Iowa

Okay guys I'm gonna do my best to review my max-din experience. A few points first.
I've got nothing to gain or lose by your purchasing decision and honestly don't care.
I replaced a kenwood ddx9907xr with this. The kenwood is a phenomenal unit.

It's made in China. Those of you who chose to point this out while posting from what is most likely a Chinese device.....literally nobody cares. Honestly your virtue signaling makes you look like an idiot.


This unit connects extremely fast to wireless android auto. Not supposed to plug your phone Into the unit. The 2 usb ports on the unit are used for updates and an optional dash cam only. Most run them to the glovebox or center console. I opted to put mine down by the fuse box so someone doesn't accidentally plug into them. You'll need to charge your phone from the center console as you lose your ashtray assembly. Wireless carplay and android auto do cause increased phone battery drain so youll want a charger. Carplay has a few connection issues that are corrected by an update on an as needed basis and seem to be minimal. To be fair here, my wife has an IPhone and experiences connection issues in our oem vehicles. I believe it's an apple issue, but as mentioned if it happens to you a simple update will correct it. I have opted to run the unit with a sim card because I use a ton of cell phone data and get throttled. The sim card works great.
The unit comes with 2 cameras. I already had a reverse camera and no need for a front camera. Those who have installed the supplied cameras seem satisfied with them. The unit also comes with a built in microphone and an external mic for improved quality. I opted to not install the external mic.

My car use is limited to good weather in iowa and my targa is off 80% of the time.

I was firmly against this unit when it released. Damian ran a black Friday deal and I purchased out of curiosity.
Install is extremely easy. Remove the console. Remove the radio and hvac components and use those plugs to plug into the max din. 20 minutes and done. Still many people get it wrong. If you chose to hookup the cameras there are wires to run, but nothing horrible. I had a preexisting camera that plugged into the max-din and works great.
some pics of the screens of the unit. Background is a picture I uploaded. If you put a data plan or Hotspot the unit it is essentially a tablet in your dash.



I chose to download an app called agama car launcher. It's great for my most used apps and boots as my home screen.

Let's discuss sound quality. These are your sound adjustment screens.




Disclaimer here. You like what you like. Sound qualiy is very opinionated and never wrong.

this is not an audiophile quality unit. Your name brand units are worlds better at sound quality. Any adjustments are applied to the entire system with no way to set the fronts from the rear. It sounds good. Slightly better than stock but worse than the kenwood it replaced that had a ton of adjustability which i completely expected. I have an 07 bose with the self powered woofers. After the switch my midbass took a large hit. My lower door speakers seem to not work at all. Later year bose users and non bose users have no complaints. Us early bose guys seem to share the bass loss issue. I bought a sub and amp that partially corrects this but not entirely. Bose users are told to install a red box to correct excessive feedback from the unit. It works, but seems to kill the power from the bose amp at the same time. Damian has stated he is working on it so we will see.
WIth sound quality comes volume control. This unit has volume built into the touch screen that is difficult to operate while driving. There are no buttons for volume. Steering wheel controls are a lifesaver. Not putting a **** or volume buttons on the unit is by far the biggest miss and honestly it's puzzling. They included buttons for temp control but not volume which would be adjusted much more frequently. A huge miss in my opinion.


Next up we have climate control

the system works but seems to default to the defrost vent. Auto works but because it seems to favor the defrost vent it fogs up the windshield when a/c is used. A quick anti fog treatment on the windshield will solve it. I dont use auto ever so it's a non issue for me. The vent direction buttons don't quite work as intended. You have to use the mode button instead. Once the car is turned off and restarted the unit seems to default back to the defrost vent even though the vent settings haven't changed on the screen. You have to cycle the mode button to get it directly out of the dash vents again. This is another issue awaiting an update. I don't use my climate control enough for it to be a concern. If I lived in a climate that requires more climate control i might feel differently. Some users have stated they have to readjust the temperature settings when they start the car. I haven't experienced this. My temperature remains where I have it set until I change it. The air conditioner before and after install blew 19 degrees colder with the max-din. I'm not sure why. With the stock unit there didn't seem to be much change in the middle range of temperature. It had to be all the way up to get decent heat. The max-din seems to be more responsive and the temperature I set is very close to the temp actually coming out of the vents.
I'm going to use the unit this year.
I'm undecided at this point if I'll keep it or revert back to more tradititraditional components. I want to use it an entire driving season before deciding.

Support for the unit is limited to Facebook and we help each other out.
Your questions require the admin to approve them first. I acquaint this to censorship and am not a huge fan of it. I've had questions not approved and quite honestly it's frustrating. A number of us talk privately outside of the Facebook group and it's alarming that we can't get answers at times or even have questions posted. The controlling of product image by censorship instead of product quality is absolutely a concern. Some have reported excessive speaker feedback and it seems that grounding the unit to the chassis or grounding the plug to direct battery ground cleans it up. No secret that the car has grounding issues to begin with. Sun glare is a challenge. The sun can make the screen hard to see, but the issue is slightly improved over my kenwood.
Quick side note:
I consider myself an attentive driver and very rarely pickup my phone while driving. I caught myself a few times getting lost in playing with the unit and not focusing on the road. It can be a distraction if you let it.
I'm sure I haven't covered everything but I've covered how I use the unit. I'm happy to answer any questions honestly if needed.

javaman

Well said Iowa.
As a MaxDin user, I would agree with your assessment of the unit and unit support.
Overall, I am happy with the purchase.
I’m fortunate that other than a few minor hiccups (admittedly in part due to my not understanding certain aspects of the unit) I have not experienced some of the issues as others have.
With respect to what I just said about not understanding certain aspects, this could have been addressed with a user guide.
Even a few pages with “this button does this” , this button controls that” would be helpful.
Damian has said the engineers are working on a software update which I believe is expected to be available later this month.
Hope is it does resolve some of the issues/concerns around the unit.

