Things to think about before adding aftermarket A/V
Bill Howard, editor of TechnoRide, offers advice
on either installing a iPod adapter, DVD players, etc., or having such devices installed in your vehicle. He points out
that:- Installations mean squeaks and rattles. Exception: Yugos, Fiats, and any British car older than an American Idol candidate - fit and finish can only be improved here.
- Keep your lines short or keep it digital.
- Is that how you'll really use it? You don't want that navigation monitor to swing in front of your vents when it's 100 degrees Fahrenheit inside the car.
- Get the best techs possible on your side. The cliche, 'you get what you pay for' applies in accessory installations.
- Hard-wire your satellite console. Spend the extra cash on a tech to hide all that wiring.
- Check with Crutchfield. This is not an advertisement.
- Get the best audio-in quality. See 'Get the best tech...' above.
- Line-in is good, radio display is better.
- Replace the radio. Remember, though, you probably won't be wearing those thick winter gloves again.
[Source: TechnoRide]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
S 2:15PM (4/03/2006)
Why is this:
>Is that how you'll really use it? You don't want that
>navigation monitor to swing in front of your vents
>when it's 100 degrees Fahrenheit inside the car.
qualified with "Fahrenheit"? Might some people want a monitor to block the vents when it's 100 degress on some other scale?
100 Celsius, you definitely need A/C. 100 kelvin and you'd better have the heater on full blast...
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mike 2:54PM (4/03/2006)
biggest one - select the appropriate level of integration to maintain the best user interface. this is especially true with iPod integration.
one option for an iPod is to buy an expensive harness to adapt it to your factory CD-Changer port. integration = great, but interface = poor. you generally have to toss all your music into 6 playlists, and the adapter fools your factory head-unit into thinking they're 6 cd's in the changer. then you skip between hundreds and hundreds of tracks, without being able to see their names.
a second option is a cheap FM modulator. integration = not-as-great, interface = excellent. built-in iPod interface, but lacking fidelity from FM modulation.
best fit: cheaper custom harness that adapts audio-in to the changer port, but doesn't try to replace the UI of your iPod. integration = great, interface = excellent.
or, you're one of the lucky ducks who has a car new enough that their factory H-U has an "aux" input (or you purchased an aftermarket unit already equipped) then you're already good-to-go.
bottom line is that if the technology is not usable, you won't use it. or if you do, you won't get value out of it that makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts.
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phil 2:54PM (4/03/2006)
S congradulations. You win the award for the most insignificant comment.
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leather bear 4:13PM (4/03/2006)
Let's also not forget that aftermarket alterations to any late model vehicle's electrical system are apt to cause difficulties with the car dealer if said vehicle is brought in for warranty service somewhere else in the electrical system.
"Sorry Mr. Smith, but because of that fancy-schmancy AV unit that you had installed at _________________ (fill in blank with favorite electronics chain), the fact that the ________________ (fill in blank with randomly selected electrical componient) quit working is no longer covered by your new car warranty."
Even though a properly installed aftermarket head unit (and related accessories) is unlikely to cause other electrical gremlins to appear, you're now entangled in a pi$$ing match with your local dealer, running your grievance up the chain of command to get (or not get) the satisfaction you're due.
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x23 9:41PM (4/03/2006)
leather bear :
Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975
it is up to the dealer to prove fault.
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leather bear 10:35PM (4/03/2006)
x23:
Thanks! Magnuson-Moss is indeed valid, but I didn't go into that detail in my original post. I had to use MMWA myself against a dealer years ago when a minor electrical short was blamed on the H4 55w/60w Euro headlamp conversions I had installed a few months earlier (it was actually improperly routed air cond. wiring on the dealer-installed A/C system). After jumping through all the usual hoops (regional rep, district rep, etc.), I had to file in Small Claims before they finally caved. I just wanted to remind others that anyone with aftermarket mods should be prepared to be the squeaky wheel if a warranty denial occurs.
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