I have the 6CD OEM Head Unit in my 2008 HSE with Harmon Kardon (MOST) system - the radio and aux work fine, but the pixels are starting to die, the radio info is always wrong and the cd changer says "invalid disc" for every single CD.

1 - Is it easy enough to just buy a used OEM (MOST) head unit and just replace it or... is it going to be VIN connected or something that makes it more complicated than plug-n-play?
2 - Anyone out there upgrade that head unit and have long term thoughts on it? Obviously you can put in a double din and I've seen people do it, but I'm curious about first hand experience of what it's like to live with and whether it feels like an upgrade or... is sort of just not a big deal but nice to have a few modern features?

Cheers.

 

There is no code for the head unit or amp. I know, kinda weird. But I think its because they are dummy head units so from a perspective of something to steal they have no real value. You just want to be sure the part numbers match up to avoid issues. The issue with most (pun intended) aftermarket units is that they dont utilize the MOST network. So then you have to swap the amp and such and any integration is gone. If you want proper compatibility, your options are limited. I have a unit coming from China. Once it arrives and I get it installed I will do a brief write-up about it. But it will integrate with the LR3 completely including steering wheel inputs, uses OEM amp and interfaces to the MOST network. The display even works with the LR3s PMW dash dimming setup. If it works good, it is a really nice upgrade for most LR3 owners and the appearance is 100% factory looking.

 

oooooh I'm gonna stand by to see how this works for you, what it looks like, and how simple/pia it is to install. Way to take one for the team here hahaha.

 

I keep seeing similar unit on the disco3.co.uk site, and may pop for one if it has apple carplay and navigation.

 

link?

 

Okay, the solution I went with is mostly installed. I have some more things to do because I had an LR4 nav screen modified into my LR3. I also have a GMRS radio tied into my audio. But overall things work well. So what I did was swap out the navigation display unit for an aftermarket display module that has Apple CarPlay or Android whatever play. It is pretty dang neat and with a sale price of $200, its not bad. You still need/retain your factory head unit. Sadly it does NOT interface to the MOST network like I excepted, so there is no direct link to the amp. Instead you have to use your AUX input. In my case, that was pretty hacked by my previous installs. But this unit will output into aux right in the dash itself, no long wires to the input. Easy to do tho. I am still learning all the features and such. I wont go into much detail but the CarPlay works. Also some surprises, such as the parking sensors coming up with the backup camera (camera offline right now) which show exactly which sensor is being triggered! And the camera grid curves with steering, so the steering angle sensor is actively being read - something that of course does not happen if you install an aftermarket camera. But the biggest reason I went with this is because the 4x4 display still works, or I should say it has its own version. Unlike the OEM versions in the D3/4, the front wheels actually change direction as you move them. But my rear locker is not showing, not sure what is up with that... I would much like that. There are some other quicks too that I dont care for, but I may just have to learn to edit and modify things more. For example it is suppose to have wireless CarPlay but I can not get it to work. Not a huge deal since I usually have my phone plugged into to charge when driving anyway. I will post another thread about this in much more detail later on.