Double DIN

[Zeitgeist 13]

I would like to install a double DIN touchscreen head unit in our new '01 EV, but most of those DD installs I've seen have been on vans with the automatic climate control dashes. Mine has manual controls, so I'm wondering if there are any DIY install threads or reference sources out there. We would also like to install a rear view camera
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[markcm2]

[jjvincent]

Google: Eurovan Double DIN

[Zeitgeist 13]

I did, but I was unable to find any DIY threads that provided anything other than references to the support brace interference and pictures of the finished product. I'm not too keen on pulling the dash, but if I have to, I'll just do that and weld up my own cradle
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[jjvincent]

You can buy the double DIN bar right here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1945584

Here's what Cole did:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613181

[Zeitgeist 13]

Thanks for posting that pic. It's helpful to see what mods I'll need to make. That's pretty much what I had in mind, even with no prior idea what the brace looked like. I figured it was going to be a big old steel tube like on the Mk4s

Cole's install is nice, but there's no info about the installation process.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[jjvincent]

I would contact Cole at Cavevan. He's on here quite often.

[markcm2]

[Zeitgeist 13]

Since this is more work than I had planned at these initial stages of the build, I'll just swap in the single DIN Kenwood from my Vanagon, and keep the double for another day when I'm ready to pull the dash. Routing the wiring for the backup camera probably requires gutting the interior anyway, so I could just combine those tasks in future phases.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[markcm2]

[jjvincent]

It's not like the double din is some must have thing. Pretty much a smartphone and a bluetooth radio will be suffice for what most people need. Also, double dins can catch the eye of a thief as opposed to some regular old radio.

[markcm2]

[Itsamoto]

[Zeitgeist 13]

Well...I drove it around today with the lower PNW temps, and got a whiff of coolant smell when the heater got warm. I suspect I'll be removing the dash sooner rather than later.

Our recent family trip in the Audi got us interested in a bigger navigation readout than an iPhone
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[jjvincent]

My solution is the iPad Pro I got a while back and a flex mount. Then I can take it out and use it elsewhere.

[Zeitgeist 13]

I pulled the crappy Pioneer unit that was in there today, and found that a Mk4 climate control surround appears to fit perfectly below where the DD will go. I just so happen to have the entire climate plenum from an '02 Jetta (Vanagon donor).
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[markcm2]

[Masta Shake]

I'm going to try one of these soon. Soundstream VR-730B. Single DIN with a removable video screen that sits mostly below the unit as opposed to the motorized ones that sit above and block the A/C vents. It's rear view camera ready as well which is mainly why I want a video stereo. The eBay store I'm going to use offers a 2 year warranty. At $125 I figure 2 years is a decent deal. It's probably OK quality. Crutchfield still sells the brand, just not this unit. They make a version with a 10" screen buts it's kind of silly.

http://soundstream.com/product/vr-730b/

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As a good friend told me when I got the Syncro: "Welcome to the an intense love/hate relationship".

[markcm2]

If anyone is interested, I just installed the SONY XAV-AX100 in my 01 Eurovan weekender and posted a write up in this thread

[mkscott2]

I love the integrated look of the Sony unit, however I thought I should post what I went with to be comprehensive. The two main reasons I did not go wit the Sony unit were cost and I did not like the idea of needing to look so far down to read and manipulate a double-din in-dash unit. I did quite a bit of research and the following goals came up along the way:
- Large touch-screen
- Store and play our entire music library
- Provide navigation
- Run Torque app for monitoring transmission temp, distance until tank is empty, and reading codes
- Safe and easy to use
- Reasonably priced: in the end, all goals were met (and then some) for about $100.00!

So here is what I came up with:
- Amp (free): stock headunit (previous owner still had it!), modified: see “audio”
- Tablet: Azpen A1040 (http://www.microcenter.com/product/459766/A1040_Tablet). Sort of an odd dimension for a 10” tablet as it is much wider when in “portrait mode” than your typical tablet. Perfect for getting a large screen without obstructing additional view of the road when mounted on top of the dash. Resolution is not the greatest, but I’m not using it to watch movies or play games. Quite inexpensive (~ $50 on sale) and it has the ability to pick up FM Radio.
- Power for tablet ($5): USB cable plugged into 12v adapter, hard-wired to its own ACC power
- Audio ($20): flat 3.5mm stereo cable, connected to a ground-loop isolator, and soldered to the cassette-tape input of the stock headunit’s circuit board. Old-school tape adapter with cable lopped off inserted to trick the headunit into taking input from the 3.5mm cable. Audio is actually decent with this set-up. Learned how to do this here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4988871
- OBDII Bluetooth Adapter ($20): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YY7M4AO?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_xWVnzbD5B3X96&pldnSite=1 , Also bought an OBDII extension cable so that I could route the adapter to fit perfectly into the blank switch spot in the dash.
- Apps ($5): so many out there, including some that do some of what I wanted, but not all on their own. I chose the following:
o Google Play Music: most of our music library fit on a 64g micro SD card
o Google Maps: with maps downloaded for use offline
o Torque Pro: well worth the $5, just as accurate as the ScanGauge per my tests
o Overlays: for placing buttons on the screen to easily access the above apps
o Auto Sleeper: tells the tablet to “wake” when power is detected (ACC), and sleep when power is cut
- Stand (free): just a wood platform bolted to an old plastic suction cup GPS stand as seen below: