I'm thinking about taking out my stock HU and putting in a double DIN on my 09 fit sport w/out navi. If I buy it from Crutchfield, does it come with everything that I need? I'm going to try to install it myself.

Also, how hard is it to remove the radio dash on the 09 Fit?

 

if you buy a hu from them you get what you need i got the in dash kit onlyfrom them but i still needed a tool to help pry out the old hu, and yes it is a pain in the butt.the little peice under the raido is a little tricky but not that bad

 

Any tips for that piece under the radio? There's no screws holding that piece in right? Just the tabs.

 

Removing the stock HU is NOT that bad. I can think of ten cars that I'd rather shoot myself in the foot than remove the deck over ours. For the little panel under the HU, go to Harbor Freight or Sears and pick up a set of picks for $3. There should be a "loop" pick or "hook" pick in the set, that will be perfect to remove the panel. Remove the screws (does the GE8 have screws in that panel?) and push UP on the very back of the panel. This will create a gap big enough to put the pick into, and just pull down gently. There should be two clips, one on either side of the panel.

The biggest tip for removing the stock HU is simple. After removing the panel underneath and the bolts that attach the HU to the dash, stick your hand under the deck inside the panel opening. Feel for the big piece, that's the back of the stock HU. This you can push pretty hard, though it's a bit tough to get your leverage right. You're not trying to remove it this way, you're just trying to get the face of the HU off the dash by a centimeter or so. After you've accomplished this, you should be able to get the tips of your fingers into the underside of the HU. Once you've got a good grip, don't just pull, you need to do an "earthquake" action. With your whole body, shake back and forth, starting softly then getting harder bit by bit. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but it works. Once I got the bolts out of mine, I literally had the HU out in under 10 seconds. It just popped out, and I didn't lose any clips or break anything. Once you've done it right the first time, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

 

Nice, did you decide on which unit yet?


Thanks for the tip on where to pick up the picks and some tricks on removing the dash. Hopefully, mine will go as smoothly as yours did.

Another question, I've been going through this forum and reading about the Metra and Scorche kits. Is the one included with Crutchfield anyone of these kits? Or do they supply their own?

 

As far as I know, Metra and Schoshe are the only makers of the dash kit for the Fit. They'll offer one of these two, usually at half price when you buy a new HU. I put the Schoshe in my GD3, and it's acceptable as far as color and fitment. I'm not sure if one is better than the other for the GE8, maybe someone can chime in that has one!

 

the paint match is a little off as well as the opening for the pass airbag light, when i got my first kit it had a BIG, DEEP, cut in the front, but thay shipped me a new one fast( cheep too!)

 

Well, my interest was sparked by the pioneer AVIC-F310BT that was stickied awhile back, but I didn't really like the small screen on that. I'm looking at the pioneer AVH-P4100DVD and the Kenwood DDX514 now.

Anybody have any suggestions?

 

Are you looking for nav or just video playback? If you're looking for nav, and want to keep it cheap, then the Pioneer 310BT can't be beat. But you have to make sure you get the $100 SD card with 12.5 million points of interest from the Pioneer website, other wise the 310BT isn't worth it. But with that card and the built in Bluetooth, it's great. Though, remember, that unit cannot do any video playback at all, from DVD nor from iPod.

If you're looking for just video, then the Pioneer 3100DVD and 4100DVD are great. I'd like the 4100 for the bigger screen, but it's a few hundred more, obviously.

If you're looking for Nav and video, then there's the Kenwoods. The 5140 is the base model and pretty good, but once you touch the 7140 you'll hate the 5140. Bigger screen is for one, but the interface is ten times smoother and better.

My personal favorite that I've seen, though I can't remember the model number, is an Alpine. It was around $1200 I believe, and incredible. Huge 7 inch screen, awesome interface with a million options, great sound and EQ control, but unfortunately no built-in Bluetooth. The mod for it is another $200. Other than that, it was a very nice unit.

And, no, I don't work for Crutchfield! But I do work for a large national competitor! I install car audio/video/security and was a bit wary of removing our HU. Then I did it and used my techniques, only to see it's no worse that an Accord or late 90's Civic. I can understand why most people would think it's hard, many people haven't seen the amount of cars that an installer does.

