I wanted to install a CD player that had plenty of upgrade options, was state of the art, and blended in well with my black interior. I wanted to keep the original speaker locations, and I wasn't looking to 'pimp' out my car's audio system. I just wanted something classy that blended in with the car.

After looking at some cheaper models that were black, such as Clarion and Kenwood, I decided to get the latest and greatest Alpine model. It featured a CD player, capabilities for a Bluetooth hands free wireless phone system, capabilities for hooking up an iPod, satelite radio, etc.

Installing the radio was harder than I expected. Removal of the old radio was fairly simple and took a matter of minutes. The center console had to come out and the passenger kneepad was removed as well.

After taking so much time to cut the DIN hole in the correct size, I slid in the mounting sleeve and it was a tight fit, just what I was looking for. There is no wiggle room for the new unit to bounce or pop out. Notice how I left on my carpeted dash cover to protect my perfect dash from any stray sparks while cutting the bracket to DIN size.

Once installed:

Another shot:

I was happy with the fit and finish of the unit. It felt very well made and sturdy. Once I tested it to make sure everything worked, I started to put the car back together.

The unit looks much better in person than the pictures make it appear. For some reason the camera flash makes it look more grey than black (which isn't so).

What I like best about this unit is the iPod integration. With a single cable, the unit will display all of my songs/playlists on the headunit display, while recharging the iPod at the same time. It will scroll through the iPod songs at fullspeed on the headunit, and the iPod can be stowed away in the glovebox and never has to be touched.

Later on, I replaced the cheap plastic shift knob with a much higher quality stainless steel knob with a laser annealed graphic. The new shifter also matched the brushed metal volume knob on the Alpine perfectly. It almost looks like the car has had this equipment since it left the factory.

The camera doesn't quite capture the colors of the stereo and the LEDs behind the A/C panel. The blue buttons on the radio are an exact match for the blue A/C panel, but the camera makes them look much lighter in color. You'll just have to take my word for it.

Site Map: (Click Links to View Pages)
1.) First Day Pictures
2.) Mouse Nest Removal
3.) Rim Powdercoating/Flux Capacitor!
4.) Water Pump Replacement
5.) Lowered Suspension
6.) Sirius Radio Install
7.) Water Leak Repair
8.) Stainless Steel Coolant Bottle Replacement
9.) 3rd Brakelight Install
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11.) Sequential Fan Module
12.) Cupholder Installation
13.) The Finished Product?
14.) MultiVex Mirror Installation
15.) Dynamat X-treme Noise Deadening Installation
16.) Stainless Exhaust Install
17.) Frame Epoxy Repair (NEW)