casing and looks awesome. I struggle with the steering wheel controls. Most of them work perfectly, but 2 of them I just can't get to work. All in all, it's a huge upgrade from the stock radio.

[@Dwq47]

I’m debating on buying one of these. My radio is a tiny touch screen with no GPS, apps or anything of real use. This is nice because it’s cheap but I’m wondering if I should dish the cash for a reliable but much more expensive unit….

[@TheDudiest3Dude]

Is the noise coming from the fact that you attached the GPS Ariel to the top of the unit? Surely it would be better placed on top of the dash, far away from any electrical noise, or if you are not using it, just detached?

[@sappermemes8896]

Thank you! exactly the video I needed to see how this worked :D Just bought one myself, from another china brand, so wanted to see how it was put together. Very good video!

[@Safin18]

Which one did you buy and what is your review?

[@jimf5160]

useful video...I was thinking of doing that to my Santa Fe...but then decided I would wait and just get it on a newer car....if the prices come back to reality.

[@FanatikBuilds]

Thanks Jim, I came down in the world with this WRX, so putting a new screen in there has really helped modernize the experience for sure. Let me know how that whole “prices back to reality” thing goes!! 😅✌️ hope you’re well!

[@jimf5160]

@@FanatikBuilds Well...my Santa Fe has 103K miles and his 9 yrs old...I never buy new cars...,but my wife is pretty insistent on it this time..modern safety stuff....blah blah blah.. Anyway, trying to decide on replacing my 1969 911 heater flapper boxes now or wait till winter...when if something breaks I have months to deal with it... I hope your dad is doing well! The WRX is a very good car...pretty fun for a daily.

[@FanatikBuilds]

@@jimf5160 The rex is 11 now... but it feels like this generation just came out... man the years fly! It is a fun car, my fifth Subaru too, so I think whatever's next should be completely different! As for your 911 I vote for later, enjoy the summer while you can - the heater isn't needed for another few months anyway! Dad's doing well thanks Jim, really appreciate the continued thoughts for him 👊

[@jimf5160]

@@FanatikBuilds it is weird...I usually only drive cars for 4 or 5 yrs tops...I meant to replace the SantaFe in 2020....but, worldwide events intervened.. luckilyt I am still telecommuting. Anyway, I put the 911 in the air last night on jackstands and looked closely...I am going with your vote. I can maybe barely get access n there now, but if something happens, I would have to pull the heat exchangers, which is a big old can of worms...so, the winter it is. 5 Subarus! ..more than I have owned of any one car... 3 Alfas, 3 Mazdas, 4 Porsches, 3 Chev. Suburbans...but maybe tow vehicles don't count.

[@FanatikBuilds]

4-5 years is a good amount of time! Buying new especially only works if you drive it into the ground, but 4-5 years on a slightly used car can work out pretty well $$ wise. Glad you're made a decision there, the heating systems on those air-cooled models are pretty involved so I'm good to hear you'll just enjoy it for the rest of the season! Nice selection of rides by the way 🔥✌️

[@ChrisWilson999]

The Android sound quality advantage might be due to better Bluetooth and wired codec quality. My guess is AAC based codecs being available on Android.

[@Cobalt985]

iPhones have had AAC forever and, in fact, have a better quality encoder. The iTunes encoder (aka Apple's proprietary encoder) is the gold standard, and 256 is transparent to me with 128 being good enough for most people to never notice artifacting. I suspect people just aren't turning up their audio quality on whatever streaming service and just leaving it on the default shitty one. I once drove with somebody who always used Spotify's lowest quality -- _manually selected_ by him. It was torture, and all he said was "I'm used to it"... Anyways, point being iPhones do AAC and do it well, but Android does have other advantages in the form of SBC XQ, AptX, AptX HD, and LDAC. However, I don't think AptX is something most people will notice, and the iPhone's AAC encoder is better on every level than the Android one. IMO, AptX/HD and LDAC are actually crutches that help deal with how fucked up Android's encoders can be at times - I had a phone once that would literally never turn up the SBC quality past like, the lowest number it would go and I thought my headphones were broken until I connected them to a laptop and they sounded fine. Same phone, once I figured out the issue was with SBC-only headphones, would never give out a high-quality AAC encode and I could always hear some of the top-end missing. It was so bad it made me move to iPhone, and it sounded great especially with Apple Music, but I missed my insane tinkering and so I moved back to a Pixel. It works fine, no audio quality issues, and I have more money nowadays so I buy LDAC and AptX HD compatible headphones only. But especially LDAC because dat ANC. Idk why but encoders have always fascinated me - I really wish more new devices supported opus OOTB because opus is _insane_ when it comes to filesize vs. quality. 64k opus files literally sound better than 128k mp3 files.

