[hamd01]

Hello
New here, but hope to be a long-time contributor in the future. I've been avidly reading the forum with colleagues, and aside from loving the MGFs (which is how I found the forum), I can't help but be impressed with the community.

I work with a manufacturer of car head units (stereos). We are looking to start our first project car....project. We have looked at dozens of makes and models of vehicles, based on their looks, popularity, and the community. I think we have pretty much settled on an MG F.

So what will we be doing.....

We'll be looking to retro fit 2023 tech into a 20+ year old MGF. So a large screen head-unit with bluetooth connectivity, android auto, apple car-play, sat nav etc.... but also expanding on the car's existing functions to add on tyre pressure monitoring, cameras, DAB, etc.

Alongside this we are going to be working with some other brands to customise the interior visuals, seating, dash, and a custom wrap on the exterior.

I just wanted to post this thread by way of introduction, and of course to see if you guys are interested in this kind of thing. The plan is that we'll be creating regular vlogs showing progress, and sharing tutorials along the way.

Thanks for reading...look forward to learning more and hopefully contributing as we go.

 

[JoCoLo]

Looking forward to seeing it. I have a FM/MW radio in mine that is original, seems ancient technology now.

 

[davidej]

My F has a retrofit Panasonic and I have absolutely no idea how to work it. I can’t even find a manual online.

 

[Jimmy_MGF]

I'm keen to see where this goes. Honestly I'm not a fan of massive screens in cars - just something large enough to make glancing at google maps easy. Interested in seeing how you sort out hands free for phones too.
Post the first vlog when it's up.

 

[deepfat]

davidej have you tried here Panasonic Community Forum (panasonicforum.com)

 

[Daffers 05]

It would be good to have some ideas of what is actually possible with modifications and upgrading the head unit.

On a slight down side I do sometimes leave the car with the roof down when out shopping, so any upgrades may be somewhat tempting which is a concern.

 

[IanMc]

An interesting project, but I have to confess that I am struggling to see the reasoning.

If you are looking to showcase your skills and equipment, why would you pick a car that is now becoming quite scarce on our roads, with owners of a certain age, who might be reluctant to modify their cars now.

Surely something more mainstream, like a Fiesta might be a better bet?

 

[Man in the Car]

Me too - looking at the sort of alterations you seem to be proposing, I think you may end up flogging a dead horse as it were, as far as this forum is concerned.

A goodly proportion of the people who now run MG Rover cars, or are MG Rover enthusiasts have them precisely because they don't have things like tyre pressure monitoring, DAB (which from my own experience of it is grossly overrated at best), and hidden functions unnecessarily buried in silly screens.

If you want to do something really useful, make the head unit manufacturers go back to having a simple, clearly marked and obvious on-off button on the fascia. I get fed up with trying to find which button acts as the power switch among its seemingly endless list of functions on modern systems.

 

[Daffers 05]

I must admit to liking the idea of keep it simple but also have to confess to missing some of the creature comforts that modern day motor vehicle provides in regards to Bluetooth compatibility to my phone when out and about.

Do we embrace possible advances that technology brings or simply stay as we are, would the TF upgrades from the MGF been seen as not being true to the concept of the original vehicle.

Just a thought guys.

 

[dert]

I believe Paul Jakabi (Jakabi Designs on Facebook) makes a double din centre console and there are a large number of people who have fitted a double din console in their F/TF just google MGF double din and go to images......for those unfamiliar with Paul Jakabi just google him and see what he has done for the F/TF