Alpine Stereo Headunit Factory Replacement - Pricing, Release Date, Demo

[ReefGoat]

Kenwood has a couple of models that fit the JL. They don't have all the integrated switches and stuff but they're about 1/10th the price!

Which models do you speak of? I wasn't aware of ANYTHING after market besides the Chinese stuff on ebay and some other place that you give them the VIN and supposedly they program it and it's just like stock. That one is $999

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[JeepU4IA]

Which models do you speak of? I wasn't aware of ANYTHING after market besides the Chinese stuff on ebay and some other place that you give them the VIN and supposedly they program it and it's just like stock. That one is $999

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_113DMX706S/Kenwood-Excelon-DMX706S.html?tp=5684

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KWM750B/JVC-KW-M750BT.html?tp=5684

The trick is that the units must be shallow depth. There aren't too many at the moment.

 

[ReefGoat]

Nice. I see there is no dash kit to go with it. Like the bezel that covers the gaps for aesthetic purpose. I guess we'd have to make something up ourselves. Have you installed this on your jeep?

 

[JeepU4IA]

Nice. I see there is no dash kit to go with it. Like the bezel that covers the gaps for aesthetic purpose. I guess we'd have to make something up ourselves. Have you installed this on your jeep?

No, I'm waiting for some more options, specifically with wireless Android Auto. The stock one doesn't bother me so much.

 

[Fatboy]

Which switches can it control? Is it the AUX switches that you could control through the head unit?

 

[willcasp]

Thanks. What are the advantages of this system vs the option OEM 8.4 inch?

First off, if it follows Alpines track record, it will work, and the manufacturer will support it.

The same cannot be said for the 8.4". Many problems reported in these forums that have not been fixed. If you did not get the 8.4 in your Jeep to begin with, good luck getting one after market, keeping it working, and keeping it updated. You would think that FCA could handle this. The existence proof is that they cannot. Yes, I have purchased an 8.4" from Infotainment. USB ports keep failing, similar issue to what folks with factory installed units have. ZERO support from FCA on this. Infotainment is quiet as well. I have a $1600 brick.

So, $3K+ for a working unit. I will be one of the first in line to get one in my JL. There is a limited market for this product (2018 and new Jeeps), so I expect recovering engineering and design costs to be a bit higher with something specialized like this.

When you look for options that are supported by their manufacturer, this seems to be the only one on the horizon.

 

[rockadile]

First off, if it follows Alpines track record, it will work, and the manufacturer will support it.

The same cannot be said for the 8.4". Many problems reported in these forums that have not been fixed. If you did not get the 8.4 in your Jeep to begin with, good luck getting one after market, keeping it working, and keeping it updated. You would think that FCA could handle this. The existence proof is that they cannot. Yes, I have purchased an 8.4" from Infotainment. USB ports keep failing, similar issue to what folks with factory installed units have. ZERO support from FCA on this. Infotainment is quiet as well. I have a $1600 brick.

So, $3K+ for a working unit. I will be one of the first in line to get one in my JL. There is a limited market for this product (2018 and new Jeeps), so I expect recovering engineering and design costs to be a bit higher with something specialized like this.

When you look for options that are supported by their manufacturer, this seems to be the only one on the horizon.

I certainly agree. If I was having the issues you are having with my 8.4 OEM setup, I would gladly pay for a better-supported setup. My biggest concern is that while the factory unit is an all-in-one unit that controls most, if not all, of the electronics of the vehicle, this upgrade is not. I was told that there will be adapters (which I am guessing are 3rd party) that will be needed to make all of the extraneous stuff work. Though they would all be included in the price, it concerns me that these are all translation type adapters that are non-native and could carry with them problems/lag/etc. I wonder if Jeep would try to void your warranty or refuse warranty work for an electronic issues if you've done this upgrade. Not saying it would be justified but I could see it happening.

 

[willcasp]

I certainly agree. If I was having the issues you are having with my 8.4 OEM setup, I would gladly pay for a better-supported setup. My biggest concern is that while the factory unit is an all-in-one unit that controls most, if not all, of the electronics of the vehicle, this upgrade is not. I was told that there will be adapters (which I am guessing are 3rd party) that will be needed to make all of the extraneous stuff work. Though they would all be included in the price, it concerns me that these are all translation type adapters that are non-native and could carry with them problems/lag/etc. I wonder if Jeep would try to void your warranty or refuse warranty work for an electronic issues if you've done this upgrade. Not saying it would be justified but I could see it happening.

After all the fun I have had with Jeep on other issues, I would hold them accountable to the law, and invite them to prove that assertion to my lawyer. It would not be cheap, but I have zero qualms with doing it. Especially as I would eventually recover the money.

Jeep does a crap job of supporting their products, even when you play by the "bought the parts from the dealer, parts use factoery parts in a MOPAR kit that is certifed to work, had the dealer install" game... and they do not work by design.

I am glad the Jeep product is a good one. I love my JL.

The ownership experience has been inexcusably bad.

 

[MrKnowitall]

does this do anything that a idatalink maestro doesn't?

 

[rockadile]

does this do anything that a idatalink maestro doesn't?

I got the impression from speaking with them that, no, it doesn't do anything else. It relies on this for the "native" integration piece.

 

[willcasp]

I got the impression from speaking with them that, no, it doesn't do anything else. It relies on this for the "native" integration piece.

I think this statement speaks to your comment earlier. The Alpine unit is basically reading info from the Jeep, not actually modifying the info. I would expect that if a problem arose, you could throw in your old unit again and see if you got a repro. Repro? problem with the Jeep system. No repro, Alpine has some some software to fix!

 

[willcasp]

3k LOL. Does nothing any more special than the regular stock radio? Is there seriously any person that is dumb enough to buy this? Remember when after market radios were actually attainable?

Yep, I bought one.

I have the 8.4". It doesn't work. Jeep can't fix their software problem.

If you want a working 9" screen to use with AA or CP, this is your option.

 

[willcasp]

We just had a chance to test out the Alpine headunit in a JL at SEMA (see our live coverage) and we bring you a demo video, pricing, release date info, and some highlights.

Alpine Head Unit for JL / JLU / JT

• $2,999 retail price
  
• available for purchase at the end of this month (Nov.)
  
• 9” screen
• replaces factory screen unit
• plug and play
• offers all the functionality of the factory unit and more
• controls up to 8 auxiliary accessories (lights, winch, etc.)
• set custom icon for each accessory

QQ, as you have actually seen the unit. On the gauge screen, what options do you get? Do you get the off road pages sorta stuff?

 

[JeepSmash]

Uconnect is one of the best systems around right now. If not the best. This makes no sense unless you bought a used wrangler that had the small screen. And in that case I doubt you’d wanna spend 3k on it.

 

[donmontalvo]

None that I can see. I like the 8.4 better in every way.

Incredible head unit but $3K is *way* out of my budget. #sniffle

I ended up upgrading from a 5” stock radio to a 7” Uconnect 4 for $999 and I cant be happier.

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