VDO Continental TR7412UB-OR European Style 12v Radio Orange Display Bluetooth Bundle with AC111

Installed into 97 Z3. Very clean results. Looks period correct.

Looks great and sounds great. Easy install and fairly intuitive to use. This went in my 1990 BMW 325i and an aftermarket radio has never looked so OEM! Been eyeballing this for a while but finally decided to grab one.

After replacing an unappealing aftermarket stereo with the TR7412UB-OR in my 1987 Mercedes 420 SEL, I am thoroughly impressed by the blend of classic aesthetics and contemporary features this model offers.Design and Aesthetics:The VDO Continental TR7412UB-OR radio is a perfect match for the classic dashboard of the Mercedes 420 SEL. Its European style and orange display not only complement the vintage charm of the car but also add a touch of modernity without being overbearing. The sleek black finish and minimalistic button layout ensure that the radio looks original to the vehicle, maintaining the classic interior that Mercedes owners cherish.Installation and Fit:Installing the TR7412UB-OR was straightforward, fitting seamlessly into the space occupied by the previous aftermarket stereo. I couldn’t find a good wiring harness or diagram and had to watch YouTube videos of other aftermarket stereo installs; I am still not able to get the radio to turn off with the car, but I can turn it off before leaving the vehicle. The snug fit and flush finish make it appear as a factory-installed unit.Functionality and Performance:Despite its classic look, the TR7412UB-OR boasts modern functionalities that enhance the driving experience. It supports AM/FM radio, has Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free calls and audio streaming, and includes inputs for USB and SD cards. This mix of features is ideal for enjoying both traditional radio and modern conveniences.Sound Quality:The sound quality of the TR7412UB-OR is a significant upgrade over the previous stereo. It delivers clear and robust audio, which is quite impressive considering the age of the vehicle. The system handles different music genres well, providing crisp highs and full-bodied lows, which is a testament to its compatibility with the car’s original speakers.Display and Usability:The orange display not only looks attractive but is also practical, offering excellent visibility during both day and night without being distracting. The user interface is intuitive, making it easy to switch between functions or tracks. The buttons and knobs provide a tactile response and are conveniently placed for easy reach while driving. All other aftermarket stereos seem to project a bright LED light in multiple colors, distracting from the car's design and driving experience.Overall Experience:The VDO Continental TR7412UB-OR radio is an exceptional choice for anyone looking to enhance their classic car’s audio system without compromising its vintage appeal. It fits perfectly in the 1987 Mercedes 420 SEL and operates nearly flawlessly, providing a modern twist to the classic driving experience.I highly recommend the VDO Continental TR7412UB-OR to any classic car enthusiast who wants to upgrade their audio system while preserving the authentic look of their vehicle. This radio provides an excellent combination of style, functionality, and sound quality, making it a top choice for vintage car upgrades.

