So pissed right now at the PAC RPK5 GM4101

[nikitis]

I'm so mad at this install kit right now. Here are my reasons why.

1.) It's not as plug and play as they make you think for one, there are tons of wires you have to solder together to an actual radio.

2.) The device claims it supports a 7 inch Double Din Radio deck. This isn't true either. At least by some standards. The advertisement stated it can support a 7 inch double din Radio, so I go out and purchase a 7 in Android Radio. (Not android auto, because truthfully that is a limiting piece of crap.) The screen opening in the kit, doesn't fit the 7 inch RADIO. It's too small (apparently a true android radio measured for 7 inches is actually 7.5 inches), so I'm left with buying one of the more expensive radios that's more limiting. The installer wouldn't even try it even if I could modify the install kit because he said my Radio came from China, and he couldn't guarantee it would work. I bought this on Amazon btw. And if America made half as good of radios at a comparable price I would have bought one. I mean you have to tether your phone to the radio to use Android Auto for crying out loud.

3.) Now I have to return this Radio "Corehan 7" inch Android 5.1 Double Din In Dash Radio" and pay shipping and buy a much more expensive radio with half the features of this one.

I want to start a thread where people can tell me how to get what I need with this kit. What radio's will work with it?

Features I require:

To be 100% independent of my phone. (Screw tethering my phone. I want to have lost my phone and still be able to use all the features of the radio.)

Access to android app store so I can download android applications adding future functionality as people dream them up. Essentially making it an android device in the form of a car radio.

Ability to play videos while car is in motion. (For trips so the wife can watch.)

I don't want the damn radio cutting out my menus while driving either. (You can have buttons on a factory radio, why the hell can't you have menu buttons on a display?) If there is a way to bypass this, can someone explain how this would be done.

Harddrive support - For being able to play movies, music, pictures, from a hdd device like a usb thumb drive, sdcard, or external hdd. I don't want mirroring on my phone to show the video, I need the device to be indeNot play on my phone draining my battery mirroring to the radio screen.

Rear camera hookup.

Camaro steering wheel controls. The kit supposedly does this for me so not much of an obstacle. The kit uses a 3.5 mm headphone for this, so the radio must support this.

Radio needs to cost Around $300. (Radio only. I have the kit already.)

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer, except for (It's against the law advice, you can keep that to yourself, and are not welcome on this thread.) I want this to be a knowledge fact finding thread for this kit.


And if there is anyone who can make this a reality, let me know. I'll make a day trip to anywhere in the eastern United States to do it, if an installer can make*all of the above happen.

[1Coopgt]

I would do some searching on Crutchfield.com if I were you.

[nikitis]

Search for what on crutchfield? Do they have what I'm asking for?

[Chad's ZL1]

in the process of getting my PACS unit installed now. My audio guys are official PACS dealers so Hopefully everything goes smooth. I'm also painting my PACS unit, and my head unit is costing more than $300 and is 6.95inch.

Going with the Kenwood 893s

[Low Saturn]

Number one is to be expected and shouldn't be a surprise.

But I do agree with you about your second concern. After some back and forth with PAC's technical support, I found that it truly doesn't accept all double din radios. They really should of done their homework and found that these Android radios are getting more popular and should of factored that into the design. It would of been extremely simple to be able to accommodate any size radio with a slight design change. I have an Android radio in my Suburban and I'll never go back to a big name brand again. Unless they offer similar full android radios.

If I were you, I'd contact PAC's technical support and let them know your displeasure with the kits current design. Perhaps the more people that let them know they want to install radios other than the big name brands, maybe they'll make a small design change.

[Snoman]

There is a support thread that outlines everything you're going through and on the first page we effectively stated that the kit isn't for amateurs. The manual itself makes this crystal clear even. Dozens have stated the Android double din wouldn't work already, why and what to look out for.

Hopefully you can take this as a learning experience and do your homework beforehand next time.

[hazy]

Originally Posted by Snoman

There is a support thread that outlines everything you're going through and on the first page we effectively stated that the kit isn't for amateurs.

Not to be that guy, but nowhere in that first page is anything of that sort stated. I don't know about the other issues, but the below is a direct quote from you.

