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Aftermarket Bluetooth??

45K views 31 replies 19 participants last post by  Japjongetje 
#1 ·
Any recomendations for an aftermarket bluetooth adapter?

2007 CRV LX

Thanks...
 
#4 · (Edited)
Actually, I'm interested in this too...

I have a 2008 CR-V EX-L. What I'm looking for is the following:

1. to swap the existing radio so that I can use Sirius instead of XM

2. have bluetooth built-in so that I can use the speakerphone while I'm driving, and have it automatically lower the volume, etc.

3. be able to use the system to either voice dial and/or use an on-screen menu to scroll through my contacts

4. have some kind of SD Card port so I could store say 4-8GB of songs internal to the device. Although I have a new Zune, and love it, I'd prefer it's all internal to the system.

5. I still want to be able to use the controls on the steering wheel

I was looking on Crutchfield and they had some systems that seemed to fit the bill, but I was wondering if anyone had experience with a specific one they liked.
 
#5 ·
Mine has everything you're looking for, except the SD card. I have a Pioneer DEH-P9800BT, which has built in Bluetooth support. I also added a Sirius tuner, iPod interface, and AUX input which I used to tap into the AUX jack on the center tray. I also retained use of my steering wheel controls using an adapter made my PAC. I ran the microphone for the Bluetooth up to what I believe is the factory microphone location next to the sunglass holder. The kit I used was made by Metra and looks pretty good. It also supports double-din radios, so if/when I upgrade to some aftermarket navigation unit, I will already have the kit I need (maybe the Pioneer AVIC-D3). You can see a couple of the pictures of how I handled my Sirius tuner install here. If you have anymore questions, please feel free to ask. Hope this helps some, and I can post a couple of pictures if you wanna get a look at the finished product. Thanks.
 
#6 ·
O.K., I got a couple of minutes free, so I went ahead and took a couple of pictures.


Here is where the microphone is located. I had to remove that whole dome light/sunglass holder assembly and cut out where the microphone had to go. I did the same thing in my old 2004 Accord that I traded in when I bought the CR-V. I also did the same thing in my dad's Prius that I mentioned before. Seems to work great. I caught a bunch of noise from some people who insisted that putting in behind the steering wheel, right in front of the gauges was the best place, but I can never hear what those guys are saying one their phones when they're in there cars anyway ;). This just looks damn nice.


Here is my Pioneer head unit. I pulled this from my old Accord, and I look 10,000 times better in the CR-V. Honda should have never done that whole integrated audio/climate control thing they did in those cars :(. Shame on them for that mess. Anyway, the kit looks pretty nice and fits pretty well with the dash.

Getting the steering wheel controls was a little bit involved, but nothing too difficult. Keeping the factory AUX connector on the center tray was a bit of a pain too. I'm not sure why I bothered really, I'm never going to use it, but I have it just in case. I actually has to take a mini-phono to RCA wire I had, plug it into the AUX jack and then get the smaller of the two harnesses I unplugged from the factory radio (can't remember how many pins it has, but it's not the one I used for my aftermarket radio) and use a meter and test for continuity to find which wires were L+, L-, R+, and R-. Then I used a PAC SNI-35 line output converter to the AUX input on my Pioneer. Again, I don't know why I did it. It's probably my O.C.D. ;). Hope all this provides some ideas/inspiration/encouragement/something for your efforts. Thanks.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the pics and advice

Much appreciated. I have to admit it amazes me that there is no simple way to add a bluetooth into the cr-v 2008 as a Honda part, I think it's available in the EX-L w/nav, but I imagine it's built into the nav somehow. Thanks again.
 
#10 ·
I love mine. I hate getting calls, but since I have the dang thing, the Bluetooth support makes it so much better. When someone calls me, I can just look at my radio instead of picking up my cell phone and looking at it. It already pauses the music I'm listening to, or most likely audiobook seeing as I commute 75 miles each way to work. When I hang up the call, I'm right back to where I was. I can just hit one button, and it will accept the voice commands for my phone. My phone book is built in, so I really never have to pick up the phone. It's great to have, and with already over half of the states in the U.S. making non-hands free cell phone usage illegal for the driver, I'm in great shape.
 
