GameGuy369

iTrader: (1)

Everytime I think I am done doing something to my car, you people have to find stuff like this and post pics and make me jealous.

How complicated of an installation will this be compared to having once pulled out the HU to put in .... (the name escapes me, it plugs into where the 6 CD changer would be so I can use a flash drive and whatnot... I'm sure I'll edit this later when my brain works).

Is there a DIY out there for this bad boy?

Finally, time for me to look at some headunits. Where do you guys recommend looking for good deals on double din HU's?

raphy3

Yeah I would definitely say that the steering wheel controls have a delay, but it is definitely not a deal breaker. Put it in perspective and take a look at the awesome HUs you can put in your car with this, and still have steering wheel control at all, and it really is not a deal breaker.

It is challenging for me to go back to a prev track due to the delay. I can go back to the beginning of the current song easily, but pressing it just right to go back a whole song is tough. It works, and I rarely do it, so it's ok. Perhaps I should retrain mine with the car running. Had no idea this would change things.

GameGuy:
If you've already opened up your dash to put an audiolink box in, then this is not going to be that hard. The main source of additional difficulty stems from the fact that you need to cut up your subdash to fit your axxess box in. That's the first time I needed to actually cut pieces out of my car to do a HU install... lol. But other than that, if you have done HU installs before this is almost the same. Don't forget to use RCA preouts if you have the Bose system. Feeding the line-level outs to your Bose amp will result in a lot of excess noise and loud sound.
Good luck, and post any questions here.

rollerbldes

^ agree

If you have any problems with installation we can help.

lopezian2004

Well I'm just waiting for the cable to make its round over here.

It's been months since I've read through this thread entirely (way too much school to keep me preoccupied) and I'm thinking about doing this install myself, but I have absolutely NO experience in doing this. So I'm kinda worried about how it may turn out. From what I've gathered, everybody here seems to stay away from an audio shop doing the install for them.

What do you guys think? If I do it myself I will definitely be taking my time, and if that's the case it may come out to a 2 day project as opposed to a few hours.. plus I got the kit RIGHT after it came out and so I have the shorter wires and I'm somewhat worried about how frustrating that's gonna be

rollerbldes

I did it myself, but I had heavy planning beforehand. I did all the wiring and pre-planned the installation through two days. (Easily could have done in one day.. but it would be a long day.)

I also have a good general knowledge of electricity and cabling.

Toxic Gecko

Post a help request over on the local forum area. There should be someone in the DFW area willing to help you out. Probably for food, beer or both. If you were a bit closer I would help you out with it, but I'm 2&1/2 hours away. Whatever way you choose, goodluck. BTW where did you buy your Metra kit and stereo from? If you bought either from Crutchfield, they have a great customer tech support line you can call for help while doing the install.

kanjas

I have done about 10-15 installs before and this was one of the hardest and most confusing i have ever done. I would make sure you take the time to research and plan everything out first. I personally still wish I would have just paid someone but it's hard finding someone you trust to do this sort of job. I am not the enthusiast I was once so this wasn't fun for me.

If you can, get some help with someone who knows what they are doing.

bureau13

Do yourself a HUGE favor, call Metra customer support (phone number is earlier in the thread somewhere) and ask for the extensions. I did that and had them in my mailbox in about three days. Outstanding support.

I'm not sure what stuff you're putting in there...the biggest hassle I had involved getting all my crap stuffed in there. And of course I've somehow fried my Access box...but that's another story.

I drew out a diagram of all the boxes and connections and where they were going, and then installed all the wiring that I need to go between the trunk and the dash. THEN I uninstalled the OEM radio and made the switch.

jds

rollerbldes

I think the new kits ship with extensions nowadays.

HaiDoGGRX-8

Hey rollerbldes, where is the list at now. My buddy say i can go ahead and send out his usb-cab to others to use.

telfo

my install went very well until the getting everything in the dash part.... that was almost impossible.

how do the metra supplied mounts screw into the car? i couldnt figure it out so my pioneer avh-p3100dvd is just sitting in their, but since it is so cramped it worked ok.

and the radio cable was too short to get plugged in.... im sure i can get an extension for it though.

overall i am happy with the metra kit. my rear defrost button got cracked and is sticking, hopefully that can be fixed so it at least does not stick anymore

lopezian2004

How long was your overall install thus far? How difficult was it for you? And lastly how experienced with this kind of stuff are you? Haha thanks in advance

rollerbldes

The metra mounts screw into where your A/C vents screw in. You need to unscrew the A/C vents, and pull them out. Align your headunit with metra mounts where the screwholes for the vents are. Then push the vents back in and screw the vents over the mount. It will work perfect.

My install lasted maybe 6 hours over a period of two days. The hardest part was getting all the wiring harnesses ready for the installation. The only recommendation I can give for the wiring is think of the harness as a 3 way cable. One to the existing wiring harness from the car, one to the metra AXXESS box, and finally one to the headunit.

telfo

it took about 5 hours including about 45 minutes to do the temp control **** soldering fix.

ive done a few installs before but most of them were plug and play no axxess boxes and whatnot. the instructions are pretty good for the first half when you are removing the stock radio. putting in the new one they leave something to be desired.

telfo

i also realized my clock is running slow. when i shut the car off, next time i start the engine the clock will be five or six minutes slow. i believe i am running 1.4. is there a way to check?

rollerbldes

I think you could be running 1.1 That is the one with the clock problems. If the timing keeps slipping I'll bet it's a firmware issue and you are not running 1.4

telfo

well i have the newer version with the HVAC plug extensions included if that helps.

so no way to find out for sure which firmware it is?

bureau13

Somewhere in this thread someone describes how to display the Axxess software version. There IS a way. That said, the clock problem (which was fixed in 1.4 I'm pretty sure) was that it runs too fast. I've never heard anyone complaining about running too slowly before.
jds

jquigley

So finally ordered my f90, metra kit and a sven4 as suggested by indyflyboy.

Anyone in San Diego that has some experience want to come help me install this sometime? There's a case of beer in it for you. I installed my carputer but never had to solder anything in the process.

RotaryResurrection

iTrader: (3)

and you dont have to solder anything during this install either. Just use crimp connectors.

jquigley

Good to know, read a number of posts in this thread mentioning it so I wasn't sure.

telfo

i thought the clock problem was always it being fast, thats why i figured i had a seperate issue. over the last few days the clock has gotten to be about 1 hour slow. i need to take everything out and put it back in the dash, its not fit in very well right now.

rollerbldes

You can check the version of your firmware when shipped by looking that the serial number or part number on the box the kit came in. I forgot which.. but it's one of the numbers.

jquigley

Got my kit yesterday.

Have to agree the high gloss job looks pretty low rent. The color wasn't so much the issue for me but it's not smooth at all and had more than a couple blemishes.

Repainting now with a little guidance from flyboyindy.

lopezian2004

So I called Metra, and the guy I spoke to said they aren't and never have sent out extensions for the older models. I said a bunch of rx-8 people have called direct and got them shipped and the idiot was like "I don't know who they would have got them from." What a jackass.. sorry guy I'm a little angry.

Anyway, what should I do now?