German engineers are insane

Landshark · #1 07-21-2005, 11:50 PM

i'm going to be installing a Blaupunkt (Bremen) in my LGT tomorrow, and i was going over all the parts and instructions tonight. its nuts!

it comes with a steering wheel remote - to get at the batteries inside it you would think maybe a plastic battery cover you unclip, or at the most, remove a screw to access it? no! it has tiny metal locking clips that you undo using the supplied little tool or a jewelers screwdriver.

it has a second antenna feature for dual digital diversity tuning (kinda like the SVX

). the antenna itself is composed of about 12 parts - thin antenna strips enclosed in strips of clear adhesive-sided film that you stick to the windshield (and smooth out with another little tool), a couple other pieces these attach to in the center, cleaning pads, a packet of dielectric grease for the ground cable, and the best part - white spacer stickers you put on the windshield so your antenna strips are straight!!!

if Germans invented the coffee cup, there would probably be 15 parts to it and it would come with a special tool.

anyways, this is a cool stereo with a lot of awesome features, but the install is gonna be a beotch, and that's not including all the grief i have to go through just because its going in the Legacy.

shelfy · #2 07-22-2005, 12:01 AM

will you do mine next?

Landshark · #3 07-22-2005, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shelfy

will you do mine next?

sure, but after tomorrow i'll be using a hammer and an axe on yours.

shelfy · #4 07-22-2005, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Landshark

sure, but after tomorrow i'll be using a hammer and an axe on yours.

c'mon! show teh legacy some love.

Royal Tiger · #5 07-22-2005, 08:22 AM

We Germans are a little overly complex, but proud of our Tech-savy nature!

LarryIII · #6 07-22-2005, 09:36 AM

Alan,

Don't knock the German's.
They conned at least one American into buying the contraption.
So, who's insane?

Landshark · #7 07-22-2005, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryIII

Alan,

Don't knock the German's.
They conned at least one American into buying the contraption.
So, who's insane?

not knocking them - i'm mostly German (but i hate sauer kraut!)

i'm still glad i bought it, but my install today may have me inventing a few new words. i should look up some German obscenities for some variety.

shelfy · #8 07-22-2005, 10:03 AM

stop procrastinating and go work on your stereo! you already have enough posts here.

Landshark · #9 07-22-2005, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shelfy

stop procrastinating and go work on your stereo! you already have enough posts here.

i have teh entire center console and glove box out now, and i finished Dremeling out the back of the glove compartment so i can access the cabin filter without removing half the interior again (good job, Subaru!

). i could have bought the retrofit part for $100, but screw that. i made an access-hole cover to be attached with velcro.

now i can start the stereo install.

benebob · #10 07-22-2005, 01:33 PM

Alan, this German complexity is the whole reason my wife now drives a Legacy. It was the 4 screws, 25 minutes of irritation before the piece finally broke to replace a stupid license plate bulb (the germans still haven't mastered electrics as they go out monthly) that broke the camel's back for me.

#11 07-22-2005, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Landshark

i have teh entire center console and glove box out now, and i finished Dremeling out the back of the glove compartment so i can access the cabin filter without removing half the interior again (good job, Subaru!

). i could have bought the retrofit part for $100, but screw that.

Wow. You have one of the 05's with the messed up air filtration system? We got a memo from Subaru saying that only 213 cars in the U.S. have this problem. You should feel special

Dave

SSSVX · #12 07-22-2005, 02:24 PM

Work harder.....I know that we can see your final result soon....

Landshark · #13 07-22-2005, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by red95svx

Wow. You have one of the 05's with the messed up air filtration system? We got a memo from Subaru saying that only 213 cars in the U.S. have this problem. You should feel special

that memo is B.S. - my VIN is way past the "affected" ones.

i didn't order the air filtration option, so maybe they didn't count cars that didn't order it. anyways, that stuff needed to come out anyway for the stereo - a little Dremeling, cut a piece of furnace filter leftover from the WRX cabin filter replacement, and voila! free easy access air filtration option.

BTW, i was missing a cable from my stereo box. it has a 1/8" female connector to two back-of-stereo-connector pins. it connects a little microphone to the back of the stereo (the mic is for raising volume if ambient noise increases, and setting up auto-EQ). after calls to Crutchfield and Blaupunkt, i made my own. they couldn't get it here before Tuesday. so i only wasted like 3 hours running around to Radio Shack and Best Buy and making a cable.......

teh install continues.......

Subafreak · #14 07-22-2005, 07:50 PM

And what does does an overly complicated and PITA to install, German radio cost? And what all will it do?

Landshark · #15 07-22-2005, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Subafreak

And what does does an overly complicated and PITA to install, German radio cost? And what all will it do?

i think it was $340 (reg. $700) on clearance at Crutchfield. never thought i would actually buy something from them - i would just browse their catalog, then buy on ebay.

doesn't have a bling-bling video screen, but it does have a lot of good features. two AUX inputs; comes with a little antenna for dual "digiceiver" reception (excellent reviews on this); little microphone auto-calibrates the EQ for your car and raises the volume if you open a window, lowers it if you come to a stop, etc.; big EQ - something like 128 bands; nice interface for MP3 files and folders; steering wheel wireless remote, blah blah blah.