Looking for aftermarket stereo with flush fit in Z3

[cncglider]

Greetings all,

I'm preparing my Z3 for a long road trip in September. One of the things I want to do is to replace the factory stereo. However, all of the aftermarket stereos that I have seen have rounded edges and bevels whereas the factory stereo fits flush with the surface of the dash. I don't like the look of the installs I've seen on other Z3s. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks!

[Mr Bingley]

Add a GROM to the factory radio and enjoy bluetooth streaming--what else do you want out of a head unit?

[potxoli]

I look forward to seeing responses! I've been searching for the same. I found this option...not quite square edges, but more square than most and mostly red light with a retro look:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLAUPUNKT-Li...-/262875736790

I have yet to pull the trigger as I'm not 100% convinced.

[z3forlife]

I think the older blaupunkt models have sharper corners but the stock units are either pioneer or alpine units I believe. Have you looked at they're current offerings. It really depends on what your after here. If it's just a aux/Bluetooth input then follow mr bingley's advise. If it's better,more powerful sound you're after you have a long way to go. The car is prewired for a cd changer in the rear/trunk. Of course you could buy my changer too ��

[Mr Bingley]

If it's better,more powerful sound you're after you have a long way to go.

A long, long way to go, and the head unit is the least of your concerns.

[papamarshall]

Add a GROM to the factory radio and enjoy bluetooth streaming--what else do you want out of a head unit?

What's a GROM?

[deni2s]

Invest in Becker or DEX-P99RS.

- - - Updated - - -

What's a GROM?

Since when Google is banned?

[Powershouse]

Another vote for Grom here. Retains factory fit and finish and adds
BT streaming. Gromaudio.com

[E.Hands]

GROM Audio is the way to go.

[JesterMX6]

+1 on grom. Put one in my wife's e46 and we loved it.

[Mach Tuck]

Sorry for the Thread Jack, but what model GROM?

[healeydays]

I have a Blaupunkt Detroit 100BT Receiver that has the wire harness ready to plug in. It plugs in flush.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ight=Blaupunkt

[Mr Bingley]

Sorry for the Thread Jack, but what model GROM?

http://gromaudio.com/store/bt3_adapt...-bt3-bmws.html

[tigerdog2000]

I can only wish you luck. I'm in the same boat. My car came with the most goshawfully ugly JVC unit. Sound was great but looked terrible. I settled (and I do mean "settled") for this Continental-branded unit. IMO, it looks better than most aftermarket gear, and does the job, but just barely. The lighting is a weak yellow orange, not the deeper red-orange of BMW lighting. No ID3 display when streaming from the phone, no line-outs, only speaker-level. It does have built-in bluetooth microphone on the front panel that seems to actually work. I've had useful conversations with people while driving at 25-35 with the top down. It still has a bezel.
IMG_20170716_165659826.jpg
In my son's Z3, we installed a Kienzle MCR 1116, a much better unit on all accounts; the version with CD is MCR 1225. Good appearance with no snap-in bezel. IMO, it looks and works much better than the Continental. This car is an early production (1996/02) 1.9 with only front speakers, no amp. The Kienzle was a HUGE improvement over the factory unit it replaced. Better bass, much better detail and "air". I would have bought it again but it was out of stock, even ordering from Germany, when I bought the one for my current car.
IMG_20160306_152558.jpg

There's another thread on the topic, here: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...adio-Which-one
Maybe the moderators should create a sticky for the topic of replacement radios. If you use the search function, you'll find the subject crops up every few months.

Update:
Kienzle now installed. There's a very small gap around the wood trim in my '99, for which I blame BMW - they rounded the edges on all openings but the radio. I definitely prefer its appearance. I had forgotten, the Kienzle has a three-band parametric EQ function (bass/mid/treble) with selectable crossover frequency and Q. Helped with fine-tuning the response.
IMG_20171216_154441747.jpg

[deni2s]

[tigerdog2000]

@deni2s, Nice!! What model pioneer is this? Is the display readable in bright light? Does it dim when dash lights are on/dimmed?

[z3forlife]

Be prepared. It's not cheap and requires either multiple amps or a multichannel amp and rca cables between but yes.a very nice head unit. It's the dex-p99rs

[Watch Carefully]

In my son's Z3, we installed a Kienzle MCR 1116, a much better unit on all accounts; the version with CD is MCR 1225. Good appearance with no snap-in bezel. IMO, it looks and works much better than the Continental. This car is an early production (1996/02) 1.9 with only front speakers, no amp. The Kienzle was a HUGE improvement over the factory unit it replaced. Better bass, much better detail and "air". I would have bought it again but it was out of stock, even ordering from Germany, when I bought the one for my current car.
IMG_20160306_152558.jpg

I see the Kienzles available via a German seller on eBay. I really know nothing about swapping stereos...
Do you know whether the BMW 6-CD changer would easily connect to the MCR1116 model?

[Tim95M3]

I love the simple look of the stock head unit, but I got tired of volume knob issues so decided to go with the Alpine UTE-62BT. All I really care about is bluetooth streaming, and the back-lighting is adjustable in many colors. The amber is very close to the rest of the lights, so it makes me happy. Also, the volume knob works every time.

[Boltface]

I love the simple look of the stock head unit, but I got tired of volume knob issues so decided to go with the Alpine UTE-62BT. All I really care about is bluetooth streaming, and the back-lighting is adjustable in many colors. The amber is very close to the rest of the lights, so it makes me happy. Also, the volume knob works every time.

I also had a volume control problem and also replaced the HU with the UTE-62BT.

[JesterMX6]

that alpine is likely what i'll end up with. My Z has an older alpine media only unit in it currently but it lacks High pass filtering. That one feature is really the only thing i require on my head units besides bluetooth. I was going to get a pioneer like i have in my durango, but If i stick to alpine i won't have to rewire.

[deni2s]

@deni2s, Nice!! What model pioneer is this? Is the display readable in bright light? Does it dim when dash lights are on/dimmed?

As mentioned before - dex-p99rs. Yes, readable in bright light and it has dimming feature. I love how it connects and reads music from iphone - no lags, no issues, charges the phone at the same time.

[tigerdog2000]

I see the Kienzles available via a German seller on eBay. I really know nothing about swapping stereos...
Do you know whether the BMW 6-CD changer would easily connect to the MCR1116 model?

Unfortunately, you lose the 6-CD changer when you go with the Kienzle. If you'll really miss CD, the Kienzle MCR1223BT is identical in style and function to the 1116, but with a CD player built in. There's a silver lining: both Kienzles have front and rear USB connections. I put a USB extension cable on the rear USB input and ran the cable to an accessible point in the cabin. I then put about 60 CDs worth of music on a $10 USB stick and haven't missed the CD changer in the least, and I don't clutter my dash with a USB sticking out of the front of the unit.

[Watch Carefully]

Unfortunately, you lose the 6-CD changer when you go with the Kienzle. If you'll really miss CD, the Kienzle MCR1223BT is identical in style and function to the 1116, but with a CD player built in. There's a silver lining: both Kienzles have front and rear USB connections. I put a USB extension cable on the rear USB input and ran the cable to an accessible point in the cabin. I then put about 60 CDs worth of music on a $10 USB stick and haven't missed the CD changer in the least, and I don't clutter my dash with a USB sticking out of the front of the unit.

Fantastic advice, Thank you (and sorry for the late reply!).
Brad

[ptimko]

I bought a low profile 32GB USB stick. So it barely sticks out. It's ~$12.
https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Cruze...ding=UTF8&s=pc

Paul