Why are automobile manufacturers trying to kill the stereo aftermarket?

By that, I mean that it is becoming increasingly difficult to fit an aftermarket stereo into your new car. Manufacturers are making nonstandard sized stereos that are physically difficult to remove and hard to fit a replacement to. They are tying unrelated in-car equipment to them, making them a requirement in the car (which brings the additional question of what if the radio dies). I'm sure there are other things, too, but these are the prime problems.

But why are the manufacturers doing this? Are they actively trying to kill the aftermarket? Or do they think that people really need or want their stereos to be oval or rhomboid? Do they think we need our gas mileage to be viewable on the radio?

This is really pissing me off. I have the feeling that in a few years, it will be basically impossible to replace the factory radio.

So that when it breaks or needs repair, you have no choice but to take it to a dealership to have it repaired. Makes good business sense, but is a PITA nonetheless.

I don't think that's the case. You would have to have almost any OEM stereo serviced at the dealer.

I do agree with Bitt that it's a conspiracy to kill the aftermarket.

it seems to me that it's just a way to pump up the bottom line. everyone knows that the factory-offered radio options tend to be high-priced and of modest quality, but if it's all the customer has to choose from, the carmaker can improve their sales of the high-priced optional systems. i doubt their intentions are any more sophisticated than that.

--dan.

But if its standard din, you can take your pick from after market choices.

Do they think we need our gas mileage to be viewable on the radio?

They're not the only ones...

Anyway, I'm with the conspiracy theorists this time. It's definitely a deliberate effort for automakers to make the money that's currently being made by others in the aftermarket. Ho hum.

Now I see what you're saying. Interesting.

Yeah, what everyone else has said - to increase the apparent value of the car, to sell expensive stereo options etc. They are also still learning about car systems integration too - satnav, roadside assistance, security, general controls etc.

But this is a short-term issue IMO. At some time in the near future (August??) car manufacturers have to open up more of their protocols to the general public, so OEM manufacturers will be able to start learning about integration themselves. In addition, once the car manufacturers realise that they may be losing potential sales due to their particular brand of stereo not being up to snuff then they will probably start to have second thoughts about making it so hard to replace. For example, assuming that Ford and VW had 2 otherwise equally desirable cars (desirable for your needs), are you likely to buy the VW with it's Phatbox mp3 system, or the Ford with it's Visteon (empeg) system?

I'll take the ford.

I'll take the ford.

I wouldn't. I couldn't possibly justify driving one of those POSes just for a better head unit. My Mk2a suits me fine. When it comes time to buy a new car, I won't even consider anything that I don't think will fit the empeg in its dash.

Why are automobile manufacturers trying to kill the stereo aftermarket?

Tell me about it. I've been looking into buying a new car, but finding one with two DIN slots is damn near impossible. Heck, even ONE din slot is too much asked these days.
Practically ALL brands are now shipping their newest cars with factory installed HU's.
And what pieces of cr*p they are too. Most of the time not able to produce more that 4x15 watts. The produced sound of course is what is expected : crap.

Last week I went to a BMW dealer and the first thing I did when I looked into the car was ask if there was a possibility to rip that POS HU out. The salesperson looked at me as if I had said a dirty word. "Sir, it has taken them 10 years to actually implement a car stereo into their cars, and now you're asking me if I can sell you one WITHOUT?"
"I sure do, and so should everybody who has even the slightest respect for the quality of the sound they're listening to !"
Well, that guy wasn't happy I can tell you!

The worst kind of factory HU's are the ones that don't even have a display anymore, but their display is being shown by a separate screen mostly on top of the dash. Those are really the pits, since ripping those out would mean you'll also render that screen useless. (most of the times that screen also functions as display for the cars own computer, which shows gas levels etc.)

Fortunately, some aftermarket solutions are available for this too, but only very few (like this company who makes adapter for aftermarket Sony HU's.)

This is a really, really, really bad trend and I hope to see it end real soon now. (but I'm not holding my breath)

This is not a trend that's going to reverse itself. My 98 Honda Civic has the factory keyless entry, and even the door sensor for the dome light inside the factory Honda radio. When I first replaced it with a CD receiver, I lost keyless entry and the dome light could only be turned on manually. I have since upgraded to a better CD receiver and of course, an empeg. And then I found an adapter kit which extends the wires necessary for keyless entry and dome light sensor, allowing you to place the factory radio almost anywhere. This I have done.

The only trend I would hope to see is aftermarket companies doing their best to keep up with the new sizes and shapes of factory slots, in order to fit better units, and adapter kits (wiring, etc.) in order to keep the full functionality of the car.

There is something to be said for a well done, at home aftermarket install. And while I'm no audiophile, I do like my music. And what I have put into my car with my own two hands in order to enjoy my music, I'm quite happy with. I too, do not like how the auto industry is making it more difficult for this to be done. I will have a hard time choosing a new car when the day comes.

And then I found an adapter kit...

Which sums up the whole aftermarket situation nicely. It all comes down to the adapter kits. I think that what the automakers are doing isn't killing the aftermarket, they're expanding the sub-segment of adapter-kit makers.

As long as I can have what I want in the car I want, I don't care.

Glove box install + 'silly display repeater' + tuner + sony stalk.

Job done - barring a few hacks into the speaker lines of course.

having said that, I never drive a car newer than 5 years old , so taking a dremel to the dashboard is never a concern

Is that silly display repeater already a reality ? If it is then that could indeed be the answer to all my problems because then I could indeed do a glove box install.

Why are automobile manufacturers trying to kill the stereo aftermarket?

Somehow they got a page from the M$ playbook.

Somehow they got a page from the M$ playbook.

That'll be the same page where they read about that "we'll put line inputs on it, but we'll authenticate against our own brand of in-trunk CD player only, and only turn the line inputs on if it's present" crap.

Peter

That'll be the same page where they read about that "we'll put line inputs on it, but we'll authenticate against our own brand of in-trunk CD player only, and only turn the line inputs on if it's present" crap.

Yeah, but many such animals (Kenwood HU's in my experience, and others I've seen advertised on Crutchfield) have a cable that they'll happily charge you an arm and a leg for, which can convert said line inputs into all-purpose line inputs suitable for connecting to, say, an empeg car player. You know, because they're accomodating like that.

Yeah, but I've never seen an OEM stereo have that option.

Yeah, I know I was drifting OT. Sosumi.

Tell me about it. I've been looking into buying a new car, but finding one with two DIN slots is damn near impossible. Heck, even ONE din slot is too much asked these days.

Well, as somebody who's planning to buy a new car before the end of the year, I can say that this issue is very much on my mind. I've practically eliminated the otherwise intriguing Mazda RX-8, specifically because of its bizzare, proprietary stereo system. The only car manufacturer that seems to be bucking the trend is Subaru, selling the WRX STi without any stereo or speakers, but with the speaker wiring pre-installed. Never mind that it's also an insanely fast car; it's everything a stereo installer could want.

(I only wonder if Subaru ran the speaker wiring to the head-unit area, or whether they run it all to the trunk, where you might put an aftermarket amplifier.)

The other helpful trend is the spread of satellite radio. The Infiniti G35 Coupe's stereo has an external input for a satellite tuner. You could possibly hack an empeg in through that. Other manufacturers might be similarly planning some expandability into their factory stereo systems.