Pumpkin Android 2-Din GPS Car Stereo

Car stereos don't just play music anymore, they are now Android based computer systems. With the Pumpkin CN01-03302B-02A (pictured) you get all the latest car technology. GPS, OBD2 compatibility, Bluetooth, DVD, WiFi, Parking sensor, HD video recording, and so much more. The Pumpkin 7.1 Android Nougat Double Din car stereo is basically an enhanced tablet that just happens to, most of the time fit perfectly into a 2-Din head unit space.

Check out the latest model (Android 11 with 4GB RAM)

This model is compatible with the following VAG car brands that are fitted with double din.  Those are, newer models of Volkswagon, SEAT and Skoda. To avoid disappointment make sure to check that this unit will work with your make / model before purchasing. You may need a universal (compatible with most) model stereo.

Compatibility

The majority of double din stereos like this (for the specified models of VAG cars) usually have a screen that measures seven inches or less. This one is 8 Inches, giving it that extra bit of screen visibility. If you're after the biggest screen available, one exception is a newly released 10.1" Universal model also offered by Pumpkin. The Ten Inch model can be successfully installed in many other car brands, including Toyota and Vauxhall. But dependant on model, may require an additional add-on for full functionality.

The Pumpkin (CN01-03302B-02A) also offers excellent pairing power to most Smartphones (Android or iOS based), and a very quick start-up time. Within a few seconds its ready for action.

Specification

This is the newer Pumpkin Android 7.1 Nougat head unit. The core specification is very impressive. A good quality 8 Inch 1024 x 600 touchscreen display, Quad Core Processor which is operating at 1.6GHz per core, 2GB RAM (DDR3), 32GB internal storage space (upgradable), Bluetooth, WiFi, USB Ports, SD card slot, All region DVD player, GPS, DVR, Full AV out, 3G compatible, Multi channel CAN BUS, individual Subwoofer output and controls.

And last but not least, a max 4 x 50W output. Supports playback for all the common file types. MP3. MP4, AVI, MKV, etc. There's also an older model which has an IPS screen (more sharper, viewable screen from all angles).

Playback and Features

Of course, if you're slightly old school like me, you'll be glad to know that it supports normal CDs and burned data discs full of music, as well as video. However, most people who buy a Pumpkin will just pair their Smartphone to the head unit via Bluetooth and play the music / video files directly through the stereo. Due to the internal storage and various options for adding more externally, you don't have to use your phone, and can store files directly on to the head units internal storage, memory card or USB stick.

Depending on the type of Smartphone, you can mirror link the phone to the stereo either by USB or WiFi. As well as that, you can also connect your Smartphone to the head unit via Bluetooth and have hands free enabled, giving the user the ability to make and receive calls from the unit itself.

With the correct adapter or App (dependant on car model) this Pumpkin head unit can display a whole host of useful car-related information. Including air conditioning info, how much petrol / diesel you have, warnings about seatbelts, open doors, and even information regarding the car battery. As mentioned above, it's also able to operate as a reverse parking sensor, but additional wiring will be required for this feature to work properly. For car / wire-savvy individuals this is not very difficult to carry out, and there's lot's of information about this procedure online if you get stuck.

It's really convenient that while waiting in your car for something / someone, this "stereo" gives you the option of being able to just stick a film or TV series on and watch it from a decent sized screen, and not have to sit there people watching or playing with your phone. Of course, get additional screens for the headrests so back seat passengers can also watch without leaning forward or straining their eyes, and everyone else can comfortably do the same.

Additional or Essential

All the features combined make this a great head unit for the price, but one of the best things about this device not yet mentioned is its Satellite Navigation (GPS) System. Online or Offline, it's excellent. The package itself doesn't come with a maps card. But thankfully, you can just go and download one of the many free Sat-Nav Apps and be up and running in no time. Navmii, Google Maps, MapFactor, etc, to name a few.

Although some of the following items may not be needed, due to most of the compatible car models having their own looms / connection cables ready to plug straight into the unit, the new (latest) Pumpkin 7.1 Android Nougat Double Din head unit for VAG cars comes with an impressive array of accessories.

