Very nice forum!!
I am thinking of getting the Avic-z1 for my 330ci. It has a double din opening, but the lower half isn't deep enough to fit a regular dd unit, without cutting the vents apart. Instead of cutting up my car, I was thinking of removing the screen and installing the main part of the z1 in the glove box or somewhere else and the screen in the dd opening.

When the screen is opened does it look like it could be removed? Also, is it possible to see how the screen is connected (electrically) to the main unit?

Ultimately, I will just have to buy the z1 and try to take it apart. If it can't be done I will have to cut my vent housing. My final goal would be to install the screen so that it is easily removable, which would help in the anti theft department.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Can't be done (or at least, you don't want to spend $2K on a unit and hack it to pieces...

Cut your vents, or get a single DIN with pop out screen - though it's not going to have the feature set of the Z1...

Rick

on something this complex, dont chop it up. there are sensors that have to monitor if the screen is up or down etc. so commands like eject and such wont work right. enless your a signal processing genius, i would get an n3.

thanks for the replies.

you guys are probably right chopping up the z1 is not something i really want to do.

i don't mind modding the vents on my car so much, but i am pretty freaked about putting something like this in my car and not having anyway to protect it from theft.

i wish they could have made the screen detachable or something.

vancouver, like everywhere i am sure, is really bad for auto crime. every car i've owned has been broken in to. my current car is the only car they didn't steal the stereo and the only reason for that is because it is stock.

aren't you guys concerned about theft?

racbor said:

thanks for the replies.

you guys are probably right chopping up the z1 is not something i really want to do.

i don't mind modding the vents on my car so much, but i am pretty freaked about putting something like this in my car and not having anyway to protect it from theft.

i wish they could have made the screen detachable or something.

vancouver, like everywhere i am sure, is really bad for auto crime. every car i've owned has been broken in to. my current car is the only car they didn't steal the stereo and the only reason for that is because it is stock.

aren't you guys concerned about theft?

made a little bracket on and attached it to the back of the head unit and ran a cargo strap to the bracket under my dash its not coming out without having to pull apart the whole dash panel maybe u can do something kind of like this

You can install the main unit in the glove and install a second rear passenger screen in your console, i know you can watch movie with that, but not sure if navigation will display on that too.... it's also not a touch screen.

If your air ducts are plastic, you can use a heat gun to warm them and then put the avic unit in. the ducts will conform to the back of the unit without having to cut holes and cause leaks. This trick worked great for years in chevy trucks when people wanted a bigger speaker than the 4x6 that came stock in the dash. Where there is a will there is a way.

awe rip that thing open, i would do it for you if you are local and custom mount it. i have done it with other pioneers and alpine flipouts, cant be that much harder.

Anonymous said:

awe rip that thing open, i would do it for you if you are local and custom mount it. i have done it with other pioneers and alpine flipouts, cant be that much harder.

Cool, I was hoping that somebody had done tihs sort of thing. Now, for the 20 quesitons...

Were the pioneers double din? Like the Avic-D1/D2?
Do you have any pics of what was involved in ripping them apart?
How was the screen connected (electrically) to the main unit? I mean, was it one of those flimsy fragile ribbon cables?
How did to extend the connections from the main unit to the screen? Did you custom build a cable?
What was the longest distance you extended the main unit from the screen? I am thinking that at some point the signal is going to degrade and could cause problems because most likely the electrical components in the main unit weren't meant to drive the signals over much distance.

phiberoptik said:

made a little bracket on and attached it to the back of the head unit and ran a cargo strap to the bracket under my dash its not coming out without having to pull apart the whole dash panel maybe u can do something kind of like this

That's not a bad idea at all. If I ever decide to do a regular install then I will definitely do something like this.

guest said:

If your air ducts are plastic, you can use a heat gun to warm them and then put the avic unit in. the ducts will conform to the back of the unit without having to cut holes and cause leaks. This trick worked great for years in chevy trucks when people wanted a bigger speaker than the 4x6 that came stock in the dash. Where there is a will there is a way.

Installing the double din in a 3 series seems to be pretty common on the 3 series forums. It is totally doable and I don't think I'll have too much trouble doing it. There are step by step instructions posted now. :)
But installing the screen seperated from the main unit would let me kill two birds with one stone. I would be able to remove the screen for anti-theft reasons (major plus) and I wouldn't have to hack my vent (nice bonus). Auto crime is an epidemic here and if I can't figure out a good way to really protect the z1 I probably won't get one. My car has been broken in to for nothing and when they couldn't find anything they stole my car manuals! This is in the security patrolled parking lot at my work. I don't think a fully exposed Z1 would last more than a month. I'll have the cheese with my whine. :(

Guest said:

You can install the main unit in the glove and install a second rear passenger screen in your console, i know you can watch movie with that, but not sure if navigation will display on that too.... it's also not a touch screen.

I have't looked in to this much, but I don't think I'd want to sacrifice the touch screen abilities. I wish they'd make the z1 with a detachable screen. Then my problems would be solved. I'd just have to make some custom cable to go from the screen to the main unit and I'd be done. Hopefully, all I have to do with the Z1 is get the screen off and then make a custom cable.

Thanks for your responses. I appreciate the thoughts and ideas.

:)

ive seen this done w/ an avic d1 in an acura tsx? whatever the models are. ill try to look for the video of it in action. when the guy pressed open, the bottom compartment would open. he attached the door to the unit, and mounted the screen where the stereo used to work. i think he needed a custom made cable from the screen to the unit, but that was it. the wire that comes w/ it is only a few inches long.

Yo! all the time wasted and a simple search would have yielded the result you are looking for. M3 with a Z1.... :wink:

A bigger challenge would have been getting the Z1 in my X3...Check out the link... :arrow:

http://avic411.com/forum/viewtopic.php? ... hlight=bmw

I haven't confirmed this yet, but according to my local installer you won't have to hack vents in the M3/E46 to get a double din in. He said they've installed DD's in E46's before and they simply heat up the vents and bend them slightly. I have no idea how they do it, but it's worth researching if you go through with the install.

tromar1, that's a nice install, thanks for the link. I am pretty familiar with the vent mods. Check out this DIY http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=359575 I was thinking of installing the screen seperate from the main unit, so that I'd be able to remove the screen as an anti-theft feature and as a bonus I wouldn't have to hack up my vents.

NYRngrs24, I searched around and is this the TSX!! http://www.tsxclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9723
That is a very cool install. Streeteffectz does some really cool stuff. After seeing that I am pretty sure what I want to do can be done.

yup thats it!

Here's my install in an e46. I left the factory radio, lost the sunglass holder / ashtray, and I'm good to go... Oh I used the Alpine setup though...

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=371287

WOW!! That TSX install is TRICK! Where is Streeteffectz located?