Lidl Car Stereo - Experiences?

Onikage

Looking for a car stereo and as if by magic, Lidl are doing an offer:

http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20070621.p.MultimediaMP3CarRadio

Has anyone had good, bad or indifferent experiences with these? I find their stuff to be generally ok buildwise but often looks a bit tacky.

masseyno9

No personal experience but aldi are doing a similar deal on thursday http://www.aldi.ie/special_buys/product_254.html

also available in black....for the less tacky approach!

wba88

looks good.

@onikage: If you do a search you will find threads about past car stereos both shops have sold with customer feedback

Onikage

wba88 wrote:

looks good.

@onikage: If you do a search you will find threads about past car stereos both shops have sold with customer feedback

Only thread I could find was http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054989359 which started last september and was for a different model with bluetooth. Most of the issues revolved around said bluetooth! So I thought what the hey, time for a new thread.

Hey masseyno9, that Aldi one looks even better. No rainbow coloured LEDs :cool:

wba88

If you read the thread the ppl with bluetooth problems (i think) had them resolved so if this were to go wrong i think you would be okay.

Smithers

the aldi one has a 3yr warranty, u cant go wrong with it for that price

wba88

Onikage wrote:

Only thread I could find was http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054989359 which started last september and was for a different model with bluetooth. Most of the issues revolved around said bluetooth! So I thought what the hey, time for a new thread.

Hey masseyno9, that Aldi one looks even better. No rainbow coloured LEDs :cool:

Aldi one says
'Multi-coloured LCD panel'


i prefer the aldi one myself

biko

I have a ALDI cd/mp3/bluetooth car radio since last autumn and must say it's great value.
Only problem I noticed is that it stops working if it gets really hot outside. I only noticed this last week when it was scorching, otherwise it a find!

wba88

you get a usb cable with the aldi one aswell....cant go wrong!!

twanda

I have that Lidl model - got it the last time they were in Lidl ( about €10 dearer then) and it has started giving me trouble after a few months.

It won't always recognise that there is a CD inserted, and sometimes it hangs when spinning up a CD, and then I can't turn it off. I then have to pull in onto the side of the road to turn off the car (!) and restart the engine so that the radio then restarts.Grrrrr.
It does have a reset button, but if you use that you lose all of your radio presets and base, treble settings etc.

If the above problem starts happening more often I'll just get rid of it, methinks.:mad:

So I would say go for the Aldi one

Rhodney

the Aldi one does have bluetooth , right?
i think its better than the other (lidl)

darkskol

Yeah I bought that Lidl radio a while back. It does the job. Only two issues with it really. The first is with the volume knob, when I am trying to lower the volume the volume just goes up instead of down...can be quite annoying. The other issue is that once in a while my personal settings will be reset e.g. silencing that beeping sound. Apart from that itsdecent enough for the price its at.

wba88

oh and the aldi one has a front aux input gonna get one of these for the sis
i should really read things fully first :rolleyes:

'Front auxiliary input with free gold tipped line in cable for connecting iPods'

byte

Rhodney wrote:

the Aldi one does have bluetooth , right?
i think its better than the other (lidl)

Not this one. Which is a shame, if it had bluetooth, I was gonna buy it for the workvan.

Onikage

wba88 wrote:

Aldi one says
'Multi-coloured LCD panel'


i prefer the aldi one myself

Multi-coloured is fine. (Blue and white = 2 = multi)
Looking like the inside of an arcade, not so good. Clashes with the walnut, you know

Rhodney: The new Aldi one does not have bluetooth. That model was sold last year for around €129. The new model is similar in spec to the Lidl model, although it seems to have a few extras like an auxiliary input on the front.

The people with the bluetooth model complained about the bluetooth mostly. I don't know if that means there were no other problems, or that any other problems were eclipsed by the bluetooth problem!

twanda & biko: thanks for the great feedback! I'm sure if you looked under the hood, you'd see a lot of similarities between the two models. But if it can tide me over for a couple of years I'll be happy!

starman100

I have the Lidl (Welltech) model from about 6 months ago (around €99 if memory serves), very happy with it - no need for CD's, just plug in a USB key and the bluetooth works a treat for the mobile hands-free.

This model, while cheaper, is not as good.

Rhodney

byte wrote:

Not this one. Which is a shame, if it had bluetooth, I was gonna buy it for the workvan

Onikage wrote:

Rhodney: The new Aldi one does not have bluetooth. That model was sold last year for around €129. The new model is similar in spec to the Lidl model, although it seems to have a few extras like an auxiliary input on the front.

