Hi guys,

This may have been discussed before, but I was curious what is the better head unit to replace the factory head unit? I got the beloved Err3 and noticed that the measurements for the stereo are varying ie 200mm at the bottom and 230mm at the top.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated :D .

Cheers
Phil - NZ

Welcome to the club.

You'll need a fascia kit to fit an aftermarket unit in there. There's a few on the market. Some look good others just look cheap. The $55 ones on trademe are one of the better matches.
Whats your budget & what features do you want from your new head unit? iPod control, USB, single or double din etc etc. Pioneer units are probably the best bang for buck. DEHP-5050UB can be had for around $300 & more than enough features for the average user. Alpine are also very good but are a bit more pricey especially when you start adding additional sound processors like their imprint module.

Have a good browse around the ICE forum & you see plenty of different installs/set ups to give you some ideas.

Hi there

so many head units to choose from, as for the dash facia you could try one of these puppies if XnickX is able to source them still.
http://z4.invisionfree.com/lexusaltezzaclu...?showtopic=9058

or Buy my sub (shameless plug) :D
http://z4.invisionfree.com/lexusaltezzaclu...?showtopic=9169

and i will give you my old facia with it (trade me styles).

Upgrade to the VIP side of life and take advantage of the H-U-G-E discounts available on all sorts of parts.

hey there am getting mine done too got the error1 code, sorted itself out but said what the heck the headunit is crap IMO :P

bought the trademe fascia seller name is 'caraudioonline' he does not seem to have any listed atm though (maybe listings just expired)

there are so many choices of head units was looking at alpines they are really cheap nowadays however ended up getting this jvc http://www.jvc-australia.com/JVCstores/PRO...45_20080328.pdf (main thing i liked about it is you could change the color display to suit lol) got a really good deal $230 brand new!

am getting it installed professionally for $50 - dude is coming over my place this afternoon, have looked and asked around this was the cheapest i could find(next quote i got was $90)

hope this helps :)

Sweet thank you very much for that, I will look into these when I get home. Trademe is blocked from work...

I will look into these :vrrrm:

Go for what you like! Pioneer will give you a warmer sound, Alpine a cleaner treblier sound. I prefer the Pioneer and that's what I have in my car. It sounds better in the Altezza setup than in the old Curren. JVC's aren't too bad, but don't touch Kenwood, Pana or Sony!!! Good features but you won't match the sound quality of the others. Bottom end Pioneers don't sound as good as the higher end ones, you need to spend $400 or over if you are fussy re quality.
Feature-wise, if you are more electronic file than CD, Alpine could be better because they have dedicated head units that don't even have the option for a CD (unless you buy a separate changer as well).
And yup you will need the fascia, looks like you have been given some good links for some cheaper ones, good luck!

Set yourself a budget bud, stick to it. The decks wont sound any different at the price range you pick.

Pick one that has the features and colours you like. Thats the only selling point.

Beware of salesmans.

hi - a word of advise if you have the super live sound system in your car then you would need the factory amp bypassed - get it done by the pros go to a shop. was cheap and tried to get mine done through this guy who installs alarms and headunits but he had problems doing that - i even asked him if he has installed on altezzas before but turns out the ones he installed did not have the factory amp. after a couple of hours i had had enough and he had the balls to ask to be paid!?!? he even suggested the head unit which was brand new was faulty lol

anyway the following day took it to driving sound and they sorted it out after $140 (ouch). did not mind paying as wanted to get it sorted, am pretty sure you could find cheaper elsewhere(got one for $90).

also beware of the salesman as stated - they tried to sell me 6x9's to replace the factory ones but i said no - the stock setup is really good IMO. am really happy with it sounds a lot better than what it was originally.

Yeah thanks for that, I was thinking of going in to see a shop just for peace of mind. I am weary of sales people, as yes I agree I do quite like the current sound setup in the car... when I have a working head unit again that is.

PIONEER FTW

depends on the pioneer as the lower priced ones are crap! :P

i'd say spend about $300-400 on the unit and you get a decent one as long as you stick to name brands

am really happy with my JVC though as i can change the day and night colour so at night it matches the dash colour, plus got it for $230 in trademe which was a steal as next cheapest was $335 from hyper.

was looking to get pioneer initially but did not like their colour and could not change it, plus the unit at that price range did not have usb in front so ditched it

hmm true .. i spent a decent amount on mine and wouldnt give it up