Iowa

There definitely is struggles for a lot of people. My car was put away for winter when I installed mine in December. It was a great opportunity to learn and properly adjust the unit to my liking. I've got more hours than I can count in learning the unit while sitting in my garage.
there are guys that are using these to do some pretty cool stuff. I felt a review would be better suited for the audio and climate control as that's what most people purchase it for including myself. I also run an obd dongle and can pull live car data up on the screen. I like the unit and it gives the car a bit of modern tech without going overboard. It is pricey, but I feel that Damian has done a good job explaining why that is. Honestly nothing I've bought for this car has been anything less than expensive 😆 🤣.

I spent 1200 bucks to put a similar unit from a different company in my silverado that I ultimately sent back. Lots of glitches, things wouldn't always work and the screen would freeze occasionally and lag constantly. These are all issues that I have NOT had with the max-din. Hopeful that an update in the coming months can fix the few remaining issues, but those issues dont have a heavy impact on me because of how i use the car. No regrets and I'd give it a rating of 7.5 out of 10.
The next step for me is replacing the front speakers with a decent component set and amplifying them.

wjnjr

Great review, thanks for taking the time to share your experience. It's nice to see a non-opinionated, factual post about an aftermarket product.

Could you post a picture of the screen when using a navigation app like Waze, Google Maps, or whatever?

Iowa

The large screen for navigation is definitely a plus.
Waze is my personal choice.

wjnjr

NIce. That's a reason in itself to consider buying one of these.

DSOMC6

I have been seriously considering this unit primarily to eliminate the antiquated HVAC unit "look." Still on the fence due to high cost and possibility of glitches with lack of tech support.

Why not start your own users group where you can exchange info with each other while avoiding censorship?

Iowa

i felt the need to include that piece for honesty and transparency. I dont feel it's to the level that we would need to do that. I've helped and received help from others through Facebook messenger. It's not so much problems as it is figuring things out. Damian has provided support and is currently working on some of the issues. He's stated he'll continue to support the unit and will be launching a unit for the c5 in the coming months. He's kept his word and has been somewhat transparent about issues he's facing through various products.

StayinStock

Great comprehensive review and this helps me make my decision a little easier. I appreciate the transparency! Thank you sir!

VetteVinnie

Nice write-up. I also took advantage of the Black Friday deal, but I've been waiting on the headlights before tearing into the car. Now that the headlights have arrived, the project will finally get kicked off. It's nice to have a buddy with a climate-controlled workshop.

Iowa

those lights look good. I have a black car, but definitely like the look of the color matched morimotos. Would be nice to get your feedback on the max-din when you get settled in.

KnightDriveTV

I appreciate the objective review of the unit. As many who have followed me on KnightDriveTV youtube channel, or along the way in the facebook groups, this unit is different from the variety of units similar, available for silverado/ford f150, etc. This is different, in that, I have been integrated closely into the development process, provide very real-time support and push the engineering company along to continually improve and develop the unit.

As with many units sold online, once they're purchased, the support side of things will get very difficult. This isn't the case for a Kenwood or Alpine or similar, but these brands will never make a unit, such as this, for a specific vehicle. This is a very low volume selling product, which is well off the radar of large companies like Kenwood, etc.

That all being said, I do maintain the MaxDin Support Group on Facebook, where we now have about 650 members. In there, we constantly seek to improve the unit, support users findings, feedback those issues to the engineers, etc. This has led to several updates already released, just since the release of this product in August. Since then, we've released:

1. Apple user specific update to help certain apple users who had connectivity issues with certain Iphones
2. New screen protector (glossy) with matte glare deflectiving next
3. Finished developing a compatible DVR looping/recording camera that works with the units USB connection and provides live HD feed, with no stuttering or image degredation. This now allows for 3 cameras total
4. Released a hardware update that integrates a door chime speaker, so the door opened chime, low fuel chime returned.
5. Upcoming, I have the engineers returning to my shop in May, where we will finalize some development testing on the C5 unit, the XLR unit and face some key updates with the C6 unit. These updates on C6, will be to further tweak/dial in the auto hvac modes, small bugs we've discovered through other users, as well as working on some audio side updates.

Considering the lifespan of this product is only 8 months, and the volume of sales is very low, I hope outlining the continued improvements, facebook support, etc has shown that I'm committed to the Corvette community, as I have always been. While this is my current user name, which is my business account, I started on this forum in 2009 in C4, then moved to C5 in 2011, and have always had a continued presence here. I was a donor to the National Corvette Museum motorsports park when it was being built, have been a continued supporter of the museum since the year 2000, etc. So, I'm not just someone who showed up to sell product, I've always been a dedicated enthusiasts and Corvette fan since my teenage years.

I have many things ahead for C6, as well as supporting the offshoot model, the XLR in ways that the aftermarket community has not been able to. By establishing a new level of partnership, with overseas collaborators, I'm able to serve smaller markets, but yet develop products, continue manufacturing some portions of my products here in the USA and employing people who love their job at KnightDriveTV.

Thanks for the support and for all users of the MaxDin, rest assured, we will have some updates ahead in May/June.