New Radio/Sat Nav/Ipod/TV/Camera

[Blobcat]

The radio in our Caravelle was pretty poor so for Christmas I fitted a new Kenwood DNX8220BT. It is a double din touch screen unit and whilst it is in no way a direct replacement it does with much shouting and application of saw and dremel tool fit into the current slot flush. It never went above freezing the 2.5 afternoons I spent doing the work so I worked fairly fast to stay warm

Firstly I disconnected the battery so I didn't get any SRS warning lights when I removed the drivers seat as I fitted the Digital TV receiver under the seat.

The rear view camera fits at the top of the rear door and as a pain to feed through the rubber umbilical. I took the camera apart and the connector to get it to fit through. I then used silicon polish on the lead so it would slide through.

Next I fitted the DTV Antennas in the back windows facing forward on the passenger side

and facing back on the drivers side

 

[Blobcat]

Lead for the Ipod fitted into the glove box. Rather than have a large hole and a grommet I removed the airbag switch and cut a channel in the surround so the lead comes out just below it.

OE VAG wiring with previous owners mod. I tried 3 different harness adaptors until I found one which gave me all the correct pickups. +12v for the radio Antenna was the one I forgot initially. I still had to get a lights on, a reversing light and a handbrake on signal to enable the unit to dim, the rear-view camera to work and the TV to only work with the handbrake on. The Caravelle has a 10.5" screen with DVD in the back as a dealer fit option. It was never correctly fitted and the dome lights and dimmer never worked on that. I found the wires hanging loose by the drivers foot-well so when I connected up my radio I connect that as well.
The lights on connection was the hardest to find as I had to get to the back of the light switch which is plastic welded in to check for the correct wires. A bent piece of 2.5mm house mains cable attached to my multimeter enable me to test each connector until I found the right one.
You can see the TV remote in the picture

next

I also fitted the microphone for the bluetooth phone kit in the over head console along with the IR remote sensor for the TV remote control and the GPS antenna on the passenger side dash under the VED disc.

Hardest bit was getting the drivers side foot-well trim to fit back on with all the new wires going through and getting the head unit to fit. It wasn't the head unit that was the issue it is the number of wires going into the back of it that is the problem.

I can now pick up 26+channels of shopping TV sat outside the house
I may also have fitted a couple of switches to enable the rear-view camera to be always on and the TV to work. However if I had fitted them they would be for testing purposes only.

 

[Blobcat]

I will have to take some pictures of the unit in and working as it is very flash. The Garmin Sat Nav is excellent with full post code search and pre-loaded all of Europe. The Bluetooth downloads phone book and SMS messages for up to 5 phones and one of the nicest features is that we can have a separate source being played in the back of the car from the front. The girls can now listen to their DVD player in the back whilst we can have what we want on in the front.

 

[television]

I can see that you will not bother picking up the 211 once you have done this, good fun isnt it

 

[Blobcat]

A few pictures of the unit in operation;

Source select screen;

Garmin Sat Nav;

Rear View Camera, I just found the setting yesterday to make it come on automatically when selecting reverse;

You can not get enough Pepper Pig IMO;

 

[television]

What a nice neat job and very well done. Shall I take out my Comand and put one of those in, makes you think

Congrats to you young man

 

[Blobcat]

What a nice neat job and very well done. Shall I take out my Comand and put one of those in, makes you think

Congrats to you young man

If I didn't have comand I would think about it seriously, the E220 I have at the moment doesn't have comand and I do miss it. Comand is better integrated into the car however I think this unit does more although as fitted above Comand would be cheaper.

 

[jubhi]

Nice job, looks factory fitted.

 

[davidsl500]

Good Job Blob. I think you deserve a medal just for working outdoors in the freezing cold over christmas for 2.5 afternoons ! I was going to do bits and pieces to the SL but came in after an hour or so as I couldn't grip anything anymore!

 

[television]

! I was going to do bits and pieces to the SL but came in after an hour or so as I couldn't grip anything anymore!

Never mind it will be better next year

 

[Mr Teddy Bear]

?..................................iT IS NEXT YEAR!!!!!

 

[TheJokerR]

WOW is all I can say! Done a few stereo installations in cars before, but this is in a totally different league, without cluttering the car with pointless sub-woofers or neon-tubes. Love it!

(draws one more line for the Caravelle)