[@theservant4294]

I have had mine on my car since 110k and now on 260k and still runs and connects like its new 2g rams too

[@An_Engineers_Approach]

In the same boat with no data plan. Offline maps have been super useful... Good video

[@FanatikBuilds]

Thanks man, appreciate it! 😊👊

[@juniorminaya2851]

check the settings.theres an option to remove that noise when nothing is playing..i hate the lag that apple carplay has.its about 2 seconds.

[@SciFly7]

How is the stock music player ? Does it read music files in proper alphabetical order and list by music category? Artist/Song/Album ? Does it display original car info from the Canbus system ?

[@leandroxbl1]

Teyes CC3 has by far the best design and features on the market. Got one on my ASX

[@leecampbell9498]

Android as an OS is open source yes. But, when it comes to carplay they are not paying licensing fees and are not necessarily verified compatible. Android Auto is open source, but there are reasons that have to do with verification of the units compatibility with the latest Android Auto software. These cheap radios also don't usually have licensed Bluetooth chips etsy either

[@alexanderpsaras5663]

I had that issue on with noise on silent with my unit there it an antenna wire on the back of that if you wrap with aluminum tape will make it stop

[@slow_lml3683]

I saw moog on Spotify. First time I’ve seen him other than mcm. A man of class, I see.

[@FanatikBuilds]

✌️✌️

[@benjaminbeebe9182]

I like your style, felt almost a little too commercial like, but still had your honesty. I’d love some more videos on the WRX!

[@FanatikBuilds]

Ah dang, was trying to avoid that… sorry if it came across that way. Was working on the script for way too long and had to just call it done! Thanks, I did a lot of work on it last fall after dad’s stroke, so maybe some of that will find its way on here at a point! 💪👊

[@xozindustries7451]

Thanks for the review, I’ve been looking for one of those for my wife’s outback

[@FanatikBuilds]

Cool! So far so good with it, but do keep an eye on that pinned comment as I’ll let you know if anything goes awry… long term reliability seems to be these things Achilles ✌️

[@ivanuremovic1199]

I got one of those 7" android radios from Aliexpress for my Astra J GTC. I mean, it works but it has a bunch of problems. Radio stays on for 2 minutes after I take the key out of ignition, both of the USB ports just don't work, and bunch of the options are just locked. Even switch to turn off bluetooth is missing so I can't change any of the bluetooth settings in developer options. And yeah, bluetooth volume is lower than FM one, plus it starts to crackle on max. volume. Good thing is that seller is sending another unit to me, since he thinks that this one is faulty.

[@Chris.Davies]

DMX-2050S thoroughly recommended - but only if you have the stereo controls on your steering wheel

[@jonkeefer6865]

i just ordered a seicane or my kids 2012 fusion. his sync bluetooth model keeps failing, and this new radio was cheaper than a sync module. i like that its plug and play, and now he can use android auto. my only conxern is the sound, as the fusion has the sony system with 10 speakers and 2 amps. not sure if the harness included will account for all that, or if i'll just get blase sounds from the 4 door speakers. we'll see.

[@MrRon100203]

I have a similar Chinese made headunit with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. It has LTE sim card slot as well. It works fine as a standalone android head unit.

[@VIPULKAM1]

@MrRon100203 brand name please

[@Doviruses.existbaileyonodysee]

Can you put in the extra cable with a battery to make this device a 24hr monitor?

[@ridge69]

Easy my rear end. Still looking for the 10mm to remove battery cable

[@RIPPER334]

I bought one of these units 2 years ago... Got the kit to install it in my Jeep. Cut my dash to make it... It was trash. Literally stopped working 4 months after I bought it. People that buy cheap junk, because it's cheap, get exactly what they paid for ...junk. ...and I'm an educated expert on it, cause I bought it also.

[@norbertrivera]

Nice just want to know if there's an option bezel for my Subaru WRX 2002 for a big radio like your?

