Double din Nav suggestions

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blazerone22

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Im new to the board... I just purchased a 01 LS for my wife, she would like to get a Double Din Nav head unit for her car... Crutchfield says none will fit... I've searched the boards and see members have them in their LS's... Can you guys recommend a model that will fit and that you are happy owning... I'm not looking to break the bank, but she has her mind set on the Nav... :D after I get that done I get to fix her foggy headlights... but thats another day...
 
Depends on what you're willing to spend and what she wants out of it in addition to the navigation. Heard it's tight back there in terms of fitment but it will fit with patience. My brother got a new AVIC online for around 6-700 I believe. Then every add on is a little extra. They are a solid double din. These can have satellite radio, navigation, bluetooth, ipod interface, rear camera, hands free with your cell phone, and it just might serve you coffee on your way to work if you treat it right.

Since I'm just looking for something to play a cd and have an ipod interface, that's all I'm looking for out of a double din. Personally when I go about doing mine I'm looking at this one.

Sonic Electronix - Pioneer AVH-4300DVD

Or, if I'm willing to dish out a little more dough...

Sonic Electronix - Pioneer AVIC-X920BT

There's tons to look through on Sonic Electronix but these are my two suggestions.

Have fun!!!
 
since its for your wife, i would recommend a kenwood, the garmin interface is so simple a caveman could do it.

as an AVIC probably give you a fancier GUI, and most of the time one of the best prices, but navigating through the system can be a little bit of a pain.
 
i have the pioneer avh-p3200bt unit i bought from crutchfield for $230. i like the headunit so far. plays dvd,divx,mp3, etc. has usb and sd card slot. also has bluetooth functionality for using phone through the deck. i bought the dash kit to match the rest of my dash as well. you can add on the hd radio and navigation option if u want for a price. pretty easy to use deck though.
 
i believe any of the DDin head units will fit, you just need to buy the bezel separately. Ebay / sonic. bought the Pioneer AVIC-Z120BT in the spring- does everything, very clean unit, full 7 in display, plus its on sale right now on crutchfield.
 
Several of us run Pioneer Avics, as they have previously had better controls/interface with iPod/iPhone devices. I think some of the other manufacturers have caught up to them, though.

I'll echo what LoudLS has already said - the navigation on a Kenwood is normally better, because they use Garmin. Also, Pioneer receivers can be buggy, but overall I'm happy with mine.
 
Hey I run an ALPINE dd w205 is I have 3 amps and 5 tvs and have no fitment issues it that helps
 
pioneers i believe use a form on TOM TOM navigation. Mine works well with roads and street names, but it can be a little tough entering locations / POI
 
with any DD head unit, there shouldn't be any problem with it fitting. however the biggest area of concern is depth. anything much deeper than a avic will have troubles (the only radios that i have seen deeper are cheap @ss Chinese units that are so damn deep because they couldn't afford new smaller high quality components) the depth becomes more and more important with every extra add on module you have, so i like units that have everything built in to the main unit, also the more cables you have the more tricky it is to get it all to fit back in, and will require patience and a little clever tucking.

agreed that some of the pioneer units can be a bit glitchy (mostly older models, the newer ones are getting much better every year) but when looking online, they can usually be found for much cheaper than most good brands, and while having some of the best Ipod interfaces, makes the small issues worth the money saved.
 
G-RELL said:
pioneers i believe use a form on TOM TOM navigation. Mine works well with roads and street names, but it can be a little tough entering locations / POI
Click to expand...

nope, pioneer buys map data(just like all of the GPS manufactures), and makes there own interface to use the data.

all the new Sony radios have started using the tomtom interface, which ive said for a while now that pioneer need to work out a deal with one of the companies so they can continue doing what they do best by designing good media interfaces and leave the nav interface (which is what they struggle at) to somebody that has already figured it out.


also just throwing this out there, for anybody that uses an Iphone 4, the new Pioneer App Radio, is pretty cheap ($400 retail) and uses a lot of resources from the iphone (navigation, pandora, music...) to keep the price down. this is a brand new system so i cant speak to its reliability yet, but as i have installed a few, it does seem to be a strong contender in the lower priced market. the one down side is that it will force you to be an iphone customer (which usually isnt a problem as apple customers are some of the most loyal)
 
Thanks for the help... I'm thinking the Kenwood with the garmin nav would work good for her, with her job she's always looking for different locations... But I do like the avic with the voice recognition controls also.... When I order I need a dash kit, wiring kit, ipod cable... Can it be wired up to the steering wheel controls? Chime in if I'm missing something...
 
jmtiseo said:
Depends on what you're willing to spend and what she wants out of it in addition to the navigation. Heard it's tight back there in terms of fitment but it will fit with patience. My brother got a new AVIC online for around 6-700 I believe. Then every add on is a little extra. They are a solid double din. These can have satellite radio, navigation, bluetooth, ipod interface, rear camera, hands free with your cell phone, and it just might serve you coffee on your way to work if you treat it right.

