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Pioneer AVH-3500DAB Question

11K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  Absolut5 
#1 ·
Hi All,

I'm new on here having just bought my first T5, a 2004 LWB model.

I'm on the lookout for a double din DVD head unit and having read various posts on here I'm swaying towards the Pioneer AVH-3500DAB one. Earlier today I called into my local Halfords to enquire about ordering one and was told that I would need £120 comprising of extras including a double din fascia kit (£75) , wiring harness (£20) and aerial adaptor (£25) plus another £30 for installation.

Can anyone who has one of these confirm that I will need all these things and whether I could be picking them up cheaper elsewhere?

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
Have a read through this to get lots of insight http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=262831


You'll probably need the 4 items below. This includes a DAB aerial which you'll definitely need.



Pioneer AVH-X3500DAB DAB Car Radio/CD Player - £299.99


Autoleads DAB Film Antenna SMB - DAB-AA1 - £19.99


Halfords Harness Adpator PC2-75-4 - £19.99


Autoleads Car Audio Antenna Adaptor PC5-136 - £19.99



Not sure on the fascia.
 
#3 ·
Er no......

You do not need a facia, do you have single din radio? If so you do not need a wiring harness, but if you have a original VW double din then its a quadlock which we charge £14.00, and a phantom aerial adapter £14.00, DAB aerial £20.00 and that's it if you don't require the optional iPod lead....
 
#5 ·
Thanks both for the replies.

At present I don't have a head unit, just a double din shaped hole (where the previous owner presumably had a head unit that he removed prior to selling) so I think the wiring harness might be necessary.

I think the guy at Halfords said that I would be eligible for a free DAB aerial when I picked up the unit if I ordered it to be collected in store (but I'm not sure that will happen). He also said something about needing a fascia that was not compatible with the cage supplied with the stereo meaning that I would need to fork out on a new cage kit.

I don't have an ipod so won't need the optional ipod lead but it would be good to connect my iPhone 4S if only for charging purposes. Is that a cable that comes with the unit or would I need to buy something as an optional extra?

My one big reservation with this head unit is the lack of a detachable faceplate because I've had 5 head units stolen over the years. Is there anything I can do that will stop someone from easily stealing it?

Oh and what's a 'quadlock'?

Cheers
 
#6 ·
Seriously you do not need a facia or a cage, the Pioneer will fit straight in with its own cage....

The rear mount USB will charge your phone.

There are not many double din units which allow you to take the front off I'm afraid, certainly not at this cost.....
 
#7 ·
Re: additional items required to fit this radio, I had the same story from Halfords in that I'd need the DAB aerial (£19.99), the radio loom conversion loom (quoted at £19.99) and the aerial adapter lead (£19.99). The facia panel was mentioned but we discounted that after looking at the dash and checking a few dimensions.

I worked out the DAB aerial was a fair price, but the other 2 bits could be replaced with one of these for £13.99.

http://www.incar-emporium.com/product_info.php?products_id=4820&TeKnoID=pu6idqoqgk9g3mpmuvtrr71nc0

This is what I went with in the end and the combined loom/aerial adapter is a good quality item (I have used the vendor before for an iPod adapter to fool the radio into thinking it is a multi-disc player, a psuedo aux in socket..).

The DAB aerial from Halfords works fine in my setup, I've mounted it in the lower left of the windscreen, largely hidden by the tax disc. The aerial needs a power feed (easy to feed up from the dash) and grounding on the vehicle chassis (easy to rub off a small patch of paint on the inner A-pillar as it's a self-adhesive connection and then hide with the trim).
 
#11 ·
Just feed it through the blank switch insert if it doesn't have the airbag switch, we notch the trim with a file so its neat...if it has a switch, then drill a neat hole underneath the switch towards the back so you o not see the hole..T:
 
#14 ·
I've just fitted one in my 61 plate t5.1, I used a fascia off eBay for £15-

http://bit.ly/15NfI3z

The aerial will plug directly In without an adaptor

The aerial film in the wing mirror seems to be working fine for DAB, VW couldn't even tell me if it was a dab aerial or not but my original one works!

I put an iPhone lead from the back and put a hole through the top dash bit but when stereo is out you can easily put it into glovebox or through dash front.
 
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