The people with the bluetooth model complained about the bluetooth mostly. I don't know if that means there were no other problems, or that any other problems were eclipsed by the bluetooth problem!

twanda & biko: thanks for the great feedback! I'm sure if you looked under the hood, you'd see a lot of similarities between the two models. But if it can tide me over for a couple of years I'll be happy!

thanks for the infos.i'll check the aldi one on thursday:)

peckerhead

I bought the (non-Bluetooth) Aldi one last time around. No complaints, really, except that although the box was marked 'black' the unit was actually silver. I didn't find out until I opened it a few days after I bought it, so when I brought it back they were sold out.

Half-tempted to bring it back next Thursday, claim that it's acting up and see if the manager says 'here, just swap it for another'...;)

I know that would be 'dishonest' of me, but hey, it's 'dishonest' of them to put a crossed-out €84.99 in the ad — the unit was exactly the same price last December!

Moanin

biko wrote:

I have a ALDI cd/mp3/bluetooth car radio since last autumn and must say it's great value.
Only problem I noticed is that it stops working if it gets really hot outside. I only noticed this last week when it was scorching, otherwise it a find!

What causes this?The same happens to the stereo in my wifes peugeot 307 and it's a factory fitted clarion.It has only staerted to happen in the last 3-4 months

podgerodge

twanda wrote:

I have that Lidl model - got it the last time they were in Lidl ( about €10 dearer then) and it has started giving me trouble after a few months.

It won't always recognise that there is a CD inserted, and sometimes it hangs when spinning up a CD, and then I can't turn it off. I then have to pull in onto the side of the road to turn off the car (!) and restart the engine so that the radio then restarts.Grrrrr.
It does have a reset button, but if you use that you lose all of your radio presets and base, treble settings etc.

If the above problem starts happening more often I'll just get rid of it, methinks.:mad:

Must be a fault with them then. Same thing happened someone else I know, they just got fed up with it and eventually threw it in the bin. As the saying goes, if you buy cheap, you buy twice.

godtabh

I've the bluetooth one and based on that I'd give it a thumbs up

CompuSat

twanda wrote:

I have that Lidl model - got it the last time they were in Lidl ( about €10 dearer then) and it has started giving me trouble after a few months.

It won't always recognise that there is a CD inserted, and sometimes it hangs when spinning up a CD, and then I can't turn it off. I then have to pull in onto the side of the road to turn off the car (!) and restart the engine so that the radio then restarts.Grrrrr.
It does have a reset button, but if you use that you lose all of your radio presets and base, treble settings etc.

If the above problem starts happening more often I'll just get rid of it, methinks.:mad:

So I would say go for the Aldi one

This can happen with any cd player if not securely mounted, also would popping the front not be a quicker solution than stoping the car??

Just A noite on aldi v lidl, I bought the aldi one the last time and although it has usb the port on the radio is mini usb with a cable to convert to standard usb, lidl on had a standard usb.

twanda

CompuSat,
Yes, it's securely mounted, and even if I insert a CD while trhe car is sitting motionless in traffic it can hang. Taking the faceplate off and putting it back on is no solution - the screen will come back on but will still be stuck at CD loading. It's definitely a fault alright.

Capt'n Midnight

any one know if they have longwave - the previous ones didn't

311

Moanin wrote:

What causes this?The same happens to the stereo in my wifes peugeot 307 and it's a factory fitted clarion.It has only staerted to happen in the last 3-4 months

Its just the amp heating up too much ,all amps get hot.
probably a bad airflow around the stereo.

Onikage

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

any one know if they have longwave - the previous ones didn't

Unlikely. The Aldi one is advertised as AM/FM, the Lidl one makes no comment.

biko

_Brian_ wrote:

Its just the amp heating up too much ,all amps get hot.
probably a bad airflow around the stereo.

Yeah, that's what I think too. Not really much of a problem in Ireland since scorching days are few and far between

murphaph

twanda wrote:

CompuSat,
Yes, it's securely mounted, and even if I insert a CD while trhe car is sitting motionless in traffic it can hang. Taking the faceplate off and putting it back on is no solution - the screen will come back on but will still be stuck at CD loading. It's definitely a fault alright.

Get a new one. Call the customer support number and the manufacturer will look after you.

maidhc

Got an identical one and it was vile. Completely unusable buttons, and it kept changing stations of its own accord. Took it back and got a JVC one for a similar price.

Moanin

_Brian_ wrote:

Its just the amp heating up too much ,all amps get hot.
probably a bad airflow around the stereo.

Is it a big job to fix? Would I need to bring it to somebody who knows something about car stereos?

Thanks

Yellow Dog

OK, it's make my mind up time.

Going to buy one of these tomorrow morning.

So which is best?

