Has anyone installed a new head unit in place of the old one, modified the stock plastic, kept the storage unit in place, and generally made the whole thing look as factory as possible? I am looking at an Alpine cda-105. Thanks!
I looked at doing that when I first got my car but decided it would look terrible unless you spend a lot of money on fabrication. If you have the money then it can be done but don't expect it to be cheap. If you are dead set on a double DIN then you don't have many options. I feel for ya.
I miss read the model number on the unit you are interested in. If you are only using a single DIN is there a reason why you do not want to install it in the storage bucket? http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...alth-install-aftermarket-stereo-in-prius.html One of these days I'll tear apart my dash and remap all of the wiring so I can clean that post up.
Read F8L's linked thread. If you really want to pull the stock HU and replace it there is a trim kit available for single DIN installs. Made by Metra (Metra Online | Metra Part # 99-8213 | Toyota Prius Dash kit) and available from either your local car audio place or Crutchfield among other online retailers. It even gives you a second small compartment good for iPods/iPhones, etc. On that same Metra product page they have the PDF manual for how to do the 68 Ohm resistor workaround for the climate control. - D
jeesum crow don, can you swing by my place in DC and help with a little interior work...how long did that noise abatement project take? I assume that you compared the sound mat products carefully, and it looks like you used 2 products, but no Dynamat. Any comments on those materials? Thanks for the confirmation on the Metra part #. I like my little storage bins.
I put a lot of hours into it to be sure. Gets a little obsessive! Road noise management is a bit of a black art I think. After all that effort and expense I'm not totally happy with it. I'll probably keep at it out of interest though. Best places for info and product are Cascade Audio and SoundDeadenerShowdown (SDS). Cascade's website Cascade Audio Engineering has great info, but Sound Deadener Showdown really gets into it and shows how to use less material while getting good results. A great example on a Yaris is here: DIYMA.com - 2008 Yaris Sedan Deadening and Sound System Second Skin has good stuff too, their Damplifier Pro is great CLD. A lot of what they all sell is the same, figuring out cost and coverage differences is the challenge. - D
any opinion on liquid vs solid. I would expect that solid sheet is better but that liquid offers more complete coverage and probably lower overall cost. Are there any spots taht you would leave out next time around as being too labor intensive to be worth it? Thanks for your thoughts!
I've only tried liquid once and I didn't have great results with it and it made quite a mess. I've always used Dynamat Xtreme because that's what our shop carried so the price was right for me. If you plan on using sheets then I would recommend putting material on both the inside and outside the door skin. Just be sure to thoroughly clean all surfaces before applying the sheet or it may peel off over time.