Subaru radio hate thread

[BRZfan]

You can't have it. You'll have to buy another car or wait to replace the steering wheel with an updated one.

Originally Posted by neutron256

I want a really button with a tactile feel that will work without me looking at the screen. Voice recognition is just going to piss me off especially if I'm just flipping through tracks trying to find one I like.

[neutron256]

Originally Posted by BRZfan

You can't have it. You'll have to buy another car or wait to replace the steering wheel with an updated one.

I'm not even talking about steering wheel controls (although that would be nice) I'm just talking about track forward/back buttons on the headunit itself.

It hasn't annoyed me enough to fork over the money for an aftermarket headunit, but I was close.

[thill]

Originally Posted by slaxx

My USB and bluetooth have never worked, the GPS is often out and the car thinks it's moving when it's not. Sounds ok on satellite radio for OEM. ugh what crap

Yes, take this in and get it fixed. The GPS works pretty well for me. Better than the Garmin Nuvi I was using. Bluetooth works flawless for me as well.

[nalc]

Mixed feelings on it.

GPS is nice. It's a pain to look up stuff compared to my Android GPS, but it works fine once you're going, and I like the big screen and the fact that it's built in (I am adamant that I don't like suction cups on the windshield or having to configure separate devices). Will the GPS still have traffic once I let the Satellite radio subscription (3 months free or whatever) expire?

Touch screen buttons definitely could be placed better, and they could have maximized the hard button functionality. A knob and three little buttons, with a fair amount of blank space around them? Look at how every other nav unit had more useful buttons on the bezel and includes a second knob on the right hand side to change radio stations. I'm confident that most complaints would go away if there was a physical button simply to skip tracks or presets.

If I had been offered the car for $500 less with a simple, base model head unit like the Impreza, that would be a no-brainer, but I don't like aftermarket, and I'm not going to spend money to downgrade. Once I get physical buttons wired up on the dashboard, my primary complaint will go away, and once I install a back-up camera, I will appreciate the big screen even more.

I drive a lot of rental cars for work, and I'm growing to appreciate the BRZ dashboard more in general. I like having a simple monochrome speed read-out more than a complicated multicolor graphical display in the center of the instrument cluster that has a million things going on and is obnoxious and distracting. I like having a simple monochrome display dedicated to the HVAC controls. I like that the head unit is JUST the stereo. It's a way less confusing and complicated setup than the cars that have a single 3.5-4" screen on the dash that has the climate control, radio, and trip computer all built into the same display that's a PITA to navigate. My current rental has the center cluster display that's somewhat redundant with the dashboard display, it's got four different clusters of SWC buttons (cruise control and navigation arrows for the various menus in the trip computer on the front and two clusters of audio controls on the back), and it's got some redundant physical buttons and virtual buttons, and the audio buttons are mixed in with the climate control buttons and there are even more buttons around the screen). Complete PITA.

[DoomsdayJesus]

If this is the same radio as the one in the Forester, there should be a connection in the rear for steering wheel controls. Which means you can add aftermarket steering wheel controls (or install them somewhere else).

I'd really like someone to pull their deck to see if this is possible, because I'd do it just for safety reasons.

Aside from that, if you really read through the whole manual, it's not that bad. Using expert mode for voice command (where you just speak the entire command instead of going step by step) is WAY faster than using the normal mode.

Also, if you're having bluetooth issues, my guess is it's more likely your phone than the headunit. I know after I got an S4, it was connecting slowly. I went into the settings, deleted my last phone, and made the S4 first on the list. Problem solved. My guess is it tries to connect to devices in the order you have them sync'd, so put the one you use most often first, and double check the settings on your phone.

I know on my last phone I got the text messages working, and on my new one it's not. It's not easy making a head unit that will work with every make and model of phone. There was a permission that popped up on my Rezound for messages that I had to accept, there has been no pop-up on my S4.

I guarantee that if you read through the entire manual when you have some time to sit in front of the radio, it will make life a LOT easier on you. And it's cheaper than a new head unit.

[Perihelion]

I don't understand all the complaining about changing tracks. Make a playlist. I barely ever need to touch my controls when I'm driving. Only the sound dial. There are other things to gripe about with the head unit.

[nalc]

Originally Posted by DoomsdayJesus

If this is the same radio as the one in the Forester, there should be a connection in the rear for steering wheel controls. Which means you can add aftermarket steering wheel controls (or install them somewhere else).

I'd really like someone to pull their deck to see if this is possible, because I'd do it just for safety reasons.

SWCs from the latest generation Impreza are plug-n-play for the BRZ head unit, but there's no provisions to mount them on the steering wheel itself, and I don't know if the clock spring has unused pins (necessary to allow a connection between the rotating wheel and stationary steering column). You could certainly wire it up to the dashboard, steering column, or center console easily enough, with either the Impreza module (has nice buttons with backlit symbols), or by just getting a couple of momentary push-botton switches and a few resistors and making the circuit yourself. I've got all of the info.

[Kimsey47]

I don't have time to read all the post on here but I'd like to propose that everyone who hates this head unit to start flooding Subaru's customer care center and tell them we hate it and why. It may not get us current owners anywhere but it could help the tides of change to come around sooner than later. Constructive criticism for the win!?

