How to fit a double-din nav radio into a 98-03 x308 XJ8
#82
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Ah! Your second picture was a little blurry, and I was sure that looked like an 8.
Looks like it's the exact same shape as the one I linked earlier. I didn't realise they had a second model that looked like this. Great to know!
I wonder what the differences are between the W997D and the W967HD I posted.
Looks like it's the exact same shape as the one I linked earlier. I didn't realise they had a second model that looked like this. Great to know!
I wonder what the differences are between the W997D and the W967HD I posted.
#83
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Looks like it has a different radio set-up, mine has AM/FM and DAB, this looks to have the US based satellite and HD radio options.
The reason they're double din screen in a single din chassis is that they don't play CD/DVD and the mechanical drive mechanism and reader has been removed.
If you want DVD playback there's an extra stow away unit that you can hide in the boot/glovebox and connect to the HU.
The reason they're double din screen in a single din chassis is that they don't play CD/DVD and the mechanical drive mechanism and reader has been removed.
If you want DVD playback there's an extra stow away unit that you can hide in the boot/glovebox and connect to the HU.
#84
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![](https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jaguarforums.com-vbulletin/1502x1308/pic_1_c22d108ef43bac1b07f91dd4a88319d4633f05ae.jpg)
cut xmember - modify a/c vent
![](https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jaguarforums.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/pic_2_c2eb91addf6ef39306d2002bae49353af690f868.jpg)
piece of xmember that was removed
![](https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jaguarforums.com-vbulletin/1268x1110/the_hole_2555e74986a1f382456e2b039a67d11b9d97a50c.jpg)
new xmember
![](https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jaguarforums.com-vbulletin/1860x2000/wiring_0900856d41d77f284387458cb5e43c8677593e5a.jpg)
dogs breakfast - there is no room for all the wiring, plus the Air bag processor
![](https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jaguarforums.com-vbulletin/1500x790/dscf1843_d2e37607de63c3b74c2d18b7e98aef82361703c2.jpg)
new face plate before bending
![](https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jaguarforums.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/dscf1845_0e8c3f772eb20d38fdccb4a5be4100229e7078e7.jpg)
my foot -but you can see how much lower the opening is, in relationship to the shifter
![](https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jaguarforums.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/dscf1846_0b0d67d23c1f1329eceef1b40297c9b25dc8917a.jpg)
had to fibreglass centre console because the facure was lower and more recessed than original - also had to remove material from A/C vent and remake it with 1mm alloy and **** loads of Sika291 - both top corners
![](https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jaguarforums.com-vbulletin/1000x1609/dscf1850_207f2d58ce0305c368c42434f6cb8589d94fb7b5.jpg)
note the bend at the front of the shifter, I needed to lower it about 16 - 20mm. There is enough trim glued on unseen side to peel it back and fibreglass extended wings(?)
![](https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jaguarforums.com-vbulletin/1200x1600/dvd_nav_6b4135d96cad9097daf60d0530bd3b9961fc5033.jpg)
it looks factory fitted
my advice - make sure you are competent before you attack it.
Took me 35-40 hours plus lots of stress and tequila.
For some reason, I had the idea mine us 8" -( not 100%)
Last edited by dc4prez; 06-19-2017 at 10:54 AM. Reason: additional info
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Milowokie (06-21-2017)
#85
#86
#88
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Been following this thread forever trying to build up courage and not embarrass myself... but I haven't yet. ![Smile](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
In the interim, I installed a new stereo in my Saab Viggen and thought it might benefit the adventurous here.
A Chinese company called Joying makes an Android-based head unit that combined a shallow-depth single-DIN chassis with a 6.2" display. The two are connected with a 4" long ribbon cable and some adjustable brackets, so you can adjust the relative position of the two OR get creative and mount the display 4" away from the chassis.
Here is the main unit:
![](http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/02viggen_joying3.jpg)
The 6.2" display is just a couple mm less than full double-DIN:
![](http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/02viggen_joyingnearlydone.jpg)
The Saab has a double-DIN space in the dash, but the actual hole is about 1/2" less than double-DIN.... it's totally maddening because once you hack up the dash enough to fit a real double-DIN unit, you no longer have any structure to hold it. Derp!
