Double Din Pioneer Avic f900bt installation

Lysdexic · 24th September 2008, 12:46

Here are a few pics of my recent double din install.

As we all know, the ZT (and the 75) doesn't have a double din fascia solution as standard.

I trawled through various forums and picked up a few good tips for modifying and installing a fascia that was designed for the BMW 3 series.

The following pics show the end result.

The unit I installed was a Pioneer AVIC F900BT. This is a double din affair. The fascia was bought on fleabay for about £60 (seller in Germany).

You can try this link for further details (don't know how long it will be active, so try a search on ebay for 'BMW 3 Series E46 double din bezel' if it fails.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-3...mZ360089035114

You can also see examples of a fascia like this here.
http://www.mybimmer.net/doubledintrim.htm

The first picture shows the fascia sitting on the nav box. As with all BMW 3 series fascias, the mounting points are on the sides. These were cut off and ZT friendly mounts were added to the top - more about that in a minute. I also had to trim some plastic from the reverse of the fascia to allow the unit to sit flush to the double din hole.

I followed most of the instructions from this post.
http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...ad.php?t=13171

The fascia I used was slightly different from the fascia used in the link above (it didn't have any solid areas). Instead of using the fascia as a platform for mounting the various clips and brackets, I screwed all the mounting hardware onto a piece of thin MDF. The unit was mounted directly to the MDF using the supplied cage.

Once all the wiring and stuff was completed, the MDF plate containing all the fixtures and the unit was scewed into place. The fascia was then fixed to the MDF using double sided tape (its pretty damn strong, but still allows the fascia to be removed if the unit needs attention).

I also mounted the microphone for the hands free gizmo in the fascia. It works well from this distance and all the wires are hidden behind the fascia.

I expected this job to be a complete nightmare, but was surprised to find that it wasn't too difficult in the end.

Making the MDF plate was really helpful. It allowed me to concentrate on actually making everything fit the space in the dashboard and I didnt have the worry of damaging the fascia as the unit was inserted and withdrawn numerous times.

This picture shows the final installation. The black of the fascia is slightly darker than the MG stuff and it has a subtle surface texture. The difference in appearance isn't all that noticable (unless you are being really picky). Notice the microphone to the right of the nav unit.

The microphone is easier to see in this pic. I drilled a hole in the fascia and poked it through from the rear.

This final picture shows the customised splash screen and the space on the screen that is used by the unit to tell you it is booting up.

This unit is absolutely brilliant - it can be customised to your hearts content, has 2D and 3D map views, has built in bluetooth for hands free phone stuff, plays DVD's, CD's, your iPod and a variety of media files from an SD card or a USB device. It also has a full FM and AM radio section with presets, etc, etc. The unit has a superb touch screen and the navigation system does everything you would ever want.

The only downside is the time it takes to boot up (currently 40 seconds with the latest firmware). I believe this is due to the fact that the unit uses WinCE as an operating system and it takes time to fire this up before the pioneer code gets loaded.

The next time I need to remove the fascia, I'll take some pics of the MDF panel.

trebor · 24th September 2008, 12:55

looks really good, i want double din on my 75 when finances allow the purchase of the unit, how much did you pay if you dont mind me asking ?

Simon · 24th September 2008, 13:11

Looking very smart there. A nice install with excellent pictures and details. Great first post.

Oh, where's my manners - welcome to the forums

Lysdexic · 24th September 2008, 13:25

Hi Trebor,

I got the unit from Halfords.

I bought it during a recent sale and got 20% off the normal price of £800, so I ended up paying £639.99

I've seen this unit for sale at a shade under £1000 - so shop around.

Although Halfords have this model on display in all their shops, they are like gold-dust if you actually want to buy one. I had to get mine delivered from their Inverness branch as no other branches in Central Scotland had any in stock.

I recently added a rear-view camera to the unit (I used Halfords own brand and it works with no problems). I mounted the camera on underside of the boot-lid moulding (above the number plate). The camera kicks in when you select reverse and has a nice wide-angle view.

biggles · 24th September 2008, 13:28

Very nice! The new pioneer double-DIN units are by far the best looking of the lot today both externally and feature-wise.

