[Spongey]

Hey All,
Just a quick review on a recent upgrade/addition to my Late 2012 I30 CRDI Active I30. I spent a lot of time looking for information/videos on headunits and really struggled to find much info. As a disclaimer, I have no link to any of the sellers or products discussed beyond buying them.

The car originally had the basic original blue double din head unit and while the Bluetooth and voice support was present I found it a bit basic. So was after a bit of an upgrade especially as the warranty on the car had expired.



After looking at a whole load of units I went for a I30 specific, Android Oreo, Octocore 4gb RAM head unit. It is designed to only fit 2nd gen I30s (shaped to fit the dash). The unit is a modified version of a common type of unit, there are also different vehicle specific variants for different cars as well as slightly cheaper universal units. The unit came with a full wiring harness compatible with the I30s and was plug and play (no ISO conversion needed). The wiring harness also allowed USB and AUX plugs in the center console to continue to function. Link to Ebay Auction for HU
AUTORADIO DVD/GPS/NAVI/BT/WIFI/ANDROID 8.0 4GB/DAB HYUNDAI i30 2011-2017 V5724 | eBay
(seller takes best offer and managed to knock a tenner off), Shipping was about 8 days, stock didn’t seem to be in the UK but came in reasonable time and was well packaged £300 all in so was a bit of a plunge.

While the advert states DAB and 3G it simply means it is compatible, not that the required hardware is included. I have however, bought a DAB+ adapter £25 and a DAB aerial splitter with amplifier as the window antenna are next to useless around us.
USB DAB+ Digital Radio Receiver Box Amplified Aerial antenna Android headunit UK | eBay
(was the cheapest I could find with reasonable shipping) and works reasonably we are in the middle of nowhere in cumbria so DAB coverage and even FM coverage is spotty at best.
I already had USB powered WIFI Dongle with data SIM, so this provides data connectivity. You can use Bluetooth/WIFI tethering from your phone but it is a bit of a faff turning it on every time.

Install was reasonably straight forward there is a video of an i30 headunit removal on youtube below:
remove stereo Hyundai Elantra 2011-2013 - YouTube
I recommend a soft plastic dish scraper to start to pop the silver trim off after which gently pulling and prizing (be brave) will see the rest come off. The AC controls require a good pull to get off once the 4 screws are out. The HU is a simple swap like all cars I have done in the past. (instructions with HU are next to useless). There are two USB ports on the back of the unit, none on the front, one is used to allow the lower centre console USB and AUX plug to work. The second USB is used on mine for the DAB+ radio.



Conclusion after 1 month of living with it.
I really like the unit, (although I would say that having just bought it) it was a bit a dive into the dark initially but have been really impressed. The unit is a bit slow to start from cold taking about 30sec, after that the unit goes into a sleep mode whenever the car is turned off and boots as quick as the standard head unit 2 seconds or so if the car has been sat for up to 10 hours or so, longer and the unit fully shuts down. Turning the engine over does not turn the headunit off.



The headunit is quick, and there is no noticeable lag when switching between apps. Even with multiple windows open. The headunit runs android Oreo and all the apps on the app store which would work on a phone work well on the headunit. The home screen seen in the images is “Car launcher Pro” this I feel is an improvement on the Android Oreo's built in car mode, which is not clear, Car Launcher Pro is a bit easier to move around and the speed indication is useful. Bluetooth works well with both handsfree functionality and audio streaming with full control over the phone (iPhone 7).



Having Waze and Spotify is great when driving and really improves the experience on long drives. I also have a Bluetooth OBD2 port scanner which pairs with the unit (£6). It is useful although I have not played around with this much and only plug it in if there is an issue. Having podcasts on the stereo is also a nice feature. I had a spare 120GB Micro SD card (The HU accepts 2 on the front) which I have all my music loaded onto. I access this with Black Audio Player which provedes a good library and play function.



DAB reception with the separate receiver, aerial splitter and powered amplifier works as well as any DAB radion I have ever had built into a car which tends to be a bit patchy in the part of cumbria we live in. The built in AM FM radio works well and is clear (as well as the original stereo).




The unit changes it lighting to headlights coming on, the two roatating knobs are lit like the standard unit, the screen is dimmable but is not matched to in car lighting levels and does not dim as much as standard headunit but can be blanked to darken the cabin.

Steering wheel controls work and are programable to do whatever you want with options for short and long press through the setting menu.



If anyone has any questions please ask! I seemed to of spent ages watching youtube videos and trying to find reviews and debating the purchase so am happy to help anyone else interested. Overall I would do the upgrade again as it has improved the in cabin experience no end and comparing it to my wifes i30 active it feels like a much more up market car (dont tell her that).