Here are the two parts of the stereo connected to give you an idea about assembly:
![](http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/02viggen_joyingpowertest.jpg)
There is a lot of information about Android head units floating around on the internet... although it's spread all over the place. The thing to remember is that it's *actual* Android, not some proprietary firmware running Android Auto or something like that. It's like a phone or tablet - runs apps from the Play Store, installs APKs, it can multitask. Stuff like that.
The upside is that it's pretty flexible. The downside is that it sometimes is a bit clumsy.![Wink](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif)
Here is my takeaway after a month with this head unit:
Radio app works pretty well. I was surprised how many stations I could pull in even with the antenna down. I generally like the interface, especially the "analog" style radio dial. I thought I would *not* like it, but it proves useful - I could stab a spot on the dial and then use the seek button to get the actual station. Much faster than repeated seeks.
I did not use the nav app much. It comes with iGo, which I know nothing about. It takes a minute to load, about on par with the nav in my '07 CTSV I'd say. So, slower than a new car but still acceptable. It found my location quickly, showed me streets as I drove around. I did not try navigating with it or anything. Chances are I'd be installing Google Maps anyway and using it in offline mode or just mirroring my phone and going that route. Navigation wasn't even on my radar for this purchase. I essentially never use it.
Bluetooth for calls worked pretty well my with Galaxy S7. Clear on both sides. It seemed there was a bit of lag on the stereo's side - ending a call on my phone took probably 15-20 seconds to reflect on the screen. I did not try downloading my contacts (nor would I) and I did not try dialing from the stereo.
Bluetooth audio streaming seemed to work very well. Bluetooth quality was high and I had no problems playing various content from my phone to the stereo - local files, streaming services, web stuff. This is not something I'd ever use - I really don't stream music (gotta conserve my phone battery), I always use flash drives.
I do not care for the "media player." It's just a file browser. It navigated a 128gb flash drive very quickly which I liked. I could not find an easy way to shuffle the entire drive - it may exist, I just didn't see it. It's very bare bones, just gets the job done. It seems most people using these types of head units use an app called PowerAmp, and I aim to give that a try. Playing MP3s from flash drives is 90% what I do with a stereo, this feature working well is critical to me.
In general, even this 1gb version is very fast starting up and switching between apps, except the nav app as I noted earlier. I'm totally satisfied with its performance. I am slightly concerned about battery consumption. During brief period of disuse (overnight, etc.) the stereo is in "sleep" mode and not actually off. After a prolonged period of inactivity OR when system voltage drops too low it will actually shut down. The upside is that day to day startups are *instantaneous* versus a 45-second boot. The downside is battery consumption. In the picture above, my power supply is showing .008a @ 14v, which is power consumption during sleep. In practice, it'll leave my battery dangerously low after about five days. Since my car often sits unused for a week at a time, I'll need to change that setting to sleep more readily. On a daily driven car, it's zero problem.
The head unit has native support for most steering wheel controls assuming you can intercept the buttons and don't need to read CAN messages. On the Saab the former is trivial - not sure about the X308. I was shocked at how easy programming the steering wheel controls were. Choose a function, hit a button, move on to the next. Interestingly, the volume up and down controls came pre-mapped and worked. The other functions were not mapped. One disappointing thing is that there is no way to change functions with SWCs - I would have liked to use the NXT button on my wheel to switch between radio and MP3, but I couldn't see how to do that. Maybe something I can figure out later...
The only other thing I've really used thus far is Torque Pro, an Android app for OBDII communication. With a Bluetooth dongle in the OBDII port I have a live data display on the head unit for everything the ECM supports, which is kind of neat. This would have been useful in the Jag when my temperature gauge failed.
This is one of those upsides of running actual Android in the car, though I'm not *positive* it offsets all the clumsiness.
However, a while back I installed a Pioneer AVH-X3800BHS in my Suburban, which is a competitively priced & featured double DIN stereo... About $250. It's TFT/USB/BT/aux-in and I have not been terribly happy with it. It works fine, but the menus are clunky, BT audio is goofy, and there are severely limiting choices about how you configure USB & BT... nonsensical stuff. Comparing the two at this point from a functionality standpoint, it's six of one and half dozen of the other. They're each really imperfect. Frankly, I think that's high praise - a no-name Chinese import vs. a Pioneer... Pioneer should clobber it. But it doesn't.
