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ok i'm about to go on a journey i've never been on before. installing a double din in my 97 c5 base. have installed radios in the past but nothing like this. i have watched enough videos to the point i'm getting very confused. don't want to refinance the home to do this. what i'm looking at right now (and this can change) is a jvc kw-m180bt. i would like the simplest install i can get. the guys at best buy said i would need a model roem-vet1 interface and a metra antenna adapter model 40-gm10 and a pac-locPro 4 channel line output converter model lp6-4. already have the console on the way. fairly good at garage welding and soldering and good at reading directions. installed jbl gx628 rears and jblgx328 fronts and did the right polarity for them last summer. also installed a back-up camera last year. does this sound like i'm on the right track? btw i have a flip phone and love it. i will appreciate any advice and thanks in advance.
One thing I cannot overstate, if you want to remove your OEM radio bezel intact, with no broken tabs, and that is be absolutely certain you have removed ALL the screws on the radio bezel. Many miss the one screw behind that little, vented, square cover. It's near the ignition switch, and has the interior air temp sensor directly behind it (on climate control models). There's also one behind the ashtray that some miss. When I installed my DD, I used a cutoff wheel on a pneumatic die grinder to remove the steel cross brace that runs under the OEM radio. Hope this helps.....
hi grinder11. yes i've had mine off several times.first was the school of hard knocks. ok after that. yes everything helps. always wondered if the temp sensor fit good in the pipe where it's supposed to go. really can't see it go in there. thanks again
i have a flip phone and love it. i will appreciate any advice...
Get a smart phone. Texting on a flip phone is a huge pita. A smart phone will have the ability to silence unknown callers (no more spammers calling daily, limits their ability to scam you), have navigation integrated, allow you to look up any information available on the internet with a simple voice command, and use hundreds of different apps in case you can't wait until you get home to play the slots.
My double-din was taller than the stock radio. I had to remove the bracket under the radio by drilling out the rivets, then relocating it lower with self-tapping screws. More work than planned, but not that difficult.
thanks for the info. did you have the console for the double din? i have the console on the way here in the mail. have not bought a dd radio yet and would like to get one that is an easy plug and play if thats possible. thanks again
yes i will do that. starting to find some good lnfo. thanks
I did go the Crutchfield route and everything went as they said. I have a 98 hatchback and the Bose system sounds great- i wanted to play data and did a simple swap with a single din and needed the antenna extender , the Bose interface and had them make the conversion harness. As i remember it was all in a kit for the C5. Super easy. Good Luck
thanks for the info. did you have the console for the double din? i have the console on the way here in the mail. have not bought a dd radio yet and would like to get one that is an easy plug and play if thats possible. thanks again
Get a radio that has a shallow mounting depth, that way you don't have to chop up the stock radio mount. Alpine makes one that's about $300. There are others for that and.less.
Consider getting new speakers and tossing the Bose system all together. I had the ROEM interface and was disappointed every time I got in the car. It sounds like mush.
Over the last two weeks I’ve been pulling out the ROEM, the Bose Door speakers/amp, and rear speakers. I replaced the door speakers with 6.5 components and the rear speakers with 5.25. I added a sub in the rear floor compartment and two amps. The sound is incredible and I haven’t really tuned it yet.
Totally night and day difference from the ROEM. I’d never do that interface again.
Consider getting new speakers and tossing the Bose system all together. I had the ROEM interface and was disappointed every time I got in the car. It sounds like mush.
Over the last two weeks I’ve been pulling out the ROEM, the Bose Door speakers/amp, and rear speakers. I replaced the door speakers with 6.5 components and the rear speakers with 5.25. I added a sub in the rear floor compartment and two amps. The sound is incredible and I haven’t really tuned it yet.
Totally night and day difference from the ROEM. I’d never do that interface again.
Care to share a few more details on your install, maybe some pictures too? I am majorly disappointed in the factory Bose speakers and amps when tied into my new DD unit. I am looking at 6 or 6.5" components for the doors and decent mid-bass range woofers for the rear pillar areas and perhaps a small sub way back with a 5 channel amp. I am most curious about the doors really, and what fits and what may not, if a new speaker plate is needed, etc. I am kinda hoping to figure it out before I take the door panels off again.
There was a thread that had a pretty good PDF walking through everything involved. Do some searching and see if you can find that.
Also supposedly Crutchfield is pretty helpful with installs if you buy the parts from them.
+1 for Cruchfield. There is cutting involved for a true DD, but the Cruchfields instructions I have do not mentioned how to do that. I have the PDF that Cruchfield sent me but can't seem to post it here. DM me if you want that pdf.
Yes it is!
Don't forget the Back-Up Cam... While you're in there.
I used a cheap ATOTO ... Back-Up Cam, 2 BT's, GPS (In an A Pillar). Was not hard. I rarely listen to music in my C5 though. The Hands Free phone with Mic clipped to the visor is nice. Yes, get rid of the Flip Fone - you won't regret that either. There is software that mirrors what's on the phone screen that is very cool. The new head units are just Tablet PC's with phone included. Powerful!!
Yes it is!
Don't forget the Back-Up Cam... While you're in there.
I used a cheap ATOTO ... Back-Up Cam, 2 BT's, GPS (In an A Pillar). Was not hard. I rarely listen to music in my C5 though. The Hands Free phone with Mic clipped to the visor is nice. Yes, get rid of the Flip Fone - you won't regret that either. There is software that mirrors what's on the phone screen that is very cool. The new head units are just Tablet PC's with phone included. Powerful!!
Yeah I forgot to mention the backup camera. Unreal how useful that is. This was the backup cam I purchased.
double din install