#11 ·
I just bought my 2008 EX-L and had them install Bluetooth at the dealership. they installed one of the Parrot systems and I love it! I took some bad pictures with my camera phone, but it is integrated directly into the speakers, and there is a mic they installed near the driver side door. Crystal clear sound, auto mute when a call comes in, and voice commands. It only worked with certain phones though, so I'd check out that Parrot site to see what would work with your car.
Here are the fuzzy camera phone pics:



Proximity of screen and mic


Screen up close:
 
#12 ·
Welcome To The Club!

Thank you for a very nice and informative first post. It would be helpful if you would enter a location in your profile so that our members will know where you are from. We have a growing body of members from all over the world.

Thanks again for a great post and good luck with your new V.



 
#16 ·
CRV Handsfree Phone

I have a 2009 CRV with Nav pack with hands free blootooth, it is fine for answering calls but it can not sync to a phone nor does it display numbers to dial or numbers being recieved, you have to teach it each of the number in it's own directory (fine if you only call 2 or 3 people).
If you have no blootooth on any car without it and want hands free get the parrot 3100 it is brilliant, it syncs to most phones and has a number display and scroll through phone book, I am even considering putting one in my CRV because the factory fit blootooth phone has such limitations.
 
#17 ·
I have a 2009 CRV with Nav pack with hands free blootooth, it is fine for answering calls but it can not sync to a phone nor does it display numbers to dial or numbers being recieved, you have to teach it each of the number in it's own directory (fine if you only call 2 or 3 people).
If you have no blootooth on any car without it and want hands free get the parrot 3100 it is brilliant, it syncs to most phones and has a number display and scroll through phone book, I am even considering putting one in my CRV because the factory fit blootooth phone has such limitations.
This looks like the one for me, does anyone else on here have any other single Blue Tooth aftermarket makes/models they like?
 
#19 ·
Does anyone have any suggestions for an aftermarket Bluetooth? I am also concerned with the installation process with a new car? Can anyone recommend a hands free bluetooth with a very simple installation kit?
Parrot makes a Bluetooth speaker which I got. Its under 100 dollars and you clip it to the sun visor. I was also nervous about installation and this one works great.
 
#21 ·
I have the Parrot Minikit Slim and I am happy. It clips on the sun visor and the speaker voice is pretty clear. I see they have one that plugs into the cigarrate lighter and you can connect to your car audio via FM. I have a Jabra which is similar and has FM transmitter which is really full of static and I never use it. I cannot comment on the one that parrot made as I have not used it. But the minikit slim I like for sure. You can buy it, give it a try, if you dont like it return it
 
#22 ·
Very long running thread.

I see that emmajoan has a parrot Mki9200. I'm thinking about this or the Mki9000 (essentially the same w/o the screen and $100 cheaper).

Does anyone else have either of these, especially in a Gen2? I'm thinking about mounting options and where to put microphones and controls.
 
#24 ·
I would not go with Scoche. Saw some bad reviews while researching. have heard nothiong but good about the Parrot Mki> I almost got it installed but the idea of removing the factory equipment to get it installed turned me off. The car is just a few days old.
 
#27 ·
I have a 2007 CR-V ZXi (Japan model, in Japan). It has the Japan standard Honda Internavi dash unit, with controls on the wheel, bluetooth hands free phone and a standard RGB Audio/Video jack in the center console. The 2007 nav unit does not have a usb port on the back, as some later units do. I want an integrated solution that will let me listen to audio from my iPhone/kids's iPods in the car, while still using handsfree Bluetooth for phone.

I think I have two options:

Option 1. Hardwired unit like the iSimple Gateway, which will do charging and audio connection. Bluetooth phone connection remains with the standard nav unit.

