Pretty much what mine looks like (very similar HU, too). This adapter will work fine with the lighter plug from the Garmin, because the lighter adapter is dropping the voltage:

http://www.powerwerx.com/adapter-ext...powerpole.html (linked by ou8thisSN)

Or anything similar, really, and you won't have to bust an adapter open. My GPS is wired to the wires behind the lighter socket on the lower passenger side dash, so it switches on/off with the ignition. An inline fuse is always a good idea.

 

I have two final questions:

1.) that lighter in that picture has a 15a fuse built into it, but thats way too high a rating for the garmin, ie if soemthing goes wrong, the garmin will fry before the fuse goes, so I want to get an in line fuse thats rated lower, but im not sure how much lower 3-5amps?

2.) is it SAFE to put a lighter inside the dashboard with the garmin adapter plugged into it? I dont know how 12V DC jacks generate a lot of heat or not, but ideally i'd want it hidden inside, with the wiring of the stereo and stuff, but I absolutely do not want to risk a fire hazard, will it be one? basically do 12v dc sockets heat up or does it only heat up when you add the cigarette lighter accessory?

 

The fuse is fine. Even the quickest short will blow it instantly, assuming the fuse for the car's 12V lighter socket doesn't blow first. If it blows because the GPS has an internal short, then the GPS is already toasted. Disconnect the car's battery, or pull the fuse for the car's lighter socket before splicing into that circuit.

You're not putting a lighter in the dash. That black piece you linked to is just a female socket, just like what's already built into the lower right dash, and at the back end of the center console. There's no heat element, etc. The adapter that comes with the GPS has a small circuit board, to drop the voltage down to the proper level, and it may get a little warm to the touch. Nothing to worry about.

 

yeah i was told the same thing at autozone, where I went to buy a 12 socket and vampire clips. they referred me to radioshack. Ordered the GPS (205w) and the mount.

i guess all i need now to figure out the gauge of wire they ran in the car to make sure its all the same and a tester thing to find the hot wire. i downloaded the service manuals but i cant figure even figure out what any of that stuff is saying..

 

Mine lives in the center console out-of-site.

My whole system was installed to minimize the "STEAL THIS CAR" advertisements with the CD player in the rear map pocket behind the door, the amplifiers where the stock Bose subwoofer was, the front speakers in the stock locations/grills, and a one DIN unit with detachable face plate with built-in GPS.

I don't want some crackhead or kid to smash out my window to grab a GPS or iPod.

 

14 or 16 ga. will be fine. If you tap into the 12V socket on the dash, which is probably your best bet, you can follow the wires and look at them as they plug into the socket. The inner connector is 12V+, while the one connected to the outer barrel of the socket is negative. I did the wiring by sitting upside-down in the passenger seat (head on the floor, knees over the headrest).

 

24-28 gauge is what most of the smaller wires in the car are run with. A GPS or iPod needs about 6-8 watts - figure 0.5 amps or so - and is such a small load that my Uglies book doesn't even begin to cover wire that small. Find some really small speaker "zip" wire and you'll be fine. If you want to carry full 15 amps you'll need 16 gauge copper.

 

True, but the really thin crap is a ***** to strip and splice, and doesn't work well with the 3M taps, which is what it sounds like the ou8thisSN is going to use.

 

there is NO 12V socket near the dash. There's only ONE 12v socket in the back, behind the two seats.

So I will pull the power from the 12v switched wire going into the stock bose radio (once I find it). You are all saying the wire guage is too small for vampire taps? so I should just plan on splicing the old fashioned way?

do any of you have a good way to determine which of the wires in the stock wiring harness is the hot 12v lead? i read on another forum it was the 'light green' wire....

 

I've used the 3M taps with no issues. It looks like you're correct about the light green wire to the radio being 12V+ switched:

http://www.modifiedlife.com/car-ster...6-nissan-350z/

 

thank you for that link and the advice. now I just need to buy an inline fuse, 3m taps, 12v socket and ??? gauge wire to run to the socket. cant wait to get it into my car. Im so sick of listening to the stock radio.