I'm not sure any of this helps anyone, but I thought I'd share in case it does.
![Smile](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
In the interim, I installed a new stereo in my Saab Viggen and thought it might benefit the adventurous here.
A Chinese company called Joying makes an Android-based head unit that combined a shallow-depth single-DIN chassis with a 6.2" display. The two are connected with a 4" long ribbon cable and some adjustable brackets, so you can adjust the relative position of the two OR get creative and mount the display 4" away from the chassis.
Here is the main unit:
![](http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/02viggen_joying3.jpg)
The 6.2" display is just a couple mm less than full double-DIN:
![](http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/02viggen_joyingnearlydone.jpg)
The Saab has a double-DIN space in the dash, but the actual hole is about 1/2" less than double-DIN.... it's totally maddening because once you hack up the dash enough to fit a real double-DIN unit, you no longer have any structure to hold it. Derp!
Here are the two parts of the stereo connected to give you an idea about assembly:
![](http://www.sacsaabs.org/sacsaabs.org/misc/02viggen_joyingpowertest.jpg)
There is a lot of information about Android head units floating around on the internet... although it's spread all over the place. The thing to remember is that it's *actual* Android, not some proprietary firmware running Android Auto or something like that. It's like a phone or tablet - runs apps from the Play Store, installs APKs, it can multitask. Stuff like that.
The upside is that it's pretty flexible. The downside is that it sometimes is a bit clumsy.
![Wink](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif)
Here is my takeaway after a month with this head unit:
Radio app works pretty well. I was surprised how many stations I could pull in even with the antenna down. I generally like the interface, especially the "analog" style radio dial. I thought I would *not* like it, but it proves useful - I could stab a spot on the dial and then use the seek button to get the actual station. Much faster than repeated seeks.
I did not use the nav app much. It comes with iGo, which I know nothing about. It takes a minute to load, about on par with the nav in my '07 CTSV I'd say. So, slower than a new car but still acceptable. It found my location quickly, showed me streets as I drove around. I did not try navigating with it or anything. Chances are I'd be installing Google Maps anyway and using it in offline mode or just mirroring my phone and going that route. Navigation wasn't even on my radar for this purchase. I essentially never use it.
Bluetooth for calls worked pretty well my with Galaxy S7. Clear on both sides. It seemed there was a bit of lag on the stereo's side - ending a call on my phone took probably 15-20 seconds to reflect on the screen. I did not try downloading my contacts (nor would I) and I did not try dialing from the stereo.
Bluetooth audio streaming seemed to work very well. Bluetooth quality was high and I had no problems playing various content from my phone to the stereo - local files, streaming services, web stuff. This is not something I'd ever use - I really don't stream music (gotta conserve my phone battery), I always use flash drives.
I do not care for the "media player." It's just a file browser. It navigated a 128gb flash drive very quickly which I liked. I could not find an easy way to shuffle the entire drive - it may exist, I just didn't see it. It's very bare bones, just gets the job done. It seems most people using these types of head units use an app called PowerAmp, and I aim to give that a try. Playing MP3s from flash drives is 90% what I do with a stereo, this feature working well is critical to me.
In general, even this 1gb version is very fast starting up and switching between apps, except the nav app as I noted earlier. I'm totally satisfied with its performance. I am slightly concerned about battery consumption. During brief period of disuse (overnight, etc.) the stereo is in "sleep" mode and not actually off. After a prolonged period of inactivity OR when system voltage drops too low it will actually shut down. The upside is that day to day startups are *instantaneous* versus a 45-second boot. The downside is battery consumption. In the picture above, my power supply is showing .008a @ 14v, which is power consumption during sleep. In practice, it'll leave my battery dangerously low after about five days. Since my car often sits unused for a week at a time, I'll need to change that setting to sleep more readily. On a daily driven car, it's zero problem.
