2003 Head Unit/Radio Upgrade

[Skafhold911]

Hi All,

I’ve got a 2003 996, and I’m considering updating the radio unit. Would be nice to have some bluetooth for calls and possibly GPS or Appleplay.

I saw someone post this in another forum today:

https://www.porsche.com/international/accessoriesandservice/classic/genuineparts/producthighlights/pccm/#section-user-friendly
 

Anyone have any experience with this unit or similar from Porsche?

any comparison of using Porsche one vs after market?

 

thanks in advance!

[Joz]

Hi @Skafhold911 although I’m not 100% upto date on the PCCM.

But for many less dollars you can fit an aftermarket unit which will do everything you ask for. Other than the styling which leans towards a classic looking integration I’m not sure what else you may gain.

Others may have a more comprehensive reason for choosing the Porsche unit?

I chose an aftermarket unit, one for the the savings for what is an occasional car. And also keeping in mind HiFi gadgets tend to become obsolete faster than most things and need upgrading more often as tech advances.

[Carrera28]

I have the centre console delete option fitted to my 996 so I cannot fit the double din option and on a single DIN unit the GPS option is hard to read and mobile phones do a perfectly adequate job.  With this caveat the PCCM option seems too expensive for my needs and I went with the Blaupunkt Bremem SQR 46 DAB

It has a nice look and to my mind it looks period appropriate on a 996, you can adjust the colour of the display so it matches with the other lights on the dash, it has built in Bluetooth, digital radio and USB plug on the front and the back.

This is the cheapest place I was able to find one:

https://www.caraudio24.de/Autoradios/Blaupunkt/Blaupunkt-Bremen-SQR-46-DAB-MP3-Autoradio-mit-Bluetooth-DAB-USB-SD-iPod-AUX-IN::36007.html

Shipping to Australia they will remove sales tax which drops price to just over $600 AUD.

I believe in Australia now because of our mobile phone usage rules in cars, Australian based sellers do not sell it with the remote control so the advantage of buying overseas (besides price) is you get a remote as well.

[smit2100]

3 hours ago, Carrera28 said:

I have the centre console delete option fitted to my 996 so I cannot fit the double din option and on a single DIN unit the GPS option is hard to read and mobile phones do a perfectly adequate job.  With this caveat the PCCM option seems too expensive for my needs and I went with the Blaupunkt Bremem SQR 46 DAB

It has a nice look and to my mind it looks period appropriate on a 996, you can adjust the colour of the display so it matches with the other lights on the dash, it has built in Bluetooth, digital radio and USB plug on the front and the back.

This is the cheapest place I was able to find one:

https://www.caraudio24.de/Autoradios/Blaupunkt/Blaupunkt-Bremen-SQR-46-DAB-MP3-Autoradio-mit-Bluetooth-DAB-USB-SD-iPod-AUX-IN::36007.html

Shipping to Australia they will remove sales tax which drops price to just over $600 AUD.

I believe in Australia now because of our mobile phone usage rules in cars, Australian based sellers do not sell it with the remote control so the advantage of buying overseas (besides price) is you get a remote as well.

Being period appropriate, I am assuming without  the patina of the  sticky buttons on some of the factory units.   Continental offer up  a couple of  similar units to above but I think no options to change the colours on the digital display   eg period appropriate orange if you have a becker factory unit.

[TwoHeadsTas]

1 hour ago, smit2100 said:

Being period appropriate, I am assuming without  the patina of the  sticky buttons on some of the factory units.   Continental offer up  a couple of  similar units to above but I think no options to change the colours on the digital display   eg period appropriate orange if you have a becker factory unit.

Continental TR7412 is available with orange display, offers Bluetooth phone / media connectivity.  Pretty much plug and play, with the exception of having to swap pins 4 and 7 (+ve and ignition sense +ve) on the ISO plug to get the power right (so the radio comes on automatically when you start your car).  I installed one in my 996.1 GT3 and recently installed one in my 996.1 C2.  Looks very period correct.

Available on Fleabay or from https://www.soundlabsgroup.com.au/p/Continental-Car-Radio-TR7412UBOR/Continental+Bluetooth+Car+Radio+TR7412+UB+OR.  Various options re DAB radio etc

[Carrera28]

1 hour ago, smit2100 said:

Being period appropriate, I am assuming without  the patina of the  sticky buttons on some of the factory units.   Continental offer up  a couple of  similar units to above but I think no options to change the colours on the digital display   eg period appropriate orange if you have a becker factory unit.

Yeah buttons are not sticky and you can buy an overlay to put "Porsche" onto the display (I have not done this so cannot comment on quality):

https://www.retrosoundusa.com.au/index.php?l=product_detail&p=3217

[sleazius]

Was there another thread posted on this? I watched the 997 install video yesterday. The big benefit that I saw was it looks 100% factory in a 997. No other unit does. Can't speak to the 996 but I assume it is the same.