How about theft protection for these units? Is it only PIN code? I would be awfully nervous about having a £1k HU in my dash that is in plain view.

rt2 · 24th September 2008, 13:41

Surely you would be just as nervous with a factory fit BM widescreen?

As long as you tell your ins co there should not be a problem with cover for aftermarket units.

Pioneer are good but i have a Kenwood in the Saab & it is excellent tv, ipod, dvd/cd playback, radio & nav inc tmc.

K 5ive · 24th September 2008, 14:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by biggles

How about theft protection for these units? Is it only PIN code? I would be awfully nervous about having a £1k HU in my dash that is in plain view.

A very nice install there, I would be very proud of that if it was mine.
The on display bit worries me as well. Fair enough if it's covered by insurance but it's the hassle of someone breaking in to your car etc.
I have an Alpine pop out unit that is non removable and really want tp put it in but it worries with the security aspects.

biggles · 24th September 2008, 15:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by rt2

Surely you would be just as nervous with a factory fit BM widescreen?

As long as you tell your ins co there should not be a problem with cover for aftermarket units.

I would be worried with a BMW widescreen but not as worried as with the Pioneer. A thief might consider a factory integrated unit to have limited resale potential or just think it not being worth the hassle. The fact that the car is a Rover might also (here in sweden) improve on that notion.

I myself have the trusty old 4:3 Rover monitor and with that one I am not very worried at all.

And as already has been said: Even if there is no problem with insurance it will still cost you both time and money.

That Pioneer kit looks pretty well recessed. One could always build a fake clip on fascia piece that looks lika a really cheap radio.

Raistlin · 24th September 2008, 15:41

Nice looking result

But then I would say that wouldn't I?

Did you make any radical differences to the way Eammon and I arranged the fixings for the fascia or how the HU is supported in the console?

I believe that part of the boot up time is the gyro erecting and and the initial comparison between short term (GPS) and long term (gyro and speed sensor) information.

On my BT3HD, the audio is available almost instantly, although not the audio display of course.

DO you find the IPOD playlist search slow?

Lysdexic · 24th September 2008, 21:55

Thanks for all the feedback peeps.

The pioneer is a pretty effective thief magnet for sure.

I'm working on a faceplate made from a sheet of thin aluminium. If all goes well, I should be able to bend it to conform to the shape of the fascia. The final step would be to either cover the whole fascia with the plate or make it fit into the recess area only.

A bit of matte black paint and all should be well.

Raistlin, the mounting hardware is identical to your set up, ie, the two top mounting points were bent into shape from right angled brackets (got them from B&Q), and the two bottom clips were made from the same stuff - as per the method in the link.

The main difference is that I used an MDF plate to mount the brackets onto. A double-din sized hole was made in this plate to accommodate the nav unit's cage which was secured by bending the tabs all the way round.

This arrangement was very strong and made it easy to install the complete assembly.

I then made some wooden blocks which fitted snugly inside the fascia sides (the fascia I used was hollow - not solid). I mounted these blocks onto the MDF, then used double-sided tape to secure the fascia to the blocks.

Finally, I had a thin gap between the fascia opening and the nav unit. A bezel was supplied with the unit, but it wouldn't fit the fascia. I had a bit of a think and hit on the following idea.

I tool a length of black pvc electrical flex. I pulled the two wires from inside the flex, leaving a black plastic tube. I used a flat blade screwdriver to gently push the empty flex into the gap between the unit and the fascia aperture. The result was a snug fit all the way round which also helped to secure the fascia in place (honestly, it takes a lot of effort to get it off!).

If you look closely at the 4th picture, you will see the pvc trim between the unit and the fascia.

If anyone wants to have a go at this way of mounting their unit, I'll knock up some drawings to explain things a bit better.