Questions on 1.
Does the Gateway (or a similar product) provide: Control from the on-wheel controls? Onscreen track/album/artist info? Video output to the screen? Any application level control? Voice control access to Siri? (Yeah, I know the last is a reach...)


Option 2. An add-on Bluetooth solution that will allow control of both phone and audio functions, and integrate with the navigation system with a custom harness.

Questions on 2. Any units that will allow use of on-wheel controls? Will Voice control still work through the nav? Will built in mic still work, or will the built in unit mic alone be usable?

3. Are any other options available to me?

4. Recommended units that fall into the first two categories?

Electronics Technology Multimedia Electronic device Car
Electronics Vehicle Car Technology Electronic device


Thanks for your help,

G Carr
 
#28 · (Edited)
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I am looking for something similar and this is what appeared to be the most relevant thread on the topic when I did a quick search. If there is something more recent or applicable, please point me in the right direction!

This is also my first post here, so please, be kind. ;)

I just purchased (today!) a 2011 CR-V EX AWD with the 6-disk in dash stereo unit (no nav system). The CR-V is replacing a 2008 Civic that I bought new and was totaled two weeks ago when I got rear-ended on the freeway. I am not interested in putting a new head unit in the CR-V at this time. I plan to keep the factory unit as it works fine for my needs (at least for now) except Bluetooth. The Civic also didn't have Bluetooth, but that was easy to remedy with this (Kinivo BTC450 Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit for Cars with Aux Input Jack):

http://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTC450...ie=UTF8&qid=1418625699&sr=1-2&keywords=kinivo

That was pretty ideal for the similar Bluetooth situation in the Civic, as the aux input jack and 12v outlet were below the stereo and I just ran the wire over the steering column and put the little hockey puck receiver on the dash on the left where there was some empty space. Whenever someone called or I wanted to make a call, I just hit the aux button on the receiver and dialed from the phone or hit the hockey puck button to answer. It also streamed music just fine and automatically connected whenever the car was started. Unfortunately, the CR-V has the aux input in the flip-up console between the seats, so I don't really have a convenient place to mount the receiver where I think it would be very useful or be able to catch the conversation as well (or I might flip the console down!). The cord is not nearly long enough to run under the carpet to the dash.

For my 2006 F-150 I replaced the head unit (CD player died) with a new Pioneer unit with Bluetooth and put the microphone on top of the steering column, and that also worked well.

I have seen (above and in other threads?) some recommendations for Parrot installations, etc. I also have seen this option:

http://www.gtacarkits.com/product/honda-crv-2007-2012-iphone-aux-kit/

Which looks like something that might work, and I wouldn't mind mounting a button, etc., on the little rectangular pop-out piece they show in the second video, as that is easily replaced if necessary. I don't need or particularly want a fancy screen or a control pod mounted on the car to take calls. Something small and unobtrusive is just fine.

My question is, does anyone have any experience with the GTA wireless kit or any similar installable item (Parrot, etc.) I can use to add Bluetooth to the factory radio? Like in the Civic when I wanted to receive a call, I just want to be able to hit the "aux" button on the receiver and maybe hit a button like the hockey puck I linked to above and start talking. As the GTA unit just plugs into an unused plug on the back of the head unit, that seems to be an ideal way to go about this, and I can do that on my own. I would rather go with a wireless unit and not have a cord going into the glove box, etc, for a "hard-wired to the phone" solution, as I would prefer to charge the phone from the center console and have it be accessible to the rest of the family while I am driving, etc. The video was a bit short on explanation on how it all worked with the CD input, etc., as it didn't seem to have a dedicated aux for them to use. I would assume if the head unit has the aux plug in the back, it might work as I have described above. Can anyone verify if this is the case?

If it matters, I have an iPhone 5c (and a case that does not allow easy plugging of a cable into the aux jack on the bottom of the phone).