GPS Antenna, connections for rear left right out and front left / right out, two video outs, subwoofer, external microphone + lead, Aux in connection, camera connection cable, radio adapters and USB cables. There's also a very handy WiFi aerial extension lead (1.5 meters in length) so that you have much more control and can choose the best location to pick up the strongest signal.

Verdict

If you're looking for a good aftermarket 2-Din, with an impressive amount of options and features, where close to everything can be wired / programmed to work through, this unit is well worth considering. It's actually being sold at quite a cheap price for an aftermarket audio entertainment / control system that's as capable as this.

Support from Pumpkin is also superb. Many buyers who needed to send the item back, for whatever reason, have stated in their reviews that it was a very easy process, and that the staff were great to deal with. You never really know how good a company is until there's a problem, and Autopumpkin have always put the customer first. This is evident from the reviews and their 100% positive feedback score on Amazon. So that's an encouraging sign.

Portable Remote Controlled Car Umbrella

No, were not talking about an umbrella insurance policy, were talking protection from the elements. Car umbrella's have been doing the rounds for a number of years now. They are much more popular in America due to some states, like Texas, California and Florida getting so much sunshine throughout the year. A good car umbrella ultimately puts the car in the shade, helping to keep the temperature inside the car down, and working as a paint protector from the suns powerful UV rays.

Other than protection from the main culprit, the sun, it can also be effective against other annoyances like rain, dirt / debris, tree sap and bird droppings. Bird droppings can be a real problem.

Park your car under a tree for a prolonged period of time and the chances are you may be coming back to a car that has been left a birds calling card. Not really an issue if you drive a little run around that you're not too bothered about, but for more expensive / classic cars this can be a real headache. Bird droppings can damage a cars paint work permanently. Thanks to the Uric acid content, it can leave stains, blemishes, and even start to remove layers of paint. So, for an expensive motor, this can be a costly issue.

Tree sap is another concern. Once it makes contact, most commonly starting with the roof of the car first, and then gets a bit of time to almost cement itself to the paint work, it can be difficult to remove. In most cases, depending on how long its been stuck to the car, a soapy wash with warm / hot water will be required.

These types of covers can also work well for providing a dark environment if you are someone who spends a lot of time on the road and regularly pulls over to get a few hours sleep before continuing on their journey.

Regardless of the brand, most car shelters / protectors like this have got the same, or very similar design. It's fairly straight forward, basically working like a personal umbrella. Attach a suction cup-like attachment to the roof of the car, get the protective sheet and fit it to the connecting joint at the top of the suction cup.

Then use the remote control to initiate the quick unfolding procedure, which automatically stretches the protective material over the width of the vehicle. Some are even solar-powered. All are very portable, and easily store away in the boot when not in use.

Apart from the design being similar, one other thing car umbrella's have in common is the price. They are not cheap. So, you better have a car worth protecting. This isn't the kind of product you would buy if you have an X reg Vauxhall Corsa you use as a run around. It's for costly, prestigious cars that people really care about. Besides, on an old Corsa it would look funny, and probably get a few people saying - the cover costs more than the car.

Jokes aside, the one area where the majority of car umbrella's seem to be weak is when the wind picks up. There are numerous complaints from reviewers stating that when conditions are windy / blustery, its pretty much time for the umbrella to head back to the boot. If the design team could address this problem and make the product more sturdy in bad weather, it would make the product a lot more desirable, and more worthy of its price tag. Specially for the UK market.

Always double-check the dimensions with covers like this, as not all companies are catering solely to the UK market and their vehicles. As a result, they don't use the same, one size fits all small to medium-sized vehicle measurements. The coverage size may be different in the UK than it is for the American auto market.

Hyundai "Handshake" Logo Meaning

It's been talked about a lot, and many people speculate. But does the Hyundai logo have a hidden meaning. What you see is the letter H inside an oval. The "H" represents a car dealer and new car owner shaking hands after a successful deal. It's supposed to symbolise trust and happiness between buyer and seller. However, some people speculate that the logo could have hidden sexual undertones due to the positioning of the hands etc. And if looked at with that in mind, it is understandable how some people have come to that conclusion from seeing the picture that depicts the two men in full detail, rather than just the outline as featured below.

But sometimes people see what they want to see. It's the same as when a person looks at something and can see a face. Lets say a curtain pattern. The face isn't really there, but the individual mind has made it appear as if there is a face. And now, every time they look at the curtain, or in this case the Hyundai Logo, they see what they have programmed themselves to see.