[mc968cs]

I have the single din Porsche new system, CarPlay etc. it is costly but so was the car, and it is superb.  

[Skafhold911]

Thanks guys for all the replies!

I spoke to a reputable installer (recommended several times on this forum) in Moorabin today, and discussed some of the above.

1. He told me the Porsche pccm is overpriced and not a great unit.

2. He does work with the Blaupunkt unit often, but mentioned he didn’t feel it was a great unit. He did point out he would make more money selling it to me, but wanted to be honest on quality.

3. He recommended this unit:

https://www.alpine.com.au/shop/audio-visual-2/audio-visual-receivers/ilx-407a/
Anyone had any experience? I’m worried it will look very out of place in the vehicle 

[mc968cs]

36 minutes ago, Skafhold911 said:

Thanks guys for all the replies!

I spoke to a reputable installer (recommended several times on this forum) in Moorabin today, and discussed some of the above.

1. He told me the Porsche pccm is overpriced and not a great unit.

2. He does work with the Blaupunkt unit often, but mentioned he didn’t feel it was a great unit. He did point out he would make more money selling it to me, but wanted to be honest on quality.

3. He recommended this unit:

https://www.alpine.com.au/shop/audio-visual-2/audio-visual-receivers/ilx-407a/
Anyone had any experience? I’m worried it will look very out of place in the vehicle 

Geez….yeah, nope 

[sleazius]

45 minutes ago, Skafhold911 said:

Thanks guys for all the replies!

I spoke to a reputable installer (recommended several times on this forum) in Moorabin today, and discussed some of the above.

1. He told me the Porsche pccm is overpriced and not a great unit.

2. He does work with the Blaupunkt unit often, but mentioned he didn’t feel it was a great unit. He did point out he would make more money selling it to me, but wanted to be honest on quality.

3. He recommended this unit:

https://www.alpine.com.au/shop/audio-visual-2/audio-visual-receivers/ilx-407a/
Anyone had any experience? I’m worried it will look very out of place in the vehicle 

I would agree PCCM+ is overpriced (as is everything from Porsche - can't tell me their new cars aren't either). But for mine, the fact it looks factory and integrates with all factory options, is enough to get it over the line. It probably makes more sense in the 997 over the 996 however as all the center console is that weird silvery plastic. The 996 is black from memory so an alpine head unit wouldn't stand out as much like it does in the 997s I've seen with the alpine unit.

[TwoHeadsTas]

1 hour ago, Skafhold911 said:

Thanks guys for all the replies!

I spoke to a reputable installer (recommended several times on this forum) in Moorabin today, and discussed some of the above.

1. He told me the Porsche pccm is overpriced and not a great unit.

2. He does work with the Blaupunkt unit often, but mentioned he didn’t feel it was a great unit. He did point out he would make more money selling it to me, but wanted to be honest on quality.

3. He recommended this unit:

https://www.alpine.com.au/shop/audio-visual-2/audio-visual-receivers/ilx-407a/
Anyone had any experience? I’m worried it will look very out of place in the vehicle 

You would be re-arranging the HVAC system unit to make room for the double din unit in the horseshoe.  I definitely think it would look out of place, but it depends where your priorities sit - original looks vs functionality.

Me, I'm happy to have just the bluetooth phone / media of the Continentals and to retain the original type looks.  I use a Quadlock mount and phone case for my phone on the dashboard so I can use Google Maps easily on my phone.  The money saved can be put to better use for other goodies for the car 🙂 

[P-Kay]

That's essentially the same unit I have in my 997. As far as the unit goes, it does what's on the box. 

Regarding whether it looks 'out of place' is entirely up to you. Me - I wanted the modern conveniences and cameras.

Bear in mind, that if you go double din in a 996 you will not be able to return back to stock as you must cut the centre piece. This can be overcome by purchasing a spare piece if you so choose. Moving the HVAC is nothing as the cords are long enough from the factory.

Plenty of tutorials and pictures on-line to compare looks etc.

Remember it's your car  

[Joz]

Sorry about the pic, the car is under a cover.

https://www.ryda.com.au/sony-xav-ax1000-apple-carplay-av-receiver?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjqeDoKaK_AIVD5VLBR1u7QaXEAQYAiABEgKNafD_BwE

But this is a cheaper Sony which does virtually everything except having GPS navigation, the previous unit was an Alpine but I couldn’t update the maps and it didn’t have CarPlay. I actually chose it because of dial volume control as opposed to push buttons, I’m old skool it just works for me. Oh and reverse camera is a must too! I bought it from Supercheap, they price matched 👍

Having CarPlay maps takes care of that. It also connects directly to the existing onboard amplifier via RCA outputs. Handles Bluetooth hands free well also. My only gripe is have a front USB connection rather than a rear which was routed to the centre console on the Alpine unit previously.

The Alpine is certainly a superior unit but it really didn’t have anything extra I needed. Particularly when if it’s sound quality is negated by both engine and tyre noise at speed.