Why I want to replace my Ertiga’s OEM head unit: Considering Blaupunkt

The fitment will be done by the dealership at no extra cost with a 2-year Blaupunkt India warranty but they are unwilling to open the sealed box for a demo.

BHPian hemant.kamat recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Having used (suffered) the Smartplay Studio system in my new Ertiga ZXi (O) for a week, I’m giving serious thought to replacing the OEM unit with an aftermarket one. Reasons being:

• No in-built navigation. I have to connect my phone with a USB C cable and launch Android Auto, then Google Maps every time. There is a noticeable lag until the map loads, and I cannot disconnect my phone. In comparison, the aftermarket Android units come with in-built navigation – all that’s required is my phone’s Wi-Fi hotspot or a 4G SIM for real-time traffic updates.
• No options to customize the GUI. I don’t like the rainbow-colored home screen theme. In comparison, the aftermarket Android units can download from hundreds of dashboard launchers from the built-in Play Store app.
• Cannot play 1080p MP4 videos from a USB drive. Only 720p videos seem to play, that too slightly jerky (noticeable). In comparison, the aftermarket Android units support flawless playback of 1080p 60fps MP4 videos.

I’m currently considering the Blaupunkt Ft. Lauderdale 900 @ ₹28500 (after ₹5000 off on exchange of OEM unit). Fitment by the dealership at no extra cost with a 2-year Blaupunkt India warranty. Plus, there’s a bundled free Blaupunkt Rear View camera worth ₹3000.

While the dealership is claiming that it supports downloading Google Maps & Dashboard apps from the Play Store, they are unwilling to open the sealed box for a demo of the system. I’d greatly appreciate it if any fellow BHPian owner could confirm this.

Also suggested was the Woodman X9 @ ₹20000 with a free Night Vision AHD Camera. However, fitment will be done by the car accessories shop at extra cost and the bundled 1 year warranty is questionable. No buyback on the OEM unit.

Your thoughts and recommendations are welcome. Thanks!

Here’s what BHPian Kosfactor had to say about the matter:

Avoid changing the HU unless you have plenty of money to spend. Whatever is being sold as Blaupunkt is really something else, they have given their brand name to anyone who makes just about anything – it’s not the same company of the old days.

Check with another phone to see how the existing system responds, perhaps use a different cable etc.

If you are planning to change the HU, go for Pioneer or Sony. Sure, they do cost a bit more but at least it will still retain the car audio part of it.

Here’s what BHPian sat123 had to say about the matter:

I have installed this Blaupankt Lauderdale 900 recently.

Google Maps is not working whereas Waze Map works using the GPS antenna. This issue must not be specific to the device or GPS but rather something to do with the app version, I will play with it and get back to you again. But this device is like an Android phone without SIM (WiFi needed).

Here’s what BHPian nairrk had to say about the matter:

I installed Blaupunkt Long Beach 970 in my car (Tata Tigor) in 2019 and since then Google Maps and Navi Maps have worked well with the provided antenna. I have to just activate my Phones hotspot which is needed for net connectivity.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

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