2001 BMW X5 stereo advice please
Discussion
Hi
Just got myself a lovely 2001 BMW X5 and the current stereo is broken
So I want to replace it with a satnav/dvd unit like this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-5-Series-E39-E53-X5-...
item number incase link dont work: 271422701471
Ive heard that the stereo space on an X5 wont take a double din unit? and that there is some radio gubbings in the boot?
Advice please
Just got myself a lovely 2001 BMW X5 and the current stereo is broken
So I want to replace it with a satnav/dvd unit like this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-5-Series-E39-E53-X5-...
item number incase link dont work: 271422701471
Ive heard that the stereo space on an X5 wont take a double din unit? and that there is some radio gubbings in the boot?
Advice please
Hi,
It's up to you if you wish to take the 'gamble' on one of those cheap Chinese all in one replacement head units. You 'might' get one that works out of the box and crucially, over time, continues to work, or, you 'might' (read most likely!) get one with 'issues' and problems.
There's plenty of discussion on chinese replacement head unit's for these E53 X5, E39 5 series, E46 3 series era cars 1996-2006 on all the various BMW forums.
Similarly, the audio setup for these cars has been discussed multiple thousands of times on all forums as well - do have a search around.
In short, if you have the oem satnav setup, then the GPS computer, amplifier/tuner, tv tuner, all live in the rear of the car and it's 'just' a monitor in your dash. With some modifications to the air box in the dash area, a traditional depth double DIN head unit can be made to fit.
Take a look at the Parrot Asteroid Smart, it's the only fully featured, touchscreen, shallow depth (so you don't have to spend money modifying the air box) double DIN head unit on the market. There's no disk mechanism internally, so it's about 10cm or so in depth.
I have one in my E39 and very very satisfied with it !
Cheers, Dennis!
It's up to you if you wish to take the 'gamble' on one of those cheap Chinese all in one replacement head units. You 'might' get one that works out of the box and crucially, over time, continues to work, or, you 'might' (read most likely!) get one with 'issues' and problems.
There's plenty of discussion on chinese replacement head unit's for these E53 X5, E39 5 series, E46 3 series era cars 1996-2006 on all the various BMW forums.
Similarly, the audio setup for these cars has been discussed multiple thousands of times on all forums as well - do have a search around.
In short, if you have the oem satnav setup, then the GPS computer, amplifier/tuner, tv tuner, all live in the rear of the car and it's 'just' a monitor in your dash. With some modifications to the air box in the dash area, a traditional depth double DIN head unit can be made to fit.
Take a look at the Parrot Asteroid Smart, it's the only fully featured, touchscreen, shallow depth (so you don't have to spend money modifying the air box) double DIN head unit on the market. There's no disk mechanism internally, so it's about 10cm or so in depth.
I have one in my E39 and very very satisfied with it !
Cheers, Dennis!
Hi,
I'm going to jump onto the topic since it's nearly identical to what I was about to post.
Picking up my 2001 X5 tomorrow and was thinking about an Eonon D5166. I've spoken to a couple of audio guys who have pretty much repeated the comments from above.
The thing is, if the unit does work, it does everything. I can't afford to put £1000 worth of gear into my £4000 car at the moment certainly.
So my question is - can anyone share first hand experiences with Eonon kit, and can anyone else make suggestions for an alternative? I'm after navigation and bluetooth call/MP3 integration as a requirement, anything else past an analogue radio is a bonus.
New poster, back to BMW after 10 years out in the cold (Volvo/Renault and lots of whinging).
Appreciate any feedback.
Edit : I did see the Asteroid Smart, so that's on my list. Does that fit without alteration to the dash?
I'm going to jump onto the topic since it's nearly identical to what I was about to post.
Picking up my 2001 X5 tomorrow and was thinking about an Eonon D5166. I've spoken to a couple of audio guys who have pretty much repeated the comments from above.
The thing is, if the unit does work, it does everything. I can't afford to put £1000 worth of gear into my £4000 car at the moment certainly.
So my question is - can anyone share first hand experiences with Eonon kit, and can anyone else make suggestions for an alternative? I'm after navigation and bluetooth call/MP3 integration as a requirement, anything else past an analogue radio is a bonus.
New poster, back to BMW after 10 years out in the cold (Volvo/Renault and lots of whinging).