Lidl or Aldi?

wba88

Im getting the aldi one, IMO its the best

Rhodney

aldi..more features

RichyX

I'm getting the Lidl one as the price has dropped to 69.99.

The nearest Aldi is 30 minutes drive while Lidl is almost next door, I'll take my chances!

ch750536

Bought the LIDL one this morning, €69 as advertised.

Installed meself, cable was €22 from the theives at halfords.

Very pretty lights....

Anyway, with the same crappy speakers I have to say that I am very impressed. Sound quality from all sources is very good.

SD & USB stick also tested and work fine.
Have tried a normal cd, fine, so all I have not tried is CDR and MP3 CDR.

Pros:
Sound quality
Manuals in English only

Cons:
Dont like the method of insering a CD, you have to release the front plate.
Dont like pretty lights.
If you want a really loud stereo, this is half the output of the Aldi one.

Would I reccomend? At this point definately.

Rhodney

can i install this to my ford fiesta? the housing and the size is different...

Stark

You'll need to get a fascia and also cable adaptors. You can get them off ebay for much cheaper than you would in Halfords etc. I have a set for the 90s era Fiestas, which I meant to stick on adverts.ie. PM me if you're interested.

The hardest part of installing a new radio in a Fiesta is getting the old radio out

Rhodney

ok thanks...i see lot of modifications to do...probably i'll stick with the stock radio (no mp3 option but a cd audio only) for awhile as it's still on guarranttee for a year:(

Tommy_Vercetti

I got the Aldi one yesterday and was wondering must I rewire it to get into my car - Iv a Seat Ibiza. It works fine when the car is on but Iv no power when the car is turned off&I lose all my preset stations, any ideas please?

bmaxi

Tommy_Vercetti wrote:

I got the Aldi one yesterday and was wondering must I rewire it to get into my car - Iv a Seat Ibiza. It works fine when the car is on but Iv no power when the car is turned off&I lose all my preset stations, any ideas please?

You need a permanent live. You should be able to get an adapter kit in a motor factors.

byte

Tommy_Vercetti wrote:

I got the Aldi one yesterday and was wondering must I rewire it to get into my car - Iv a Seat Ibiza. It works fine when the car is on but Iv no power when the car is turned off&I lose all my preset stations, any ideas please?

In some cars, the Yellow and Red live wires are reversed (one is permanent live, the other is only live when ignition is on). With some connector leads, the yellow and red wires have inline plugs, so that you can swap the wires over easily.

RichyX

Tommy_Vercetti wrote:

I got the Aldi one yesterday and was wondering must I rewire it to get into my car - Iv a Seat Ibiza. It works fine when the car is on but Iv no power when the car is turned off&I lose all my preset stations, any ideas please?

I have the same problem with my 98 Ibiza.

The adapters aren't as easy to find as I'd hoped.
Losing the settings every time the car is turned of is a right pain.
It means I have to deal with the awful beep noise the head unit makes!

peckerhead

byte wrote:

In some cars, the Yellow and Red live wires are reversed (one is permanent live, the other is only live when ignition is on). With some connector leads, the yellow and red wires have inline plugs, so that you can swap the wires over easily.

I'm having the same problem with a Seat Alhambra. Byte, are you saying it's just a matter of swapping over the red and yellow wires? They each have a little inline fuse — one encased, one not — so I'm not at risk of blowing the unit up or anything?

Tommy_Vercetti

Thanks for the help guys, I asked in the motor factors but they werent much help and Im weary of changing wires on past expierance (Iv a wrecked panasonic1 at home, which at one stage I was hotwiring the car with!) So il just get a pro2do it,cudnt handle wrecking another1!

peckerhead

Well, I got too impatient and went ahead this morning and swapped my red & yellow wires over ...bingo!

Took a little bit of fiddling around with insultin' tape, because the inline fuseholders are of two different types, but rocket science it ain't.

And if it does blow, why, I'll just put it back the way it was and return it to Aldi for a refund...

RichyX

I'll wait and see if this method kills the heads unit over time.

Be sure to post if you wreck 'em!

Tommy_Vercetti

I suppose its worth a bash & with the 3 year warrenty on them who knows .................!

peckerhead

I don't see how it could 'kill'/'wreck' the unit — they're both just supplying power from the battery, and they're both fused.

byte

Both the Yellow and Red wires are 12V+, only difference is one is permanent live, the other dependant on ignition.

I had to do the same with my Leon, and I think the Corsa's are the same also (needing to swap yellow and red).

RichyX

My car's a 98 Ibiza and I think they have a different set up.
That's what's stopping me carrying out the operation.

Esel

Check this thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055112776