It was a 2 Din kit I purchased on eBay. (pricey but convenient)
97-02 PORSCHE 986 BOXSTER 2 DIN INSTALLATION KIT | eBay

There is a sleeve that mounts to the stereo and it slides in.
Just waiting on the stereo to arrive.. wire it to the adapters and slide it in.
The wiring adapter plugs fit into the stock connectors. (See pics)
T
Attachment 16394
Attachment 16395
Attachment 16396

I also saw that DIN install kit from ebay but the $165 was just too much to swallow when its 75% of the stereo purchase price.

I fabricated my own out of 1/8" aluminum plate (~$10) in 90 minutes, using a metal cutoff wheel in my grinder, a file to finish the sharp corners and some black spray paint so its invisible until I get my plastic in place.

I still need to make a black plastic piece that sits on top of the aluminum to finish it off.

The Kenwood I fitted plugges straight into the cars ISO connector so no extra splicing was required.

The only extra cable is the amp to phono lead - which I just used the sub amp (front doors) and I used the head units amp for front dash and rear storage box speakers.

Out of interest, I added screws to my kit to fit the cage to the sides of the dash plastic as I had seen some double dins fitted that appeared to sag after a few weeks running around meaning that the head unit was tipping upwards as a result.

David

HELP.... Can anyone tell how to get my speacker wire to the front trunk? I have 04 S with BOSE AMP, trying to bypass and connect to the speaker direct. I ran a couple wires from the unit over the top just to test and they work fine. Just cant see a way from the back of the HU to the FTrunk.

All back together.. had everything ready when the radio showed up.
Installed it on my lunch hour... Sounds excellent..
Kenwood DNX6190HD
Attachment 16414
Attachment 16415

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but I'm contemplating an install and had some questions. Who better to ask than the members that have already done this?

I'd like to put the climate control in the upper compartment. Any cons to this? And do I need to trim the plastic in the housing as shown in the photo below?

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t...t2/Cuttoff.jpg
Bottom of climate control gets hung up on this plastic. Looks like about an inch needs to be trimmed off.

And regardless if I put the climate control on the top or bottom, it looks like you have to trim off those two plastic "guides" on the bottom, as shown in the photo.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t...t2/TrimOff.jpg
It looks like if you don't trim these two nubs off, the batwing won't fit back on.


These installations look great! I'm inspired.

While you could cut and trim that slot, if you look closely, there are no screw holes for securing the climate control in that slot.
That slot was designed for the CD holder or tray.
The climate controls is normally located on the top slot (cup holder) or bottom slot
my 2 cents..

Why not just run wires from the head unit to the speakers?

Much shorter cable runs and 5 mmins to do the job.

David

Thanks, I will do that ....

Remove the battery. There is a large rubber plug that leads into the driver's side below the steering wheel. Easy path to the head unit. And to the left of the battery (facing from the front), there is a plug that leads from the battery compartment to the frunk. And there's already a cutout in the carpet for the wires.

I believe this is much easier then running wires directly from the head unit to the speakers. I just did this yesterday. Pulled the harness that attached to the amp. Figured out which pins go to which speakers, and then ran my new speaker wire to these pins (bought male pins, soldered and shrink wrapped, and then inserted these pins into the female plug that used to go to the factory amp).

Yes I found it, Thanks. and Im now complete. Sounds great even the BOSE SUB sounds great from the HU. Will add new amp later if needed.

Any one know how to get the PORSCHE emblem and TAG on the Display? I check what was on the unit and did not see the one JB and others used.

Here is how I routed the GPS antenna. No Drilling or mods required and the cable and antenna is virtually 100% invisible to the driver and passenger.

I simply tucked it into the joints with a screw driver about 1/4" and it disappeared completely except for a short section that blends with the existing trim anyway, where it goes from the steering wheel to the left button pads.

You pull the two button strips out, undo the 4 screws holding the plastic vent/trim out a few inches and route the cable into the area behind the stereo unit and make the connection.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x.../CIMG3449b.JPG

Just add some double sided tape to the GPS antenna and stick it to the dash behind the instruments.
GPS Antenna before the cable was tucked into the panel joints.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-K.../CIMG3445b.JPG


The Amp/ignition interference that I initially had with the speaker wires, went away once I taped (Black electricians tape) all the bare phono plug ends and other exposed wires.

