[hydrashok]

Originally Posted by aah78

Yes, it's a one-off case. Don't worry about it.
Even if you do have a problem in future, Blaupunkt A.S.S. is very good.

Originally Posted by faithless_1984

Now am worried ,just got a Blau HU.!
Hope this is a one off case.

Yes, it is a one-off case as far as my experience and the experience of people I know are concerned. I know at least 8-9 people who have been using Blau HUs, and of these people at least 4-5 have been using them without troubles for 5 years plus.

My installer is still using his Blau (Los Angeles, I think) that was in his old demo car. That HU has been used very very extensively for I don't know how long. He got the first unit in Kerala and it went right into his demo vehicle (which was also his daily driver). It has been used (with respect & care) for hours together daily when it was in the demo car, and then at least for a few hours daily since his demo car was put to rest.

It is now doing almost 24/6 duty on his demo board, being used to test/demo speakers and provide In-Garage Entertainment. It sits in the open in his garage, entertaining him and his boys from the morning till late night (the demo board is now their entertainment console heh heh). It works perfectly. Yes, it has needed cleaning & servicing from time to time, but it works perfectly even now.

I was quite friendly with the local Blau Showroom tech guy and I know for a fact that they give excellent service to all. I used to have an (almost) all-Blau setup (HU, CD Changer, 2 Amps, 2 Speakers) and used to visit them often just like that to check-out new stuff and installs. I've seen that they usually do not charge for minor install issues or minor mech-failure even for stuff that is out of warranty. I was given a free day-long trial of their iPod interface that I gave back to them after a few hours (I did not buy it). I was still offered a free aux-in connector so I could plug my iPod into the aux-in. I took up their offer and it was done for me cheerfully. I repeat again (what I've said in numerous posts on TBHP) that Blaus' A.S.S. is the best A.S.S. in the car audio industry in India.

Originally Posted by DerAlte

...I always drive with windows closed and AC on (no dust). I don't think I have experienced the "exception to the rule"

...the quality (and upkeep) of the CDs, and the quality of the read head (laser LED) in the HU (incl. a drive's ability to read successfully under tough conditions)...

I agree completely. I think these two are the factors that generally lead to HU failure too. Especially dust.

[floyd]

I would tend to agree with neel12345, and disagree with hydrashok & deralte.
It seems like the Blaupunkt old-timers work properly...5 years for hydra, 12 years for deralte(12 years???? Then it's just an audio CD player, without MP3, I'd guess).

What seems to be the truth is that Blaupunkt units have deteriorated over the last 3 years. Sounds reasonable... they must've caught on to the trend of outsourcing manufacturing to China, resulting in cheaper units, with cheaper, but less reliable components.

Anyways, letme try out their service... I'm not too hopeful. I'm certainly not going to drive all the way to Jaynagar. I'll just give the unit to Car sringar, from where I bought it, and ask them to send it for service.

[greenhorn]

that's been my experience with newer blau HU's as well. A CD ( slightly scratched) which was working fine in my alpine skipped a lot when i tried listening to it in a friends brand new blaupunkt HU. In addition, the CD felt quite hot when I ejected it

[madhu_calvin]

+1

I had a Blau maui for almost 2 yrs. first 6 months worked fine, then came the reading issues. It never read Mp3 cds as it supposed to, the cd that did not work in my HU worked perfectly fine with my friends pioneer basic version (1.5 yrs old). Also after playing a cd (lucky if it read fine by HU in the first place) for 30 mins the CD would be fried to unacceptable level.

Had enough of that HU, finally got rid of it @2k and bought new pio5090, working gr8 since 7 mnths

[neel12345]

What I can conclude is that Blaupunkt sucks. At one time, it was the top-class audio player in India, but now I feel that even the cheap local HUs are better than these. I got rid of my Blau some days ago and sold it at 5K+. And got a new Pioneer 3050U. Pioneer just rocks !

[valhallen.282]

ok people seriously they aren't all that bad and if you had to give it for over three services just coz it wont read ask for a replacement unit or do what i did make an aux in or buy one whichever you prefer and use that with your phone or ipod. and sam sir it is one of the best. if you have ever heard the bremen mp74 you would know. it is mind blowing. came well before the alpine 9887 or equivalent and at under 25k was an amazing purchase. please service your head unit. keep cds well and drive with the windows up. the ac's are so much nicer for you and your hu's. thats a general statement for the benefit of anyone.

Aditya.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by neel12345

... DerAlte, yours might have been a onw of case. BTW, is your player 12 years old ? (!)

