Hey guys, Ive seen many pics of people doing this and would like to do it myself, but not sure what to do. I want to put a portable navigation unit in my cubby. I have an 08 enth. Not sure which is the best nav unit that would fit in there. Also what would be the best way to mount it so it fits perfect in there and the cubby door can still close? And last question is what would be the best way to power it? Thanks guys!

Still havnt had this question answered, but was looking to buy the Kenwood DPX503 and wondering if it works with steering controls??

 

I prefer Garmin navigation units personally. In terms of what will fit, did you take a ruler and measure the internal dimensions of the cubby and compare that to the size of the navigation units you are looking at? That would be more accurate than anything you are going to find in a thread.

If that is the route you are going to take, drill a hole in the back of the cubby and feed the power cable from the backside. Then go to Radio Shack and buy the female end of a cigarette lighter with open leads. (Tell them you are trying to hardwire an additional cigarette lighter size power source and they will know what you mean) Find a ground and an ignition wire behind the radio to connect that to. You dont have to go too crazy with the mounting. Industrial grade velcro should be sufficient.

Now, why not just buy a head unit that comes with navigation built into it. The cost should be close to a new H/U and a portable GPS. Only benefit you will get from your way is the navigation will be higher up and safer. Most set ups will not allow you to feed the sound from the GPS unit to the H/U and use its speakers.

Lastly, PAC Audio makes a steering wheel control unit (SWI-JACK) for many aftermarket radios. Go to their website and it lists all of the prodcuts and what after market radios they support. That should help you decide on a H/U.

 

I like the Garmin as well. I bought and placed the Garmin Nuvi 760 in the cubby. It fits perfectly and can run wireless once charged. Depending on the model you can also power it thru the accesory charger( cig lighter) . Mine is on passenger side.

 

Hey thanks for the great replies. I am really dissappointed by the Kenwood HU i wanted is not compatible with the SWI-JACK. Any idea to how much those cost?

 

I also bought Garmin Nuvi 760 as it was on sale on Amazon yesterday for $200. I also bought StreetPilot i3 ball mount as mentioned in the other thread (shorter than nuvi's mount) so it fits nicely in the cubby. Also, as jekl mentioned... I will hardwire mine this weekend and I should have the pics by Sunday posted on here.

 

By the way... I did not like the idea of double din head unit with integraded navigation for couple of reasons.

1. Most of the double DIN units that are affordable for people on budget do not offer high volt pre-outs or any good SQ settings.

2. The unit sits so low that is not within 20% of the viewing angle that most GPs manufacturers recommend.

3. Most double DIN headunits do not have a detachable face whereas single din head unit has a detachable face and the navi is hidden in the cubby... great theft protection.

I got Alpine 9887 used off of another forum member for $250 and Garmin Nuvi 760 for $215 including the mount... total cost with female plug from Radioshack will be under $500... WAY cheaper than a decent looking double din head unit

 

I was looking at putting the garmin streetpilot (forgot what model) in there. They have one or two models that have 7" screens. I personally dislike the smaller screens.

 

Is there a cheaper garmin with less features that's about the same size?