I HATE this unit myself and it is by far the worst flaw if perhaps the only flaw with the BRZ. Let's let Subaru know enmass how much we dislike it!

[DoomsdayJesus]

Originally Posted by nalc

SWCs from the latest generation Impreza are plug-n-play for the BRZ head unit, but there's no provisions to mount them on the steering wheel itself, and I don't know if the clock spring has unused pins (necessary to allow a connection between the rotating wheel and stationary steering column). You could certainly wire it up to the dashboard, steering column, or center console easily enough, with either the Impreza module (has nice buttons with backlit symbols), or by just getting a couple of momentary push-botton switches and a few resistors and making the circuit yourself. I've got all of the info.

I was talking about aftermarket ones that strap/screw into your steering wheel. I know I've seen boost controllers that go on your steering wheel for toher cars, I'm almost certain there are kits on crutchfield that hook up to your stock radio, and I don't think the clock spring is used at all. I'm going to try to look it up.

Edit: Bam http://www.carid.com/universal-stere...l-7589948.html
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/electronics/dp/B0052HXPAI"]Amazon.com: Metra Axxess Universal RF Steering Wheel Control Add-On Interface: Car Electronics[/ame]
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...ASWCSTALK.html
http://www.carid.com/universal-stere...l-7589973.html
(I think some of these are duplicates at different prices)
It would be nice if we had an IR receiver on our headunit, I wonder if we can add one.

I really like the stalk model since it doesn't go on the steering wheel itself. May have to pick that up and do a DIY on it.

[nalc]

Originally Posted by DoomsdayJesus

I was talking about aftermarket ones that strap/screw into your steering wheel. I know I've seen boost controllers that go on your steering wheel for toher cars, I'm almost certain there are kits on crutchfield that hook up to your stock radio, and I don't think the clock spring is used at all. I'm going to try to look it up.

Edit: Bam http://www.carid.com/universal-stere...l-7589948.html
Amazon.com: Metra Axxess Universal RF Steering Wheel Control Add-On Interface: Car Electronics
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...ASWCSTALK.html
http://www.carid.com/universal-stere...l-7589973.html
(I think some of these are duplicates at different prices)
It would be nice if we had an IR receiver on our headunit, I wonder if we can add one.

I really like the stalk model since it doesn't go on the steering wheel itself. May have to pick that up and do a DIY on it.

I don't believe there would be any simple way of using aftermarket SWCs with the factory HU. The factory SWCs use a resistor network, and that is what the factory HU is looking for. Aftermarket SWC converters 'learn' the factory SWC resistor network (same idea as if you've ever programmed a learning remote), then convert that into commands that an aftermarket HU can understand. To my knowledge, there's nothing that works in the opposite direction - uses aftermarket SWCs to control a resistor network. The cheap way would probably be to take apart aftermarket SWCs and rip out the logic and replace it with the correct resistor network, the clean way would be to create some new logic to use the commands from the aftermarket SWCs to control a resistor network.

[bestwheelbase]

Originally Posted by Kimsey47

I don't have time to read all the post on here but I'd like to propose that everyone who hates this head unit to start flooding Subaru's customer care center and tell them we hate it and why. It may not get us current owners anywhere but it could help the tides of change to come around sooner than later. Constructive criticism for the win!?

I HATE this unit myself and it is by far the worst flaw if perhaps the only flaw with the BRZ. Let's let Subaru know enmass how much we dislike it!

For customers in U.S.:

Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru Plaza
P.O. Box 6000
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-6000
Attn: Customer/Dealer Services

[DoomsdayJesus]

Originally Posted by nalc

I don't believe there would be any simple way of using aftermarket SWCs with the factory HU. The factory SWCs use a resistor network, and that is what the factory HU is looking for. Aftermarket SWC converters 'learn' the factory SWC resistor network (same idea as if you've ever programmed a learning remote), then convert that into commands that an aftermarket HU can understand. To my knowledge, there's nothing that works in the opposite direction - uses aftermarket SWCs to control a resistor network. The cheap way would probably be to take apart aftermarket SWCs and rip out the logic and replace it with the correct resistor network, the clean way would be to create some new logic to use the commands from the aftermarket SWCs to control a resistor network.

Or you could just check compatibility before ordering it, and keep your receipt.

[choi0706]

anyone relocate the microphone? I'm having issues with people hearing me..

[WolfpackS2k]

Originally Posted by Perihelion

I don't understand all the complaining about changing tracks. Make a playlist. I barely ever need to touch my controls when I'm driving. Only the sound dial. There are other things to gripe about with the head unit.

Well ya know, there are those days when I just feel like listening to music by one band, like Three Days Grace, or Nirvana, or Smashing Pumpkins, etc. And I have to very carefully time the scrolling to get to the correct letter all the way down the alphabet, and then wait for it to "load". I have plenty of playlists, but sometimes I just want to listen to one artist (and I doubt I'm alone in that sentiment). Sure it's easy to scroll through 20 playlists, but it's a huge bitch to scroll through over a hundred artists.

And heaven forbid if someone calls you after you've already pulled up that artist, b/c it'll kick you out to the main screen and you'll have to do it all over again!

(I realize you can do a voice command to pull up a certain artist, but I'm pretty sure there's no way to get it to just pull up that artists list of albums and/or songs to let you pick exactly what you want to listen to).