24th September 2008, 12:46	#1
Lysdexic Newbie MG ZT 2.5 V6 Auto (Mk1), MG ZT 2Litre CDTI Diesel Manual (Mk2) Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Slap bang in the middle of Scotland on a farm near Stirling. Posts: 20 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Double Din Pioneer Avic f900bt installation Here are a few pics of my recent double din install. As we all know, the ZT (and the 75) doesn't have a double din fascia solution as standard. I trawled through various forums and picked up a few good tips for modifying and installing a fascia that was designed for the BMW 3 series. The following pics show the end result. The unit I installed was a Pioneer AVIC F900BT. This is a double din affair. The fascia was bought on fleabay for about £60 (seller in Germany). You can try this link for further details (don't know how long it will be active, so try a search on ebay for 'BMW 3 Series E46 double din bezel' if it fails. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-3...mZ360089035114 You can also see examples of a fascia like this here. http://www.mybimmer.net/doubledintrim.htm The first picture shows the fascia sitting on the nav box. As with all BMW 3 series fascias, the mounting points are on the sides. These were cut off and ZT friendly mounts were added to the top - more about that in a minute. I also had to trim some plastic from the reverse of the fascia to allow the unit to sit flush to the double din hole. I followed most of the instructions from this post. http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...ad.php?t=13171 The fascia I used was slightly different from the fascia used in the link above (it didn't have any solid areas). Instead of using the fascia as a platform for mounting the various clips and brackets, I screwed all the mounting hardware onto a piece of thin MDF. The unit was mounted directly to the MDF using the supplied cage. Once all the wiring and stuff was completed, the MDF plate containing all the fixtures and the unit was scewed into place. The fascia was then fixed to the MDF using double sided tape (its pretty damn strong, but still allows the fascia to be removed if the unit needs attention). I also mounted the microphone for the hands free gizmo in the fascia. It works well from this distance and all the wires are hidden behind the fascia. I expected this job to be a complete nightmare, but was surprised to find that it wasn't too difficult in the end. Making the MDF plate was really helpful. It allowed me to concentrate on actually making everything fit the space in the dashboard and I didnt have the worry of damaging the fascia as the unit was inserted and withdrawn numerous times. This picture shows the final installation. The black of the fascia is slightly darker than the MG stuff and it has a subtle surface texture. The difference in appearance isn't all that noticable (unless you are being really picky). Notice the microphone to the right of the nav unit. The microphone is easier to see in this pic. I drilled a hole in the fascia and poked it through from the rear. This final picture shows the customised splash screen and the space on the screen that is used by the unit to tell you it is booting up. This unit is absolutely brilliant - it can be customised to your hearts content, has 2D and 3D map views, has built in bluetooth for hands free phone stuff, plays DVD's, CD's, your iPod and a variety of media files from an SD card or a USB device. It also has a full FM and AM radio section with presets, etc, etc. The unit has a superb touch screen and the navigation system does everything you would ever want. The only downside is the time it takes to boot up (currently 40 seconds with the latest firmware). I believe this is due to the fact that the unit uses WinCE as an operating system and it takes time to fire this up before the pioneer code gets loaded. The next time I need to remove the fascia, I'll take some pics of the MDF panel. Last edited by Lysdexic; 7th October 2008 at 10:09.. Reason: Fixing image links

24th September 2008, 12:55	#2
trebor This is my second home Rover 75 CDTi Connoisseur SE & MG ZT Saloon 190 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Coven Posts: 12,530 Thanks: 526 Thanked 1,877 Times in 885 Posts	looks really good, i want double din on my 75 when finances allow the purchase of the unit, how much did you pay if you dont mind me asking ? __________________ www.midlandsnanomeets.co.uk Robs Car Gallery Coven near Wolverhampton WV9 2000 Cowley Built Rover 75 2.0 V6 Club SE/ Atlantic Blue/ Sandstone/Walnut (daily driver) 2003 Land Rover Freelander 1 TD4 HSE Helsinki Blue/Black Leather (swmbo daily driver)

24th September 2008, 13:28	#5
biggles Loves to post Rover 75 2.5 V6 conn Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Linköping Posts: 414 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Very nice! The new pioneer double-DIN units are by far the best looking of the lot today both externally and feature-wise. How about theft protection for these units? Is it only PIN code? I would be awfully nervous about having a £1k HU in my dash that is in plain view. __________________ /Erik [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] Rover 75 2.5 V6 Connoisseur

