Mrdeli Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Hi everyone, Spent the weekend cleaning and oil changing the new beast. Running and looking great now! Thinking of upgrading the stereo. A dealer has told me that it is difficult to replace, as the fascia is very difficult to fix. The fascia in question here is the one required to convert the opening to a standard double din opening. I wonder if anyone has some tips and also a make and model of fascia trim that gives a good snug fit. I'm leaning to putting in a double din alpine. But would consider a single din, if that fascia adapter works better. I guess I'm equally concerned about the dash looking neat as I am about the sound. Also will I need to change the speakers. As a final thought, if I just change the speakers will that make the sound much better?? Thanks lots. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Hi Mark, Everything you need is in here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 HU is fairly easy to change, don't listen to the dealers :thumbsdown: Upgrading HU improves things greatly Upgrading speakers improves things a little more If you are going to go to the trouble of changing speakers I would recommend getting a decent amp to power them as the Bose one is a bit pants... Sub & amp is pretty pants too... So do what I have done New HU, new speakers, new sub & new amps you would be looking at £1,500+ though Oh and Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 there is a FAQ on all you need to know if changing the stereo viewtopic.php?f=27&t=16403 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Mark, Depends on the year of your Zed as to which Fascia you need. Any specific questions ask away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrdeli Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 Specifically I was looking at putting an alpine double din unit in. I'm not wanting top of the range stuff, but would like to connect my iPod and also improve the sound. I had an alpine head unit a few years back and was very pleased. I would like to keep the dashboard neat however and have read threads where people have ended up with gaps around the new head unit. That would really annoy me. I understand that some facias fit better than others and I'm not opposed to fitting a single din fascia with compartment if these fit better?? I guess I'm wondering whether I will be able to achieve a neat installation with the replacement fascia and also whether I will get a good improvement in sound by just replacing the unit? Is the weak link the head unit, speakers or both? Thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrdeli Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 Ps. My car is none Bose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 As far as I know the actual fascia is not the problem its certain HUs, Alpine units are a good fit I believe with no gap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrdeli Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 Thats good to hear - thanks for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernspeed Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I used the Alpine double din ixa-w407bt. Very good unit but you MUST run a heavier constant live from the fuse box instead of using the original loom constant live. I found out the hard way! Works great with iPhone, iPod ( I have my iPod plugged in in the centre tray and my phone connects automatically (bluetooth). Works with all your phonebook etc. Great fit and integrates with your steering wheel controls. If you're in the south west London, north surrey area try Ian Mays at Quantum AV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleth Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Hi, Im just installing an Alpine ixa-w407bt - can you shed some light over the requirement for a heavier feed, what was the issue /symtom etc Cheers !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrdeli Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 I used the Alpine double din ixa-w407bt. Very good unit but you MUST run a heavier constant live from the fuse box instead of using the original loom constant live. I found out the hard way! Works great with iPhone, iPod ( I have my iPod plugged in in the centre tray and my phone connects automatically (bluetooth). Works with all your phonebook etc. Great fit and integrates with your steering wheel controls. If you're in the south west London, north surrey area try Ian Mays at Quantum AV. Any chance of a photo of your installed head unit? Thanks mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernspeed Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Hi, Im just installing an Alpine ixa-w407bt - can you shed some light over the requirement for a heavier feed, what was the issue /symtom etc Cheers !! When using an iPhone, every start up after installation degraded the functionality of the phone function. After several visits by the installer and conference calls to Alpine technical we sussed it was a minor spike in the constant live feed during cranking. Taking a heavier feed direct from the fuse box in the footwell sorted the problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernspeed Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 I used the Alpine double din ixa-w407bt. Very good unit but you MUST run a heavier constant live from the fuse box instead of using the original loom constant live. I found out the hard way! Works great with iPhone, iPod ( I have my iPod plugged in in the centre tray and my phone connects automatically (bluetooth). Works with all your phonebook etc. Great fit and integrates with your steering wheel controls. If you're in the south west London, north surrey area try Ian Mays at Quantum AV. Any chance of a photo of your installed head unit? Thanks mark I'll try to get one on Friday ..... then figure out how to post it up on here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernspeed Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I used the Alpine double din ixa-w407bt. Very good unit but you MUST run a heavier constant live from the fuse box instead of using the original loom constant live. I found out the hard way! Works great with iPhone, iPod ( I have my iPod plugged in in the centre tray and my phone connects automatically (bluetooth). Works with all your phonebook etc. Great fit and integrates with your steering wheel controls. If you're in the south west London, north surrey area try Ian Mays at Quantum AV. Any chance of a photo of your installed head unit? Thanks mark I haven't set up the date etc since it was last installed so ignore that stuff lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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