They must have been touching each other or the chassis and picking up the interference. It sounds crystal clear now. :)

Just need to route the backup camera and finish the plastic trim above the radio.

The last thing will be to play with the WIN CE6 OS and see what software, logos etc I can add to enhance its use.

SoloBox1:
If your referring to the Porsche logo on the display, this is just a jpeg file I got off the web.
The Kenwood allows for changing the background image with a jpeg file.
You use the USB port on the radio to connect to a USB memory stick to load the image to assign as the background display.
Hope that helps.
T

I went ahead and bought this with the installation kit today.
Delivery comes in sometime next week. I'm gonna try to DIY, but something tells me with my mechanical skills that I'll probably get a friend or someone else to do it haha

But I'm very excited.

Awesome Chronos, I think in retrospect the install was not very difficult at all.

The result is a great touch screen unit that adds some higher technology to a great car. It also gives you some stuff to fiddle with and impress your friends while your waiting for your turn on the AX grid.

Gotta get that lap timer/analyzer going on this unit.

I have been quietly researching the WinCE6 aspect of my unit and have a few things to try so that I can expand its utility with additional software.

I want the Porsche Logo to appear on Startup and in the background too and arrange the buttons around it.

From what I read so far it sounds doable.

I'll post when I make some more progress.

I think this will be the route I take come winter. Please let me know of any issues you run into when getting it wired and installed!!

I installed mine under the central thingy next to the windscreen... very easy and invisible as it fits under the plastic cover.

You can access that area of the dash when the head unit is out the dash.


http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/i.../CIMG3449b.jpg

So you got the ebay double din and the ebay install kit that is $165?

Yup. About $400 total with shipping.

The items came in today! I'm so happy. Gonna start the project (and hopefully finish) tonight. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

So I got everything to hook up and work. The system is a little... slow... and I haven't really tested out the navigation yet. Bluetooth works fine, and I'm happy about that.

However, my sound does not work! I've checked the speakers (Vehicle Harness C, the yellow one) time and time again, and I don't know what the middle right wire is. It says System Remote Turn On (AMP), but my navigation system doesn't have a wire that hooks up to that. The speakers are all hooked up correctly, as i've checked them multiple times. Any idea?

EDIT: Turns out it was the amp cord. I don't have an AMP, so I just hooked it up to the ACC, and it worked great.

I have mixed feelings about this GPS system, and maybe those of you who bought it can chime in. The radio works great, and the bluetooth phone thing is so-so. I can't seem to make it so that it talks through my car's mic. Instead, it seems to talk through my own phone's mic, and just bluetooths to my car's speakers. I want to be able to talk to my car and have my phone in my pocket, but it's not working like that. I still have to hold the phone and talk to it.
My GPS is just pathetic. The logic sucks, and the roads don't display very efficiently at all. You can travel up to a road and it won't display what it is until you're on it. Not to mention, once you exit out of the navigation, I can't get back INTO navigation. It just won't load.

Did I get a faulty unit? It also seems A LOT slower than the one that jb92563 posted. I'm really quite upset about that. Same exact menus... just slower

Also worth noting, the bezel faceplate that came with the installation kit didn't work. This GPS system is too large. I'm going to have to find another faceplate.

If anyone has a plastic faceplate bezel for GPS systems, or would like to make one, I would happily purchase it from you

thanks for posting the issues with this unit. hopefully someone will post back and have some advice for correcting it. honestly looks like it could be a malfunctioning HU.

Try powering it off for a while and booting everything back up?

The guys at eurospeed motors were nice enough (upon request after a phonecall informing them that I BROKE their bezel faceplate :P ) to send me extra bezel faceplates. I'm gonna experiment with them in order to try to get it to fit this cheap aftermarket unit.

In all seriousness though, I've compared this unit to my brother's kenwood, and there's no competition. There's a reason why this unit is cheap. It just... feels cheap. The buttons aren't responsive, the GPS is buggy as hell, it's slow... Just a lot of stuff that can be improved.

The blue tooth is really cool though, I must say. Hearing my phone calls over the speakers is awesome, even if I still have to talk through my phone.

