I'm awaiting the arrival of a new 8000NEX unit for my 2008 Hyundai Sante Fe. I've been suffering along with zero phone connectivity for the past couple of years and can't wait to spoil my ears on my next long drive. 

I've been contemplating installing the unit myself and wanted to see if anyone could shed some light on their experience. I am tinkerer, a builder, I love taking things apart and putting them back together. I have a good understanding of the disassembly of my dash (thanks to YouTube) but I am a little hesitant with what seems like a lot of wiring - power, liner converter to amp, steering wheel control, etc)  - can anyone out there let me know how laborious the process is? Are the instructions with each piece of equipment adequate? Are there any danger zones I might run into?

Just looking to save some money on the install (and time, hard to get car away with job, etc) and wondering if this is too big a job or fairly easy with the right focus.

Thanks!

It sounds like you have little experience if any installing head units.  I remember the days where installing a head unit was simply pulling the OEM, snip and strip a few wires, twist 'em up and you're done.  One, two hours tops.  Nowadays, the high end units with interconnection issues take substantially more time, even for the experienced, especially to do a professional-quality job.

I have no doubts in your ability if you are a tinkerer, builder.  Installing complex systems, the experienced know to have on hand everything necessary... but even then issues pop up they had no contingency plan for and do not have the parts, tools, know-how, immediate remedies, etc.  IMO, aside from experience, preparedness plays an extreme role in minimizing your time and effort (at least for the actual install).

For me, it has never been a big deal to install a new head unit, and that was decades ago without the Internet. If you are a true "tinkerer/builder" and have already disassembled your dash before, this shouldnt be more than a Hyundai Forum search away. FInd the Santa Fe forums, find the audio area, and I bet you will find a "how to" when it comes to wiring Pioneer head units. For the most part, the NEX has the same harnesses as the last generation AVIC X950BH and Z150BH. If you can find how to install one of those, its essentially the same as the NEX8000 (was a perfect swap for my FR-S actually). This forum is mostly for after you have it installed, or final touches. Vehicle specific forums will tell you much more about your personal journey with the Santa Fe.

its not to big of a deal as long as you understand wiring it only took me about an hour to install one in my camaro but i have taken the dash apart more times then i can count and i didnt run the antenna outside. i placed it under the dash pad so its stealth

It kind of depends on how much you want to do and how much you want to spend. I installed my 8000 in my 2010 Ford Edge, but I had never taken the dash apart before. I did a ton of research, and installed the HU many times in my mind, before cracking open the dash. I knew everything I needed to know before hand. I also did it in phases. I installed the backup camera and ran the wires weeks before the actual Pioneer install. I spend a lot of time hiding the wires and making it look stock. I also installed new speakers and an aftermarket powered sub-woofer and ran the power cable etc well in advance. I was also installing a new Sirius module and I make sure I had the proper connections to use the stock Sirus antenna. I researched the best way to bypass the parking break motion sensor. I ended up using a relay, but others have had success with just enableing a setting on the HU. I did both.

As far as the actual 8000 install, I used an aftermarket F01 wiring harness and a maestro rr. So, I wired most of it up on my bench before I cracked the dash. Once the old radio was out, I slid the new one in and hooked up the F01 connection to the factory connection and tightened it all up. For my Ford, I also had to connect to the sync wire, but that was fairly easy.

Best advice would to to research the heck out of it first, and know exactly what you are dong before you start. Take your time before you start, and the job will go very well. The hardest part for me was that first tug as I started pulling the dash out.

Jesus some of these people are going nuts here.

Do it yourself. It isn't hard.

First, get a wiring harness. Everyone from crutchfield to best buy sells them. Saves you a world of trouble because the harness is premade to the wires your car already uses. You then just color match the wires of the harness to the wires of the radio. Added advantage to this is you also don't mess up any of the stock wires trying to wire this radio into your car in such an encroached space.

Second get some wing nuts to actually join the wires. Some people will bitch that it's not the "best connection" but trust me. They are are the solution that is 100% removable and changeable so you can make mistakes without worry of ruining anything. I have been using them for years and they've never given me an issue.

Third, if you have steering wheel controls on your car check to see what form of steering wheel adaptor will work with your car and get it. They are fantastic to have and make your radio feel more oem.

Finally know where your lowes/Home Depot is. There's a tool for every unforeseen issue and that is where you get them. Remember it's better to spend 10-20 bucks buying the right tool for the job than winging it with what you got and messing up your several hundred dollar radio.

Seriously though with a wiring harness a radio install is easy as hell. The harness even is usually labeled for what each cable does.

Best of luck!

Thanks for all the great advice, I really appreciate the time spent writing replies. DP3343 really embodies my spirit, so I think I am going to accept the challenge and do the install myself. Thanks again everyone!

