Reviews by others:
Alejandr0
Jamesberkey
Tutorials:
How To Change Info on Upper LCD for CAN-BUS equipped cars
Hi guys,
I received and installed my D5151 yesterday and here are my initial thoughts. As of this post, the car is in the dealer doing warranty work so pictures will come tomorrow or the day after. PICTURES ARE UP.
Installation and Compatibility
Installation was a breeze like the D5102. The only difference is that you have to screw in the clips that hold the bottom of the unit yourself but it was not a big deal. Also there are more wires at the back of the unit due to the CAN-BUS box so arranging the wires might be tricky (honestly the longest part of the install).
The unit is now totally compatible with the stock BOSE system, no more hacking up wires and splicing them. Also, since there is now the CAN-BUS decoder, the upper LCD screen now works. It will display whatever menu in the D5151 you are in (Home, Radio, GPS, etc). You will still need to do the install trick for the stock info (MPG, Miles remaining, etc) to be retained but otherwise it functions perfectly.
Sound
I don't consider myself an audiophile but the overall sound is improved over from the stock. This is a very subjective area so I will not really dive much into it, but it is an improvement over stock.
Features
I won't cover everything the unit has (which is a lot), but just the main points that is attractive for me.
Here's how the home screen looks like:
Here's a couple of the BT and BT Music:
Bluetooth works flawless. The BT music option is now integrated into the BT menu so don't panic if you don't see it at first. Connection to a device is much easier as the unit will now show you what PIN to use. The layout of the screen is also well-thought out. BT Music works great, just like the old unit. Only negative to report here is that I can't figure out yet how to import my contacts into the unit. I have a Galaxy S3 so iPhone users might not have the same trouble as me.
Here's the new radio interface:
Super improved radio interface over the D5102. The preset buttons are now at the top of the screen, and the unit now has a digital slider with a graph so you can just drag your fingers thru the screen to scroll through the channels. 3 FM modes, 2 AM modes. I haven't played with the RDS system yet so no comment on that for now.
A couple of the GPS and its menu:
Not much to say about the GPS other than it does it's job. I had Garmin installed on my D5102, but unfortunately I lost the SD card with it. I am going to try and make it work with the D5151 again.
The D5102 received an update wherein if you're using both the GPS and music, the music will not cut out when the GPS "speaks." That swayed me from getting a new D5102 after I sold the old one I had when I totaled my car. Not a problem with the D5151. There is a setting now that will let you choose if you want the music to play with the GPS, or have the front speakers turn off every time the GPS voice comes on. And if you do select the mixing option, you can change the volume ratio between the two. Nifty!
The reverse camera mode will now work automatically when you shift into reverse, unless you turn that feature off in the settings. Very handy because you now don't need to search for the 12-volt reverse wire and tap the signal wire to it. Turn the setting off when you don't have a camera installed.
You can now choose between 7 LED colors. Awesome for those with different LED's in their dash, but the amber is a perfect match with the stock cluster. You can also change the background wallpaper of the screen.
I have not tried the iPod interface yet because I don't have any iDevices anymore and the unit won't let you access a mode when it detects that there is no signal from that mode.
The unit also has a TPMS function that will work with the sensors that Eonon is selling. But right now, they are only offering sensors that have a frequency of 433Mhz. Our cars have a 315Mhz system. So if you have the OEM TPMS and you switched to Eonon's, you will have the warning light on all the time in your gauge cluster. It would be awesome if Eonon will make a 315Mhz system so we can keep the stock system still working.
One thing to mention is that this unit is significantly faster when loading. When you switch to the reverse camera on the old D5102, it will take a couple seconds for the unit to switch. The D5151 will do so in an instant. Navigating the menus is also a lot faster and fluid. Also, the unit will now auto-dim when it senses that you are using your headlights.
Conclusion
For the price, you can't beat this HU. Looks like it came from the factory, and the features are great. Worth every penny. If you are looking for an upgrade over your stock headunit, this would be something that is worthy to look at.
PROS:
-Super affordable and packed with tons of features
-Easy installation and OEM-look
-Very nice graphic user interface
-Very fast response when switching modes except for GPS which needs to load from SD card
-Fully functional upper LCD screen for those with CAN-BUS systems
CONS: (not really, more like suggestions)
-315MHz TPMS system to accompany our cars
-included GPS software could be better
Alejandr0
Jamesberkey
Tutorials:
How To Change Info on Upper LCD for CAN-BUS equipped cars
Hi guys,
I received and installed my D5151 yesterday and here are my initial thoughts. As of this post, the car is in the dealer doing warranty work so pictures will come tomorrow or the day after. PICTURES ARE UP.