Dave

[Dazzler]

Wow! That was a brilliant report. A lot of work went into sharing that! Much appreciated.   

[thommo101]

Hey great post there Spongey, and great timing for me. My head unit (GD-01) in my 2012 GD just died (everything works... except no sound output!) and I'm looking to replace it with an Android or Android Auto compatible unit.

The unit you selected looks interesting. Did you look into any Android Auto compatible units? IE I see Sony / Pioneer make some models. I'm going to head down to my local car audio place next week, but thought I'd see if anyone else had investigated other options.

[CraigB]

I was originally looking at the JVC KW-V940BW unit KW-V940BW?JVC Australia - Products - which are really good but found it much cheaper and simpler to fit in a GD03 unit, works like a charm

Any 2din unit should work though and the Stereo shop will be able to order the facia and harness adaptors to suit.

[Spongey]

The cheapest I could find the i30  facia and wiring harness for was about £60 so you have to add that on to any HU your debating (which is not vehicle specific). I also never think these look as good. I did debate a few 2 din head units but for the functionality, i wanted and with android and apple car play most of these were more expensive than this unit. Especially when including the required adapters. I didn't look into a GD03 much but if one could be picked up cheap it would be a good alternative.

The HU listed in the first listing is the most up to date android head unit available 4GB of Ram 8 core processor, they are still available with 1GB and 2 GB or Ram as well as slower processors for less money but comparing the Youtube videos the new one is worth the extra. Sound quality is better I think than the GD01 although this is purely subjective, you can play around with the equalizer a lot more. If you were wanting to expand the unit further there are a complete set of line level outputs for an amp or sub. You can also fit a dash cam, reversing cam and it can feed video to rear screens which was a consideration having an 18 month old (although we will probably end up just using an old tablet).

One nice feature I found today is enabling "Hey Google" makes the head unit like a google home speaker so you can set navigation open apps just by saying hey google.   

[thommo101]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Craig, the JVC range look pretty good. I think I'll have to head in store and have a bit of a play around with them. A GD-03 unit would be ideal, but looking at the other threads, they seem like they are in high demand, and expensive to get even from wreckers.

Spongey, I imagine that an after market fascia will look a bit average, but it is probably better than going crazy driving around in silence! Having a look at AU Ebay, there are a few Android head units with i30 fascia for about $AU600-700. Will see what the local car stereo place is offering as an alternative.

[CraigB]

Thommo101, you’ll find all the accessories at aerpro which is where the audio shops will order the necessary parts from Hyundai i30 2012-2016 GD, GD2 | Aerpro

The benefit of the GD03 unit ( though not as feature packed ) is you save money fitting it yourself which I found quite easy and units are about $350 from Stanvac wreckers.

[chris_i30gd]

Great review. I also have an android unit it looks like yours in look. Mine is older and is quad core - 1 gb ram and I had to root it so now is working fast enough.
You can change the boot logo without rooting if you go to the system setting in android - factory settings menu and put the code    126       or       m123456.

It works in the older versions of the system.

I also bought the sygic navigation in a offer price and is working very fast.

Dont remember if we talked about it before...But i had same specs on my Android-unit & it was killing me how much it would lag when running multiple apps (nav, torque, radio & so on)...I bought a new android-board for it & its now completely without lag. It was 100$ last summer & if your right hand is on right arm & left visa versa, its a very easy swap :-)

Otherwise i believe the bluetooth-part really truly sucks on it. After ignition has been off (soft-sleep), i need to push resetbutton to reactivate bluetooth & handfree mobile is impossible with the bad soundquality. This is due to the design of the units so should be approx. the same for all. Fortunately you can buy a USB-bluetoothdongle with same chipset thats in the unit so Android got the drivers for it. I have just received this the other day & will try to get it installed tomorrow (Need to solder on motherboard to disable the buildt-in). Anybody wondering, then its the interface to android that is bad design, not the bluetooth-unit itself, so thats why a USB-dongle should fix it :-)

BTW. I use IGO-nav & replaced the original antenna with FM/DAB/GPS from Ebay...It was like 80£ or so, works perfect (As good as DAB works, as its not designed for mobile applications, so very seldom use DAB)

If you guys are interested in "alternative/homebrew" firmware for it, you could check here..On own risk and so ;-) Link to all about Android car headunits Be VERY!!! careful to use firmware for the right Android-unit (PX-3/PX-5/INTEL) and especially for the mainboard (MTCC/D/E). Wrong firmware for mainboard can completely kill the radio if MTCC is used on MTCD etc.