[@hendrikkleyn8571]

I've driven a new i30 and the issue where Android Auto / Apple Carplay disconnecting intermittently happened as well. I think it's an issue with the bluetooth throughput as I was navigating while listening to HQ Spotify music.

[@ethanlittle776]

These don’t turn off! You have to wire the permanent power off the ignition or it’ll kill your battery. They just sim the screen rather than turning off. I think it’s so it boots faster. I just fitted this exact one after upgrading from a double sim CarPlay unit. It’s good but the car play app it uses isn’t the best. Because it’s through the app most of the time it doesn’t connect. The GPS uses basic offline maps and doesn’t always know where you are. Good quality and at £59 here in the UK why not. Fast and snappy and the large screen makes the reverse camera so clear.

[@raychayyc]

1. Even with a 4G sim inside, connection is slow & intermittent. 2. Need to reboot unit sometimes for radio to unmute. 3. Need to update Google maps every time there's a update for it to work. 4. Android Auto doesn't work anymore.

[@MidnightPodcast]

This one is much better than the A version of the model. With all of the eye sores that you will never use on the side and the hard buttons below the screen.

[@dogbear140]

5:56 i bought and android radio like this and the steering wheel control never worked

[@E-ZE-DUZIT]

Is there a android screen for my Lexus 2003 GS430 that has a navigation screen that controls everything, including climate?

[@DaRougaroux1]

I paid $130 for mine on ebay. Is it the best, no. Does it work, hell yeah it does. Made my 2010 Tacoma look like a 2020, in the cab at least. It was plug and play and works. Mine has never NOT connected to bluetooth, to hotspot or anything else. IM happy with it.

[@Chunkywolf]

I've used 3 of these units(a Linkswell gen4, Mekede m300, and an Atoto s8pro gen1). All of them seem to have the same 4 problems. 1: Bad microphone quality/consistancy. Sometimes the microphone quality is horrible in bluetooth, and sometimes in android auto(do not have an iphone to test with). 2: Day/night mode for maps on android auto is broken. It works fine on a factory carplay unit, or a Roadtop Mercedes adapter on the same phones, but not on the android head units. every time I drive at night, i need to reset night mode. 3: the outputs are laughable. Most of the speaker outputs are listed with the wattage of the amp chip's 2ohm max rating as the 4ohm rms rating. Expect 21-29wrms @4ohm out of any of these regardless of the product specs. The RCA preouts aren't any better, and normally are in the 1vrms or less range. 4: The dsp settings are inconsistant. Sometimes they load, sometimes they don't and you'll have full range output with no settings applied.

[@mihaivasai4919]

Hi just came by your video and since you have already the unit i will tell you this. I have mine from teyes and for the noise you have in the speakers they sell a filter that you connect to your harness. second the teyes unit i would say is miles better but also i guess 2x the price even if it has the same look.

[@hermanjohnsen3653]

bought a Ainavi H6 for my car. looks really good and works great. looks just like the seicane, but has smoother and better looking software.

[@RudyWarman]

I've just got a teyes cc3. Hoping it works out and hopefully saved myself some money from the more expensive named brands

[@FanatikBuilds]

Nice! The performance and reliability so far has been perfectly fine for me, so hopefully it lasts. Long term use seems to bring out the issues... fingers crossed for us both! 🤞

[@RTURNERO]

For the noise over bluetooth, you probably need a ground loop isolator.

[@dirtydieselguy]

Genius. I was going to use a 7 inch android tablet for the dash in my Model S LS swap, but an android radio with Google play is 100x better. I'm using Torque Pro to display the Gen 4 LS ECM data. Thanks

[@FanatikBuilds]

It should work pretty well for that! Seicane, Joying, Atoto and iDoing all seem to be the more reliable brands fyi 👍✌️ cheers man!

[@KamotoSam]

Wait are you putting a LS into a Model S!? that's dope af and probably very very difficult

[@-whackd]

Can you explain why it's better, other than costing more than using an old phablet or phone?

[@sangkang6294]

Today's car have radio unit that's specific to the vin number for locking down the hardware so it's not so easy to just replace it at your whim. You really ought to do some research as to what you can replace it with. On the side note, the steering wheel control is where your going to get the most trouble as not many units support that feature. Might even be worth getting a third party steering interface.

