Ive had a Z for 4 years now and in a thread I just made, my 2nd stock H/U just died today so Im thinking of an upgrade

I was thinking of getting the Farenheit T-7000MHR screen for my 03's cubby but never wanted an aftermarket H/U cause most are black and I have the medium gray interior...ill upload a pic later, im at work right now. I believe the actual color according to Edmunds is Carbon Silver.

Anyway, my question is does anyone have a headunit that flows well with this color? Or atleast any color other then a black interior? Interested to see what people have that might go well with this color

 

I think it would be difficult locating a H/U that matches the off-black shade exactly. And, even if you can find this, the mounting kit and its trim bezel will be black.

Here’s the deal: Aftermarket products must fit a broad range of interior mounts and colors, and black is the safe color since it “matches” everything without being offensive. Proprietary shades used by various car manufacturers are designed to differentiate the car’s interior, but this makes an exact match nearly impossible for aftermarket additions.

Think of it this way: A near match looks bad, but a contrasting color/shade looks good. That’s why you see aftermarket H/U’s in black or silver, and the same for mounting hardware with finishing/trim bezels. If you want an exact match for a proprietary shade, your best bet is buying an extra console, and “skinning” this. You remove the skin, and apply this to components (i.e., trim-bezel) you place in the car. I doubt that you can easily apply the old skin to the exposed surfaces of your aftermarket H/U.

Here is a solution: Leave your stock H/U in place, and install a Kenwood CarPortal solution. Place the KOS Controller inside one of the large rear cubbies behind the driver or passenger seat, and the KOS LCD screen inside the upper/forward cubby. This way you retain the stock look and color, but add a great radio and any number of components that you operate with the KOS 6.95” touch-screen monitor. Everything matches, and the system is “stock and stealth,” but you have a superior CES delivering great A/V functions. You can add navigation, DVD players, external amps, or whatever. Heck, this works even if your stock H/U goes out (since you don’t need it when using Kenwood’s CarPortal and KOS components). I really like the Kenwood CarPortal system since it never requires removing any of your stock components while allowing you to add anything you want to your CES.

--Spike

 

Black with lacquer finish is out.
Black face with matte or flat finish is a good choice.

 

Cozmo, it doesn't look too bad in person if you pick the right unit. The headunit I replaced my stock one with is just a cheapo no name from Fry's Electronics I picked up for $149 on sale! It's a 7-inch screen so what you see is mostly just screen anyway.

 

^^ Great photo, nice lighting, angle, and technique!

The photo is so good I almost forgot the point... your H/U looks excellent.

--Spike

 

Check out the Clarion CX609. It looks very OEM. The lighting in the image is blue but you can change the illumination.

 

Haha thanks Spike!

 

I agree. This H/U screams quality. It provides the same advantages you get with a high-end single-din, but looks stock in a Z (better than stock for that matter).

Some owners do not like the look of a single-din H/U plugged into a double-din slot, so this is a solution that maintains the stock appearance. It certainly looks better than the cheap fascia on the OEM H/U.

And, as you point out, Clarion H/U’s can exactly match the illumination color of the Z’s instrumentation.

Spike
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EDIT: Something I forgot mentioning. Notice the subtle rolled edge at the top of the Clarion. That feature matches the Z’s console’s “fall-away,” and it really makes this H/U look like a great OEM fit.

 

get the monitor up top and a kenwood dnx-7140

thats what i got and it looks pretty good

 

^^ Nice! Looks really good!

Some people don’t like double LCD’s, but my thinking is: Why not?

--Spike