Thoughts on my double din installation
02-25-2019, 10:12 PM
#1
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Thoughts on my double din installation
So I've had my '11 G37x sedan for a little over 5 years and I've been lurking here for the same amount of time, it's a great resource for finding repair tips and all kinds of info about the car. I do all of my own work other than transmission or deep engine work and I can always find several different opinions here on which parts are best and the best procedure to use. One item w/o a lot of info is an aftermarket stereo install, it's a difficult job on this car and seemingly very few here have done it. I've been living with my Pioneer NEX installation using the Metra 99-7625B kit for a couple of weeks now and I'm pretty happy with it, although there are several trade-offs that anyone should consider before doing it. Here are my thoughts in no particular order:
Cost: $350 for an install kit is expensive. You also need to add a $5 antenna conversion harness. I tried adding the Metra box to keep the steering wheel controls (~$50) but it simply didn't work at all for me so I returned it. I've read other people say it worked for some functions on their G but for me it didn't work at all. I do miss the seek button on the wheel. Note that this doesn't include the cost of the head unit. I found a Pioneer AVIC-8200NEX at a good price, but you're still looking at around $1K just for parts.
Install effort level: Kind of difficult. I've probably done 20 installs on various family cars over the years and this one was the hardest. It's actually kind of straight forward until it's time to button everything up and then it's a real PIA to get all of those cables tucked away correctly. I've read where someone else had a passenger airbag issue with this kit and I had the same thing at first, it was due to trying to tuck all of the cables up to the left of the head unit. The problem is it's in the same area as the passenger airbag and this creates some sort of issue. I don't know if there is some sort of proximity sensor back there to make sure the passenger doesn't get hit with crap when the airbag deploys, or maybe it just stretches the cables, but the correct areas to dress the cables are under the head unit and to the left just below the air duct. Do not try to dress the cable to the right of the HU. The Metra control box fits (barely) into a slot behind the stock screen. All told I probably spent 10~12 hours on this install, my normal time for just a head unit replacement is probably less than 2 hours.
Two more installation tips: 1. You know how you are supposed to disconnect the battery before you do this stuff? You should actually do it with this install kit, I had some crazy stuff happening trying to test it only half connected. 2. Cut, remove and tape up any wires not needed on the harnesses. For example, the kit says to tape up and ignore several RCA connectors that are not used, but real estate behind the dash is so scarce that you don't have room for extra wiring. Just cut it off at the connector and tape it up.
Fit and finish: Definitely not as nice as stock, but I actually think it looks OK. I mean, it's replacing an 8 or 9 year old center stack that had some wear, so even though it's more basic than the OEM version at least it's new. BTW - My OEM clock backlighting went out at 60K (like everyone else..) so at least I have a clock that I can see now.
Is it buggy? Definitely!! The graphics on the OEM screen are not as sharp, the outside temp indicator always says its right around 0F, the miles to empty indicator is so optimistic that it is useless and some of the OEM display combinations are not available. But, the HVAC works and the display for all HVAC controls is correct. And I can still see the correct temp and MTE on the drivers display.
So, considering all of the issues listed above, why am I happy with the install? Imagine just getting into your 8 year old sedan and having Bluetooth audio kick in and whatever you were listening to on your headphones a few minutes before just starts playing automatically through your car's system. Or having Google Maps, Apple Maps or whatever app you want to use on your 7" in dash screen. Or having text to voice / voice to text functions and everything else available with Apple Car Play or Android Auto. Personally, the positives from a new NEX unit far outweigh the negatives of the buggy Metra kit, but that's just me. I've had the car for 5 yrs, expect to keep it for another five yrs and this has given me renewed excitement about the car. There are no right or wrong answers to this, just what do you prefer.
BTW - When you ask the Apple Carplay function in the Pioneer NEX unit "How do I get to Mordor," it says "Wait a second and I'll ask Boromir." Geeky, but still fun..
Cost: $350 for an install kit is expensive. You also need to add a $5 antenna conversion harness. I tried adding the Metra box to keep the steering wheel controls (~$50) but it simply didn't work at all for me so I returned it. I've read other people say it worked for some functions on their G but for me it didn't work at all. I do miss the seek button on the wheel. Note that this doesn't include the cost of the head unit. I found a Pioneer AVIC-8200NEX at a good price, but you're still looking at around $1K just for parts.
