Factory Refurbished good or bad?

Hey guys, i have been looking for a navigation/dvd system for my truck and dont really want to pay an arm and a leg for it since i have so many other mods to do so i was wondering if you guys have some input about a factory refurbished HU, i have been looking at this Avic z3 looks pretty nice but kinda pricey but can find a factory refurbished one on ebay for cheap, or if you guys have something better thats not as expensive feel free to share. Thanks everyone!

 

Anything with a screen I never would buy if it's refurbished. As I understand it, they generally don't replace the screen unless necessary. Over time most screens loose brightness a significant amount. I can tell on my lcd at home that it's quite a bit dimmer after 2 years than it was when I bought it. So the life time of the screen is greatly diminished if the screen wasn't replaced.

 

anyone else have experience with a refurbished head unit? Thank you for the info on that trtripoli

 

I have never used a refurbished screen however I have used many refurbished single din headunits and amps without any problems. Refurbs are not necessarily items that had a problem rather they could be a store return or even a cosmetic issue that a store can't sell so it goes back to the manufacturer. The nice thing is each one is fully tested unlike "new" ones which only get one in so many from the assembly line tested. BTW, not that I'm sure it makes a difference but I only buy refurbished if it comes directly from the manufacturer who made it.

 

ahhh i see i see so buying one from ebay would be kinda sketchy? what about the avic z3 do you like those or would you reccomened a different head unit?

 

I have purchased several "factory" refurbs from eBay (no screens) however I made sure to see that they came from the manufacturer. Refurbs usually have a 90 day factory warranty but as trtripoli mentioned I might be a bit concerned with the screen because if that goes out after the 90 days (most common issue when they have a problem) it could cost you quite a bit to replace. I can't say anything bad about the Pioneers but personally I prefer the Eclipse double dins and I recently learned from another member that some of the units will actually plug directly into your factory wiring harness.

 

the eclipse will plug right into the factory harness? because i would like to keep the steering controls functional so that would be cool

 

what about finding it at places like this http://www.techronics.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=8771&aff=45847 do you guys trust that or is it to risky?

 

I'm not sure about techtronics. They have a warrenty through them, but that means you don't get the factory warrenty cause they aren't an authorized dealer of most products.

Crutchfield gives you good deals, and offers factory warrenty. here's my deck I have (Eclipse AVN6620).. I have no complaints. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_099AVN6620/Eclipse-AVN6620.html?search=avn6620

really cheap compared to what I paid 3 months ago. steering wheel controls plug directly in.

here's a short video I took a little while back:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZvUwMsuODE

 

wow that was a great response thank you!

 

As always, ResellerRatings

 

wow alright not going with them haha thanks for the info bro