Originally Posted by floyd

I would tend to agree with neel12345, and disagree with hydrashok & deralte.
It seems like the Blaupunkt old-timers work properly...5 years for hydra, 12 years for deralte(12 years???? Then it's just an audio CD player, without MP3, I'd guess).
... they must've caught on to the trend of outsourcing manufacturing to China, resulting in cheaper units, with cheaper, but less reliable components.

Anyways, letme try out their service... I'm not too hopeful. I'm certainly not going to drive all the way to Jaynagar. I'll just give the unit to Car sringar, from where I bought it, and ask them to send it for service.

Yes, 12 years, and I have had 4 of them of various ages. Not the current one, which is 1.5 years old. And not a single failure.

The CD drive is the same whether it is CDA or MP3 capable - the internal electronics is different. And they have been around for at least 15 years now - just that they were not so common and were costly.

Most of the electronics stuff that you use in everyday life would most likely have been manufactured in China, so why the prejudice?

@neel12345, did it occur to you that the culprit could have been the same johny you had so much faith in? In all cases of bad service, it is the people at the service center, not the unit and the spares. Your 'patient' might most likely have been thrown out for bad work and attitude. Replacing the internals and then blaming the company and others while trying to take credit is not a praise-worthy action, don't you think?

@floyd, you live in Bangalore and you can't call the Blau Service HQ? You need Car Shringar's help for that? You deserve a Sony!

[shiva_cool87]

I've a Blau Bermuda,its an excellent HU,except it doesn't read the CDs

[floyd]

Yaar, open your eyes, and read the others who are posting the same problem in this thread!
And BTW, the CD drive is very much different. Reading a CD-ROM is different from reading an audio CD.

[shiva_cool87]

Originally Posted by floyd

Yaar, open your eyes, and read the others who are posting the same problem in this thread!

I know , I posted coz some member said that this is one-off case !
I'll never buy a Blau HU again

[faithless_1984]

How/Why i went back to Pio after getting a Blau HU......

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/produc...pioneer-4.html

[valhallen.282]

what is it with this thread its like a public blast of blaupunkt. if you don't know that blaupunkt service is in bangalore your fault. also that it has one of the best after sales service considering its a mico bosch product is something this group of forums will clear for you. are you complaining that it don't take as many ripped discs as you would want? or just afraid to take care of it? go to any and i mean ANY top end product company, you have to take care of it and service it. it goes for everything. most people use pio for a while and throw it after something new comes. most blau owners like myself keep it coz we take care of it and love how it sounds. mine is a 6 year old unit never serviced. so just take it to the authorised dealer and stop fussing.

[greenhorn]

well, most of us here want a product that "just works", especially the ICE.

Given a choice between a product which does that , and another which may need you to pay a visit to the dealership, which would most people choose ?

[valhallen.282]

@greenhorn which would you be happier with a unit that just works and sounds ok or works well as long as you maintain it and plays fabulous which i am willing to fight tooth and nail for.
I dont think its fair to single out any one company and beat it to death. IMHO Sony sucks and people around here seem to run a lot of sony. how come i dont hear much about that. nothing personal but its an open question. pioneer gives barely any control over the sound except the upper end ones and the loudness function just makes a subwoofer system sound muddy. and the treble is thrashy. i frankly dont really go with it. i am willing to accept though that its good VFM and is a better alternative to a sony. incidentally a lot of the indash units in a lot of tatas and marutis are all (surprise) BLAUPUNKT! and that i have on good authority from one of the sales team. even the factory units. blaupunkt for the price and value is second only to alpine which is a whole different sound altogether.
i mean if the unit is so bad then its under warranty so replace it and sell the new unit you get simple.
just coz a few people have had problems dont mean they are all bad.

[Thad E Ginathom]

In this day and age of mass production, the fact that "a few" people have had problems actually says quite a lot.

Talk about "ripped" discs means nothing: this is data, and the unit is supposed to read it, it doesn't matter where it came from. Talk about cheap blanks, though, might be appropriate.

I'm with Greenhorn: one wants the thing to just work, and the higher the image of the product/manufacturer, the more that is true.

If somebody's passion is to shoehorn some delicate valve-based hifi into their car, then they had better treat it accordingly --- and build a new suspension dedicated to keeping it safe! A mass-produced head unit, whether it be bottom, middle or top of the range, has to cope with the conditions it is sold to work in: a jolting, bouncing vehicle where the air can be hot and humid or cold and dry within minutes, not to mention full of dust. No sensitive babies for this application, please; all those things are the worst thing you can do for electronic kit.

I'm prepared to close the windows and drive with the AC turned on for my wife: I'm not going to do it for a HU!

OK, so I have been 18 months in getting around to adding music to my car, but I had been thinking all that time, Blaupunkt.

So, although the words about after-sales are comforting, this thread has somewhat dented my brand loyalty.

I guess I'll go on thinking about it for a few months.