Appreciate any feedback.
Edit : I did see the Asteroid Smart, so that's on my list. Does that fit without alteration to the dash?
Edited by bonisagus on Friday 29th August 10:54
i have the 3.0l petrol and im very happy with it
Right so its not a simple job...
could I not just replace the single din type with a foldy outy by magic screen (like the faulty pioneer unit thats in it now)
how do i remove the old one?
so what would you reccomend if i said i wanted:
-Sat Nav
-DVD
-connectivity to screens in the back (with function to have dvd in back and sat nav up front at the same time)
-blue tooth connectivity to my iphone
-not stupid expensive (perhaps a really good used unit?)
Right so its not a simple job...
could I not just replace the single din type with a foldy outy by magic screen (like the faulty pioneer unit thats in it now)
how do i remove the old one?
so what would you reccomend if i said i wanted:
-Sat Nav
-DVD
-connectivity to screens in the back (with function to have dvd in back and sat nav up front at the same time)
-blue tooth connectivity to my iphone
-not stupid expensive (perhaps a really good used unit?)
I fitted the Eonon D5124F in our 2001 E39 530i touring. (Same unit fits X5)
Cons are: Import duty. Rubbish radio reception. Problems with music volume control when using the NAVI. Unusable CD player (won’t seem to play any CDs). The USB / memory cards don’t work playing AAC audio files. Sound when connecting IPhone though blue tooth to play music is rubbish.
Pros are: Looks good / like OE. Very good DVD player (odd seeing as it won’t play audio CDs!) has rear screen out puts (though I’ve not tried them). The reversing camera works very well, if you buy one to go with it. IPhone when connected with the wire works well & you can skip tracks with the buttons on the steering wheel (the track name gets a bit confused with a 4s but is better with a 3Gs).
The sat nav part is ok, but does seem to take you on some odd routes. It has a feature that you can only control the volume of the screen you have on display so if you have the NAVI on you can only adjust that volume, BUT on long journeys it seems to get locked to the NAVI so even when you switch back the iPhone screen you’re still adjusting the NAVI volume, a right pain when you come off the motorway & need to turn the music down to concentrate on finding your destination (that’s when you realise the speed dependent volume control of the OE unit is very much missing on this!) Turing the whole thing off for a bit seems to work but that’s the last thing you want to do when you’re depending on the NAVI to keep you right!
We’ve now taken to using waze on the iPhone for sat nav duties & letting the kids watch DVDs it works well then. We do keep the NAVI running in the back ground if we’re heading somewhere that 3g coverage is bad & the iPhone loses signal.
The radio reception issue isn’t really totally the fault of the unit, it seems a lot of people have problems with any aftermarket head unit. Ours had some fancy BMW aerial system (I forget the name) that switched between the different aerials in the different windows to get the best signal al all times, it needs the standard BMW head unit to work. I fitted a non-switching aerial amp from a 3 series touring that got the radio working a bit but you still can’t use it. I tried fitting different Sony head units that work fine in other cars & the reception was still rubbish with them. I’m going to try fitting an aftermarket shark fin aerial to the roof, sometime soon.
If you just want NAVI in your dash, don’t bother with it. Get one of the iPhone interfaces for the standard unit & used that (if you’ve not got one, get one)
If you want to play DVDs in the dash & or use your iPhone (or play MP3s from memory card & sticks) & aren’t too bothered about radio & good satnav get it.
Edit-
The Bluetooth phone part for phone calls works ok, but the standard mic in the unit isn't very good, there is a connection for an external mic though. Also it can't down load your phone book to the unit if it has over something like 50 people in it, which is frankly useless I don’t know anyone who has less than 50 contacts in there phone! So to make a call you have to either type the number into the units screen or use your phones screen. If you just want to received calls on the move it’s ok.
The problem with it is the more things you get it doing the more odd things it does, I think it just hasn’t really got the processing power to support all its functions. Just leave it playing a DVD & its fine.
Cons are: Import duty. Rubbish radio reception. Problems with music volume control when using the NAVI. Unusable CD player (won’t seem to play any CDs). The USB / memory cards don’t work playing AAC audio files. Sound when connecting IPhone though blue tooth to play music is rubbish.