The head unit has native support for most steering wheel controls assuming you can intercept the buttons and don't need to read CAN messages. On the Saab the former is trivial - not sure about the X308. I was shocked at how easy programming the steering wheel controls were. Choose a function, hit a button, move on to the next. Interestingly, the volume up and down controls came pre-mapped and worked. The other functions were not mapped. One disappointing thing is that there is no way to change functions with SWCs - I would have liked to use the NXT button on my wheel to switch between radio and MP3, but I couldn't see how to do that. Maybe something I can figure out later...
The only other thing I've really used thus far is Torque Pro, an Android app for OBDII communication. With a Bluetooth dongle in the OBDII port I have a live data display on the head unit for everything the ECM supports, which is kind of neat. This would have been useful in the Jag when my temperature gauge failed.
![Wink](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif)
However, a while back I installed a Pioneer AVH-X3800BHS in my Suburban, which is a competitively priced & featured double DIN stereo... About $250. It's TFT/USB/BT/aux-in and I have not been terribly happy with it. It works fine, but the menus are clunky, BT audio is goofy, and there are severely limiting choices about how you configure USB & BT... nonsensical stuff. Comparing the two at this point from a functionality standpoint, it's six of one and half dozen of the other. They're each really imperfect. Frankly, I think that's high praise - a no-name Chinese import vs. a Pioneer... Pioneer should clobber it. But it doesn't.
I'm not sure any of this helps anyone, but I thought I'd share in case it does.
![Smile](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
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#89
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Yeah, I can see going to a full Android system has advantages, and this is a very interesting story to get there for our cars.
Closer to 'plug and pay' then ever before ....kind of ....
That said, I had a 'smart' double DIN radio unit in my Grand Cherokee (while I lived in China), and it was about the most illogical unit I have ever used, and the only thing always breaking down in 9 year of ownership with terrible customer service.
I hope they learned a thing or two ...
Closer to 'plug and pay' then ever before ....kind of ....
That said, I had a 'smart' double DIN radio unit in my Grand Cherokee (while I lived in China), and it was about the most illogical unit I have ever used, and the only thing always breaking down in 9 year of ownership with terrible customer service.
I hope they learned a thing or two ...
#90
![Default](/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Love it!
Did a quick google and found their website. There are LOTS of options available, but I'm guessing the one you found was the 6" universal single din model?
https://www.carjoying.com/android-6-...reo-1-din.html
Would be really interesting to see if one of the bigger units would fit in our cars. I'm thinking the 7". 8" is probably pushing it a little.
Eg: https://www.carjoying.com/catalog/pr.../category/447/
16GB built-in memory, two USB inputs, Aux input, and 4.1 RCA output... seems like it'd tick a lot of boxes, especially if you run a seperate amp, although the onboard 4x40w(max) output should still outperform the factory headunit comfortably.
(In fact, 40w should give the premium amp a run for it's money too...)
I'm very keen for updates, especially if you do decide to fit one to the Jag
Did a quick google and found their website. There are LOTS of options available, but I'm guessing the one you found was the 6" universal single din model?
https://www.carjoying.com/android-6-...reo-1-din.html
Would be really interesting to see if one of the bigger units would fit in our cars. I'm thinking the 7". 8" is probably pushing it a little.
Eg: https://www.carjoying.com/catalog/pr.../category/447/
16GB built-in memory, two USB inputs, Aux input, and 4.1 RCA output... seems like it'd tick a lot of boxes, especially if you run a seperate amp, although the onboard 4x40w(max) output should still outperform the factory headunit comfortably.
(In fact, 40w should give the premium amp a run for it's money too...)
I'm very keen for updates, especially if you do decide to fit one to the Jag
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CharlzO (12-05-2017)
#91
![Default](/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif)
![Smile](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
The first unit I received (direct from China) was defective - an internal ribbon cable and the VR for the antenna trigger were defective. I exchanged a couple emails with the manufacturer, they gave me a specific point to test on the mainboard with a multimeter and then we agreed it was defective and they replaced it. I did have to pay $38 in return shipping which admittedly sucked, but they were prompt with answers and eager to get the problem sorted.
Overall, it's been a positive experience.
Love it!