Great review. I also have an android unit it looks like yours in look. Mine is older and is quad core - 1 gb ram and I had to root it so now is working fast enough.
You can change the boot logo without rooting if you go to the system setting in android - factory settings menu and put the code    126       or       m123456.

It works in the older versions of the system.

I also bought the sygic navigation in a offer price and is working very fast.

[chris_i30gd]

I am not going to buy any new android system  - also the stock android with 1gb ram and quad core are very slow. I remember that. But after rooting the current one and disabling google apps and many other apps as  I just want to use audio video reverse camera and apps from play store etc the system is really fast for these jobs. It has 60-65% free memory and is ok for 2-3 apps to run the  same time. Also I can tweak the cpu and run faster and then is really fast for these specs. It never lags. But try it only if you are android specialist

[thommo101]

Well, I went to the local car stereo place and got a quote on a basic Pioneer Android Auto compatible unit fitted... $1100.

Hmmm I may investigate alternatives like a GD-03 or an Android unit like the OP has fitted

[jferguson]

I know what my next project for my i30 is going to be now...

[ibull]

Hi All,

Greetings from Singapore!

Since this thread is talking about upgrading of HU, I hope you all don't mind me piggybacking.

As a soon-to-be owner of an i30 PD 2017 (it sucks to be a car owner here in Singapore due to the COE requirement we have) awaiting my COE bidding result, I would like to ask if anyone here have the product code of the Hyundai 8" head unit that supports Android Auto/Apple Carplay.

The i30 we have here in Singapore is heavily stripped down (only 1 trim) and it comes default with a 9" OEM HU (free upgrade from another 5" OEM) which runs off WinCE  I was hoping to be able to replace it with the 8“ model available in the Australia/UK market.

This is the 9" OEM we are given - credits to Vincent (‎New Generation i30 Singapore Facebook Group)

[Dazzler]

 

Sorry I can't help with a part number (hopefully someone can)

[ibull]

Sorry I can't help with a part number (hopefully someone can)

nah it's fine, I'm just trying my luck here. The thing is I don't even know if Hyundai AU sells the 8" HU standalone

[CraigB]

Sorry I can't help with a part number (hopefully someone can)

nah it's fine, I'm just trying my luck here. The thing is I don't even know if Hyundai AU sells the 8" HU standalone

They are already starting to turn up in wreckers HYUNDAI I30 RADIO/CD/DVD/ SAT NAVIGATION UNIT, PD, 03/17- 17 18 19 | eBay I'd think new from Hyundai would be 3 times that price or more, not sure what you'd do about NAV maps in Singapore though

[chris_i30gd]

You can also check these octacore android systems

Octa Core RAM 4G ROM 32G Android 8.0 Fit Hyundai i30 2017 2018 Car DVD Player Navigation GPS Radio SD MAP stereo Video head Unit-in Car Multimedia Player,searchweb201602_2_10152_10065_10151_10344_10068_5722815_10342_10325_10343_10546_10340_10341_10548_5722915_10698_10697_5722615_10696_10084_10083_10618_10304_10307_5722715_5711215_10059_5723015_10534_308_100031_10103_441_10624_10623_10622_5711315_5722515_10621_10620,searchweb201603_1,ppcSwitch_2&algo_expid=76331d41-cada-40f9-9af8-850d3582d4fa-0&algo_pvid=76331d41-cada-40f9-9af8-850d3582d4fa&transAbTest=ae803_1&priceBeautifyAB=0

[ibull]

They are already starting to turn up in wreckers HYUNDAI I30 RADIO/CD/DVD/ SAT NAVIGATION UNIT, PD, 03/17- 17 18 19 | eBay I'd think new from Hyundai would be 3 times that price or more, not sure what you'd do about NAV maps in Singapore though

maybe those guys at Hyundai Singapore will be able to hook me up with the map function with a fee

You can also check these octacore android systems

Octa Core RAM 4G ROM 32G Android 8.0 Fit Hyundai i30 2017 2018 Car DVD Player Navigation GPS Radio SD MAP stereo Video head Unit-in Car Multimedia Player

Yea, someone over here has gotten one like this and we are all now awaiting his installation to see if the stock reverse cam works.

And also the Android Auto/Carplay feature via Mirror Link.