Sorry for the long-winded post, but I find that folks have fewer questions if you present the details up front and hopefully an answer presents itself easily!

Thanks!
 
#29 ·
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I am looking for something similar and this is what appeared to be the most relevant thread on the topic when I did a quick search. If there is something more recent or applicable, please point me in the right direction!

This is also my first post here, so please, be kind. ;)

I just purchased (today!) a 2011 CR-V EX AWD with the 6-disk in dash stereo unit (no nav system). The CR-V is replacing a 2008 Civic that I bought new and was totaled two weeks ago when I got rear-ended on the freeway. I am not interested in putting a new head unit in the CR-V at this time. I plan to keep the factory unit as it works fine for my needs (at least for now) except Bluetooth. The Civic also didn't have Bluetooth, but that was easy to remedy with this (Kinivo BTC450 Bluetooth Hands-Free Car Kit for Cars with Aux Input Jack):

http://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTC450...ie=UTF8&qid=1418625699&sr=1-2&keywords=kinivo

That was pretty ideal for the similar Bluetooth situation in the Civic, as the aux input jack and 12v outlet were below the stereo and I just ran the wire over the steering column and put the little hockey puck receiver on the dash on the left where there was some empty space. Whenever someone called or I wanted to make a call, I just hit the aux button on the receiver and dialed from the phone or hit the hockey puck button to answer. It also streamed music just fine and automatically connected whenever the car was started. Unfortunately, the CR-V has the aux input in the flip-up console between the seats, so I don't really have a convenient place to mount the receiver where I think it would be very useful or be able to catch the conversation as well (or I might flip the console down!). The cord is not nearly long enough to run under the carpet to the dash.
Get the Kinivo BTC455, this is a newer version of what you posted. I have it and it works great!
It comes with a 48 inch auxiliary cable and 24 inch extension cable so I was able to run cables under carpet to dash, plugged power in lower dash. I mounted the BT button next to gear selector and no problems with the conversation. People tell me all the time they had no idea I was in a car driving.
 
#31 ·
Just as an update - they were out of the BTC455 at Amazon when I was ready to order, so I went with another BTC450 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009NLTW60/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) instead and also ordered a 3' cable extension for the AUX input jack (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DX6V9JO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). The BTC450 actually had an extension cable in the box (not shown in the photos at Amazon), but it wasn't long enough to reach where I wanted it to while routed under the dash panels anyways. I was able to largely hide the wires. The hardest part was popping off the little cover next to the steering column and fitting the 12 V outlet plug through the hole. If I was smart I would have ground down the flange a bit under the cover but I just forced it through. This caused the cover of the outlet plug to pop off (and I thought I broke it), but it popped back together and seems to work fine. I ground a small notch in the lower left side of the cover to let the cord through. Just a couple photos of the finished project.

Final location of the hockey puck with the wire routed behind the dash through a notch in the cover piece the puck is mounted on. The adhesive they use for putting the puck on the dash is strong, so I wanted to put it on something easily replaceable and trimmed the adhesive pad so it only stuck to the cover piece. The plastic cover is outrageously priced at about $25 at Honda, but that is still minor compared to replacing other dash parts in the future if I ever replace the stereo with a Bluetooth model.
Vehicle Car Honda


I just routed the 12 V plug under the trim panel by the gas pedal. Removed two screws and popped the panel off, ran the wires, and put the panel back on. You can see the AUX cable in the very bottom of the photo going under the floormat. The extension attaches under the floormat and I just ran it next to the passenger seat and into the AUX input.
Vehicle door Vehicle


Decided to get a right-angle plug at this end so it would just go sideways and not stick out into the center console area much.
Vehicle Car Toyota
 
#32 ·
I know this is a 2 year old post, but do you by any menas know the model of this particual nav? I have the EXACT same model and I have been looking for a manual. I figure that there must be an English manual floating around the internet somewhere.. if I can only get my hands on the exact navi type.
 
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