club.liberty.asn.au

I'm sick of having my tacky Navman mounted on the windscreen, with the power cable draped across the dash, and one of those FM radio transmitter things to play music from my iPhone. i need to upgrade!

I'm going to buy one of those cool head units with bluetooth connectivity and navigation built in.. that will solve all my woes i think.

I want to mount it in the cubby spot the aircon vents because it seems like that would be a better location for the GPS screen. I've found the replacement vent/hole dash part - http://www.avojdm.com/product_info.php? ... cts_id=108
It says it was "Originally designed for Panasonic Navigation 200mm x 100mm units" - So i assume that means the hole is 200mm x 100mm?

I like this head unit - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/G2226DA-Eono ... 284wt_1413 - But in the specs section, it says the install size is 180mm x 165mm x 100mm. I guess this mean i will have a 10mm gap on either side of the screen?

i assume when installing, i could just unplug all the relevant cables from the back of the stock unit and plug them into the new one in the cubby spot? I realize this would leave the original stereo essentially 'dead' in the dash, But that's fine if the new head unit in the cubby does everything the old one did and more right? - here's a pic of the standard stereo currently in the car - http://i.pgu.me/o21KR5HN_original.jpg

Any advise would be appreciated

Firstly, no you don't like that head unit..

Secondly, you can put the double din HU in the cubby but I think it involves quite a fair bit of work, fabricating mounting brackets and hacking up the dash etc

Whereabouts in Sydney are you?

EDIT - I apologise, the package comes with mounting brackets. My suggestion would be a new fascia kit through Garage88.. That way you lose the ugly stock stereo

It actually makes sense to have a double din unit mounted in the chubby area if you plan to have a GPS enabled unit. It's at eye level and much safer to operate when driving. You can get the fascia plate later on and install some pockets for extra storage.

I find that you have to reach a little further for the cubby.

Keep in mind that you'll also need an Aerpro Subaru harness, an aftermarket aerial adapter and if it doesn't come with one, a harness to suit the HU you buy.. If you do all of this then yes it's simply 'plug and play'

seanmau5 wrote:Firstly, no you don't like that head unit..
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Whereabouts in Sydney are you?

What's wrong with that head unit? Cheap & nasty? - any other recommendations would be appreciated. I really know nothing about this sort of stuff.. This forum has been so helpful so far tho.
..and I'm in Hurstville btw

Black_nail wrote:

seanmau5 wrote:Firstly, no you don't like that head unit..
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Whereabouts in Sydney are you?

What's wrong with that head unit? Cheap & nasty? - any other recommendations would be appreciated. I really know nothing about this sort of stuff.. This forum has been so helpful so far tho.
..and I'm in Hurstville btw

Bingo! For a decent HU with nav and Bluetooth the cheapest I think is JVC but they aren't the friendliest to use, I just upgraded from a JVC unit to a pioneer unit and they're worlds apart. My pioneer unit doesn't have navigation however if you have an iPhone you can used advanced app mode which does the trick.

One thing you'll find is there is always someone here that knows something and will be willing to help

Black_nail wrote:What's wrong with that head unit? Cheap & nasty? - any other recommendations would be appreciated. I really know nothing about this sort of stuff.. This forum has been so helpful so far tho.
..and I'm in Hurstville btw

Those headunits are as cheap as they get for a reason. They have crap components, they are laggy as fuck and they sound like shit! Not to mention the GPS is slow and I'm not sure if its upgradable. Look into Pioneer, Alpine, Clarion and I personally don't like them but Sony headunits.

IIRC, installing a double din headunit up there isn't quite easy because I think there is a cross member behind there. Which means it needs to be cut to allow the headunit to slide all the way in. Headfuck IMO.

If you really want to install a headunit that does GPS etc and all that stuff, do it properly the first time. Get the fascia kit, replace the craptastic headunit thats already in the car. Shit you don't need to be looking at the screen to know where you are driving as they all give voice guidance now days.

MY02B4 wrote:It actually makes sense to have a double din unit mounted in the chubby area if you plan to have a GPS enabled unit. It's at eye level and much safer to operate when driving. You can get the fascia plate later on and install some pockets for extra storage.

It might make sense to have it there, sure, but unless you are only putting a GPS unit in there a double din headunit is too long and will sit outside the cubby + doesnt fit nicely in that area. I wen't down that route first with my car as the cubby fascia kit is about $250 cheaper than the fascia kit that replaces the stock unit.



If it isnt the sound you are worried about, alot of car audio installers will be able to integrate a Tom Tom or some equivalent into your car for you which could save you some coin by placing it in that cubby area. I have seen it done and if its just the GPS your after than it would work a treat.

nickk__is wrote:

MY02B4 wrote:If it isnt the sound you are worried about, alot of car audio installers will be able to integrate a Tom Tom or some equivalent into your car for you which could save you some coin by placing it in that cubby area. I have seen it done and if its just the GPS your after than it would work a treat.

This sounds like a better approach. This whole idea is because i want the sat-nav in the dash instead of having the tacky looking navman mounted to the windscreen. If i could get a standalone sat-nav mounted in the cubby area so it looks like it belongs there, i'd be a very happy boy.

It would be worth simply having a chat with a local car audio shop and seeing what they can do.
I'm pretty sure most installer should be able to do it, I think lifestyle store at north parramatta has done one lib that way before so could be worth asking them but I don't see it being a very difficult procedure.

Good thing about that is you could set the GPS unit back far enough to close the cubby lid

Ahh I didnt realise that it sticks out so much! Maybe there are units that have a more shallow mounting depth? Anyway, mounting a standalone GPS unit in the chubby is a good idea. I tried to fit my phone in there but its a tad too big. With a GPS unit, you could easily mount it in the chubby and run the power cable down the back. I've been looking at retro fitting a stock GPS unit bit its a huge hassle for something that should be plug n play. Nothing beats a fully integrated unit tho.

Generally the depth of most are the same, that's why they're so universal

So was it a cross member at the back? Shame that it doesn't fit because it looks so much better. I guess it was designed for the factory unit afterall.