I'm new on here having just bought my first T5, a 2004 LWB model.
I'm on the lookout for a double din DVD head unit and having read various posts on here I'm swaying towards the Pioneer AVH-3500DAB one. Earlier today I called into my local Halfords to enquire about ordering one and was told that I would need £120 comprising of extras including a double din fascia kit (£75) , wiring harness (£20) and aerial adaptor (£25) plus another £30 for installation.
Can anyone who has one of these confirm that I will need all these things and whether I could be picking them up cheaper elsewhere?
You do not need a facia, do you have single din radio? If so you do not need a wiring harness, but if you have a original VW double din then its a quadlock which we charge £14.00, and a phantom aerial adapter £14.00, DAB aerial £20.00 and that's it if you don't require the optional iPod lead....
Paid 29.99 for fitting, 19.99 for Dab aerial, 19.99 for quad block, + free fm aerial adaptor,... Halfrauds in Portsmouth, maybe worth getting a better Dab aerial though
At present I don't have a head unit, just a double din shaped hole (where the previous owner presumably had a head unit that he removed prior to selling) so I think the wiring harness might be necessary.
I think the guy at Halfords said that I would be eligible for a free DAB aerial when I picked up the unit if I ordered it to be collected in store (but I'm not sure that will happen). He also said something about needing a fascia that was not compatible with the cage supplied with the stereo meaning that I would need to fork out on a new cage kit.
I don't have an ipod so won't need the optional ipod lead but it would be good to connect my iPhone 4S if only for charging purposes. Is that a cable that comes with the unit or would I need to buy something as an optional extra?
My one big reservation with this head unit is the lack of a detachable faceplate because I've had 5 head units stolen over the years. Is there anything I can do that will stop someone from easily stealing it?
Re: additional items required to fit this radio, I had the same story from Halfords in that I'd need the DAB aerial (£19.99), the radio loom conversion loom (quoted at £19.99) and the aerial adapter lead (£19.99). The facia panel was mentioned but we discounted that after looking at the dash and checking a few dimensions.
I worked out the DAB aerial was a fair price, but the other 2 bits could be replaced with one of these for £13.99.
This is what I went with in the end and the combined loom/aerial adapter is a good quality item (I have used the vendor before for an iPod adapter to fool the radio into thinking it is a multi-disc player, a psuedo aux in socket..).
The DAB aerial from Halfords works fine in my setup, I've mounted it in the lower left of the windscreen, largely hidden by the tax disc. The aerial needs a power feed (easy to feed up from the dash) and grounding on the vehicle chassis (easy to rub off a small patch of paint on the inner A-pillar as it's a self-adhesive connection and then hide with the trim).
I have a deal on these
Just ordering some
I can honour the £269.99 for a short while
Again it will need some bits to fit
or upgrade to a Calaero aerial if you
think you live in a weak signal area
Just feed it through the blank switch insert if it doesn't have the airbag switch, we notch the trim with a file so its neat...if it has a switch, then drill a neat hole underneath the switch towards the back so you o not see the hole..T:
You need a Facia panel for your T5.1 to accept the square type radio, DAB aerial, maybe a ipod canle if you require one, a phantom aerial adapter, and a quadlock harness...
The aerial will plug directly In without an adaptor
The aerial film in the wing mirror seems to be working fine for DAB, VW couldn't even tell me if it was a dab aerial or not but my original one works!
I put an iPhone lead from the back and put a hole through the top dash bit but when stereo is out you can easily put it into glovebox or through dash front.
Once wired with that, it'll work fine but not turn off, I then found out you need a can bus adapter for that, I got one at my local store in Torquay called Revs and they had to wire it into my quad lock adapter and it works fine, this is what it looks like-
To use the FM you still a phantom aerial adapter as totally different plugs..and you do not need a can bus adapter, as you can pick the correct feed from the fuse box saving you money
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