I have been finding some very very cheep headunits on offer on eBay from Australian stores but they are all selling the non European versions that we normally find in Australia.
For example I am looking at the 9853R Alpine head unit which is $899RRP from the local audio place. eBay sells the US equivilent 9853 unit for $379 plus $40 postage.
Was just wondering if anyone else has gone down this path and can tell me if this is destined for trouble or not. Surely there must be plenty of people who have bought these products so they must work fine.
I rang Tonkins and all they said was that the arial plugs were different but the converters are supplied with the unit. From my time in the States i vaguely remember that the FM radio band was pretty much the same as the band here in Aussie land (unlike the japanese FM band).
So can anyone tell me if this is a bargain or a "wolf in sheeps clothing" as they say .
u will notice that there is obviously a price difference between car audio products here and the USA due to taxes and other mark ups.
Dont forget that once u purchase that product that it will have no warranty.
Well there are few of us had gone through that part before, here are some pros & cons that i can remember.
The pros being they are much cheaper then here, & sometimes for the same model, it have extra feature that the Aussie version might not have.
The cons would be the AM radio doesn't really work properly (not there are many of us here listen to it), I know the FM is sort of ok. Also if you not lucky, you be hit with custom duty/tax, but most likely the total cost would be still cheaper then Aus.
And finally, as Mil said, you won't able to get a local warranty on most model, some brand won't honor their international warranty as well.
I know the Singapore & HK head unit have the same AM/FM radio frequency as Australia.
DISCLAIMER: The above text is the personal opinion of the author and does not represent the indisputable truth. The author is not responsible for any deaths, injuries or mental illness caused by the above statments.
Ahhh just got this reply from Alpine Australia (and I thought I would wait weeks for a response)
Hi Ben
Thanks for taking the time to contact us here at Alpine Australia.
The "R" denotes an "RDS" capable model and has a few different
features
than the non "R" model, mainly traffic and weather information displays
on the head unit's screen.
The items for sale on the internet do not have any warranty which Alpine
Australia recognises.
They are being sold in contravention of International Alpine policy and
probably have the serial numbers removed. I would advise against buying
any car audio or AV from the internet. There is no guarantee you are
actually buying genuine Alpine product (as Alpine has a well respected
name, it is often traded on by counterfeiters), nor is there any
guarantee that you have recourse to the law if the item should fail. In
other words - importing your own items from the internet leaves you with
virtually NO RIGHTS.
Please refer to the "Buy safe, buy sure" awareness program being run by
Alpine Australia, accessible through our web site.
Alpine Electronics of Australia PTY Limited.
Anton Read
Customer Service Manager
PH: +61 3 8787 1200
FAX: +61 3 8787 1255
u mite think his bull shitting about the counterfeite decks but his actually telling the truth. There are a lot of dodgy pricks that make decks that look the same as Alpine or other well respected brands but they use cheap parts and the deck dies after a year.
As he said as well, its up to yr own risk. I personally wouldnt spend that much money on something that doesnt have a warranty.
yes i totally agree with that statement. I love the alpine head units and honestly i think a hell of a lot of head units out there are starting to look tacky and gimmicky.
Guess ill just have to ask around for the cheepest retail place.... anyone know of anywhere i can go that sell alpine or similar head units.... im actually going to be in melbourne this weekend.
.