Replace factory HU or replace w/ DD?
Replace factory HU or replace w/ DD?
So recently my radio took a crap on me and doesn't play any sound at all 
. I have an '04 6mt w/ Bose & no navi.
A couple questions...
1). should I try to replace the factory unit with the risk of it happening again or go with a Double-DIN unit?
2). Any ideas of what the cost associated with either choice would be?
3). Do you think it is just my HU or is my Bose amp bad too?
Anyone who has had a similar experience to mine, I would greatly appreciate some advice & insight on what to do in this crappy situation. Thanks!
. I have an '04 6mt w/ Bose & no navi. A couple questions...
1). should I try to replace the factory unit with the risk of it happening again or go with a Double-DIN unit?
2). Any ideas of what the cost associated with either choice would be?
3). Do you think it is just my HU or is my Bose amp bad too?
Anyone who has had a similar experience to mine, I would greatly appreciate some advice & insight on what to do in this crappy situation. Thanks!
What Troy here doesn't know is that I have spent about the last 3 days on this forum trying to find answers to these questions and haven't found what I am looking for. So if anyone has any useful information I would really appreciate the help. After all that's what these forums are for...right?? Thanks to everyone who contributes in a constructive manner!!
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i would replace it with a DD kit. i have read on here that some people that replace with stock have the same problems again farther down the road. my stock unit went and i replaced it. plus i noticed you said you dont have navi. so you can get a DD setup with navi!! cost is going to vary. i never looked up the price for a stock unit but seeing how it is a bose for an infiniti im guessing close to a grand new?? also if you go with a DD kit its about 200 or 300 for the installation kit depending on weather you go with the metra kit of the jdm kit. jdm is more expensive but the quality is better. and if you want to keep your steering wheel control you can buy a pac-swi contoller those run for around 50 bucks. price also varies with the new DD headunit depending on which one you want. for i decent one with navi its going to cost atleast 600 bucks. i would imagine your problem is just your headunit thats all mine was. my stock amp is fine.
I'm actually in the same position. My stock HU is gonna go soon. Its dropping out more and more frequently. I called the dealer and they said they offer refurbished HU's for about $370 Cdn plus shipping of $50. They get them from Clarion. Its warrantied for 1 year and of course if they install they guarantee the install as well. Labor is estimated at 2 hours. While I changed out my own suspension, I'm rather hesitant to mess with my audio stuff mainly because I don't have much experience with electrical stuff. Though thanks to the numerous DIY stickies here, I'm feeling fairly confident about pulling it off, maybe except soldering the DUAL zone AC button from one board to the other.
I have been trolling the audio section too and while everyone says that a DD unit is preferable, I'm a little undecided. I want the extra features such as proper ipod integration, BT for handsfree calling, and fancy touch screens but I'm also aware that I'll be a bigger theft target. This usually leads to the next upgrade of an aftermarket alarm. By the time the bill is all said and done, you're looking at probably $1000 for the stereo (i've included the cost of the JDM DD kit here) and maybe another $1000 for the alarm. Even at stealership pricing, I could be up and running for only $600 if I'm lazy and let them do the work, or under $400 if do the work myself. I imagine doing a straight swap would be pretty easy since you just take it apart, swap, replug connectors and reassemble. No new wiring to crimp or solder, and I don't even need to swap out my A/C controller board. Maybe I'm just too old and lazy.
Even harder is deciding which DD unit I'd get. I'm actually rather disappointed with the onscreen graphics of most of the decks I've personally seen at the big box stores. Most of them are cheesy and cheap looking. The text is often using a crappy font, or looks low resolution and pixelated. And pretty much every deck is compromise. Some have BT built in but then don't have a disc player built-in (like the Alpine's digital receivers), others like the Pioneers aren't bad but then they nickel and dime with a la carte modules. JVC's are good value but their interface is limited. A lot of them can read from USB sticks but anything bigger than a few gigs and they take over 1 minute to load up. Even ipod control sounds dodgey. Most of the head unit interfaces are such much worse than the ipod controls. And while some people rave about DVD playback quality, the demo unit I saw at Best Buy were pretty average and not much better than cheap portable DVD players from a Costco. Heck I think the video on my Iphone screen is much much better.
Sorry its late and I'm ranting now. I want to make a decision over the weekend myself. So I'm gonna research some more. I'm siding more and more to keeping it stock. While I think a replacement deck will die on me again, if it lasts as long as this one, I will have sold the car by then. All this looking around just makes me want to get a new G with Studio on Wheels. Its a nicely integrated system though it doesn't found as nice as the premium B&O stuff in Audi's.
I have been trolling the audio section too and while everyone says that a DD unit is preferable, I'm a little undecided. I want the extra features such as proper ipod integration, BT for handsfree calling, and fancy touch screens but I'm also aware that I'll be a bigger theft target. This usually leads to the next upgrade of an aftermarket alarm. By the time the bill is all said and done, you're looking at probably $1000 for the stereo (i've included the cost of the JDM DD kit here) and maybe another $1000 for the alarm. Even at stealership pricing, I could be up and running for only $600 if I'm lazy and let them do the work, or under $400 if do the work myself. I imagine doing a straight swap would be pretty easy since you just take it apart, swap, replug connectors and reassemble. No new wiring to crimp or solder, and I don't even need to swap out my A/C controller board. Maybe I'm just too old and lazy.
Even harder is deciding which DD unit I'd get. I'm actually rather disappointed with the onscreen graphics of most of the decks I've personally seen at the big box stores. Most of them are cheesy and cheap looking. The text is often using a crappy font, or looks low resolution and pixelated. And pretty much every deck is compromise. Some have BT built in but then don't have a disc player built-in (like the Alpine's digital receivers), others like the Pioneers aren't bad but then they nickel and dime with a la carte modules. JVC's are good value but their interface is limited. A lot of them can read from USB sticks but anything bigger than a few gigs and they take over 1 minute to load up. Even ipod control sounds dodgey. Most of the head unit interfaces are such much worse than the ipod controls. And while some people rave about DVD playback quality, the demo unit I saw at Best Buy were pretty average and not much better than cheap portable DVD players from a Costco. Heck I think the video on my Iphone screen is much much better.
Sorry its late and I'm ranting now. I want to make a decision over the weekend myself. So I'm gonna research some more. I'm siding more and more to keeping it stock. While I think a replacement deck will die on me again, if it lasts as long as this one, I will have sold the car by then. All this looking around just makes me want to get a new G with Studio on Wheels. Its a nicely integrated system though it doesn't found as nice as the premium B&O stuff in Audi's.
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