Double DIN Android touchscreen stereo installation (No cutting)
I always wanted to change the stereo in the Mustang but never wanted to cut or drill the dash to do it. The standard aftermarket mounting kit drills holes and most double DIN decks require you to cut the posts the brace behind the radio bolts to.
However, I found an option that would allow me to pop in a touchscreen with no mods at all because it's so shallow. It's a Parrot Asteroid Smart and runs an older version of Android. It includes GPS, bluetooth phone and media streaming etc, iPod control and so on. Since it includes no CD player it's very shallow (about 10 cm).
Since I got all the right harnesses to bypass the premium sound and not cut the factory wiring, this was really simple. Removed the stock radio, installed the cage the parrot slides into (secures with tabs you bend around the edges of the opening) and popped it in. There is a trim ring that covers the cage (although not perfectly).
I had a CD changer installed into the trunk about 15 years ago so no CD player in the dash isn't an issue. Everything is on an iPod classic I keep in the glove compartment. Searching it from the Parrot is very fast.
The unit came with it's own NAV app (the maps are on an SD card) so you don't need an internet connection to use them but I just tether to my smartphone for internet access anyway so I loaded google maps and navigation. Strictly speaking you don't need an internet connection to do anything a typical head unit can do.
I mounted the GPS sensor under the dash beside the passenger dash speaker so it's hidden and not impended by any metal. The microphone is above the rear view mirror but of course will be completely useless when driving with the top down anyway. But it works as well as it would in any convertible.
I ran cables into the glovebox for the iPod and an extra USB connection. I ran another to the drivers side where my phone is mounted to the windshield. And then the cable to plug the unit into a laptop for loading/updates comes out the ashtray. The thing has 4 USB ports. It's nuts.
So I fully updated the car to the modern age of entertainment gizmos and it's all completely reversible with no damage to the car at all. Granted because of the CD player and alarm in my car the wiring is already modded but the primary thing for me was avoiding drilling the dash or doing a bunch of hacking behind the radio.
The Parrot is the only unit I found that was so shallow. And I love android so it was a no brainer for me.
Obviously the location of the radio in a Fox isn't conducive to a touchscreen but it's easy to operate and no harder to reach than the stock radio. When in park the view is impeded but not when you're in gear.
Comments
Android being android I put a different launcher on it to make the interface a little less blocky.
And they released a software update today that vastly improved the general performance of the thing. There are still a couple of quirks, mostly the fact that it doesn't cache phone contacts so it has to sync every time, that will also get taken care of shortly I'd imagine.