This is for all the folks that have upgraded their HU or are thinking of upgrading their HU. What is your reasoning behind choosing one or the other.. OEM look aftermarket HU like Advent, Rosen, Flyaudio, ottonavi ..VS.. Non OEM look double din with dashboard kit like Kenwood, Sony, Pioneer and generic chinese GPS/DVD units.
I'm in the process of upgrading my HU to an aftermarket. Probably an Alpine or Pioneer. The only reason why I can think of anyone wanting the OEM looking aftermarket HU is to avoid theft. Thieves typically overlook OEM HUs and go after the name brand ones.
I'm looking. Thoughts. non OEM look China unit. Only pro is price. OEM look unit. Easy install. Factory look. A little less expensive when you consider the savings from not needing a steering wheel control adapter. Some OEM look units give you the equivalent of pirated maps. No legitimate way to upgrade. Aftermarket units let you select a unit which gives you features not available on OEM look units. Traffic. Name brand maps such as Garmin. Availability of HD radio, Sirius XM radio... Ottonavi looks like a reasonable choice if you don't want traffic, HD, Sirius/XM.
My research of the OEM types like the Advent, Rosen, Flyaudio, Ottonavi and some generic units showed no real improvements over the factory. In fact some were sub standard, lacked desired feature improvement, required hacking, and were riddled with supply, quality control and warranty issues. I instead chose quality proven equipment with none of these problems and the performance I wanted. The installation was done to provide the sound and features I liked, and to look as close to factory as possible, thus discouraging theft. Some may differ with my analysis and choice, and I respect that, but this was mine. It actually turned out better that expected.
DNX9960 with supplied filler cut to fit and Toyota trim piece p/n 55406-47080. Kenwood now makes the DNX9980HD.
Main reasons for me to go factory look were: 1. Plug and play - no extra cables or mounting kit 2. Less attractive to thieves
I wanted OEM look for additional reasons: more physical buttons around the edges without impinging on the large central screen. Thus, more ability to do hands-free control. Unfortunately, I could not find an OEM-look unit with the features I wanted, while there's a huge variety of options in double-DIN units.