SUMMARY (30-SECOND-LONG READ TIME)👍 I love my new Continental TR7412UB-OR, which I installed in a Mazda Miata. However, it is very hard to learn and configure due to a grossly inadequate owner’s manual. Once configured, though, the radio is very easy to use. I would definitely recommend it to family and friends.It sounds FAR better than the OEM head unit it replaced—even with FM broadcasts. It has a sophisticated and understated OEM Euro look that is far cry from over-blinged aftermarket head units, which look like pulsing neon-lit disco balls.–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––HIGHLIGHTS (READ TIME: 90 SECONDS)👍 Don’t worry about reviews that complain about missing wiring harnesses. When purchased here on this Amazon page, which is an offering from a Continental/VDO-approved distributor, SpeedStuff LLC, you receive all necessary radio-side wiring harness adapters, the mounting DIN sleeve, and two delatching keys. See the photos of the cable harnesses that were included. Never buy a Continental radio from a seller who is not on Continental/VDO’s approved distributors list.👎 Though *using* the TR7412UB-OR is easy enough, *configuring it* is unnecessarily complicated due to a profoundly brief and arcane ten-page owner’s manual (with seven useful pages of contents) that mentions acronyms generally not used in the aftermarket radio world, nor does it explain what they mean. This is worsened because the TR7412UB-OR is truly a “world” radio that supports broadcast standards used in Europe, North Africa, and Asia. If you select the AM band, the radio indicates you are in the “MW” band; the TR7412UB-OR is unlike a Sony head unit designed exclusively for the North American market.👎 Also, Continental classifies this radio as part of their “small production runs for special-purpose vehicles,” so, relatively speaking, they don’t sell many of them; there are only 15 authorized U.S. distributors at the moment. Moreover, Continental’s technical support line seems to never answer its phones; however, it does respond to voicemail messages and emails within one or two business days.👍👍 Offsetting Continental’s mediocre technical support, I once emailed SpeedStuff LLC (an authorized distributor and the seller here on Amazon) in the early evening. I received a helpful response a few hours later in the middle of the night! Now that’s beyond-the-call-of-duty customer serviceRATINGSI give the TR7412UB-OR the following sub-ratings:Sound quality: ★★★★★Appearance: ★★★★★Price/value: ★★★★☆First-time ease of installation/configuration: ★☆☆☆☆Manufacturer tech support: ★★★☆☆Seller’s tech support: ★★★★★–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––DETAILS (READ TIME: 6½ MINUTES)👍 As I mentioned, the Continental TR7412UB-OR has excellent sound quality. I am a mechanical engineer, not an audio engineer… or even what you’d call an audiophile (though I might have been close to qualifying as one in the 70s and early 80s). So, I would have thought that when it comes to simple FM reception, all any radio head unit must do is receive radio signals—even weak ones—faithfully amplify them, and drive whatever speakers you have. How could there be significant differences in audio quality between FM radios? But…While driving in my Miata with the top down, a challenging environment for any radio, I was truly struck by the sound quality the first time I hit the road with the TR7412UB-OR. “How can this sound so darned good?” I thought to myself. “Why had I been listening to an OEM radio that sounded like complete crap all this time?”Some of this improvement in sound fidelity may be attributable to the unit’s 41 watts peak drive power (25 watts RMS); it can maintain full dynamic range with the volume cranked up where underpowered OEM units begin sounding like a pocket transistor radio trying to fill a room with sound. I don’t need more audio power than 25 watts RMS; I’d like to preserve what remains of my hearing. But now, for the first time, turning on a radio’s “LOUDNESS” option doesn’t accentuate percussion in a way that sounds like someone using a broom to beat dirt out of a heavy throw rug… it produces truly better-sounding music for a high-ambient-noise automotive environment.👍 Some reviews here on Amazon and elsewhere complain that the back-illuminated LCD doesn’t dim when the lights are turned on (true) and is too bright at night (debatable). I found the display brightness to be perfect. Maybe Continental recently decreased the LCD’s backlight, maybe it’s just me, or perhaps those few critics are outliers. You can’t see the backlight during the day with the sun on it, and it isn’t distracting in full darkness.See the ‘night’ photo and note how the various instruments have comparable brightness; that’s not an accident. I dimmed that VDO clock, which used to be stock equipment in BMWs and Porsches; it was originally much brighter so I installed a 1.3 kΩ resistor in series with the clock’s illumination circuit to dim it from 8.5 mA to 3.2 mA. Also, I used an aftermarket red LED in the compass to make it brighter than stock. I tried to harmonize everything with my Miata’s OEM speedometer and tachometer and found that the backlighting of the TR7412UB-OR was fine as-is.