Page 1 of 1

Retrofit old car radio for USB, aux in & Bluetooth

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 10:07 pm
by FlyingPenguin
Even if you old car has a radio that doesn't even have an aux input, most cars going back two decades have a harness in the dash for add-ons like a trunk CD changer. The modules these guys sell connect to those and add modern connectivity options, without replacing the radio.

http://gromaudio.com/


Re: Retrofit old car radio for USB, aux in & Bluetooth

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 10:19 pm
by Pugsley
VW... one of the most documented car makers out there.

Plus for that much $150 you can just get a pioneer head unit and a harness adapter and have a better radio then stock and still have all the BT bells and whistles.

Re: Retrofit old car radio for USB, aux in & Bluetooth

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 11:06 pm
by FlyingPenguin
Ya, but some people prefer the stock radio. Like on my old 2007 Camry which I just gave to a friend. If I had kept it, this would be temping. An aftermarket radio would have looked funky in that sculpted center console dash. Sadly all it had was an aux in.

Re: Retrofit old car radio for USB, aux in & Bluetooth

Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 10:02 am
by Pugsley
Sorry... when I think older car im thinking mid 90's not late 2000 when everything was custom.

Re: Retrofit old car radio for USB, aux in & Bluetooth

Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 5:10 pm
by Executioner
Nice, but a bummer that it's a little pricey. I was expecting to see it below $100.

Re: Retrofit old car radio for USB, aux in & Bluetooth

Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 5:48 pm
by FlyingPenguin
You can find some of their units priced a bit cheaper on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss ... grom+audio

Re: Retrofit old car radio for USB, aux in & Bluetooth

Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 5:54 pm
by Genom
Caveat with Grom units. I have one in my Odyssey and the Mic works 20% of the time (got the BT/Mic version) to the point I dont bother trying to use it for calls. The BT mode works fine for audio, but half the time the display does not show track info on the radio, and when using the steering wheel controls does not advance tracks correctly. So I just use the phone for controls.

Dunno how firmware behaves on other models. As a BT receiver for my stereo, it's fine. All the other functionality is so hit or miss I dont bother with it.