Aftermarket Head Unit
This was an option that was heavily recommended by the local installers to gain some improvement in sound quality and to get CD. Good head units go in the $300 + range. I spent some time looking around and auditioning head units. Of course they all sound pretty good in the store ! However, I was very disappointed in the displays and ergonomics of the units that I saw. The displays on some of the newer units really wash out badly in even bright room light. Some of the units had small flimsy buttons. The stock head unit had most of the aftermarket units beat with its’ easy to read display and solid buttons. The worst problem though, was the lack of units that could be switched to an amber display. Most units are either green or the new cool blue color. This is a real problem in the 328 where you have this rack effect with the radio, HVAC, and OBC displays all being red/amber with Dot Matrix displays. Not only that, the night illumination is matched to give a smooth overall lighting appearance. I figured anything that I put in would really stick out and scream AFTERMARKET ! I just could not imagine a green glow from the middle of that amber rack. Well, maybe it would look cool to some. Most installers told me I would also need a wiring harness and antenna adapter. Others also said I may need a $50 level converter to interface to the BMW amps while others said it was definitely not needed. I was also concerned about losing the diversity antenna system and had heard that there was some problems with poor reception with the BMW amplified wire antenna in the 328 with aftermarket radios. I was back to considering RF changers or the BMW changer. The moths were getting restless.
Enter The
Blaupunkt Totonto.....
While perusing one of the latest car audio mags, I came across a review of the Blaupunkt’ new 7 series CD radio the Toronto (the cassette version is the Sydney). The reviewer was very positive about the unit. However, the main thing I noticed was that it had a 16 color Dot Matrix display adjustable from green to amber! It had 16 brightness levels and an adjustable night illumination feature. The faceplate design looked like it would blend into the 328 rack very well. It even had some new fangled theft protection system ! Could this be the radio I was looking for ? The retail price was kind of steep at $570, but I figured the street price would be better. I went to the Blaupunkt web site and read up on the Toronto. This was looking better. I began hunting around for a dealer, but found that some Blaupunkt dealers had not gotten the radios yet or their prices was pretty high. I found a compromise with Continental Imports. They have an informative web page and pretty good prices. Plus they are an authorized dealer. You really have to watch this because some manufacturers will not honor their warranty unless you buy from an authorized dealer. Blaupunkt is one such manufacturer. I called Continental and spoke with Scott. He said that they had done a few BMW installs and they looked very good in the car and sounded good also. I decided to take a chance. I figured at least I would have CD in the 3er. I had Scott send me out a Toronto with a wiring harness for a 97 3 series. The moths screamed.