UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
Sweet FA I've started a thread over on this forum if it's something that interests you?
Buying Second Hand? - Car Audio - Talk Stuff
Buying Second Hand? - Car Audio - Talk Stuff
4 to 5k to spend on an estate car?
- Thread starter UnderOpenSky
- Start date
Bert Flange
Polyp
E Class Mercedes cdi.Bulletproof.
dessiato
4 years and I still cry sometimes
Replacing a head unit is very easy. You get the tools (very cheap from Halfords) pull out the old head. Plug in the new head. That's pretty much all there is to it. The only thing to be aware of is that you might need adapters, but if you talk to your supplier they ought to be able to tell you and to sell you the right types. And keep your old head so when you sell the car you can put it in and keep your better one.I would watch that thread with interest; is that an easy/difficult/worthwhile thing to do? I'd like bluetooth and an aux socket and satnav etc. I've been using rl maps/phone/ipod (which is an arseache tbh - Samsung S6 battery is shite and the aux socket in the glove box doesn't work anymore). Halfords would fit something that would do those things for c.£200 (with coloured lights). I have no idea if that's worth it or not.
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
Adapters make it much easier. Worth paying more for one that connects up the steering wheel volume controls if that's what you want.
I'm less confident of fitting an amp etc, but am slowly exploring my options here
Total stereo overhaul - In-Car Entertainment (Mk3 Mondeo)
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
GS?
Thanks for the link; it explains why I've always thought my stereo sounds OK(I've got the Sony speakers). Will have a look at those other options too.
That would be me.
Certainly seems a cheap option, but I'm leaning to just two nice speakers powered by an amp.
Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
That would be me.
Certainly seems a cheap option, but I'm leaning to just two nice speakers powered by an amp.
You've made me check out my car's stereo now, it's got 13 Bose speakers and is loud as fuck. Now that I go everywhere with kids in the car so have to keep the volume down I finally get a banging stereo. Life's just unfair
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
You've made me check out my car's stereo now, it's got 13 Bose speakers and is loud as fuck. Now that I go everywhere with kids in the car so have to keep the volume down I finally get a banging stereo. Life's just unfair
Start getting them to appreciate your music and blast out those tunes.
Spymaster
Plastic Paddy
Who gives a toss if they appreciate it or not. Blast them out anyway.
Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
The older one likes drum and bass, but not gabba. The younger one has delicate ears, but the little thug will probably grow up to enjoy stormcore.
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
Kids today are all about the grime.
Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
heh, Frau Bahn was trying to say that the other day, she said grunge instead. Eldest kid had a blank look and asked why I was laughing, so I said, "You know, like Kurt Cobain / Nirvana?" Shrugged her shoulders, "Nope."
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
Fucking hell it's hard to get info. The odd helpful person on a Ford Forum or audio snobs who think you need spend the value of your car to get something decent.
Plus 100 different units from each manufacturer making reviews thin on the ground.
Anyway I've changed my mind again and have bought 4 Sony speakers from the posh spec of mine and will add amp, head unit and a small sub under my seat.
The chap I bought the car from is doing the install free, provided I bring all the parts, so I figure that I can work out getting the door trim of at a later date and upgrading speakers myself, whereas the power and cables for an amp and sub sound trickier.
Basically doing all the stuff I wanted do when I was young.
Plus 100 different units from each manufacturer making reviews thin on the ground.
Anyway I've changed my mind again and have bought 4 Sony speakers from the posh spec of mine and will add amp, head unit and a small sub under my seat.
The chap I bought the car from is doing the install free, provided I bring all the parts, so I figure that I can work out getting the door trim of at a later date and upgrading speakers myself, whereas the power and cables for an amp and sub sound trickier.
Basically doing all the stuff I wanted do when I was young.
mauvais
on reddit or something
Sounds sensible. Door trims, and indeed dismantling things like centre consoles, is probably easier than you might think. I can do mine no problem. Taking up carpet to add cables, getting cables through the firewall to the fuse box, etcetera etcetera, more of an issue. Fortunately I have an amp in the roof of the boot (it's a saloon) that came with it, so the fitting was done before my time.
I spoke at length to an outfit that quoted me £1500 for a proper audio refit, which I haven't had time or money for. Some things I picked up:
- Front speakers are much more important. They don't bother with rears at all IIRC.
- Head unit's the least critical piece - an average source (not the OEM one) will be OK
- Soundproofing etc is quite important
- They fabricated wooden settings for the speakers as otherwise you're putting a good speaker in a crap bit of plastic door fitting
- You can potentially take anything that isn't model specific or permanent (so not soundproofing) with you when you change car
I spoke at length to an outfit that quoted me £1500 for a proper audio refit, which I haven't had time or money for. Some things I picked up:
- Front speakers are much more important. They don't bother with rears at all IIRC.
