Android Head UnitsSubaru

Android Head Unit Reliability Revisited: Daily Driver After Long-Term Use

John revisits his Dasaita Android head unit after long daily use: boot time and Bluetooth still snappy, Android Auto every commute with no hiccups, glass still clean, with only minor dust under the seal as a nitpick.

Yes — you can install Dasaita on the Dasaita Android head unit linked in the description with a 7 min DIY job. John revisits his Dasaita Android head unit after long daily use: boot time and Bluetooth still snappy, Android Auto every commute with no hiccups, glass still clean, with only minor dust under the seal as a nitpick.

Overview

Viewers asked for an updated reliability take, so John revisits the Android head unit he's been dailying. Boot time is still quick; Bluetooth reconnects a few seconds after wake. His commute routine is plug in the phone and run Android Auto exclusively — Google Maps, music (Play Music / YouTube Music / Spotify / Pandora), podcasts, OK Google — with no hiccups and snappy response. Sound quality hasn't fallen off. The glass display still looks new with no scratches or bubbling; the only nitpick is a little dust under the bezel seal that you mostly don't notice with the unit on. He still calls it a dope unit for a daily. Product and adapter links from the description are below, plus a CarPlay Finder link to match units to other cars.

Vehicle & fitment

Product
Dasaita Android head unit (long-term reliability check) with optional CarPlay/AA dongle
Shown on
Subaru WRX daily driver with a Dasaita Android head unit (John's long-term install)

Always confirm fitment for your exact year and trim with the seller before buying.

Tools & parts

Tools

  • Microfiber cloth for the screen

Parts

  • Dasaita Android head unit (already installed)
  • Phone USB cable for Android Auto
  • Optional CarPlay/AA dongle
  • Optional TPMS sensors

Step by step

  1. 1

    Reliability question▶ 0:00

    Electronics age — John revisits boot time, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, and whether the unit still works day to day.

  2. 2

    Boot and Bluetooth▶ 0:30

    Still boots quickly; Bluetooth reconnects a few seconds after coming off sleep.

  3. 3

    Android Auto every commute▶ 1:06

    Plug in the phone, Auto launches, and that's the whole morning routine.

  4. 4

    Apps that still work▶ 1:52

    Maps, Google/YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora, podcasts, OK Google — snappy with no hiccups.

  5. 5

    Sound still hits▶ 3:18

    Bass and overall sound quality haven't fallen off with age.

  6. 6

    Build quality check▶ 3:40

    Daily glass is still clean — no scratches, fingerprints issues, or bubbling.

  7. 7

    Dust under the seal▶ 3:56

    A little dust can sit under the bezel; mostly invisible with the unit on. Cars are dusty.

  8. 8

    Verdict▶ 7:08

    Still a dope daily unit after long-term use.

Wiring notes

FAQ

What vehicle does this head unit fit?

It is shown for the Dasaita Android head unit linked in the description. Optional CarPlay/Android Auto USB dongle linked for AliExpress Always confirm your exact year, trim and factory audio with the seller.

How long does the install take?

John's full video is 7 min. Plan on that much time for a careful DIY install, plus extra if you are new to dash work.

What tools do I need?

Tools called out in the guide: Microfiber cloth for the screen.

Does it support wireless CarPlay or Android Auto?

Check the product listing for wired vs wireless CarPlay / Android Auto before you buy; John shows what worked in the video.

Where do I get the parts?

Use the buy links on this page for the unit and any harnesses John used. Some links are affiliate links.

Is this beginner-friendly?

The guide breaks the job into 8 steps with timestamps into the video. If you can remove trim panels carefully, you can follow along.

John's Subaru WRX

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Photos from @ngooyen on Instagram. Follow for more.

Full transcript

Show the full transcript (45 lines) +

0:00what's up guys i'm back again today we're going to talk about the android head unit when it comes to

0:04reliability now of course, if you have any car, electronic part, or any kind of electronics, it ages

0:10and stuff like that that there's get out of date does it stop working let's say that there's

0:14the radio wi-fi you know things like that this to be generally concerned about so i'm just gonna

0:20touch up on my experience on this head unit that i've been having for a while now and that stay

0:30alright so let's just! just turn this bad boy on and it boots right up so the boot times and all that stuff has,

0:37has been basically been the same very quick boot times, you don't have to really wait it takes another

0:43like a few seconds for it to hook up to bluetooth blue tooth coming off of sleep so if you're

0:57monitors for the head in the visual readouts i link that below if you are interested of having

1:06basically a tire cap but yeah my use case is pretty simple i use android auto everyday this is my

1:16commuter so having have android auto the go to so load up auto play I have a usb right here

1:27me get my phone so my phone right here plug it in recognizes it and then it starts connecting

1:37so that's my go to every every morning every time I go home from

1:42and my phone and then forget about it so once your

1:49your of your phone is plugged in I use android auto exclusively and honestly

1:52I have no hiccups listen to music using google play, store

1:58you can use google music

2:03podcast is pand pandora you tube music and then there's also Spotify too as far as maps maps

2:11use maps a lot because when I'm driving and I'm commuting from day to work

2:27mute and then there I'm off right there i use everything the rest of my

2:33experience right here

2:35so that's. so let's use bluetooth a lot a lot a lot that I don't do

2:41I don't use that personally I just use

2:45i just my head I think that's,

2:50literally the best way for the android

2:54plug in your phone you're good to go use everything from your phone onto the screen so it's very snappy

3:00for example if I say ok google play m&m

3:10sure here's m&i on google play music it's pretty fast it's pretty quick it also

3:14shows you who texted you the bass hits

3:18hits hard so sound quality hasn't changed either

3:40build quality from what you can tell you can tell here I use this every day

3:44day like again my daily driver and there's no

3:47no scratches on the the glass display which is nice and it's still

3:49it's still keeping it pretty clean from fingerprints in nothing unusual bubbling

3:53or anything like that it's pretty much the way I got it

3:56there is one thing that I notice is the seal so sometimes there's dust on

4:10and really pixelpea the thing is when you're in your the car your car is so dirty that

4:16there's always dust on top of the screen but then

4:20it's a problem I literally just clean the screen before this video too

4:23but there's some specs of dust within the screen so that it's kind of annoying

4:28but if you turn your car on you can't really see it

4:32and honestly because there's always now your car is always dusty naturally

4:38from whether you leave the window open opening closing doors there

5:38that just has a lot of issues in general so I've been kind of I don't want to put

7:08that shell this is a dope unit

Machine-transcribed from the full-length video and lightly cleaned (product names fixed). Watch the video for exact wording.

Next step

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