Hi All,
Want to try and get DAB in my Mk3. Has anyone else done this?
What options do people recommend that don’t cost the earth? Want to try and keep it under £150. Radio etc all standard at the moment.
Cheers,
Jimmy
Yes
I had mine fitted by Halfords:
Pondered for while…I find the standard Radio/ICE system in the 5 just a bit too basic
So…Decided to investigate an upgrade to a double din set up with DAB and hands Free Phone + USB /iPhone connectivity etc…
http://www.amazon.co…_=sr_1_6&sr=8-6
I talked to guy in my local Halfords…Yes…I said Halfords
He showed me their Kenwood system which I was immediately sold with…Just what I was looking for
He then did a search and found all the parts (Facia Kit/leads/DAB aerial) needed to fit it £55… ish + £30 to fit
I ordered the kit and awaited them ringing me to arrange a fitting date…Two days later they rang and I arranged a date…last Thursday
I also did some research and discovered that the same Radio was £65 cheaper from Amazon
I told them this and they said they would price match…All good
Then last week I had 4 miscalls from the store, but couldn’t get through…so on Wednesday went in, to be told that the Fitter was ill, but there was every chance that he would be back on Thursday
They said they would ring if there was a problem
Thursday morning arrived…no phone call, so set off and arrived to be told he was still ill…Sorry
I was none too pleased and saw the manager, who said they could do it on Saturday morning and he would waive the fitting charge
Saturday arrived and the fitter was there and 2.5 hours later…it was done (Dreaded bolt at the rear of the head unit was mare to get to!!!)
I went to the till to pay and they waived the fitting kit price as well!!
So the whole uh=nit, with fitting kit and Fitted was only £140!
Very pleased with Halfords…understatement maybe!!
That looks smart. Something like that would be perfect!
Think I will be lucky to get that within my price range but maybe worth a visit to Halfords to see what they can do.
How do you find reception?
Ta
Reception is very good
You will need a DAB windscreen aerial
I swapped mine out for an Alpine unit last year, that Kenwood unit looks tasty, with DAB too, I don’t have that.
I fitted one of these to my Mk3.5
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/88298/dabmotion-review
It retains the original radio but displays the station and other info just like any other station and is almost invisible when fitted. I have the controller on my door next to the mirror switch and I mounted the antenna on the back of the rear view mirror and it works perfectly even in rural Norfolk. You’ll find plenty of them on EBay well within your budget.
That look likes another option, probably more on my price range. Although I do like the look of Mick’s and Chris’.
How easy are they to fit? Sounds like the unit goes behind the existing radio?
Ta
It was very straightforward to install, as you say I put it behind the radio, there’s plenty of space on top of the tunnel, then ran the wiring for the aerial behind the glovebox and up the screen pillar and across the top of the screen to the mirror. There’s plenty of places to pick up a live feed behind radio,I took mine from the 12v socket. The control unit works by Bluetooth so you can put that anywhere you like.
Thanks for that, I’ll have a look into it.
Added a Pioneer AVH3700 head unit to my Mk3.
Quite pleased with the results. Windscreen aerial fitted too, the little black box sits behind the mirror so I cant see it when I am driving.
Hi guys,
Just trying to price a few options up.
Where abouts do people recommend to get the facia, wiring etc? Been looking online and seem to get be getting crazy prices. Over £150 in some places before you even start looking at the radio.
I know you said you had got the bits considerably cheaper than this Mick, can you remember where?
Ta