- Head unit's the least critical piece - an average source (not the OEM one) will be OK
- Soundproofing etc is quite important
- They fabricated wooden settings for the speakers as otherwise you're putting a good speaker in a crap bit of plastic door fitting
- You can potentially take anything that isn't model specific or permanent (so not soundproofing) with you when you change car
DownwardDog
Riding a Brompton with a power meter.
I saw a Stagea with R34 hardware today. Pretty cool (for an estate).
hash tag
Books, not bombs
Sorry if I mentioned this on this thread before!
You could pick up a Volvo V70 within budget. Volvo have a reputation for being staid reliable workhorses but the V70 can shift. In their book about their entry in the Gumball Rally a few years ago Clement Wilson and Richard Dunwoody got stuck with one. As it turned out for them, it was a great move. Very unassuming car that could motor that could take knocks.
You could pick up a Volvo V70 within budget. Volvo have a reputation for being staid reliable workhorses but the V70 can shift. In their book about their entry in the Gumball Rally a few years ago Clement Wilson and Richard Dunwoody got stuck with one. As it turned out for them, it was a great move. Very unassuming car that could motor that could take knocks.
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
I'm sure if you're using an amp then a cheap head unit is probably fine. I do quite fancy double din though and with my experiences with my cheap one in my last car, I want a decent brand.
One thing that looks cool, but a lot of faf is component speakers. Plus the holes from the tweeters when you sell it. Not that I suspect mine will be worth much after I've used it for 3 to 4 years.
mauvais
on reddit or something
When I say average source I mean about £150 or so for a head unit, nothing really nasty. It might well rely on there being an amp.
Sweet FA
✪ Three rounds Lord, in my .44 ✪
You want a V70R though and you'd be pressed to get a decent one for under £5k.
keybored
Well done. You remember cat good.
I've had this and it's no fun. The button is only £20-£30 to replace (for a genuine VW part) but that's not always the part that is causing the fault. It's more likely to be a bad calliper due to poor design allowing water ingress on some models (£200+, or clean it up and seal it with mastic if you're lucky). If you're really unlucky you can screw a control board, £800.
Mine turned out to be the switch AND the nearside calliper so the fault was hard to diagnose and fix and caused me weeks of annoyance (parking brake would either not engage at all or would not disengage, fault indication would make a loud "BING" every second while driving etc.). Oh yeah, and you need a laptop to change the rear brake pads!
That being said, it's the only bad thing I have to say about the car; it's over 230k now and just recently had its first new DMF and runs like new. The Mondeo I had before then had the DMF fail at 90k (I converted it to a solid flywheel after that) and the injectors failed at 200k. It was constantly throwing spooky electrical faults and just drove like shit. That was my first and last Ford (apart from the Escort 1300XL I got for £30 when I was 17).
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
Well I ended up spending way more then I planned on ICE and I'm not paying for fitting. Collecting it later today. Should certanly be an improvement over the standard Mondeo kit (which tbh isn't awful as fitted car stereos go).
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
Well it's got a very impressive stereo in it now compared to factory. Went for some nice door speakers for the front as well so total cost about £400 despite the free fitting, but I'm planning on keeping the car for years.
Except the fucking clutch failed. I didn't think this was something common in modern cars. The three year labour warranty it came with me was just as well as apparently it was about 10 hours on the ramp. Except it cost £440 for a complete new clutch unit and I'm feeling pretty fucking brassic at the moment.
There is probably a life lesson there somewhere.
Except the fucking clutch failed. I didn't think this was something common in modern cars. The three year labour warranty it came with me was just as well as apparently it was about 10 hours on the ramp. Except it cost £440 for a complete new clutch unit and I'm feeling pretty fucking brassic at the moment.
There is probably a life lesson there somewhere.
keybored
Well done. You remember cat good.
That must have included a new flywheel too at that price (and that mileage), no?
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
I believe so, although I've yet to see the bill as my Dad did the sorting out for me as I've been away for the last week.
Frustrating thing is for all it's rattles and unpleasantness to drive long distances, my Berlingo never gave me such a repair bill.
stuff_it
Too skool for cool
It's easy to get had over on used Audis. They're virtually the same as a Passat anway.
Do not buy a Chrysler anything.
stuff_it
Too skool for cool
I saw an Audi taxi the other day.
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
A few months out of date there
Actually despite being gutted about my clutch failing, it's kinda made me glad I got a newer lower millage ford for a similar cost. On a 9 year old car things will go wrong and parts for German cars cost more.
stuff_it
Too skool for cool
Juicy as hell.