[@jimmiller7386]

I picked up a radio like this for a ford ranger, but can't find an install kit for it. 😒😒

[@thedamntrain8700]

I've been looking into these for several months. I have a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport that doesn't offer any android auto/apple car play functionality. It has a big 2 din factory head unit with the touchscreen, but it is relatively dumb. I wanted to change it to an android head unit, but there are some reasons why I didn't do that and don't recommend doing that: 1. My car comes with a rear camera from the factory. It really helps me to park my car, and I don't want to lose this function (I have already paid for it at the dealer. What is the point of paying for that again?) When you're buying such a headunit, you won't be able to keep your factory camera. You'll have to remove the factory camera and put the new camera. Basically, you'll have to disassemble everything inside your car in order to replace all the wires. That means you'll need to find someone competent in this and pay him money for that. It's not cool. 2. My car comes with a Rockford fosgate amplifier, and I really like how it sounds. I have found some people on the internet who replaced their factory headunit with the android one, and they were complaining that it sounds awful despite they've connected it to their amplifier. 3. Some people complain that some buttons aren't working anymore. That's not a big issue for me, but I don't want to break something that works. 4. And here is the main reason. This is basically an android tablet and not the best one. Let's start with the models that have a sim slot in it. That's the most stupid thing in the car. You always have your phone in your pocket, which is already connected to your unit. If you want to use the internet, then just enable hotspot on your mobile device. Paying for another data plan in your car doesn't look really smart to me. These tablets come with very specific chinese processors. And they are really bad. Just imagine why they are using noname processors only for android headunits and why they don't use Mediatek or Qualcomm? You can buy a 100-150$ device that will come with a power efficient and powerful enough for day to day tasks. So, they aren't doing this to make them cheaper to sell. These processors are cheap to produce and have low quality control, which eventually will result in overheating and make your head unit unresponsive. But that's only a part of the problem. Probably, as your car could give as much power as these processors need and it could cool it down, that won't be an issue for you. But what will become an issue is the memory. 2gb of ram and 32 gb storage is the minimum. But it's the minimum for now. Year after year, android apps become heavier, which means that in two years, you won't be able to install all the apps you need, or they will be outdated and unsupported. But even if you bought a model which has a lot of memory it won't last for two long. They are using cheap memory, which have a low number of read/write cycles. When this resource is going to run out, you'll notice how slow everything is, and apps are constantly crashing. Of course, it won't happen immediately . It would probably happen in 4-5 years. But it will happen sooner or later. 5. You won't need most of the regular android apps if you aren't sitting in the car for the whole day. You won't be watching KZbin/Netflix/Hulu on the go, and probably you won't use obd2 monitoring apps. Everything that is important on the go I can see at my dashboard. Everything else I can check when I am at the parking lot or at the service station. What you'll really need is a navigation app, some music provider, and voice control. There is a high probability that these head units won't have decent google assistant integration. You can get every of these just by using android auto/apple car play, which uses only your touchscreen and microphone. 6. You won't get any software updates. Nor security patches nor major system updates. That will become a huge issue in the long term. So, you may ask what alternatives you should consider instead of buying such a unit? 1. If you really want an Android tablet in your car, just find any android tablet on Amazon that suits your use cases and buy a mount for it or do it by yourself. To use your car stereo, you can use an fm transmitter or aux cable. This solution has its disadvantages. Your tablet will always stay on charge, which isn't good for a battery. It may be impossible to answer your phone calls from a tablet (it is possible on some Samsung tablets if you have a Samsung phone, but this case isn't very common). Also, some very bad people may want to steal it from your car, and you'll have to hide it or take it with you every time you leave your car. But advantages are straightforward. You can have a really good device which is possible to use for any purpose when you aren't in your car. You can easily replace it when it becomes broken or obsolete, and software updates are also there. You may even use an iPad if you want. 2. If you need only carplay/android auto, you may find chinese portable media screens with carplay/android auto/screen mirroring interesting. They are much cheaper than android head units, easy to install, easy to use, and you'll get the best screen mirroring experience. I've chosen this variant and I am very happy about it.

[@SunArau]

I have Subaru 2012 forester and my andoid headunit works with factory rear camera, wheel buttons. And heck, half of problems in this video are not even there like audio thing or lag. Using it for more then a year. Well, to be completely honest. My previous car ( Volvo S80, 2000 year ) also had replaced headunit and well, it wasnt as good, I would even say closer to bad. Which basically means, its " hit or miss " situation on top of 150-200 euro price tag.