 

Yea, I saw the 310bt in person at bestbuy the other day and the screen is a little too small for my liking. I don't really need a nav (I could always use my iphone if I get lost).

I'm leaning toward the P4100. I'm already investing a lot of money in the thing, might as well throw in $100 more for a bigger screen. How's the sound quality of the P4100?

 

jensen makes a great dd hu, ck it out Jensen VM9022HDN All In-Dash Car Stereo Receivers Car Stereo Receivers and Head Units Car Audio Car Audio, Video, & GPS Navigation - Sonic Electronix. i have the vm9022 with the nav 101, i love it!

 

All of Pioneer's product have great sound processing. I personally think the 4100 is totally worth the extra money over the 3100. Better screen, more options, it's just a very well rounded unit. You don't have to go for a 4 channel amp if you don't want to while using the 4100, it's got a very high signal to noise ratio, so it sounds great.

I'm personally not a fan of Jensen products. I used to sell them a few years ago, and as soon as we stopped carrying them, everyone that bought one seemed to be coming in to get it repaired or replaced. Though, Jensen is about ten times better than Dual!

 

thanks for the boost in confidence. I might pull the trigger on the 4100 this weekend.

 

No worries! I know what it's like when someone is asking a question you're thinking yourself. I always figure it's better to ask some questions in their thread rather than starting my own!

You were walking about the JVC, right? That particular one is rare, you're right. It gets great reviews, and I've seen early versions of the same model. JVC as a brand, in my opinion, isn't my favorite. But just like with Kenwood, they do a great job on their higher end stuff. I worked with the model that was two before the one you're talking about, and it certainly needed some more work. One thing that pops out to me about the one you're interested in is that it's actually full touch screen, which is great.

In my opinion, it has some advantages and disadvantages. Advantages: single din, so you still have the pocket; it doesn't look like a large double-din player which means it'll be less tempting to thieves; it probably has a removable faceplate, which would be great. Disadvantages: It's pretty damn expensive for a single din. Granted it is a full screen with touch control, but for me personally, if I'm spending that much money, having 7 full widescreen inches is more important than a storage pocket. Though it will probably have more features than a comparable double din in the same price range, so you may get less. Though, if you spend a bit more, you can get my dream double din: Alpine IVA-W505 DVD receiver at Crutchfield.com. That thing freakin rocks, and it's on sale at the moment, which is the lowest price I've ever seen it. It is completely packed full of features. Not really that customizable, but things like streaming from your iPod will show you EVERYTHING about the artist, song and album. I love that thing!

 

Wow, this unit looks amazing, but I could live without the added features that this unit has over the pioneer p4100. For those that has the p4100, how quickly does this unit recognize and control an ipod when connected? I heard from looking through the forum that some unit have lag when initializing or controlling the ipod.

It's my day off today. I might try to dissemble the dash to familiarize myself with the process. How quickly does Crutchfield ship their products?

 

i've had some experience with Jensen. their products are ok but I wouldn't consider one today. They have a cheap feel comparied to Pioneer, Kenwood, or Clarion. Jensen would be more along the lines of Sony, JVC, and one step above Dual.

I've had good experience with Crutchfield in the past. I originally purchased from them, then future car installs went elsewhere and now am back to using crutchfield. They aren't the cheapest but do come in pretty close after shipping and all of the extras. The support/warranty issues that they handle very well make up the difference in cost.

oh... if anyone needs a referral code for first time purchases through Crutchfield, PM me. I think it's $20 off $250 or more.

~SB

 

Alright, I just pulled the trigger on the p4100 this morning

Anybody know what Crutchfield uses for shipping for the free standard shipping?

 

It's UPS Ground, from the east coast.

 

About the iPod cable for the p4100dvd, will it charge my iPhone 3GS? I know it'll probably play it fine.

 

I imagine it would do the same as the USB in the stock HU. I don't know what that behavior is because I still have a 4th gen ipod

My guess is that it would charge just fine, but I have nothing to base that on.