The sound quality has improved 2 notches, the bass is tighter and liveliness improved across all tones
BHPian rajathv8 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Thanks to this and a few other threads on the forum, I was able to muster up the courage to execute a HU upgrade on my A-Star.
The ZXi comes with an integrated HU with AM/FM/CD and 4 speakers. The sound quality was above average by 2009 standards when it was launched. In 2023, I still feel it is a decent setup, however, the main trigger for the HU upgrade ironically was the improving highway infrastructure in the country! On one particular jaunt on the Mysore expressway, I realized how drab and boring the drive had become. The monotony is borderline dangerous. The only saving grace is good music to tap the steering wheel to and sing along. My old laptop which had the sole purpose of burning CDs had long given up the ghost. With no new CDs and a long list of MP3s on my HDD, I needed a USB-capable HU with the same or better sound quality.
Getting the stock HU out was easier than removing the car cover. Pry out a few trims while praying to 109 gods that you don’t crack them, pull out the central AC vent, unscrew the HU and yank it out – easy peasy lemon squeezy. That’s when I realized that one of the clips had cunningly trekked down the dashboard cave. The next few minutes involved a search and rescue roleplay to extricate the clip and then administer a few fatal beatings so that it does not get used again ever – used new clips instead.
Yellow for AC vent screws, orange for HU screws and blue for HU clips. The orange and blue are the naughty ones to watch out for. The circular black FM antenna connector and blue ISO connector are visible too.
It was interesting to re-live some thoughts from my younger days while shopping around. Anyone who has been in cars of yore – Ambassadors, M800s, Esteems will know that the 1DIN HU was the star of the dashboard back in the day. That glistering shiny slab with a lovely dial that you can turn to infinity, and oh the lights! One of the few things that could light up.
My weapon of choice was a Pioneer HU. There are HUs available from Rs.1000 to Rs.7000 but most of these can be filtered out. Low-end are cheap nameless models or ones with very creative and funny model names. High ends have features I don’t need. Having Pioneer equipment for my home audio setup made the selection easy. Look at the beauty – even comes with a flap to cover the ugly bits!
The HUs these days, like everyone else, have taken to intermittent fasting and the results speak for themselves. Gone are the days when one could do a bicep workout with them.
The HU was available for Rs.4800 on Amazon but like every DIYer I decided to make my life harder and visited a few stores nearby. The first store quoted Rs.7000 and said there was no way in this galaxy that it could be procured at a lower price. The second store was much kinder and politely said they only have touchscreens and had long stopped 1 DIN installation. A third store, much smaller than the other two, procured it for Rs.5K. This guy turned out to be a nice chap – he did not discourage me and even offered to assist if I screwed up. I did screw up and he did assist – he helped procure spare screws for the brackets
The wiring was straightforward. The black connector plugs into and comes with the HU. Blue one plugged into the car’s wiring harness. Read the documentation, match the following and solder away.The Stock HU has a pair of brackets that need to be transferred to the new HU. Problem? They have been screwed on by Mike Tyson.
I lost a screwdriver and a few years of my life trying to remove these! Like any self-respecting gentleman I gave up and ordered a new set. The new ones were crooked and no matter which way I bent them, the fit
just didn’t seem right so I was back to square one. I had to get the stock brackets out at any cost.
Tried WD-40, this is a wonderful liquid that works great with everything except my HU brackets despite soaking it longer than what Surf recommends for ketchup stains! Next, I opened up the HU hoping to get at the screws from inside – but no banana. Lost a few night’s sleep and then realized that since the top was removed there was a gap between the bracket and the HU now, so I tightened the screw and it gave in. Tightening made it unjam itself somehow and I was then able to get the Mike Tyson screws out finally!
Fitted them on the new HU, and all look good.
Final fitment. Smile by now had exceeded the width of the car and was hampering traffic flow on the adjacent road. The HU colour is a perfect match. The ugly USB stick has been replaced by a tiny black one – one would not even notice its presence.
BOM:
- HU: 5000
- Dash kit: 300 + 56 delivery
- ISO Cable: 169
- Bracket: 69
- HP v222w 64GB pendrive: 389
Closing thoughts:
This DIY has certainly yielded more than what I initially hoped for.
A pleasant surprise was the ease of parts availability for a discontinued product which was not a sales success by Maruti standards. The dash trim, bracket and clips were all available on Boodmo. I checked a few other trims as well (in case I broke them during the installation) and all were available.
The sound quality has improved 2 notches, the bass is tighter and liveliness improved across all tones – I am an audio geek and can pick these up easily. The BT pairs well with my phone and I have started listening to my Amazon music playlists too – something I was not planning to do.
It looks good and the black/red contrasts well with the silver.
The HU has served well already in 2000+ km of highway jaunts. Hope to jingle away to many more.
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