It's now always interpreted as what their mind has made it become. There is a name for this. It's called Pareidolia. So technically yes, it does have a hidden meaning, as in the letter H represents two men shaking hands. And yes, the image can look a little off with how the designers have positioned the hands. But I don't think it was intentional.

Car Insurance More Ridiculous Each Year

If you're an old hand with Car insurance, as in you've been driving for quite a few years, you'll no doubt be aware of how many aspects of a person's life affect the price of their car insurance. A lot of them shouldn't really be relevant, but as I have come to find out about insurance companies, they will use any trick in the book if it means they can charge you more money. A few from the long, ever-growing list include job, marital status, gender and colour of your car.

Not to mention all the common factors like car modifications, type of cover (Third party, Comprehensive etc), age and car power. Fair enough, some of these should be relevant, such as power of the car, age, and type of cover. But, if you look at all the criteria they now use, it's clear to see they are taking it a bit too far. It's being milked ridiculously beyond belief.

Are you aware of the fact that if your car gets crashed into while parked, without you or anyone else even being in the car, most car insurance companies seem to be of the belief (how convenient) that it was somehow your fault, and as a result, be prepared for a sky-high premium the following year when its time to renew. This is common knowledge to all the Insurance companies as they generally follow the same cash-grabbing criteria throughout the industry.

That exact scenario actually happened to me. My car was crashed into while parked on a residential street. No one, including myself, was in the car at the time and the car was perfectly parked. But still they tried to blame me. Saying "Oh, it must be a risky location to park in". Truth is, it isn't at all. And bear in mind that the driver who crashed into my car claimed full responsibility, admitting it was totally their fault.

Around comes the next renewal date and surprise surprise, it's through the roof. Even though I had another one years no claims bonus to add to the 10 years that I had already built up. So I call up my insurance company, I won't say who I'm with but they are part of the Admiral Group. I tell them the situation and stress the fact that I've been a customer with them for ten years, and if something isn't done about the price of my premium I will be leaving them straight away.

I also go into detail about why my insurance has gone up in the first place. The only "Incident" was the crash into my empty parked car, nothing else was different from the previous year other than an additional one years no claims bonus that needed to be added. Which should have made my insurance cheaper, not more expensive. Perhaps my loyalty paid off on this occasion because the representatives tells me they will have to go and speak with their "manager" (negotiator more like) to see if anything can be done.

After a while the representative comes back and says they are willing to keep the price exactly the same as it was the previous year. I accepted this offer as I did not want to have to look around to find a new insurer, because no matter who you go with, you never truly know how good they are until there's a problem. By the time you get to the stage of potentially finding out the contract is already in force.

And, to be honest, I think they're as all just as bad as each other in terms of pushing the price up at any opportunity they get, due to the fact that they all follow the same industry standard protocol. Some offer different features and perks to sweeten the deal, but ultimately, if they don't get you're money one way, they get it another way. Such as, down the line if you or another party makes a claim. And that's the case whether you are at fault or not. Customer service is another story altogether, and I can safely say they are not all the same in that regard.

This post wasn't meant to be so long. The reason for this post was that I recently discovered a new angle that the insurance companies are now using. I'm not totally sure if this is new, but it's new to me. Now, even if you downgrade your car to one that has a smaller engine and sits in a lower insurance group than your previous car, insurance companies can still charge you more money, especially for the first year of ownership. Guess why.. Because you are new to the car and don't know it too well yet! I kid you not.

That's how ridiculous it has become. When I recently bought a new (used) car and needed to get it insured so I could legally drive it home, that is exactly what my insurer told me over the phone. When I asked why it was so much money, even though my new car was in a lower insurance group to my last one and has a smaller engine, I was told, "the car is new to you, so you're not familiar with it yet".

This is just another new, ridiculous excuse so they can justify raising the price yet again. It seems like they just make up new money-grabs as they go along, even with a car downgrade. It's a known fact that their profits are astronomical, and it's not hard to see why. I wonder what they'll come up with in 2018. I don't even want to think about it. The whole industry needs a shake up. Do you know any new money-grabs car insurers are using that are beyond belief? Leave a comment below.