TR712UB-BU 12v VDO Continental Radio Blue Display Bluetooth

I really like this radio. It has a sort of retro look that fit in my 1990s BMW perfectly. Because the BMW already has some blue trim colors on the inside, I got the blue screen display which looks more modern than the orange screen. The sound quality is very good compared to the previous radio and it tunes into radio stations quite precisely. The only downside for me is that the USB port does not charge at the same time. It’s just for attaching music. This means you need a separate charger if you connect an iPod or something else.

Have not been able to connect it ....it didn't come with wiring harness, I'm going to send it back....!

If you have a factory single-DIN head unit in your MK4 VW Golf/Jetta, this VDO/Continental unit is (almost) plug-and-play. No wiring harness adapter, antenna adapter, or trim kit necessary. Literally just pull your factory unit out, unplug the connectors from the factory unit, cut the K-Line wire from the factory wiring harness (read more about below), plug the connectors into the VDO/Continental unit, slide the VDO/Continental unit back into the center console, and clip on the included trim plate. I actually bought both an aftermarket wiring harness and antenna adapter for the install, neither of which I wound up using after realizing the pin-outs on the VDO/Continental match the factory wiring harness.One important step though as mentioned above is cutting the K-Line wire to the radio. You can find info on it through Google, but the short of it is that late-90's/early-2000's (pre-CAN) VWs and Audis (and likely other cars) had the factory head unit on this K-Line bus. This bus is used by OBD2 scan tools to initiate communications with the ECU/car modules, and aftermarket head units don't account for this (rightfully so). So leaving the K-Line intact to aftermarket head units will often bring down the whole the bus, resulting in a no-comm through the OBD2 port (and also potentially killing the attached scanner). For similar reasons, you'll also likely need to leave the connector for the factory CD changer unplugged. Please double-check this info during your install as I'm going off memory (which is often bad), but in the VDO/Continental instructions I believe the K-Line is on A3 ("Telephone Mute Low") and the factory CD changer controls are all on the E connector.As far as the head unit itself, it's been great. The sound quality is better than OEM, as is the AM/FM reception. And like many other reviewers of the TR712UB-BU and TR7412UB-OR on Amazon have mentioned, the look and feel of the head unit is very OEM (ie; clean and high-quality).I only have two gripes. The first is the same as what another reviewer, Mark S McGriff, mentioned: the backlight on the LCD display isn't dimmable. It's just on and off. On my car using the factory harness, it's actually just always-on whenever the ignition is on, but since there's a dedicated pin-out for "Illumination" on the VDO/Continental you should be able to tie the backlight to the headlight power feed if it really bothers you. And the second issue is that the VDO/Continental unit doesn't sit face-flush in the dash of my 2001 Volkswagen. It sticks out quite a bit, so definitely doesn't look OEM in that regard. Disappointing but obviously not the fault of the manufacturer as this head unit isn't advertised as a direct fit in my application.Even with those two gripes, I still highly recommend the VDO/Continental. I plan to install these in a couple of my other old cars.

Looked like a good radio but couldn't use it without the wire harness. I had to return it. I might try reordering and hope I get it this time.

It looks great in the dash of an older vehicle, but it falls short on features. Frankly, if a near-OEM look isn't your top priority there are countless better stereos for the money.If it had a customizable RGB display, I wouldn't have had to crack it open to change LEDs to change it to green. I would have gladly paid more for selectable display color.Power isn't great, and it doesn't have low-level (RCA) outputs for an external amp. Adding a speaker-level input amplifier changes the value proposition.It doesn't resume with car ignition. This one confuses me. I've never had a car stereo that didn't come back on if it was on when the ignition was turned off. Not a big deal listening to the radio, but listening to music files from a USB drive, it starts over every time. You'd better really like the first song on the drive. I don't think much thought was put into the USB functionality. The jack cover being tethered rather than hinged feels cheap, and it takes a long time to read the files (compared to other USB-equipped car stereos I've used) before anything starts playing.It works. Bluetooth works. USB works(ish). It plays terrestrial radio. I haven't tried the aux input yet, but I expect it to work just fine. I just wish I didn't feel like I was settling, functionally, just to have a stereo that looks this good.

Functions well, and fits the car well aesthetically, which is why I purchased it, as I generally prefer oem radios.The screen is a bit bright at night though, as it is non-dimable, no problem with a small bit of tint applied.The audio quality is okay, but not great, I would definitely recommend an external amp for this unit...Installed in my 93 corrado, and was literally plug and play...based on the pinouts of the plugs, this should also be plug and play for vw mk2, mk3, and early mk4 cars.I'm currently looking into an amp to install alongside this unit, but even as it is, I'm quite happy.

It looks great on my Jaguar x300 and is very useful because I can listen to music on my cell phone.However, FM cannot be received because Japan is not an option in the regional settings.Apparently a firmware update will fix the problem, but where can I get it?

Installed this radio in my 1996 F150 for a more “OEM factory” look. Fit and finish is great and the only other item I needed for the install was a wire harness adaptor from any auto parts store. Also you can remove the euro adaptor from the rear and the US style antenna plugs right in.