Hey guys i wanted to make a custom double din for my TL just wanted input from people who have already done it. Whats the best kit to use to shape myself?

 

no kit is available. full custom fabrication needed.
What is your goal when removing the OEM headunit?

 

I know theres no kit, just was wondering from people that have done it, what kits they used to custom fabricate it
I want to take out the stock HU and replace it with a double din alpine with bluetooth streaming and all that cool stuff and then i plan on getting a sub and getting all new speakers and wiring

 

You can buy trim rings to fit around it . But your best bet would to buy some of that black abs plastic they have at audio store and measure out and cut your own trim pieces and some how mold them to the metal trim pieces on either side of the radio . Or just have a shop fabricate somthing for you

 

bluetooth streaming and all that cool stuff? please explain! you have an extremely capable syatem ready to perform for you. if your standard of improvement is source material that is internet based then perhaps this is not the best venue!

 

Ive been looking for this info as well. I personally dont like stock HU either. Most people say they want to keep stock look inside, but its not like we driving S550's or anything.

 

I have question also. Why is it when someone says they want to change their radio people always get so defensive. I want to change mine also but I can never find a straight answer on anything.

 

There are several reasons to question why people would feel it necessary to change the OEM HU. Its not being defensive, typically i do it to raise issues that these people have not thought thru. If its for audio performance then they need to know that there are not that many aftermarket HU's that can achieve that and will be expensive. If its a desire for updated connectivity then they need to know that it can be achieved easily with other devices. Many of the people here also do not find streaming music to be acceptable as a source for critical listening and is only a convenience.

Most people do not understand the features that they may loose when making the switch. Many people also do not understand the difficulty and skills that are required to integrate a double din into the center stack. The ones that do understand and have the skills to do it do not ask the questions and they just do it. The costs involved when you have to pay someone to do the work are going to be significant and you better make sure that this person has some serious skills. Dealing with the compound curves and infilling the half circles in the metal trim is an art and very difficult to make it look good.

Those are the primary issues i try to illustrate. If you have to pay for the work then the amount of money needed to do that can pay for new drivers, processor and amplification that utilizing the stock HU will sound amazing!

 

im currrently getting my double din installed in my car. we're using a gto dashkit from metra 95-3528. i haven't figured out which harness im going to use yet though. if theres any suggestions it'll be appreciated!

 

lets see some pics

 

Mostly because every double DIN install I have seen on a TL looks like garbage and there are easier ways to achieve what most people really want. The TL just isnt' a good car to swap the HU on for numerous reasons.

 

I definitely sense the whole "stock HU police" vibe as well. I am considering replacing mine for several reasons. 1) my navi unit has malfunctioned. 2) the graphics of the navi are outdated and old school. 3) HFL/Bluetooth has stopped working. All of these could be addressed by a new double din HU. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Stock HU police responding........#1 troubleshoot the navi drive. #2 Do you want flashy graphics or to be guided to your destination? OEM navi is fine for guidance, use your smart phone if you want flashy graphics. add a video input to your HU and watch the graphics from your smart phone on the OEM screen if so desired. #3 replace bluetooth module in 5 mins. or you can pay someone alot of money and probably end up with compromised functionality and appearance. its your car choose wisely.

 

Thanks for those ideas........you do know that my taxes pay your salary right?

 

I at one point contemplated this as well. However, in my opinion, having a touch screen video display were the factory HU is, just isn't ideal.

And, maybe I'm biased. But, pull the stock nav screen out and slap in a tablet. It's a much more convenient place for a display. And, you'll have everything an aftermarket HU will give you (and more)...aside from a strong output signal to your amp(s), and a DVD player (if you're in to that).

And you still retain the center channel speaker, the 6 disc in dash, and the all important tape player.

If all you want is Bluetooth streaming, get an iSimple (gives you ipod integration and an AUX input) and a bluetooth gateway.

Just my opinion.

But, if you go the double din route, I'd like to see pictures.

 

did I miss something? its not ideal to have a touch screen but you want to replace it with a touchscreen tablet? I love my touchscreen interface. I would love to see some pictures of some DD integration too. There are plenty out there, just no one wants to get hammered. Occasionally we get to see a well done one.

 

What I meant was, where the stock CD/DVD-A/Tape deck reside isn't an ideal place. Up higher makes more sense.

There's a picture of someone on here with an aftermarket screen (tablet?) where the factory nav is, and a double din down low. I just didn't like the look of it.

Here's someone that did a really good job on it. It's just not for me I guess.
http://www.krankitup.com/web/gallery/?level=album&id=17

This one looks more natural.
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14549690

 

Now I understand and totally agree with your comment. higher the better for touch screen. I think I have seen maybe two installations that I thought were acceptable, but typically it just looks unfinished and cheap.

 

Here are my 2 installs of replacing the stock headunit:

Current:
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-94/another-ho-hum-tablet-install-874799/

Previous:
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-audio-bluetooth-electronics-navigation-94/after-almost-2-5-yrs-my-stereo-finally-done-now-853485/

The double din w/ the stock screen was actually pretty nice. I switched to the iPad mainly because I could and wanted something different.

I find both of them cosmetically appealing, but like stated above, if I didn't do it myself there is no way I would have paid what it would have cost someone else to do it.

 

If you're going to do it, your single din HU with the ipad is the way to go. Looks nices.