Good replacement radio for 2015 Mirage DE?

[cwatkin]

I have a 2015 DE and am having issues with the radio. I know this is a complaint of these cars even when working fine and guess they can't offer a premium unit for what these cars cost. The buttons seem to have a mind of their own and do not do what they are instructed to do or do not respond.

I have always had very good luck with Kenwood systems and these do not cost an arm and a leg. Of course the selection of car audio appears quite limited with COVID-19 going on. My only real desires are mechanical buttons (no touch screen if possible), ability to play regular old FM/AM radio (AM isn't a biggie if it isn't an option), and Bluetooth integration much like the stock radio. I would rather not have a unit controlled by Siri, Alexa, or similar. I would be fine with one of those units if they can be used without those forms of voice assist. I also really don't care if it can play CDs either.

I took the car in and was just going to get a new factory radio under warranty but they told me it was only 3 years /36,000 miles on the audio system which I thought was odd. Other than this, the Mirage hasn't skipped a beat.

Of course I have always like Kenwood but what are some other good units that fit my criteria?

Thanks,

Conor

[dspace9]

Ya eh sorry about your luck Conor. My 2014 ES stereo volume knob doesn't work always now. I'll go counterclockwise to turn the volume down, and it'll get stuck on the current volume level. Pretty annoying so wish I could help more. I know one of the folks on here has swapped a few Mirage stereos but I'm sure you're in luck cheers

[Dodge Aries K]

If you're okay with an aftermarket unit there's a ton of them out there for next to nothing that will do what you want it to do. I've had Kenwood stuff in the past as well as Pioneer, Panasonic, JVC, Alpine, Eclipse... Each has their own strengths but now that I don't care as much since I don't do crazy loud sub setups and whatever I just buy the cheap crappy Dual unit from Walmart and it works well enough for what I want to use it for.

Forgot to mention, two of the three stock headunits from the 2015 Mirages I have do the same thing where the buttons don't work right. I'm going to take one apart and see if it's something I can repair.

[cwatkin]

Yeah, I have been swamped with work since COVID-19 started so have been in the car a lot. It was starting to do this before but was almost unusable as of yesterday.

Another thing mine does is that when you press a station preset, it will either go to one somewhere else on the presets. You can press the button enough times and eventually it will get the preset you really set. The seek buttons are worthless as well now and basically the most unusable of them all. Changing from FM1/FM2/AM is also pretty much done for without a lot of presses.

The audio quality is as good as new which isn't spectacular on these cars but I have no issues with that.

One issue that has been a problem since new is the Bluetooth audio quality. I don't know if this is part of the radio or the car but figured I might get this worked out as well. Again, it has done this since new and it hasn't gotten worse. Some people complain of terrible call quality or my voice fading in and out while talking. This seems to be only with certain people so think their phones might be somehow involved as well.

Conor

[cwatkin]

So you mean this unit? Man! That is cheap! https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dual-Elec...YaAjpdEALw_wcB

Will this sound at least as good as the factory unit? Also, will it last? Remember I own an IT services company and the majority of electronics that I deal with that come from Wal-Mart are utterly terrible. The price is so cheap. I am guessing I will need some adapter plates and such as well so that isn't the total price.

Conor

[cwatkin]

What else is needed?
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mitsubish...-Kit/149964281

[jtr990]

You'll need a good wiring harness, such as the Metra 70-7005. I got a link right here.

[Dodge Aries K]

Hey they updated it from the one I installed in my Voyager turbo! It has more output power and a voice activation button now haha. I've had the unit over a year and while I don't use the van much it still works just fine. Never had any complaints about the Bluetooth phone calls.

Yes you'll need a wiring kit as posted above and also a faceplate adaptor. These are relatively cheap on eBay.

[cwatkin]

Hey they updated it from the one I installed in my Voyager turbo! It has more output power and a voice activation button now haha. I've had the unit over a year and while I don't use the van much it still works just fine. Never had any complaints about the Bluetooth phone calls.

Yes you'll need a wiring kit as posted above and also a faceplate adaptor. These are relatively cheap on eBay.

OK. I always bought off Crutchfield in the past and used their install kits. This will be my first Wal-Mart radio purchase. I am not expecting perfection for that price and would expect that I could re-use many of the install parts if it didn't work out or I didn't like it. I see the overall wattage is higher than stock. I guess this is a good thing but know it won't matter much unless one replaces the speakers as well.

I assume I just need the one end of the harness? I see the radio has the end the plugs into the radio. I always bought and assembled these myself when using Crutchfield. I am guessing this is what I need besides what comes with the radio and faceplate adapter. As I mentioned, I assume the faceplate adapter could be re-used and the harness cut and re-spliced to a new radio harness.

Conor

[Eggman]

The Mirage radios are all double DIN. Switching to a single DIN radio gives you the opportunity to install a single DIN storage pocket with the extra space.