 

6 hours later, I got the PA15-NIS installed. I decided against putting the ipod in the center armrest/console because it was just too far away for me to look and and drive safely. There wasnt any way I could drive and look down. So while I'm not a fan of using the cubby for multiple things (ideally I just wanted the GPS in there), this is a much more functional solution, given I cant really control the iPod comprehensively through the stock bose system (nor do I want to replace the head unit... I kind of like the RDS feature). Any comments/criticsm appreciated. Thanks for answering all of my questions here, you were all a great help.





This is where I put the wiring. I read someone somewhere says the transmission's top part gets very hot, so I made a little 'bed' with the wires to rest the PA15-NIS on. Is it okay how I have it right now?





Finished.

 

Looks great. My '08 is just about back together, so I'll try and get some pics up late tonight. I have the 255W GPS in the cubby, Kenwood DVD receiver, iPhone 4 in the center console (which is OK, because the receiver has iPod controls), Boston component speakers front and rear, JL amps, and a JL subwoofer (in a custom enclosure) where the Blose sub would have been. Lots of FatMat, too, so it was a big project. Here's to hoping it sounds good, as the first fire-up will be in a few hours.

 

cant wait to see it, please take lots of pictures. I'm especially interested on how your subwoofer will sound in the default location because I dont want to lose the already limited trunk space, and I have a perfectly functional alpine r10 and amp just sitting around from my old car.

 

First test sounds pretty good, but I still have to replace all the interior panels and I've got some more FatMat to place. Here are the pics:






I forgot to take a pic of the iPhone cable, but it's in the center console in that compartment with the rollback lid. That's the mono amp for the sub in the glove box, with the 4-channel amp for the main speakers mounted under/behind the glove box. With all the interior panels installed, the system will be basically invisible (except for the receiver), and I only lost a bit of space in the glove box.

 

looks good so far, i hope you take some more pics when you put the car back together completely. How did you learn to take apart the panels so you could run wire? Also, is it possible to place both the 10" sub and an amp in the stock subwoofer location, or will it just get so hot that the amp will eventually overheat?

 

When the car is all back together tonight, it should look like nothing's been done. I am going to use the original Bose grill panel over the sub, but the "Bose" label has been sanded off. My requirements were a stock appearance, no loss of cargo space, and a budget of <$1500 (I spent ~$1200).

The panels all just pull off, no screws involved, and you just have to do them in the correct order. Here's a pretty good guide:

http://liljerk.morpheus.net/350Z/rear_speakers/

I listened to the system last night for maybe an hour or so, at pretty high volumes, and neither of my JL amps even got warm to the touch (YMMV with different gear, of course). If you want good sound, you need to have the sub mounted in the proper size "sealed" enclosure. In other words, if you just bolt a 10" sub in the stock Bose panel, it's still going to sound like crap because that's a "free-air" system. As far as I've heard, you also can't add components to the OEM Bose system, such as different speakers or a sub, because it's all integrated. It's all got to stay together, or it's all got to come out as a unit.

EDIT: Here's a good link on how to run the power cable from the battery:

http://liljerk.morpheus.net/350Z/firewall/

 

oh! no wonder the bose sub sounds like ****... its just hanging in there without an enclosure? and they call that 'better sound through research"? well I listened to the rest of the system with the ipod today, the highs/mids are fine for me, im going to try and integrate my alpine sub and amp the way you did, there has to be some sort of integrator that'll work with stock systems. Someone said the MTX re-q will work in this situation. Anyway good to hear the stock subwoofer location can be worked with.

 

I'm not familiar with the r10 you've got, but I can tell you the maximum dimensions for the type of enclosure I built for my JL sub. The width (left to right) can be 18.5", depth (front to back) can be 12.5", and the height can absolutely be no more than 6.5". You could probably increase the depth of the box, if needed for more volume, by making a trapezoidal (rather than rectangular shape), but the width and height are maxed out. My sub required 0.62 cubic feet of internal volume, but I ended up with ~0.55, so I added about 10 ounces of polyester fiberfill to the enclosure.

 

where did nissan/bose put the stock amplifier for the bose subwoofer? is it behind the subwoofer itself, just in that open space? and what gauge wire did they run to that amplifier.

my questions are related to if I could simply pop my amp into that set up, put together an enclosure for the subwoofer I have and fit it in, without having to have to run new wire from the battery, etc.