Did a quick google and found their website. There are LOTS of options available, but I'm guessing the one you found was the 6" universal single din model?
Would be really interesting to see if one of the bigger units would fit in our cars. I'm thinking the 7". 8" is probably pushing it a little.
16GB built-in memory, two USB inputs, Aux input, and 4.1 RCA output... seems like it'd tick a lot of boxes, especially if you run a seperate amp, although the onboard 4x40w(max) output should still outperform the factory headunit comfortably.
Did a quick google and found their website. There are LOTS of options available, but I'm guessing the one you found was the 6" universal single din model?
Would be really interesting to see if one of the bigger units would fit in our cars. I'm thinking the 7". 8" is probably pushing it a little.
16GB built-in memory, two USB inputs, Aux input, and 4.1 RCA output... seems like it'd tick a lot of boxes, especially if you run a seperate amp, although the onboard 4x40w(max) output should still outperform the factory headunit comfortably.
![Smile](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
The main "flaw" with the single-DIN 6.2" unit I used is that it's only available with 1gb of RAM and 16gb of flash whereas other units are available in a 2gb/32gb combo. I'm not a big multitasker (I mean, I'm ostensibly driving!) so the 1gb RAM isn't an issue, and adding flash storage via USB is cheap, no worries there. It's the smartest car radio I've ever owned.
![Wink](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif)
I don't have *any* expectations for longevity. I suspect an Intel processor running in a car is going to bake itself within a few years, and the hot/cold cycles here in Sacramento will likely murder the LCD (although it's been in the 30s at night and it's been fine in the morning!). We'll see. But I didn't have to cut up my dash *now* and that's worth some money to me. If I have to buy new every few years it'll be fine - in 2020 there will probably be much faster, much better CPUs & Android OSs anyway. I'm used to upgrading computing devices.
![Wink](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif)
Not sure I will ever move on the Jag, but I might. I've been pleasantly surprised thus far... *really* low expectations don't hurt.
![Smile](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
#92
![Default](/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I had a version similar in my e46 a couple years ago, it was an Eonon unit or something like that. Had limitations, but physically it fit, and it did work. Not nearly as polished as an actual phone, but for a basic unit, it was fine. I'm almost tempted to get one of these too, not to fully utilize the maximum Android experiences I can get, but it would be a nice bump up and allow me to Torque from the deck instead of my phone. Saved for the future, for sure.
#93
![Default](/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif)
All I wanted was MP3 support without cutting up my dash, so I'm happy.
Since all these head units are based on Android 6, they also support screen mirroring and such. That's neat, because if so inclined you could do everything on your phone (music, torque, maps, etc.) and just mirror to the bigger display in the car. I haven't messed with that yet, but I probably will eventually. Used in this way, as a hardware platform rather than a software platform, issues with power or polish are almost eliminated... it's just a big display with an amplifier and USB ports for your cell phone.
![Wink](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif)
Since all these head units are based on Android 6, they also support screen mirroring and such. That's neat, because if so inclined you could do everything on your phone (music, torque, maps, etc.) and just mirror to the bigger display in the car. I haven't messed with that yet, but I probably will eventually. Used in this way, as a hardware platform rather than a software platform, issues with power or polish are almost eliminated... it's just a big display with an amplifier and USB ports for your cell phone.
![Wink](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif)
#94
![Default](/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I'm wondering if there's some kind of power saving app you can install which means it actually turns off when you disconnect power, rather than just going to sleep.
I'm in a similar situation where the car isn't used frequently, and battery drainage would be a real issue, even with the substantial battery I've got
I'm in a similar situation where the car isn't used frequently, and battery drainage would be a real issue, even with the substantial battery I've got
#95
![Default](/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif)
My understanding is that timer is a setting in a menu... I just haven't looked yet. The car has so far been fine starting after sitting for a week and I haven't been compelled... but as the weather gets colder and I drive the convertible less frequently, it'll become important.
I'll report back when I finally get it done.
![Smile](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
![Smile](https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
#96
#97
![Default](/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif)
I believe there are a lot better options out there, I would be very worried about butchering someone elses car to the extent I did with mine.
Having said that, mine looks like a factory fitted unit
You are welcome to anything I can offer though
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