Pros are: Looks good / like OE. Very good DVD player (odd seeing as it won’t play audio CDs!) has rear screen out puts (though I’ve not tried them). The reversing camera works very well, if you buy one to go with it. IPhone when connected with the wire works well & you can skip tracks with the buttons on the steering wheel (the track name gets a bit confused with a 4s but is better with a 3Gs).
The sat nav part is ok, but does seem to take you on some odd routes. It has a feature that you can only control the volume of the screen you have on display so if you have the NAVI on you can only adjust that volume, BUT on long journeys it seems to get locked to the NAVI so even when you switch back the iPhone screen you’re still adjusting the NAVI volume, a right pain when you come off the motorway & need to turn the music down to concentrate on finding your destination (that’s when you realise the speed dependent volume control of the OE unit is very much missing on this!) Turing the whole thing off for a bit seems to work but that’s the last thing you want to do when you’re depending on the NAVI to keep you right!
We’ve now taken to using waze on the iPhone for sat nav duties & letting the kids watch DVDs it works well then. We do keep the NAVI running in the back ground if we’re heading somewhere that 3g coverage is bad & the iPhone loses signal.
The radio reception issue isn’t really totally the fault of the unit, it seems a lot of people have problems with any aftermarket head unit. Ours had some fancy BMW aerial system (I forget the name) that switched between the different aerials in the different windows to get the best signal al all times, it needs the standard BMW head unit to work. I fitted a non-switching aerial amp from a 3 series touring that got the radio working a bit but you still can’t use it. I tried fitting different Sony head units that work fine in other cars & the reception was still rubbish with them. I’m going to try fitting an aftermarket shark fin aerial to the roof, sometime soon.
If you just want NAVI in your dash, don’t bother with it. Get one of the iPhone interfaces for the standard unit & used that (if you’ve not got one, get one)
If you want to play DVDs in the dash & or use your iPhone (or play MP3s from memory card & sticks) & aren’t too bothered about radio & good satnav get it.
Edit-
The Bluetooth phone part for phone calls works ok, but the standard mic in the unit isn't very good, there is a connection for an external mic though. Also it can't down load your phone book to the unit if it has over something like 50 people in it, which is frankly useless I don’t know anyone who has less than 50 contacts in there phone! So to make a call you have to either type the number into the units screen or use your phones screen. If you just want to received calls on the move it’s ok.
The problem with it is the more things you get it doing the more odd things it does, I think it just hasn’t really got the processing power to support all its functions. Just leave it playing a DVD & its fine.
Edited by Luckyone on Saturday 30th August 15:55
Thanks for the very informative reply
Im assuming that the thing I posted is a cheap chinese version of the eonon?
Done a bit more searching on ebay and found this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-Stereo-9753CU-Android...
Says its an android...
£300 is really the max I wanna spend and I do not want to order from china as if it does go wrong then returning it will be a pain
Im assuming that the thing I posted is a cheap chinese version of the eonon?
Done a bit more searching on ebay and found this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-Stereo-9753CU-Android...
Says its an android...
£300 is really the max I wanna spend and I do not want to order from china as if it does go wrong then returning it will be a pain
Meathead316 said:
Thanks for the very informative reply
Im assuming that the thing I posted is a cheap chinese version of the eonon?
Done a bit more searching on ebay and found this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-Stereo-9753CU-Android...
Says its an android...
£300 is really the max I wanna spend and I do not want to order from china as if it does go wrong then returning it will be a pain
I'm not sure where the first one you posted came from, but my eonon came from china, I think they all do. That new one you've found looks quite good & as you said buying from the UK is a very good idea, I'd got to the point where I really wanted to return mine, but the import duty was over £80 & I'd have lost it + it seems you have to pay it when you return it too so I didn't bother. There is some info on that & my more detailed write up on the aerial here. I don't know if the X5 has the same arrangement, but it quite likely. Im assuming that the thing I posted is a cheap chinese version of the eonon?
Done a bit more searching on ebay and found this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-Stereo-9753CU-Android...
Says its an android...
£300 is really the max I wanna spend and I do not want to order from china as if it does go wrong then returning it will be a pain
It seems there is a much larger range now than when I was looking about a year ago, hopefully the newer ones are better.
If you get that & find it works well let me know!
