Infotainment

My Yeti came with the factory ‘Blues‘ radio/CD player.

Well perhaps it was acceptable in 2010, when my car was new. But it is not acceptable now. Not by a long way!

Infotainment is the current trend and I want in on the action.

This old thing is out 💩

And so begins the search on what to replace it with. An infotainment system, yes. But which one?

There are dozens and dozens of infotainment systems out there

And do I want an aftermarket Android system, or a VAG system? I don’t know.

Yet!



As I trawl through the specs and the pros and the cons and the prices of all the various infotainment systems I inevitably learn things. And what I learn helps me to narrow things down.

I learn that double DIN units are a magnet for smash and grab merchants – single DINs not so much

A detachable faceplate will really get a thief’s nose turning upwards.

I learn that car manufacturers want money to update the maps installed on their systems.

And I learn that car manufacturer infotainment systems cost a bomb 😨

And now an image begins to formulate in my mind about what I want. And what I don’t want.

What I don’t want is to be half expecting my Yeti damaged and my infotainment system ripped out each time I park it up somewhere.

I also do not want to have to pay for map updates every year.

I do want navigation without having to use the internet.

I definitely do want everything the latest infotainment systems have to offer; I’m only doing this the once.

With all that in mind, I found this…

The D771A from Xtrons. Single DIN yet with a motorised 7″ HD touch screen (basically a tablet). Detachable faceplate. Android. Bluetooth. Wi-Fi. 4G. DAB. DVD player. Reversing camera compatible. Sat Nav. USB ports. Two SD card slots. It goes on.

And yes, available here on Amazon if you fancy it.

As for me…

Well I bought it

And it arrived quickly.

Additional items I needed:

This CAN-BUS Adaptor. Stereos don’t wire into cars like they used to. Today’s car can barely move an inch unless its built-in computer (ECU) gives it permission to. Practically everything must go through that ECU. And this includes an infotainment system. A CAN-BUS adaptor is the only way to get the two of them communicating.

Available for the Yeti here on Amazon

This fascia/cage is needed because my new Xtrons system is a singe DIN, as per the plan. And how comforting it is to think that any thief who peers through my Yeti’s windows hoping to rip out one of those really expensive double DIN units will see this single DIN and move on somewhere else. If only he could know what system I actually have.  ????

For the Yeti, available here on Amazon

Finally, this trim to go around the above fascia otherwise there is an unsightly gap either side of it.

Available here on Amazon

A couple of hours on a Saturday and my awesome new infotainment system is in my Yeti, operational, and looking good 👍

Of course, I played about with it. Then I logged onto the internet using my mobile as a Hotspot and downloaded a few things, like Facebook, Gmail, etc (it’s an Android unit after all!).

Then I installed this…

OsmAnd Navigation and Maps. It’s free. But I chose to pay the couple of pounds for the Pro version and then downloaded maps for the whole of Europe (the whole world can be downloaded if you want). I get monthly map updates for life with the Pro version. Once OsmAnd is installed, an internet connection is not needed to navigate anywhere. And the British female’s voice is to die for. 🥰

Available here on Amazon

And with the Skoda logo on boot up plus the Skoda colour scheme my system looks like a factory unit when running

Honestly, I love it.

I ain’t got the ‘Blues’ no more!

Good times.

If you want the Xtrons D771A it is here on Amazon

Other modifications I have made to my Yeti’s interior are here: Yeti interior

And I am always interested to hear about your Yeti, whether customised or not.

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