2002 Grand Prix Double DIN

[Grandprix1]

A few minutes with a pro always brings a wealth of information...

 

I stopped by Audio Express today and was enlightened by the manager/head installer. I trust these guys to the bone because they have done 3 installs on 3 different cars I've owned and each time the result has been amazing.

 

I showed him the eBay unit I posted previously and he immediately replied "Thats not gonna fit." I asked him why and he immediately segwayed to "What are we trying to do?" As soon as I mentioned my discontent about finding an appealing single-din unit for the car, he replied frankly that it could easily be done if I was willing to make some sacrifices. Such as?

 

He says there are more than a few double-din units on the market with 6.1 screens...this gets closest to the dash hole size. The dash face is not as big a problem as mounting the unit in the dash frame itself, which in turn dictates the face position.

 

If you are willing to ditch CD/DVD drives and go with digital media, the overall size and depth of the unit takes a big drop, allowing more room to work with. Usually by ditching the disc drive you also throw out motorized face, but some units still use them for security and detachment...this also has to be given up.

 

So 6.1 max, no CD/DVD, and no motorized gizmos. I can live with that! So I will be taking the car down there next week to sort out some choices and prices. Further info will be coming.

Document this very very very well!!! I wanna do this. I don’t need CDs etc.

[KnightOwl]

Unfortunately I wont be doing the work but I'll ask about details

[KnightOwl]

The Sony XAV-AX100 was installed today by Audio Express. The 6.2 touch screen 2 din unit went in with NO dash panel modification required!   The lack of any CD/DVD drive drastically reduces the depth, therefore the unit could be mounted deeper in the carrier bracket, allowing it to sit nicely behind the stock dash opening. The head unit also has a bit of a thick outer border since it has no CD slot or motorized-detachable face. The finished product looks amazing and the steering wheel controls are retained. Bluetooth works great and the unit is Apple CarPlay / Android compatible.

 

Here is the finished unit installed...

[KnightOwl]

The AX-100 also allows customized wallpaper, so I whipped up this to install

 

And installed on the screen...

 

The only downside is now the power output of this head unit shows how woefully inadequate my stock speakers are! LOL

[Imp558]

Steering wheel controls still work?

[KnightOwl]

Yes indeed...total cost installed was $800. Head unit, antenna adapter, steering control adapter, harness plug, chassis bracket kit and labor. Dropped off at 9am and picked up at 430. I agree that is a little high but I've tried modern stereo install on my Magnum and it was a nightmare I dont care to re-live.

 

Its in, looks great and works...good enough for me.

[Grandprix1]

Hmm if you could do it with out labor that would save. That looks really nice! How much was the head unit?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KnightOwl]

I agree for sure...if you can do the wiring, and it might be one of those things where I probably could've tackled it with some good instruction, but its in there now! LOL The AX-100 head unit was just under $400 plus the adapters and bracket kit.

 

 

 

 

Heres a link to the head unit from Crutchfield.

 

 

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_158XAV100/Sony-XAV-AX100.html

[Imp558]

Crutchfield looks expensive, but if you bundle all the doo-dads together then overall the price can be a great deal. I did the SSEI that way.

[94 olds vert]

That's the unit I was looking at for my truck. What is the navigation like?

[KnightOwl]

Navigation would be through the Apple Carplay maps for me...havent tried either actually