I found a nearly OEM looking head unit that has Bluetooth and hands free calling (made by Continental)

psrivats

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I am one those guys here that wants a new headunit that has Bluetooth connectivity and possibly hands-free calling, but have not upgraded because I don't want a neon lightshow in my Jeep or a random touchscreen unit that looks out of place.

I have been looking for a while for a good replacement other than the Clarion m508 model and I think I have found a good one. I had promised @Chris that I'll post a link when I found a good one.

It's made by Continental - model# TR7412UB-OR - and it has AM/FM/Bluetooth/USB and Aux inputs. Supports hands free calling. See the attached user manual.

Who knew Continental made car audios! A lot of classic European car guys are running this (just do a Google image search) and it looks pretty great imo. The LCD backlight is a nice shade of orange that don't look to be blinding and don't look out of place in our TJs.

Below are some photos in older cars. Hard to tell it's not OEM other than the small Continental logo. I'm still looking for a US seller, but I don't think buying from Europe is that big a deal these days. Price seems to be ~175-200. You'll likely have to get a harness made or make one yourself. I'm still researching, feel free to do some searching yourself if you are interested.

Comments and thoughts welcome. I well understand this is more expensive than a unit that you can buy from Crutchfield but making something look nearly OEM is not an easy task. I'm not into car audio as such, but it's amazingly hard to find something like this unit that has both the looks and the functionality.

https://www.continental-automotive....ainment/Radios/FM-AM-Radio-with-USB-Bluetooth


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Attachments

  • TR7412UB-OR-Owners-Manual.pdf
    1.3 MB · Views: 225
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Another watcher. Can the background lighting change color to other than that orange-amber? It looks good in each photo. Nice find!👍
 
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I have been looking for something like with Bluetooth that for my daily driver BMW. I need Bluetooth for my work. I wonder if they have the bezel available for my 2004 E46. I already sent them an email asking, who knows if they'll reply.
 
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I mentioned that in the post. Between 175-200 from what I saw. Couple sellers on eBay with cheaper prices.

Another watcher. Can the background lighting change color to other than that orange-amber? It looks good in each photo. Nice find!👍

The color can't be changed ... I think it's a nice shade of orange and won't look out of place in a TJ. I wish it were the standard green for the LCD too ...

You can get blue backlighting if you get the VDO brand of that deck.

Correct. On further research it seems that VDO is the company that makes these for Continental. The ones with the VDO brand name have a blue back light. I think I prefer orange over blue. I don't even like blue LEDs in kitchen appliances🤣

Here's the VDO website, looks like they have very many varieties of stereos.

https://www.vdo.com/special-vehicles/audio-products/audio-products/

Here are couple examples of the blue backlight in VDO branded ones. The first image is the same model as the Continental one I linked. I personally think the orange color is nicer but I know some people prefer the cooler looking blue. I wish it were green, that would look even more OEM.


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Thanks for this OP - I'm with you all, I just really want an aux jack for plug n' play without the light show/fancy touch screens. This and the Clarion option look great. I'd pay the premium to retain the stock-ish look...
 
OK - I have decided to be the guinea pig for this one.

I bought one and give an update in this thread in 2-3 weeks when I get to installing it.

Any idea if it comes with the box/frame thing that helps it fit snugly and cleanly? I think some of the head units from Sony on Quadratec come with them.
 
Thanks for this OP - I'm with you all, I just really want an aux jack for plug n' play without the light show/fancy touch screens. This and the Clarion option look great. I'd pay the premium to retain the stock-ish look...
Most ipod adapters have aux input that works with the factory decks. Can't get more factory than factory.
 
Nice looking deck. I have a JVC in mine currently and, while it is functioning fine and I am happy with the sound, it has to be the least intuitive deck I have ever owned. I can't stand the menus I have to navigate to make small changes.
 
Nice looking deck. I have a JVC in mine currently and, while it is functioning fine and I am happy with the sound, it has to be the least intuitive deck I have ever owned. I can't stand the menus I have to navigate to make small changes.
Same with my TJ's Pioneer radio. My previous Sony's interface was bad enough but this Pioneer was obviously designed for someone with a significantly higher IQ than I have. Its clock is off one hour since the time change and it's staying that way until I can find the owner's manual.