Originally Posted by Snoman

Spoke with the tech/owner for an hour, it's legit.

The product is from PAC and has been in R&D for a few years and is nearly completely plug-n-play. The only 'hard' thing to do is that your OEM knobs need to be pop'd off and used on this kit.

[CreeperRS]

Originally Posted by nikitis

I'm so mad at this install kit right now. Here are my reasons why.

1.) It's not as plug and play as they make you think for one, there are tons of wires you have to solder together to an actual radio.

2.) The device claims it supports a 7 inch Double Din Radio deck. This isn't true either. At least by some standards. The advertisement stated it can support a 7 inch double din Radio, so I go out and purchase a 7 in Android Radio. (Not android auto, because truthfully that is a limiting piece of crap.) The screen opening in the kit, doesn't fit the 7 inch RADIO. It's too small (apparently a true android radio measured for 7 inches is actually 7.5 inches), so I'm left with buying one of the more expensive radios that's more limiting. The installer wouldn't even try it even if I could modify the install kit because he said my Radio came from China, and he couldn't guarantee it would work. I bought this on Amazon btw. And if America made half as good of radios at a comparable price I would have bought one. I mean you have to tether your phone to the radio to use Android Auto for crying out loud.

3.) Now I have to return this Radio "Corehan 7" inch Android 5.1 Double Din In Dash Radio" and pay shipping and buy a much more expensive radio with half the features of this one.

I want to start a thread where people can tell me how to get what I need with this kit. What radio's will work with it?

Features I require:

To be 100% independent of my phone. (Screw tethering my phone. I want to have lost my phone and still be able to use all the features of the radio.)

Access to android app store so I can download android applications adding future functionality as people dream them up. Essentially making it an android device in the form of a car radio.

Ability to play videos while car is in motion. (For trips so the wife can watch.)

I don't want the damn radio cutting out my menus while driving either. (You can have buttons on a factory radio, why the hell can't you have menu buttons on a display?) If there is a way to bypass this, can someone explain how this would be done.

Harddrive support - For being able to play movies, music, pictures, from a hdd device like a usb thumb drive, sdcard, or external hdd. I don't want mirroring on my phone to show the video, I need the device to be indeNot play on my phone draining my battery mirroring to the radio screen.

Rear camera hookup.

Camaro steering wheel controls. The kit supposedly does this for me so not much of an obstacle. The kit uses a 3.5 mm headphone for this, so the radio must support this.

Radio needs to cost Around $300. (Radio only. I have the kit already.)

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer, except for (It's against the law advice, you can keep that to yourself, and are not welcome on this thread.) I want this to be a knowledge fact finding thread for this kit.


And if there is anyone who can make this a reality, let me know. I'll make a day trip to anywhere in the eastern United States to do it, if an installer can make*all of the above happen.

First off, always research the shit out of whatever it is you're planning on doing! Second, unless you have any type of electrical experience, or common sense, you shouldn't attempt to try and install electronics! If you do, then at least have a complete understanding of what it is you're trying to accomplish. I always find it amusing that, other members that bitch and complain about their failed install and the blame it on the manufacturer, or its country of origin. Instead of recognizing the real reason you failed!

[Snoman]

Originally Posted by hazy

Not to be that guy, but nowhere in that first page is anything of that sort stated. I don't know about the other issues, but the below is a direct quote from you.

I can respect that, however the manual was provided in Post#25 and my response of shock (warning) was Post#26

[nikitis]

Originally Posted by CreeperRS

First off, always research the shit out of whatever it is you're planning on doing! Second, unless you have any type of electrical experience, or common sense, you shouldn't attempt to try and install electronics! If you do, then at least have a complete understanding of what it is you're trying to accomplish. I always find it amusing that, other members that bitch and complain about their failed install and the blame it on the manufacturer, or its country of origin. Instead of recognizing the real reason you failed!