Since I'm just looking for something to play a cd and have an ipod interface, that's all I'm looking for out of a double din. Personally when I go about doing mine I'm looking at this one.

Sonic Electronix - Pioneer AVH-4300DVD

Or, if I'm willing to dish out a little more dough...

Sonic Electronix - Pioneer AVIC-X920BT

There's tons to look through on Sonic Electronix but these are my two suggestions.

Have fun!!!
Click to expand...

If I were to change mine out I would definitely choose one of those, those are on the top of my list
 
Can you guys help me out again... I ended up buying this unit... http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105NT3...&search=JVC_KW-NT3HDT_HD_Radio&avf=N&skipvs=T I got it locally last week, The shop I bought it from will install it for 125 plus parts but with parts the total goes up to more than $400.00 does that sound right? Or should I start searching online... I have 3 weeks to work with, I'd like to have it put in the day after her birthday...
 
Over $400 man you better do it yourself. The double din kit can be bought for under $10 depending on where you but it. Throw in the wiring harness you are looking at an extra few dollars. I have an 01 LS myself and I did mine myself.
 
I don't think the Pioneer AVH-4300DVD has Nav, does it? I think you have to buy it as an extra add-on unit that costs just as much as the H/U, or step up to the X series...

I have an X920BT in my F-150, and it's great. I've been thinking about moving it to my LS, since I've been driving that a lot more. There are some complaints on the quality of the actual GPS navigation, but in the last year it has worked well for me.
 
ls_turbo said:
I don't think the Pioneer AVH-4300DVD has Nav, does it? I think you have to buy it as an extra add-on unit that costs just as much as the H/U, or step up to the X series...

I have an X920BT in my F-150, and it's great. I've been thinking about moving it to my LS, since I've been driving that a lot more. There are some complaints on the quality of the actual GPS navigation, but in the last year it has worked well for me.
Click to expand...

I bought the JVC unit JVC KW-NT3HDT HD its built in... looked to me like a decent package... Do I just order up a dash kit steering wheel control module and a harness? Is there a specific brand thats the best to use? Links to the parts would be helpful... I have not installed a stereo in a car since I was in high school... 24 years ago... man time flys...
 
blazerone22 said:
I bought the JVC unit JVC KW-NT3HDT HD its built in... looked to me like a decent package... Do I just order up a dash kit steering wheel control module and a harness? Is there a specific brand thats the best to use? Links to the parts would be helpful... I have not installed a stereo in a car since I was in high school... 24 years ago... man time flys...
Click to expand...

They had after-market stereos back then?...

:joke :p
 
ls_turbo said:
I don't think the Pioneer AVH-4300DVD has Nav, does it?
Click to expand...
nope, the AVH line is just a media receiver, and DVD player if it is in the model number. the nav is an add on just like you thought.

blazerone22 said:
The shop I bought it from will install it for 125 plus parts but with parts the total goes up to more than $400.00
Click to expand...
what the fukc kinds of parts are they using that cost over $275???

for about $485, my shop will install it, and the steering wheel adapter (part included), and a back up camera (camera included) hell if your a cool enough person when i talk to ya, i'll probably even bypass it for ya for the price of a pizza. so yea if they are doing all that then it sounds about right, but if they are just slapping it into the dash, then they are smoking better sh!t than i am thats for sure.





on a side note, a good thing to talk about when looking for a good installer, is to see if they know what to do about keeping the amps from popping and what has to be done to get the dimmer function to work properly, if they have no clue what you are talking about, then run not walk out of that store! the popping issue has been around since the 98 style radios on all ford premium systems.
 
We got the radio installed this week... Works pretty good, its nice having HD radio, nav, bluetooth all built in... Now I want one for my Suburban... I got the green light from the wife to pull the fender chrome lips off, Has anyone done this? Im curious if the paint will be damaged... The guy we bought the car from had a bodyshop install them so I'm asuming they used double sided tape...

P1030339.jpg



P1030342.jpg



P1030349.jpg
 
looking good did they add the backup camera and the steering wheels controls also your wife is righ take them chrome stuff out. your killing the look. the probably used double sided tape it wont hurt the paint if you are carefull but do a detail on it when you remove it to get the residue off cuz that attracts alot of dirt then its harder to remove.
 
Might leave a shadow where the paint around it aged compared to what was covered by the strips. Just clean it up once they are removed. Might leave sort of a shadow where they used to be, removed pin stripes from my truck and that's what it did. Who knows might be able to remove by wet sanding and what have you.
 
chocolat1701 said:
looking good did they add the backup camera and the steering wheels controls also your wife is righ take them chrome stuff out. your killing the look. the probably used double sided tape it wont hurt the paint if you are carefull but do a detail on it when you remove it to get the residue off cuz that attracts alot of dirt then its harder to remove.
Click to expand...

Yeah steering volume controls and backup camera were added also... the mute button dont work though...
 
Is there a reason why Sony is never suggested as far as a dd. I know a lot of your guys run Pioneer and Kenwood but I haven't seen anyone with a Sony. I've always had great luck with Sony products (tv, computer, phone)...
 
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