👍 The TR7412UB-OR has a nice configuration setting (“LOGIC”) for controlling when you can turn on the radio. Assuming you attach both the “BAT+” and “IGN” wires on its wiring harness, you can configure your radio so you can turn it on—for up to one hour—without car keys; which is to say, without first having to turn the ignition switch to “ACC” or “IGN.” Or you can set the radio to turn only if you have your car key turned to ACC or IGN. With this setting, if you later turn off the car while the radio is still on (which powers down the radio), the radio will automatically turn on the next time you start your car. Have it your way.🫳 A mixed-bag thing: My original OEM Miata radio doubled as a clock; after tuning a station, it would quickly revert to displaying the time. Yes, the TR7412UB-OR has an internal clock that can be set to the correct time… and the clock will even synchronize itself to RDS (Radio Data System) stations. However, the TR7412UB-OR only *momentarily* displays the time when you skip through the channel attributes by repeatedly pressing the DISP button (channel frequency → station identifier → programming type → song name → time); you can’t leave the radio set to permanently display the time. This is why I installed the analog VDO clock below my radio (visible in two of the photos).🫳 Another mixed-bag thing: The radio’s USB port is only for reading music off a thumb drive; it doesn’t provide charging current for phones. That’s why I also installed the triple-USB charging port under the radio at the far right.👎 As I touched upon above, the TR7412UB-OR is hard to learn when configuring the radio, but it is easy to use once configured. Part of this learning curve is due to the culture of German engineering companies. I’ve had occasions over the years to interact with German companies and their engineers. I’ve found their engineering mentality extends deeply into their executive levels and marketing departments. That’s generally a good thing but can bring out idiosyncratic corporate behavior. For instance, when you press the “SCR” (source) button on the TR7412UB-OR to synch it to a smartphone via Bluetooth, the display reads “A2DP.” What does “A2DP” mean? It’s one of over 35 Bluetooth protocols; specifically, the one for the transfer of high quality audio signals. When well and fully implemented with bidirectionality, it not only allows for streaming music but enables the ⏪ and ⏩ buttons on the TR7412UB-OR to select songs on your smartphone.All car radios that receive audio streaming from Bluetooth devices are using the A2DP profile, so it’s an unnecessarily nerdy (and braggy) “engineering thing” to display “A2DP.” Verbiage directed to a given audience that unnecessarily calls attention to itself or causes confusion is poor verbiage.👎 Adding insult to injury, Continental’s ten-page owner’s manual has seven pages of useful—albeit terribly inadequate and sketchy—information. And if you contact Continental, they’ll email you an updated version with one added page of information—a configuration settings tree map—except, it isn’t helpful because it bears little resemblance to how the TR7412UB-OR actually works.The owners manual is geared strictly to highly experienced professional car-stereo installers and has verbiage that reads like as follows:“Press the [DISP] button to set AF/TA/REG, rotate the [VOL] knob to open or close AF/TA function. Hold the [SRC] button to PTY function.”NOWHERE in the manual does it explain what “PTY,” AF,” “TA,” or “REG” mean, or how turning a given setting on or off would affect the radio’s operation. Unless you are a highly experienced professional car stereo installer, be prepared to spend time researching things when configuring your radio.👎 A quibble: See the photo of one of two provided unlatch keys. Though I’m not an experienced car-radio installer, I figured they must be unlatch tools to disengage the radio from the DIN sleeve that is semi-permanently installed in a car’s dash. But my keys were too fat to fit into the narrow molded-in slots on the front of the radio, and I wasn’t going to force the issue as I was sure I’d break the radio. It finally realized they HAD to be de-latch tools that were made incorrectly. I flattened them with a hammer and they worked as intended.🤞A caveat on a detail: Don’t let the photos of my installation mislead you. The stock outer rectangular bezel frame on the TR7412UB-OR usually sits about three millimeters farther back towards the dash than what you see here. Reviews here on Amazon and blogs elsewhere on the Internet reveal that others believe Continental’s bezel position departs too far from most OEM radios; I found that to be true for my Miata, too. So, I modified mine. I cut off four latch hooks and added four standoff pads made of epoxy putty. Then I used four pieces of double-stick tape to attach my bezel frame so it sits securely six millimeters away from the DIN frame where it is flush with its OEM surroundings, particularly that add-on instrument panel below it, which I had converted from the Miata’s OEM cubby. Finally, I spray painted the bezel frame with a mist coat of satin black to better match the texture of my dash.

Classy and simple eloquence. Been through more stereos than I can list over the years. This is such a refreshing change from the ridiculous distracting and disco light show we have been forced to endure in the auto stereo world. Finally I can enjoy a system that doesn’t feel like it was designed by nine year old on a caffeine and cartoon binge.

Just got mine installed and it is wonderful. Great sound is better than stock was.Orange lighting makes it look stock in my BMW Z3 Coupe.