Crono0001:
Good luck with that unit..

I always had good luck with Kenwood, I have a DNX8120 in my Toyota Tacoma so I stayed with Kenwood. HD Radio, Garmin GPS, Backup cam
Garmin GPS is one of the best in my opinion.

If you contemplate returning that unit, here's a link to the unit I purchased.
Best price I found on the web $625 free shipping and no tax, normally $849 here in Cali.
This unit rocks, iPhone power via cable, HD radio built in, and Pandora
http://rover.ebay.com/ar/1/711-53200...item35bbceb894BRAND NEW KENWOOD DNX6190HD DVD/ GARMIN GPS/IPOD/NAVI/BLUETOOTH & HD RADIO 019048198242 | eBay

I may save up another four hundred dollars for the kenwood. We shall see.

As for the DIY part. It was really straightforward plug and play. If I can do it, ANYBODY can.

The system, although cheap and full of quirks, is still usable. And it does update the look of the car a fair amount. When I finish my faceplate and have everything re-assembled, I will take some pictures.

I do highly recommend the install kit by Eurospeed that you see on e-bay. It may be another $160, but they have some really convenient stuff in there. The cage is solid, and the wiring harnesses fit super easy.

My install
 

I have the same system and had no problems with the unit. The sound is great with the BOSE sound system. I had to by pass the BOSE MOST amp, but it sounds better. I may by a new amp later but I really don't need one. I also got the euro kit and made a few modifications and it fits now. The NAVI works good also, I put the GPS antenna under the alarm cover in the dash where it cant be seen.

After
Attachment 16448

You just trimmed the bottom to make it a little larger right?

I'm starting to think I got a faulty unit since my GPS is ass

Dude, shrink those pics....I can see the individual atoms in your dash! :D

I agree, I will remove them. I have tried to shrink them but it not working. May post later if I can figure out how to make them smaller.

Try Ifranview for resizing. Very simple and quick.

Try using the reset button that is next to the mini usb connection.
You may have to reset multiple times. Its a quirk of Win CE that runs on the Navigation side of this unit.

I have worked with other WinCE devices and they exhibit the same quirk and I sometimes have to reset the unit 3 times after changing files on the navigator SD chip.

If you change any files on GPS chip the system needs a reset.

Also, the SYGIC gps software that I got is licensed for a particular SD chip so you can not just copy it to another chip and expect it to work.

I hope you got a license SYGIC gps system on the original licensed SD chip.

Mine does not have any of the issues yours is showing so something seems amiss with yours.

From everything that I have researched the way these Navigators are set up is that the GPS side is running on WinCE6 and the Radio/video and other stuff is run by another part of the unit and share the screen. If something is slow on the GPS side it probably needs to be reset. The other funtionality should not be slow.

I am actually impressed by the DVD player as it can play cd's that are so scratched up that neither my other car player nor my PC can play them anymore.

The menus although functional seem to lack some pizzaz in my opinion but overall I still think that it funtions as good or better than the $600-$800 units I played with in the store before deciding to go this route.

Sorry that yours is giving you fits, but perhaps after several resets it will behave properly again.

I was just giving you crap. ;)
They are pretty big, though.

After driving around with this GPS unit for a week, I've decided to return it and just upgrade for the full fledged Kenwood :P

Can you give the link/seller where you bought your faulty unit to help others avoid the same fate.

A couple of us are having no issues so anyone following this DIY should try the proven sources first for the cheap Chinese navigators if they want to take that route.

High Tech 7" Motorized Car GPS Navi DVD CD Player USB/SD Ipod Bluetooth+Camera | eBay

This was the link that I used to buy the unit.
To be honest, it doesn't have much to do with the fact that the unit isn't working as promised. That's secondary to what I believe are the bigger issues. Allow me to list some:

The iPod cord that comes with the unit does not charge my iPhone. It only allows me to play music.
The bluetooth microphone is very low quality, and it's not as clear as I want it to be. It is especially muffled when I'm driving and talking through it.
Connection is slow. There is a lot of lag time between menus, and the logic isn't very well refined.
The bluetooth music does not allow me to browse my music or tell me what's playing... Simply a 'barebone' menu is given.