That's just it. I did research it, here, on PAC, on Phasetek, All the information I received was that it would accept a 7 inch Double Din radio. That's exactly what I got. No where on the internet did it state 6.95 or less. PAC's own website doesn't even state this. I checked. Reviews on Amazon stated it would take a 7 inch Double Din. SO yes, I did do my homework beforehand. As far as the wiring, I can deal with that. I could hook up the thing and it would work, the problem is I have to literally dremal the frame to make it fit, and I shouldn't have to do that, and the company should make the distinction that this unit will not fit android and only supports up to 6.95 inch or*smaller double din units.

[jeffa]

Originally Posted by nikitis

That's just it. I did research it, here, on PAC, on Phasetek, All the information I received was that it would accept a 7 inch Double Din radio. That's exactly what I got. No where on the internet did it state 6.95 or less. PAC's own website doesn't even state this. I checked. Reviews on Amazon stated it would take a 7 inch Double Din. SO yes, I did do my homework beforehand. As far as the wiring, I can deal with that. I could hook up the thing and it would work, the problem is I have to literally dremal the frame to make it fit, and I shouldn't have to do that, and the company should make the distinction that this unit will not fit android and only supports up to 6.95 inch or*smaller double din units.

The size of the LCD screen does not reflect the true chassis size of the unit. Screen sizes are measured diagonally from top left to bottom right of the screen.

The EIA standards for the chassis size of a double DIN unit are 7" wide X 4" tall. The nose piece (the part that goes through the kit's opening) is usually within a 1/16" of the 7" width/ 4" height. So, a unit with a 6.92" diagonal screen still has a 7" chassis width as the unit still needs to frame the display panel.

Problem is, most of the Android "double DIN" units are not designed to EIA specifications, and are usually 1/8" or so longer/wider than a non-Android unit. It's not PAC's fault, all Double DIN install kits for any vehicle all have the same issue with an Android unit, so it is not specific to the Camaro.

[Snoman]

Originally Posted by nikitis

That's just it. I did research it, here, on PAC, on Phasetek, All the information I received was that it would accept a 7 inch Double Din radio. That's exactly what I got. No where on the internet did it state 6.95 or less. PAC's own website doesn't even state this. I checked. Reviews on Amazon stated it would take a 7 inch Double Din. SO yes, I did do my homework beforehand. As far as the wiring, I can deal with that. I could hook up the thing and it would work, the problem is I have to literally dremal the frame to make it fit, and I shouldn't have to do that, and the company should make the distinction that this unit will not fit android and only supports up to 6.95 inch or*smaller double din units.

Overlooked perhaps. We knew in September it wouldn't fit within a week of the PAC release.

Originally Posted by Low Saturn

Would it be possible for you to take a fairly accurate measurement of the width and height of the radio opening? Preferably in millimeters? Just curious if the aftermarket Android double DIN radios will fit since they're slightly larger than a standard double DIN.

Thanks..

Originally Posted by ZeuSS2011

I am using the AppRadio3, which is a 7" screen and it's a tight fit.

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Low Saturn

Thank you very much for the measurements. I appreciate it. Doesn't look like the Android units will fit. The chassis of mine is 178mm, the bezel around the face is even bigger.

Looking forward to seeing yours installed.

Also, judging from the picture on the box, the radio seems to sit pretty far back. I wonder if you can adjust the mounting points of the radio to sit farther forward and still look good? If the radio has knobs, it seems like they'd be impossible to use. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Originally Posted by Arksine

Not possible. If you look at the other pictures of that unit, you will notice that the screen is part of the faceplace, not the head unit itself. This is also how the MyLink faceplace is designed. You can't fit a double din unit at that angle in the camaro dash.

I do think that they could have left off the exterior temp, you can already get that on the HUD. Other than that, I'm impressed with the way it looks.

.

[rotwiler]

Those Android cheap chinese radios are pretty bad. Basic, laggy, and freeze issues etc. I would love to have a good Android car stereo, but nothing out there yet is worth it. A cheap Pioneer 3800bhs or 5800bhs is much better and standard size.

[Low Saturn]

Originally Posted by rotwiler

Those Android cheap chinese radios are pretty bad. Basic, laggy, and freeze issues etc. I would love to have a good Android car stereo, but nothing out there yet is worth it. A cheap Pioneer 3800bhs or 5800bhs is much better and standard size.

The Android radio I have in my Suburban and the one my brother has in his Tahoe have none of those issues.