Aftermarket Head Units With Amber Illumination?

supertack · supertack's Garage

Do any exsist? All I can find is blue indigo, or green. I'd like a new head unit for Christmas, but I hate that disruptive, wild, teenage look that most new head units have. Any thoughts?

blkongry · 12-12-2003, 07:50 AM

Yeah, the Blaus have some, and Nakamichi has one in its low end ( http://www.carmedia1.com/index.html?target=p_381.html&lang=en-us ...it's the closest I've found). Kenwood had some changable displays, but I personally feel their quality has slipped... and I don't even know if they offer them anymore.

matthew-m · 12-16-2003, 07:53 PM

I'm guessing you are looking for a CD player? For a while Nakamichi was making the CD35, CD40 and CD45 with either amber or green illumination. You should be able to find used ones or stock left over at a dealer. Their super expensive players and the MB75/100 feature amber illumination also (CD700, TP1200, etc). The CD400 can be chaged to 4 different colors/schemes. Hope this helps.

supertack · supertack's Garage

I was told that an aftermarket head unit is not gonna work with the stock cd changer & amp. This sales person said there may be an exception if I went with an Alpine aftermarket unit, but even that was uncertain.

All you folks with change out your head unit, do you also get new amps & changers or was this guy off his rocker?

blkongry · 12-17-2003, 08:50 AM

From what I have found, the stock amplifier should not be used with an aftermarket head unit. The factory amplifiers have internal crossovers and cap points to curve the music... not what you want to have if you are upgrading your system.

If you are an electrical wiz, you may be able to rig the changer in to the aftermarket head unit... and it may be a straight plug in with an alpine unit. It's hard to say until you go and compare plugs, and even then it may not be a direct fit.

I'm going to attempt to bypass the amp, use the factory head unit and changer, and run my own amping system/sub/speakers. I've got all the pin-out diagrams, but it is still a big pain in the arse.

There are several companies out there now making adapter harnesses to be able to run your factory changer with an aftermarket head. Check with these guys... they may have the one you are looking for: http://www.installer.com/wires/index.html

Cristian · 12-17-2003, 02:04 PM

supertack, the factory amp will work with an aftermaket unit, but it's not desirable (I hear the amp is a weak link, but I can't say for sure since my car is not modified).
Now, using the factory CD changer with another Alpine head: about the same chance of fitting brake calipers from an E46 to an E30, for example. Using factory CD Changer with ANY other brand: about as probable as swapping brake callipers from your car to 1997 Mazda 626 (I kept the same year, you see).

Jared at Pelican Parts · 12-17-2003, 02:08 PM

I tried to adapt the stock amp to my own head unit, and it sounded HORRIBLE. Just pull the amp out, run a new amp and wires and you should be set..

supertack · supertack's Garage

Uhh..........no. Thanks for the info guys, but I think I'll either get my stock head unit fixed or buy a used one in better condition. Replacing the amp and/or the cd changer is a senerio that I have no interest in.

blkongry · 12-18-2003, 07:46 AM

That would be the cleanest route. With the BMW system, you will have to pretty much replace everything to get a clean aftermarket system in it.... and to do that right means pulling the console/seats/carpet/door panels and running the proper cable and wires. It's not monumental, but it's a good day's worth of work.

Jared at Pelican Parts · 12-18-2003, 07:52 AM

supe, it's really not that difficult, I can give you all the info you need to know to do it if you like..

Cristian · 12-18-2003, 08:07 AM

Supertack, what's wrong with your unit?

supertack · supertack's Garage

Like just about every other E36 owner who resides on the North American Continent, the illumination on the display went out. If yours hasn't yet, be prepared. It usually starts out about half the brightness, then disappears all togeather. Now the back light in the buttons themselfs is out. It's a pretty annoying problem, especially when driving at night.

Cristian · 12-18-2003, 12:00 PM

You can fix it yourself (if you are a handy guy, and good with a soldering iron), or I can fix it for you. If I do it, it's $20 (just for fun) and you take care of the shipping back and forth.

supertack · supertack's Garage

Have you done this work before? How do you know exactly what the problem is? I'd love to give my cash to a fellow board member, but are you sure you know what the issues are?

Cristian · 12-19-2003, 09:23 AM

I had the display problem myself. Not the buttons going out, but something tells me they are related.
Actually, I think there are 2 problems with the display: one (I think this is the one you are experiencing) is when back light is out. You can still see the display if it's illuminated (sun or flashlight), and all segments are working fine. From what you describe, this is the case with your unit (especially since you say it's been half bright for a while).
The other problem is when some segments (lines or columns) of the display are not working. You can see there's something displayed, but it's hard to read. This one cannot be fixed!
I sent you an email, I don't know if you got it.

supertack · supertack's Garage

Cristian, send it to me via private message.

I'm actually having that second problem (part of display out-jibberish) on my odometer. Hell, if you can fix that radio problem, send me a PM with your logistics & I'll make it worth your efforts.

M3griff · 12-25-2003, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by supertack
I was told that an aftermarket head unit is not gonna work with the stock cd changer & amp. This sales person said there may be an exception if I went with an Alpine aftermarket unit, but even that was uncertain.

All you folks with change out your head unit, do you also get new amps & changers or was this guy off his rocker?

Looks like this thread died away, but for completeness, I'll mention that I just replaced my BMW HU with a Clarion 835 MP3/CD HU - leaving the stock amp in. (I don't have a changer). The new HU sounds MUCH better than the original BMW unit. It also has 600+ colors; I found an amber that is a great match for the BMW color.

supertack · supertack's Garage

Hmm, did you need any special harness to hook up that head unit to your amp?
How much does that Clarion 835 retail for?
For eveyone eles:
Doe Clarion make a decent changer?
How applicable do you think it'd be to their HU?

M3griff · 12-26-2003, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by supertack
Hmm, did you need any special harness to hook up that head unit to your amp?
How much does that Clarion 835 retail for?
For eveyone eles:
Doe Clarion make a decent changer?
How applicable do you think it'd be to their HU?

1) Yes. From some retailers you get the wiring harness and antenna adaptor for free when you buy a HU (Crutchfield and Sounddomain do this). If not, you can buy the wiring harness from Sounddomain.com. Look under the wiring harnesses for BMW. You will also need the antenna adaptor. They are only about $6-8 apiece. You will need these no matter what aftermarket HU you install.

2) I got my Clarion DXZ835MP from Etronics.com for about $275 a few months ago. I think it is around $250 now. Use Pricegrabber.com to check prices.

3) I don't know about Clarion changers - they do make some. I would assume that they are decent. They are obviously very compatible with the Clarion HU's.

I bought my Clarion after doing a lot of searching on BimmerForums for all the units that had amber illumination. It basically came down (for me) to the Clarion or to the Alpine 7894 - which was becoming unavailable. I've been satisfied - others will swear that Alpine is the way you have to go.

Jeff