jg123

Just bought an '03 TL-S and I want to put in my Kenwood head unit (need my Music Keg). Is there any single din dash kits out there for the '03 TL? I have only seen dash kits for the earlier TL's.
TIA,
Josh

fsttyms1

yes. metra makes a kit for it. the kit fits 1999-2003 tl's. i wanna get the keg for my headunit too!

StanMan

you can get the scosche kit for the 2nd gen from www.sounddomain.com

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

hey fsttyms1, did you put that in yourself? i have my metra kit in the basement awaiting my alpine transplant into my tl. im just trying to get a fix on how many hours this is gonna take me.

SSTS

fsttyms1

yea i put it in my self. if your just putting in the radio (not hooking up a amp or running new wires) it shouldnt take more than a hr or 2. oh before you install the kit, sand it (the face of the kit) smooth. start with 220 then move to 400 wet and then 600 wet. it will look alot closer to the factory finish

SatinSilverTypS

iTrader: (1)

thanks for the tip on sanding, i'll do that. i allready have all the lines run for my sub amp, and i dont plan on amping the cabin speakers with a separate amp, so i guess the install time won't be too bad then. thanks again!

SSTS

jpadilla

how does that kit look compared to the metra?

jg123

There used to be a DIY section on how to remove the head unit which is now gone? Does anybody still have the instructions on how to take apart the dash?

StanMan

probably the same in terms of looks and radio opening, but the width of the molded pocket is not as wide as the radio opening. ie, pocket is indented and the sides don't line up.

gball27

Rusky

Metra finishing tip

I had scratched the pocket up pretty bad when I sanded it. I thought I was going to have to start over with a new kit. Instead, my father-in-law suggested I wipe it with laquer thinner. Score! I sanded of all the bumpy texture with 400 grit, then smothed it with 800 and finished with 1200. It took some time but was well worth it. Ue the paper wet so it doesn't clog. Finally, wipe the whole it with laquer thinner. It will melt all the noticeable scratches away. The color turns a little darker but it looks just right in its spot. There are a few shades of grey in the dash and it all balances out.

fsttyms1

yup! looks good sanded doesnt it . thats how i started the project out, with plans on custom matching some paint to match but the finish was pretty darn good so i left it.

lets see some pics!

Rusky

awright, here ya go!

fsttyms1, thanks for the tip!





(upside down, but you get the point)



p.s., OU, this is for you!

Rusky

I forgot to include my discovery!

I mentioned laquer thinner before. It helps remove scratches and clean up the finish. It actually melts the plastic a little and makes it smooth. I had to repair melted pitting on my kit due to a rearview mirror incident.

First, be careful about the plastic tabs that hold that stupid cd holder, they break easily. Fortunately, it works without them just fine.

I started out with laquer thinner. The thinner really softens the plastic and makes sanding much easier and, more importantly, faster. Dip a clean rag in laquer thinner (do this far, far away from any other part of your car or plastic things) and wipe the whole face. Now sand with a 3m sanding sponge, superfine grit. Alternate between wiping and sanding. When the surface is ready to be finished, wipe once more. If the pocket was discolored from wiping or sanding, wipe it as well, only in a horizontal direction.

Now place the sanding sponge on a flat surface and move the kit face horizontally across it. this makes it look brushed. It's a nice touch. My wife even commented at how nice it looked. Then she called me a geek.

Good luck.

vadimTL

do you need to change the speakers when you put aftermarket cd player?
i heard the sound is getting worse?

jg123

Yes, the Bose speakers sound pretty crappy with the aftermarket head unit, but not much worse than they did with the factory head unit. I'm in the process of replacing them with some Polk db650's in front and some older 180 watt pioneers in the back.

YelloSpeedR

Which is a better kit to get scosche or metra?

jg123

I haven't tried the scoche, but the metra looks very stock after sanding and spraypainting. I have no complaints with the Metra.

YelloSpeedR

I dont really have sanding tool available to me, so from looking at the pictures of both brands, the scosche looks a more stock than the rough textured metra kit.

jg123

I have a ~$50 Makita finishing sander from Home Depot. Works great and fun to use around the house!

miwa

man .. you didn't lie about those plastic tabs .. I got the scosche kit and it CAME broken! .. they're supposedly sending me another one ..

miwa

my gosh! I don't know how the metra kit is built but if you are putting in the scoshe kit and you intend to keep the cd holder, you're in for a fairly rough ride because you have to detach the console piece below it! Otherwise, you just can't get it in there.. or if there is, I was too afraid to try lest I break the plastic tabs that hold the cd holder in place. Detaching the console piece below the dash kit piece meant detaching the entire console all the way towards the back... sheesh. I'm sure this was probably mentioned already in a howto but just in case someone is looking at this link and doesn't realize this.

the other complaint I have about the scosche kit is that with a default single din head unit, there's nothing in the back to hold the cdholder in place so it'll start flapping towards the back. I had to put glue between my dash kit and the cd holder.. As a result, it doesn't look as clean as fsttyms1's post above. However, I am sort of more pleased with the material that scosche uses. It's a deeper hue but at least it sparkles in direct sunlight sort of like the stock dash. I think this is due to the finer grain on the surface.

jg123

Same with the Metra kit.