What have you done to your car today?

The Philips we got uses Windows Embedded for its mapping/navigation feature. Not sure about the OS as Windows Embedded can be run virtually on top of another OS, especially on some handheld devices.

I just learned this morning, after being informed that the iGo 8 installed in the head unit was a pirated copy. I wasn't happy with that so I did a quick research because I didn't have any experience with head unit navigation. I found out that iGo, Sygic, Mapfactor, etc. still make programmes for Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs) even to this date and they won't stop because many people in the wilderness still use PNDs with Windows Embedded. The programmes for iGo are still updated through naviextras.com, for Sygic, they give out SDKs but for Mapfactor, they let you download Navigator to run on anything that uses Windows CE for mapping, from handheld GPS' to the stock entertainment system to head units.

What I did was I took out the navigation SD card and downloaded the Navigator setup facility which handles installation on devices, maps and updates. In the programme, there is an option to install Navigator on your PC or on a PND. I chose the PND and followed the prompts about map data and updates. I couldn't believe how straightforward the installation was, well, not as straightforward as downloading Mapfactor as an app on an Android device, which may expire in 3 years max but the one Windows Embedded can be used for a very, very long time.

We thought of installing an Android device, which can be cheaper brand new than what we have bought but being Android, you can have all the apps you need but it is also a weakness because the OS gets outdated in 3 years max, which is why there are so many 2nd hand cheap Android devices in the market. The sound quality is also poor in those Android devices because of weak DACs and substandard bluetooth chips. Also, Android devices are almost always connected to the cloud while the Mapfactor we installed uses only the GPS and the only time it gets connected to the internet is when the SD card pulled out and inserted in a PC for updates.

The unit we got was NZD 1000 when released from 2014 to 2016 and we got it for NZD 145. It has excellent build and sound quality, even with bluetooth. It cannot play FLAC but it can play CDs still. A brand-new Android device starts from NZD 115. 3-year old Android devices that used to be around NZD 350 to NZD 500 and can no longer be updated range from NZD 100 to 200.

What about head units with Apple Carplay and Android Auto? They seem to give you the best of both worlds in terms of sound quality and connectivity. They can be a good upgrade and will outperform most in-car entertainment systems in brand-new cars. They seem to be much more expensive but the branded ones do sound well, especially Pioneers.
 
Last edited:
Haha i allways cut that running part from my videos before posting. Looks fun time, he forgot then where camera was.
 
ABFoz said:
That was well-controlled! I see videos of people using X-mode and I still see them stressing the system. Here it's almost as if the car is properly crawling.
Click to expand...
Feel the terrain, if forward motion stops, there's a pretty good reason and pushing harder will only risk damage. Go easy, let the car do what it can...don't break anything, live to keep on enjoying your trip and your bank account.
 
ABFoz said:
What about head units with Apple Carplay and Android Auto
Click to expand...

I'd recommend Carplay, I've had a ILX-007 for 4 years, and it's the best of all worlds. I can even use Gaia GPS to display the NSW Government Topographical maps whilst out on the tracks
 
^Yes, Alpine is good, even sound-wise. Carplay is much more stable than Android Auto. Apple keeps protocols much longer than Android. Imagine that my 2005 JDM head unit connects to iPods and still connects to my newer iPhone SE! I would stick with the proper brands for an upgrade because they use really good chipsets vs most cheap ones.
 
Found that some low life had drilled 4 holes in my rear Grabber AT and deflated my front one. I had to do a temporary repair using a plug kit in order to move my car to a safer street. Now its going to cost nearly $500 as I'll need to replace both rears.

Since the Grabber ATs aren't in production any more I can only get Grabber AT3s. So I'll have brand new Grabber AT3s on the back and 20,000 km old Grabber ATs on the front. Hopefully diameters aren't so different as to heat up my centre diff...
 
can you use different tires on subarus ? even same size ones are new so they higher then used ones no ?
 
I don't think you can use different profiles as the diff will bind , might ok for a mile or so . when I own my landrover I was always warned about the spring back effect say if you have a wheel brace on a wheel lug and try to undo it when the car is jacked and then suddenly it decides to unbind .
I wouldn't know with a Subaru and hope I never will, but what dick move to disable 2 tyres .... I would cast that person into dante's inferno .
 
If you find a DCCD, you won't be worried with tire size anymore....
 
Err... why?
 
Tweaksta said:
Found that some low life had drilled 4 holes in my rear Grabber AT and deflated my front one. I had to do a temporary repair using a plug kit in order to move my car to a safer street. Now its going to cost nearly $500 as I'll need to replace both rears.

Since the Grabber ATs aren't in production any more I can only get Grabber AT3s. So I'll have brand new Grabber AT3s on the back and 20,000 km old Grabber ATs on the front. Hopefully diameters aren't so different as to heat up my centre diff...
Click to expand...

bastards.

I guessing you left your car in front of someone's house for a period, and they didn't like it? in busy areas such as yours, people can get protective of 'their' parking spot.
 
duncanm said:
I guessing you left your car in front of someone's house for a period, and they didn't like it?
Click to expand...

Spot on. It was actually a construction site where one behemoth of a house is being built on a double-block. The builders are quite aggressive and try to block off the parking spaces with traffic cones each morning as residents leave for work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top