[@thedamntrain8700]

@@SunArau glad to hear that it really works for someone.

[@SunArau]

@@thedamntrain8700 yeah, its a total gamble. You can even buy two from same seller and have different results. Also all the wiring are not even slightly user friendly. 😅

[@tigeroats913]

i love those after market head units a lot but i always find them really laggy and slow for some reason it is like the screen refreshes at 30hz or something

[@106adamm]

Shit specs and/or shit display - pay the money and you'll get both

[@jimpowell9205]

Ok! The nav quit, on my 2011 Buick enclave. Now is a good time to update. What do you recommend?

[@No-timeforimbeciles]

.We have 2.7 biturbo Peugeot 407sw, installed head unit 3 years ago, it is great, never had any problems, fits where old unit used to be, looks like it was from the factory, no ugly stick out pieces. All plugs fitted into cars original wiring,works with All the buttons on steering wheel,400 euros well spent😊

[@lucasbuchanan6939]

Thank you for this video. I wonder if your system noise issue would abate if you change your ground wire terminal and also its location onto a more dense piece of metal inside the dash. I had a similar issue with a car some years ago that improved when I earthed it better.

[@JoshFKDigital]

Jimny's in Australia are coming with this almost exact same unit except it isn't running Android, instead a Suzuki made custom OS (also minus Wireless AA & Carplay) I bet they are the lower spec model of this and do run pretty slow, also looks like lower than 720p resolution when running Android Auto

[@georged1085]

I ordered one of these off eBay. The brand is asure and looks like the same one. I’m putting it in my f150 hopefully it works good!

[@Maybe-You-Know-Me-Not]

Before the tablet phase I upgraded to touch on my RAV4 it was a big improvement from dials. The unit was bought as a mixture of features and low price. I used the no-name product for 5 years no problems it still works 8 years later but is quirky it was roughly the same price as the original. Perfect fit and plug and play. Replacing features would be a fail for most but adding is a great benefit. Now I have up the distraction, all music is overrated. Don’t need the map cuz I live in Alaskaso it is basically a cool show when you start the car.

[@israrkabir5356]

Hi did you have to do anything to get Siri to launch via your steering wheel? Mine just launches whatever app I map to it, doesn’t recognize the long press. Also how is the call quality? PSA: for those who have the hissing sound and/or volume level that’s way too high. Your sound is being double amplified, you need a $10 Amazon solution: Scosche Oea4 4-Channel Adjustable Factory Amplifier Interface This gets wired in between radio and factory harness mating plug. Solves the problem 100%.

[@AaravMudliar]

Love your videos bro! One question...do u think installing a sub is easier to do on stock stereo or the android headunit... btw I have a pajero with factory Rockford sound system

[@FanatikBuilds]

It depends on the exact setup! ... Aftermarket stereos should give you a Subwoofer RCA output, so that makes things pretty easy. But if you're just looking to add a Sub to your OEM system, you'll be best off getting a powered sub that taps into one of the rear speaker high level inputs. Keep in mind when moving from an upgraded factory sound system though (Rockford), the OEM amplifier won't work with the aftermarket stereo. You'll probably end up needing to replace the amp and do some rewiring I'm afraid... Best to look into some forums for your car and see what others are doing! Good luck! ✌️👍

[@brankoradicevic645]

How can i turn the KZbin warning off. I can't get into it at all

[@MatthaeusCaesar]

Just got the new Mekede M6 pro plus (2023)! I'll let you guys know how it goes. Worth a try. It's even higher resolution than the one in this video - and has no ugly buttons on the left-hand side ❤Costs about $400. The company seems high quality - might be the luxury some are looking for

[@mazsax999]

Dying to know how this went!!!

[@tiadaid]

The Seicane unit looks to be the generic Allwinner K2501 unit. I bought one that looks exactly like it, branded as a Lenovo unit and I have used it since 2021 and it's quite reliable, to be honest.

[@Tysxno]

I did this with my car a few years ago, and had the perfect launcher that suits my car, but been looking at other ones with different launchers and it’s just so hard to find one with a someone decent launcher that looks like it’s made for a car and not a tablet The worst thing, is the time these take to boot.