Install effort level: Kind of difficult. I've probably done 20 installs on various family cars over the years and this one was the hardest. It's actually kind of straight forward until it's time to button everything up and then it's a real PIA to get all of those cables tucked away correctly. I've read where someone else had a passenger airbag issue with this kit and I had the same thing at first, it was due to trying to tuck all of the cables up to the left of the head unit. The problem is it's in the same area as the passenger airbag and this creates some sort of issue. I don't know if there is some sort of proximity sensor back there to make sure the passenger doesn't get hit with crap when the airbag deploys, or maybe it just stretches the cables, but the correct areas to dress the cables are under the head unit and to the left just below the air duct. Do not try to dress the cable to the right of the HU. The Metra control box fits (barely) into a slot behind the stock screen. All told I probably spent 10~12 hours on this install, my normal time for just a head unit replacement is probably less than 2 hours.
Two more installation tips: 1. You know how you are supposed to disconnect the battery before you do this stuff? You should actually do it with this install kit, I had some crazy stuff happening trying to test it only half connected. 2. Cut, remove and tape up any wires not needed on the harnesses. For example, the kit says to tape up and ignore several RCA connectors that are not used, but real estate behind the dash is so scarce that you don't have room for extra wiring. Just cut it off at the connector and tape it up.
Fit and finish: Definitely not as nice as stock, but I actually think it looks OK. I mean, it's replacing an 8 or 9 year old center stack that had some wear, so even though it's more basic than the OEM version at least it's new. BTW - My OEM clock backlighting went out at 60K (like everyone else..) so at least I have a clock that I can see now.
Is it buggy? Definitely!! The graphics on the OEM screen are not as sharp, the outside temp indicator always says its right around 0F, the miles to empty indicator is so optimistic that it is useless and some of the OEM display combinations are not available. But, the HVAC works and the display for all HVAC controls is correct. And I can still see the correct temp and MTE on the drivers display.
So, considering all of the issues listed above, why am I happy with the install? Imagine just getting into your 8 year old sedan and having Bluetooth audio kick in and whatever you were listening to on your headphones a few minutes before just starts playing automatically through your car's system. Or having Google Maps, Apple Maps or whatever app you want to use on your 7" in dash screen. Or having text to voice / voice to text functions and everything else available with Apple Car Play or Android Auto. Personally, the positives from a new NEX unit far outweigh the negatives of the buggy Metra kit, but that's just me. I've had the car for 5 yrs, expect to keep it for another five yrs and this has given me renewed excitement about the car. There are no right or wrong answers to this, just what do you prefer.
BTW - When you ask the Apple Carplay function in the Pioneer NEX unit "How do I get to Mordor," it says "Wait a second and I'll ask Boromir." Geeky, but still fun..
02-26-2019, 05:13 PM
#5
If you posted this a year ago I'd say the Metra kit is probably a more reliable upgrade than the Grom unit so its a good value, but I wouldn't go for it myself just cause I'm not a fan of it aesthetically...the buttons just don't fit with the interior to my liking and appear to be too small
At this point though, given that the Phoenix Tesla-style head unit is probably the same price if not less now when you account for the cost of the Metra kit and the head unit I don't see the point in the Metra/double din route anymore...
That being said I'm sure you're going to enjoy the massive upgrade in functionality and get your money's worth, and thanks for posting your tips for anyone else who decides to go this route.
At this point though, given that the Phoenix Tesla-style head unit is probably the same price if not less now when you account for the cost of the Metra kit and the head unit I don't see the point in the Metra/double din route anymore...
That being said I'm sure you're going to enjoy the massive upgrade in functionality and get your money's worth, and thanks for posting your tips for anyone else who decides to go this route.
12-08-2019, 03:02 PM
#6
@et1 are you happy with your Pioneer unit? Would you recommend it?
Sorry for being off topic. I'm looking for a good reliable head unit for my car.
I've been looking at reviews and they are all hype. So I'm kinda undecided.
I've been looking at the Pioneer AVH-W4500NEX. Found this site about the top
head units and got me more on the fence. How bad is the slow start? I have
large fingers how small are those buttons?
Any tips are welcomed.
Sorry for being off topic. I'm looking for a good reliable head unit for my car.
I've been looking at reviews and they are all hype. So I'm kinda undecided.
I've been looking at the Pioneer AVH-W4500NEX. Found this site about the top
head units and got me more on the fence. How bad is the slow start? I have
large fingers how small are those buttons?
Any tips are welcomed.