Shop wanted 500 to install speakers, head unit and sub. I went to Crutchfield and with their tools found out everything i needed, then googled each item one by one, and got the best price. After getting everything, the fun began. Speakers first, then sub and amp, then to my desk and went to work on the wire harness. It included bypass, steering wheel control, chime module, gm harness, antenna adapter. Each module had excellant wiring diagram and all wires were color coded and most were marked. I actually cut most wires to reduce excess wire, soldered and shrink wrapped all but the ones with more than one connection, those i soldered and used closed end connectors. The only thing that needed programming was steering wheel module and that was simple. The head unit replacement was really a simple operation(i had to cut a small piece of plastic behind the unit in dash for the unit to slide back all the way). Not only was there a feeling of accomplishment, i took the savings and purchased navi addon, digital tuner, rear view camera, obd2 wifi reader for DashCommand(appradio app), and the necessary appradio adapters(which in my case was apple A/V Adapter, i already had hdmi cable). I ran usb1 to where cig lighter was, everything else to glove compartment.

Jesus some of these people are going nuts here.

Do it yourself. It isn't hard.

First, get a wiring harness. Everyone from crutchfield to best buy sells them. Saves you a world of trouble because the harness is premade to the wires your car already uses. You then just color match the wires of the harness to the wires of the radio. Added advantage to this is you also don't mess up any of the stock wires trying to wire this radio into your car in such an encroached space.

Second get some wing nuts to actually join the wires. Some people will bitch that it's not the "best connection" but trust me. They are are the solution that is 100% removable and changeable so you can make mistakes without worry of ruining anything. I have been using them for years and they've never given me an issue.

Third, if you have steering wheel controls on your car check to see what form of steering wheel adaptor will work with your car and get it. They are fantastic to have and make your radio feel more oem.

Finally know where your lowes/Home Depot is. There's a tool for every unforeseen issue and that is where you get them. Remember it's better to spend 10-20 bucks buying the right tool for the job than winging it with what you got and messing up your several hundred dollar radio.

Seriously though with a wiring harness a radio install is easy as hell. The harness even is usually labeled for what each cable does.

Best of luck!

I agree, it's really is not that hard. But it is good to do as much research as you can before starting. Each car is a little differnt. Crutchfield is a fantastic resource. I used them to buy some parts for my install. They are little on the pricy side, but those guys know what they are doing, and their support team is top notch.

I agree, it's really is not that hard. But it is good to do as much research as you can before starting. Each car is a little differnt. Crutchfield is a fantastic resource. I used them to buy some parts for my install. They are little on the pricy side, but those guys know what they are doing, and their support team is top notch.

My first Appradio died, the sent another one to me well outside of my 90 days. Just asked me to return the old one. Awesome company and yeah, their team really knows their stuff.

Jesus some of these people are going nuts here.

 

Do it yourself. It isn't hard.

 

First, get a wiring harness. Everyone from crutchfield to best buy sells them. Saves you a world of trouble because the harness is premade to the wires your car already uses. You then just color match the wires of the harness to the wires of the radio. Added advantage to this is you also don't mess up any of the stock wires trying to wire this radio into your car in such an encroached space.

 

Second get some wing nuts to actually join the wires. Some people will bitch that it's not the "best connection" but trust me. They are are the solution that is 100% removable and changeable so you can make mistakes without worry of ruining anything. I have been using them for years and they've never given me an issue.

 

Third, if you have steering wheel controls on your car check to see what form of steering wheel adaptor will work with your car and get it. They are fantastic to have and make your radio feel more oem.

 

Finally know where your lowes/Home Depot is. There's a tool for every unforeseen issue and that is where you get them. Remember it's better to spend 10-20 bucks buying the right tool for the job than winging it with what you got and messing up your several hundred dollar radio.

 

Seriously though with a wiring harness a radio install is easy as hell. The harness even is usually labeled for what each cable does.

 

Best of luck!

Wingnuts? What are they?

If you're referring to wire nuts, there is no real automotive application for them. They are for residential and commercial electrical applications where there is no movement once the connection is made. The same can not be said about cars. PIDG butt splices are marginally better, but require the proper tool. The $5 Home Depot crimping tool is not the proper tool. The correct way to join two wires in a mobile application is solder and heat shrink.

The advice to find a forum...several would be better... for your car is good. I just put a non AVIC Pioneer unit in my niece's Volvo, and would have been well served to have known to disconnect the negative battery cable before taking out the A/C control head. I would have not set off the airbag warning that way. In my Pontiac, not using a LAN interface would set off a radio theft warning. You don't need to find a NEX specific installation as most all of the AVIC series install the same basic way.

Crutchfield is a great source of information. If their site tells you that you'll need this interface or that harness, you'd be well served to get it.

Beyond that, most aftermarket audio equipment manufacturers use a standardized wire coloring system. Do not take that to the bank, however. Sometimes you'll get lucky and your OEM will use many of the same colors.

It's really not rocket science. You may find that taking the car's interior apart and putting it back together without breaking anything or introducing a new rattle will be the hardest part of the job.

if your going to do it yourself make sure you get the proper wiring harness for it. Your vehicle might have the premium system, if it does then you will need the wire harness that powers up the amp in your car. If you ordered a harness for a standard non premium system vehicle, you might get no sound.