24th September 2008, 15:41	#9
Raistlin Banned 75 CDT Connoisseur SE Auto Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Wolverhampton Posts: 8,450 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Nice looking result But then I would say that wouldn't I? Did you make any radical differences to the way Eammon and I arranged the fixings for the fascia or how the HU is supported in the console? I believe that part of the boot up time is the gyro erecting and and the initial comparison between short term (GPS) and long term (gyro and speed sensor) information. On my BT3HD, the audio is available almost instantly, although not the audio display of course. DO you find the IPOD playlist search slow? Last edited by Raistlin; 24th September 2008 at 15:48..

24th September 2008, 13:11	#3
Simon Banned - Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: - Posts: 10,318 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	Looking very smart there. A nice install with excellent pictures and details. Great first post. Oh, where's my manners - welcome to the forums

24th September 2008, 13:25	#4
Lysdexic Newbie MG ZT 2.5 V6 Auto (Mk1), MG ZT 2Litre CDTI Diesel Manual (Mk2) Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Slap bang in the middle of Scotland on a farm near Stirling. Posts: 20 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hi Trebor, I got the unit from Halfords. I bought it during a recent sale and got 20% off the normal price of £800, so I ended up paying £639.99 I've seen this unit for sale at a shade under £1000 - so shop around. Although Halfords have this model on display in all their shops, they are like gold-dust if you actually want to buy one. I had to get mine delivered from their Inverness branch as no other branches in Central Scotland had any in stock. I recently added a rear-view camera to the unit (I used Halfords own brand and it works with no problems). I mounted the camera on underside of the boot-lid moulding (above the number plate). The camera kicks in when you select reverse and has a nice wide-angle view.

24th September 2008, 13:41	#6
rt2 Banned Rover 75 Tourer 2.5 connoisseur se in moonstone manual Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Surely you would be just as nervous with a factory fit BM widescreen? As long as you tell your ins co there should not be a problem with cover for aftermarket units. Pioneer are good but i have a Kenwood in the Saab & it is excellent tv, ipod, dvd/cd playback, radio & nav inc tmc.

24th September 2008, 21:55	#10
Lysdexic Newbie MG ZT 2.5 V6 Auto (Mk1), MG ZT 2Litre CDTI Diesel Manual (Mk2) Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Slap bang in the middle of Scotland on a farm near Stirling. Posts: 20 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks for all the feedback peeps. The pioneer is a pretty effective thief magnet for sure. I'm working on a faceplate made from a sheet of thin aluminium. If all goes well, I should be able to bend it to conform to the shape of the fascia. The final step would be to either cover the whole fascia with the plate or make it fit into the recess area only. A bit of matte black paint and all should be well. Raistlin, the mounting hardware is identical to your set up, ie, the two top mounting points were bent into shape from right angled brackets (got them from B&Q), and the two bottom clips were made from the same stuff - as per the method in the link. The main difference is that I used an MDF plate to mount the brackets onto. A double-din sized hole was made in this plate to accommodate the nav unit's cage which was secured by bending the tabs all the way round. This arrangement was very strong and made it easy to install the complete assembly. I then made some wooden blocks which fitted snugly inside the fascia sides (the fascia I used was hollow - not solid). I mounted these blocks onto the MDF, then used double-sided tape to secure the fascia to the blocks. Finally, I had a thin gap between the fascia opening and the nav unit. A bezel was supplied with the unit, but it wouldn't fit the fascia. I had a bit of a think and hit on the following idea. I tool a length of black pvc electrical flex. I pulled the two wires from inside the flex, leaving a black plastic tube. I used a flat blade screwdriver to gently push the empty flex into the gap between the unit and the fascia aperture. The result was a snug fit all the way round which also helped to secure the fascia in place (honestly, it takes a lot of effort to get it off!). If you look closely at the 4th picture, you will see the pvc trim between the unit and the fascia. If anyone wants to have a go at this way of mounting their unit, I'll knock up some drawings to explain things a bit better.