You get what you pay for. It doesn't lie: it offers all of the features listed... It just feels and functions cheaply. And personally, after trying the Kenwood units, I would much rather have that in my car.

I am just about to start a similar install in my '03, similar to yours.

I have a Pioneer SPH-DA100 waiting to be installed along with a Pioneer GM-D9500F amp. My car also has the cupholder above the a/c panel and I want to relocate the a/c controls to where the CD holders are.

http://litby.org/photos/986_cc.jpg

The plan is to take out the CD holders, enlarge the cutout and place the A/C panel there so I can keep the red color bezel.

I have ordered the Connects2 double din kit off eBay. Is this the one you referred to as "rubbish?" They say it is for cars without the cup holder but I figured I can lose the cupholder if necessary.

I also have the Autoleads ISO bypass kit. I have yet to figure out how it routes the speaker connections - the wiring diagram you mention would be a great help.

Are all the speakers powered by the factory amp or is the CR23 head unit powering some of the channels? As I understand it all the speaker connections are present in the multi connector at the factory amp and the bypass harness will plug into the factory amp connector and allow the existing speaker wiring to connect to the replacement amp. But at the head unit end I do not know which speakers get connected to the head unit's amp ouputs. My amp does have the large black connector:

http://litby.org/photos/986_amp.jpg

The way it looks on the Bose amp pinout, ALL speakers are connected to it. So if any of the speakers are powered by the factory head unit, there would just be a bypass through the amp. I hate this Bose stuff :confused:

My plan is to drive the dash and rear mindranges with the head unit's built in amp and use the new amp to power the door speakers and the sub. I will re wire the Bose "subwoofers" in series to get a 4 ohm load and also dampen the rear enclosure while I'm at it.

I also note that the Pio unit you have has the same front panel design as mine - i.e. the display is not flush with the surrounding black frame. How did you get it to sit flush with the dash - did you have to remove the plastic surrounding frame? Did you simply mount the unit deeper into the dash cavity?

AFTER TWO WEEKS OF WAITING!!!!
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...44679857_n.jpg

Got everything installed today. All I can say is... wow. The difference between this and the chinese unit... It's not even comparable (well... considering how this one was 3x the chinese one).

Where to begin where to begin. First, let's re-assess why I returned the chinese brand GPS:
1. The GPS was sketchy. It would take forever to load and wasn't very logical. It also lagged. You couldn't see the streets half the damn time, and if you ever exited the GPS, you couldn't get back into it.
2. The Bluetooth was murky. You couldn't hear me half the time. Phonebooks and contacts were not synced. It was basically a telephone on your car, where you'd have to memorize the number, couldn't see who was calling, and they couldn't hear you anyways.
3. The menu was slow, laggy, and un-intuitive. It also wasn't very pretty.
4. The Bluetooth music sync wasn't also very compatible with my iphone. I could play, pause, and go next track or previous track... That was about it. Perhaps the most glaring problem was the fact that the music would cut in and out, depending on where you iPhone was. If it was in your pocket, the music would lag every few seconds!
5. The included ipod cable, although allowed me to play music, didn't charge my phone.


Now let's look at the Kenwood.
1. The GPS is Garmin. It is fast, reliable, easy to use, and even has updated traffic and street view.
2. The Bluetooth is CRYSTAL CLEAR, EVEN WITH THE TOP DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY! Phonebook is synced. I can go through my contacts, recent calls, and even tells me who is calling when I'm getting a call.
3. The menu is lightning fast, beautiful, and easy to navigate. There's no lag, and no frustration trying to go through the menus.
4. The bluetooth music is complete. I can browse my playlists, songs, artists, etc. It shows my album art, and there is absolutely no lag between songs or during songs. Everything is crystal clear and perfect.
5. The ipod cable (another $30) was able to charge my iphone. Something I was very happy about.

But that's not the best part!
I can use my iphone apps through the Kenwood screen. I can even play youtube videos from my phone on the screen. How amazing is that?

Granted, you're paying 3 times as much, but it is sooooooo worth it. This is coming from someone who has tried both. I would say go for the Kenwood hands down. It's only another $400, and it is worth every penny and some.

@ Crono0001 -

Nice Job!

Looks great