Installation and Compatibility
Installation was a breeze like the D5102. The only difference is that you have to screw in the clips that hold the bottom of the unit yourself but it was not a big deal. Also there are more wires at the back of the unit due to the CAN-BUS box so arranging the wires might be tricky (honestly the longest part of the install).
The unit is now totally compatible with the stock BOSE system, no more hacking up wires and splicing them. Also, since there is now the CAN-BUS decoder, the upper LCD screen now works. It will display whatever menu in the D5151 you are in (Home, Radio, GPS, etc). You will still need to do the install trick for the stock info (MPG, Miles remaining, etc) to be retained but otherwise it functions perfectly.
Sound
I don't consider myself an audiophile but the overall sound is improved over from the stock. This is a very subjective area so I will not really dive much into it, but it is an improvement over stock.
Features
I won't cover everything the unit has (which is a lot), but just the main points that is attractive for me.
Here's how the home screen looks like:
Here's a couple of the BT and BT Music:
Bluetooth works flawless. The BT music option is now integrated into the BT menu so don't panic if you don't see it at first. Connection to a device is much easier as the unit will now show you what PIN to use. The layout of the screen is also well-thought out. BT Music works great, just like the old unit. Only negative to report here is that I can't figure out yet how to import my contacts into the unit. I have a Galaxy S3 so iPhone users might not have the same trouble as me.
Here's the new radio interface:
Super improved radio interface over the D5102. The preset buttons are now at the top of the screen, and the unit now has a digital slider with a graph so you can just drag your fingers thru the screen to scroll through the channels. 3 FM modes, 2 AM modes. I haven't played with the RDS system yet so no comment on that for now.
A couple of the GPS and its menu:
Not much to say about the GPS other than it does it's job. I had Garmin installed on my D5102, but unfortunately I lost the SD card with it. I am going to try and make it work with the D5151 again.
The D5102 received an update wherein if you're using both the GPS and music, the music will not cut out when the GPS "speaks." That swayed me from getting a new D5102 after I sold the old one I had when I totaled my car. Not a problem with the D5151. There is a setting now that will let you choose if you want the music to play with the GPS, or have the front speakers turn off every time the GPS voice comes on. And if you do select the mixing option, you can change the volume ratio between the two. Nifty!
The reverse camera mode will now work automatically when you shift into reverse, unless you turn that feature off in the settings. Very handy because you now don't need to search for the 12-volt reverse wire and tap the signal wire to it. Turn the setting off when you don't have a camera installed.
You can now choose between 7 LED colors. Awesome for those with different LED's in their dash, but the amber is a perfect match with the stock cluster. You can also change the background wallpaper of the screen.
I have not tried the iPod interface yet because I don't have any iDevices anymore and the unit won't let you access a mode when it detects that there is no signal from that mode.
The unit also has a TPMS function that will work with the sensors that Eonon is selling. But right now, they are only offering sensors that have a frequency of 433Mhz. Our cars have a 315Mhz system. So if you have the OEM TPMS and you switched to Eonon's, you will have the warning light on all the time in your gauge cluster. It would be awesome if Eonon will make a 315Mhz system so we can keep the stock system still working.
One thing to mention is that this unit is significantly faster when loading. When you switch to the reverse camera on the old D5102, it will take a couple seconds for the unit to switch. The D5151 will do so in an instant. Navigating the menus is also a lot faster and fluid. Also, the unit will now auto-dim when it senses that you are using your headlights.
Conclusion
For the price, you can't beat this HU. Looks like it came from the factory, and the features are great. Worth every penny. If you are looking for an upgrade over your stock headunit, this would be something that is worthy to look at.
PROS:
-Super affordable and packed with tons of features
-Easy installation and OEM-look
-Very nice graphic user interface
-Very fast response when switching modes except for GPS which needs to load from SD card
-Fully functional upper LCD screen for those with CAN-BUS systems
CONS: (not really, more like suggestions)
-315MHz TPMS system to accompany our cars
-included GPS software could be better