As has been said before by other poster above, the cheap ones fall into the "get what you pay for category"
I too bought on from a uk seller on ebay with 2 years rib warranty & on the whole I would say it is £300 worth of kit.
The radio reception is cr@p, but I don't use the radio anyway.
It only has a single CD, rather than the on board 6 x unit.
It is a bit dim-witted & always returns to TV on start up, which I do not have.
The reversing camera is handy but of only average quality.
Mine is on an e39 but is the same figment, you will need to return the connectors to standard prior to fitting one & if you get the correct one for the car & connectors the job is pretty simple to do. The place I got mine from did do an installation service too.
I too bought on from a uk seller on ebay with 2 years rib warranty & on the whole I would say it is £300 worth of kit.
The radio reception is cr@p, but I don't use the radio anyway.
It only has a single CD, rather than the on board 6 x unit.
It is a bit dim-witted & always returns to TV on start up, which I do not have.
The reversing camera is handy but of only average quality.
Mine is on an e39 but is the same figment, you will need to return the connectors to standard prior to fitting one & if you get the correct one for the car & connectors the job is pretty simple to do. The place I got mine from did do an installation service too.
Meathead316 said:
"return the connectors to standard"
How???
Buy a fitting kit from here, or pay someone elseHow???
http://www.nexxia.co.uk/products.asp?s=Car%20Stere...
They're really good, competitive price and fast delivery. The wiring connevrter they will sell you converts from the BMW plugs in your picture to the ISO standard which is what you need to convert your wiring loom to plug into any aftermarket head unit.
Meathead316 said:
what are the two connectors in my photo?
If I remember right from my E39 the yellow one is the steering wheel control and the blue is part of the main audio connection block. You're "missing" at least one if not two others I think but they are probably stuffed in the space at the back of the head unit, below the air box.Meathead316 said:
why is the radio reception rubbish? It works fine in my non factory fitted (although mostly not working) pioneer unit...
Most likely either a poor aerial connection (the E39 has a non ISO standard aerial termination so force fitting an ISO plug into OEM head unit won't work) or a bad earth in the aerial somewhere.Right pulled out more wires as suggested:
My thumb is touching a big plug (actually two rectangular one grey one black plugs) that are connected to the blue plug in my previous pic. So is this some sort of adapter?
Speaking of, i checked the link with adapters in and couldnt find an X5 one....
The stereo im after is this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141337086587
In the 6 pics it shows what connections it has and what cables come with it (details on what they are if you scroll down listing)
Basically what I wanna know is will that stereo fit with whats in my dash?
My thumb is touching a big plug (actually two rectangular one grey one black plugs) that are connected to the blue plug in my previous pic. So is this some sort of adapter?
Speaking of, i checked the link with adapters in and couldnt find an X5 one....
The stereo im after is this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/141337086587
In the 6 pics it shows what connections it has and what cables come with it (details on what they are if you scroll down listing)
Basically what I wanna know is will that stereo fit with whats in my dash?
From this and your earlier picture it looks like a replacement unit has already been fitted.
It does look like youve got some form of conversion lead fitted, but I am not sure what the blue box is.
The ebay unit you have linked to has a very bad reputation, personnaly I wouldnt touch one but YMMV.
It does look like youve got some form of conversion lead fitted, but I am not sure what the blue box is.
The ebay unit you have linked to has a very bad reputation, personnaly I wouldnt touch one but YMMV.
Hi,
Have a look around some other BMW forums, eonon have quite a poor track record when it comes to their site sponsorship and group buy deals, as well as of course their unit's being very hit and miss in terms of working, not working, sort of working and of course not working very well. They've been banned and kicked off from at least two forums including a UK based one, and currently, they do sponsor a USA site and their 'group buy' thread quickly turns into bit of a train wreck. Buyer beware! on the other hand, 'SOME' people have an eonon and report they're happy with it, so as I say, its up to you if you wish to take the gamble. Keep in mind, these 'cheap' chinese replacement units are made using the cheapest, generic electronics available, quality assurance at whatever factory that makes them isn't high on the priority list and it's the reason why there's so many potential issues/failures.
The other cheaper chinese units on ebay are all from China, some 'claim' to have a UK warehouse, but when you look at contact details, its always a china address. Buyer Beware again!
