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Back In A Stagea (m35)

pixel8r
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pixel8r Mentor

pixel8r

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Some of the longer term members on here might remember me...

I've owned 3 Stageas before (one at a time) and just bought my 4th last night! Each time in the past I eventually needed to sell for some reason but then circumstances change and I keep coming back. Also the prices of stageas keep dropping (bad for owners, great for buyers) and I couldn't think of another car that provided the same value for money.

So in the past I owned a s2 then a M35 then back to a s2 a year or two later. I sold the last one about 5 years ago.

My new one is a 2002 250RX FOUR, with dual sunroofs, silver exterior, beige leather interior, electric + heated seats, indicators on mirrors, and the popup screen has english conversion + TV tuner + bluetooth etc.

The bluetooth audio is a life-saver because I use spotify on my phone and the car cd player is crap. Bluetooth is clear, doesn't skip, and it also works for phone calls and google maps navigation - plus the phone will turn the music down automatically so you can hear the navigation audio. So glad it's all installed and working :)

I've already been searching for info on here regarding bits and pieces I'm not familiar with, for example getting the bluetooth working.

Everything else seems to be in order. I don't plan to modify this one (famous last words lol) but will probably continue to lurk here from time to time :)

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Hertz Donut Proficient

Hertz Donut

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Even though I own one, in a way I'm kind of glad the price of M35s is falling, it makes me feel somewhat less depressed every time I find another car park ding/scratch on it. Soon it'll be the same as my Commodore - 1 more scratch, 0 more farks given.

pixel8r Mentor

pixel8r

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I'm on the hunt for one at the moment, are you able to tell me a little more about the bluetooth? Does it keep the factory facias and if so how is it controlled and operated?

Cheers.

A previous owner installed a TV tuner and had it wired up to the factory screen in the dash. They've also got a media selector thingy in the centre console and it has a bluetooth module and also USB cables (presumably I can plug in a USB device and play movies or songs, but I haven't tried). The bluetooth module has a button on it which turns it on/off. Once on it will automatically turn on when the car turns on, so only need to do that once.

I paired my phone with the bluetooth, then went into the screen and selected TV and then VCR (or is it VTR?). Had to select that a few times but then I was able to play audio on my phone and it came through the car speakers. I assume that phone calls would do the same but haven't tried yet. I couldn't see any microphone anywhere so not sure if it just relies on the phone's microphone.

It's not ideal though. For one, I need to pair the bluetooth every time I get in the car. With my previous car it happened automatically. I also cannot skip tracks over bluetooth - I have to do it directly on my phone. Plus there's no pick up/hang up button on the dash etc for answering calls. These were all things my $50 stereo in my corolla did. So while I'm stoked that I can at least play songs from spotify over the car speakers, it's kind of "just enough".

nickrussel Apprentice

nickrussel

Posted
Posted

A previous owner installed a TV tuner and had it wired up to the factory screen in the dash. They've also got a media selector thingy in the centre console and it has a bluetooth module and also USB cables (presumably I can plug in a USB device and play movies or songs, but I haven't tried). The bluetooth module has a button on it which turns it on/off. Once on it will automatically turn on when the car turns on, so only need to do that once.

I paired my phone with the bluetooth, then went into the screen and selected TV and then VCR (or is it VTR?). Had to select that a few times but then I was able to play audio on my phone and it came through the car speakers. I assume that phone calls would do the same but haven't tried yet. I couldn't see any microphone anywhere so not sure if it just relies on the phone's microphone.

It's not ideal though. For one, I need to pair the bluetooth every time I get in the car. With my previous car it happened automatically. I also cannot skip tracks over bluetooth - I have to do it directly on my phone. Plus there's no pick up/hang up button on the dash etc for answering calls. These were all things my $50 stereo in my corolla did. So while I'm stoked that I can at least play songs from spotify over the car speakers, it's kind of "just enough".

Thanks for clearing that up. I tried to do something similar when I first got my V35 years ago and was told nothing exists and what I was trying to achieve was "impossible" as it wouldn't integrate, even after I pointed out that it's just a TFT screen...

I like the stock look so I will be trying to work with that and get around the inevitable issues. I have to say I've been very disappointed with the connectivity and functionality of Nissan's stereos (Even the newer Australian models), while the sound is very good they're just so basic. I've got a self contained factory HU from an Aurion in my AW11 (Toyota has used the same wiring for all cars since 1987) that has Bluetooth phone and audio, auto connect and will connect to 2 devices simultaneously so you can listen to music and use the other for phone calls or Sat Nav and it will automatically prioritise phone calls and music, picked up for $50. I'm almost tempted to go double din and chuck a Toyota factory SatNav in there (back up plan).

First step is to get the car...

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