[chris_i30gd]

if you have any news about the installation and use of  this android in i30 pd  inform also the forum here
As all previous info was about i30 gd

[Dazzler]

if you have any news about this android inform also the forum here

  Please....

if you have any news about this android inform also the forum here

They are all the same on the inside those Android units, (beside core that gets upgraded now & then (Do NOT get a 1 GB unit, although i belive they luckily now are history) & perhaps CanBus interface if original headunit utilizes it).

Original camera should be no problem, unless Hyundai has chosen digital transmission on the new i30´s ,but that should be very easy to find out (and really annoying if so). My hookup of the "pop-out" cam  available on high-spec GD´s to my android-unit was videowise no problem at all, only the control of the sled of the unit to get camera pop out i had a bit of fun with

[ibull]

just an update to this.

the fellow i30 PD owner here bought this off Aliexpress (6.0 octa core 4GX32G / without can bus).

Glad to say that the HU works fine (credits to GH Chong):

• stock reverse cam (include reverse guidance lines)
• steering wheel controls
• Android (no mirrorlink required, simply connect phone to HU and HU becomes the display)
• Apple - TBA, yet to confirm

Some photos (courtesy of GH Chong)


He has yet to test the iPhone WiFi as he's not an Apple user.



TomTom Go with live traffic update

[LargePig]

Hey there,

Thanks for this, I have just put in an order for one, I'm not having much luck sourcing a GD-03 in the UK.

I have a couple of questions:

• I am making the assumption that GPS is built in, and that phone/external GPS receiver are not required. Am I right about that?
• How do you have your 3G dongle and the DAB plugged in at the same time? Are you using the AUX/USB port for the 3G?

Thanks again,

LP

[CraigB]

Hey there,

Thanks for this, I have just put in an order for one, I'm not having much luck sourcing a GD-03 in the UK.

I have a couple of questions:

• I am making the assumption that GPS is built in, and that phone/external GPS receiver are not required. Am I right about that?
• How do you have your 3G dongle and the DAB plugged in at the same time? Are you using the AUX/USB port for the 3G?

Thanks again,

LP

GD-03 units don't come with GPS so I've been told, maps need to be provided via your phone with Apple Car Play or Android Auto.

The navigation units from the higher models of the same year have a slightly different shape lower lip on the fascia and must have a different model number though I have no idea what it is.

[LargePig]

Thanks CraigB,

Sorry, my post wasn't very clear, I was referring to the Android unit that Spongey originally posted about

I have given up trying to get hold of a GD-03.

Cheers,

LP

[CraigB]

Thanks CraigB,

Sorry, my post wasn't very clear, I was referring to the Android unit that Spongey originally posted about

I have given up trying to get hold of a GD-03.

Cheers,

LP

No problem, it would help to quote posts you are replying to in future so that we know to whom you're asking/replying

Hey there,

Thanks for this, I have just put in an order for one, I'm not having much luck sourcing a GD-03 in the UK.

I have a couple of questions:

• I am making the assumption that GPS is built in, and that phone/external GPS receiver are not required. Am I right about that?
• How do you have your 3G dongle and the DAB plugged in at the same time? Are you using the AUX/USB port for the 3G?

Thanks again,

LP

For Android:

GPS antenna is external. on a GD it works fine if placed on top of the headunit (theres a magnet in my antenna to keep it in place), where signal also is also good.

If you run out of the 2-3 USB connectors on rear side of headunit, you can get a USB-hub to get many more USB-connections possible. I have a "china" 5V supply in mine, powering it. Plan is to install 2 USB-connectors at the rear-end in the middle-consol so passengers in the back can charge phones & tablets (no data lines connected as it would make the kids fight for power over the music :-D )   

[Dazzler]

@ChipMIK Sounds like a great plan. 

Hey there,

Thanks for this, I have just put in an order for one, I'm not having much luck sourcing a GD-03 in the UK.

I have a couple of questions:

• I am making the assumption that GPS is built in, and that phone/external GPS receiver are not required. Am I right about that?
• How do you have your 3G dongle and the DAB plugged in at the same time? Are you using the AUX/USB port for the 3G?

Thanks again,

LP

Forgot to mention that i bought this type of roof-antenna with FM/DAB/GPS: Ebay FM/GPS/DAB antenna]

It fits perfect on the roof, but check the GPS or DAB-connector as one of them isnt correct type (dont remember as it first was installed in my former car 1 year ago). I just mailed the seller before buying it and was given a free adapter 

[LargePig]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Mine arrived today. I cannot get it to fit. The top will not go up flush with the dash. So then the Aircon controls won't go back on.

I'll have another play when I have more time.

It's definitely the right one for the car, just.... Doesn't seem to fit....