The 'ONLY' safe choices for a Chinese replacement head unit in the UK is the Andrive - http://andrive.co.uk/ or the Dynavin N6 from one of the UK ebay sellers (do a ebay search for 'Dynavin N6'. In case of issues, you have a UK company and person to speak to on the phone, email and they have UK addresses. Flipside is that they're up at the £550-600 level. The Andrive does have some better internal components and build quality as the UK guys are in touch with their chinese counterparts, and the new N6 Dynavin is claiming Burr Brown DAC's in their sales pitch. Whether or not the rest of the internals are suitably upgraded/use better quality parts remains unknown currently.
When it comes to fitting, there's plenty of guides on the web for those who've fitted in an X5 or E39 or E46, and essentially the fundamentals are the same. Do research around to get more information. Most 'reputable' and specialist car audio installers well known for dealing in premium brand products won't want to install one of these chinese units due to their high potential of failing, going wrong and not working properly down the line. You'll need to call around various car electronics/electrical installers in your area to see if they'll fit for you if DIY is not your thing.
Cheers, Dennis!
Have a look around some other BMW forums, eonon have quite a poor track record when it comes to their site sponsorship and group buy deals, as well as of course their unit's being very hit and miss in terms of working, not working, sort of working and of course not working very well. They've been banned and kicked off from at least two forums including a UK based one, and currently, they do sponsor a USA site and their 'group buy' thread quickly turns into bit of a train wreck. Buyer beware! on the other hand, 'SOME' people have an eonon and report they're happy with it, so as I say, its up to you if you wish to take the gamble. Keep in mind, these 'cheap' chinese replacement units are made using the cheapest, generic electronics available, quality assurance at whatever factory that makes them isn't high on the priority list and it's the reason why there's so many potential issues/failures.
The other cheaper chinese units on ebay are all from China, some 'claim' to have a UK warehouse, but when you look at contact details, its always a china address. Buyer Beware again!
The 'ONLY' safe choices for a Chinese replacement head unit in the UK is the Andrive - http://andrive.co.uk/ or the Dynavin N6 from one of the UK ebay sellers (do a ebay search for 'Dynavin N6'. In case of issues, you have a UK company and person to speak to on the phone, email and they have UK addresses. Flipside is that they're up at the £550-600 level. The Andrive does have some better internal components and build quality as the UK guys are in touch with their chinese counterparts, and the new N6 Dynavin is claiming Burr Brown DAC's in their sales pitch. Whether or not the rest of the internals are suitably upgraded/use better quality parts remains unknown currently.
When it comes to fitting, there's plenty of guides on the web for those who've fitted in an X5 or E39 or E46, and essentially the fundamentals are the same. Do research around to get more information. Most 'reputable' and specialist car audio installers well known for dealing in premium brand products won't want to install one of these chinese units due to their high potential of failing, going wrong and not working properly down the line. You'll need to call around various car electronics/electrical installers in your area to see if they'll fit for you if DIY is not your thing.
Cheers, Dennis!
Thank you Dennis for the very informative post. I will be steering clear of a chinese made unit and shelling out double for something that should actually work!
Now I have my eyes set on a Dynavin D99 like this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dynavin-N6-E53-Navigatio...
£600 O_O buts its perfect! Will it just plug straight in?
Done a bit more searching and found "The same unit":
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dynavin-D99-BMW-E39-E53-...
£350 from the USA (Will i have to pay any import taxes???)
How is the second one so cheap, is it the same thing, or just a cheap knock off?
As for DIYing it, i plan on installing it myself, at present I dont know how to do it (hence all the questions) but with some guidance from you guys and whatever I can find on the interwebs I'm sure I can do it!
Now I have my eyes set on a Dynavin D99 like this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dynavin-N6-E53-Navigatio...
£600 O_O buts its perfect! Will it just plug straight in?
Done a bit more searching and found "The same unit":
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dynavin-D99-BMW-E39-E53-...
£350 from the USA (Will i have to pay any import taxes???)
How is the second one so cheap, is it the same thing, or just a cheap knock off?
As for DIYing it, i plan on installing it myself, at present I dont know how to do it (hence all the questions) but with some guidance from you guys and whatever I can find on the interwebs I'm sure I can do it!
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