Hi again

i'm hoping SOMEONE can help me out here, because i'm about ready to pull my hair out

So, I have a 2006 sedan. i have a JDM kit and AC controller. I also have a metra kit too that i'm trying to avoid having to use. and i have this JVC KW-AVX810 head unit

so, i dropped my car off at the installer today in hopes of getting this head unit installed. Long story short...the head unit didn't fit my JDM kit. The installer blamed it on the JDM kit and said it's not a "normal double DIN size". they thought it would fit my metra kit. So, i took it home and of course, it didn't fit that correctly either. The head unit doesn't fit into the opening of either kit.

Now i'm stuck with the SWI-JACK, sirius tuner, and head unit that won't fit either of my kits. But i have no idea why. From what i've gathered, this is a standard double DIN head unit. I'm considering just selling this stuff and getting whatever money i can back on it.

My question is this: Did you guys have to do any weird modifications to the double DIN kits to get these Kenwood 8120's and AVIC's installed? does anyone have any experience with this JVC unit? am i missing something here?

If i go and drop the money on an AVIC or an 8120, can i be sure it's going to fit the JDM kit without any trouble?

I'm not sure if anyone can help me here, but i'm looking for any insight i can get


thanks as always

 

I installed a similar JVC DD HU into a friend's 05 coupe last year. I don't know if it is the same model, but all DD HU have a standard size, so I don't know why your HU won't fit.

If anything, there should be a small gap around the face of the HU because the JDM DD trim piece is a little larger than a standard DD opening. I had to make a trim piece to fill the gap between the HU and the dash trim piece.

Is your shop having a problem fitting the HU's bezel into the JDM dash trim piece? They must be doing something wrong.

 

Well. the issue is that the actual front of the JVC (with no faceplate) does not sit flush to the front of the JDM finisher. Maybe it's not supposed to? I'm not sure

what they told me is that the JVC unit does not fit through the JDM kit to install it. i tried fitting it myself and its does not seem right, but then again, i may be doing something wrong...which is why i went to my installer in the first place

I looked up the measurement specs on the Kenwood 8120 and compared them to my JVC . I found that the Kenwood is the EXACT same width, 1 mm taller, and 3 mm's deeper. that shouldn't matter, right? double din is double din...

you mentioned "JDM trim piece". i'm assuming you are referring to the finishing kit, right? I don't have a seperate trim piece...other than the one that came with the JVC unit

and as a sidenote: my installers were saying something about the fact that this JVC unit has a detachable faceplate as being part of the problem. does that make any sense? the more i think about it...the more i think they have no clue what they're doing

regardless...i'm going to try to get a second opinion this friday.

 

also: quick question. i'm getting conflicting information about whether or not i actually need to purchase the Double DIN bracket for my car or not

http://www.grubbsperformance.com/servlet/Detail?no=2611

i've heard that the one i already have works. other folks say i need to buy it

thanks

 

No, you don't need the bracket. The one in your car will work fine.

 

I was just about to order this HU. I really would like the Kenwood DDX-812 but I can get the JVC unit for $490 total, compared to $725 for the Kenwood.

I can kind of see the problem being the fact that the JVC face is detachable. Unfortunately, that's what I like about it as I'm concerned about theft. If your average thief doesn't see a faceplate he is likely to move onto a car that has one. Also as a side note, the faceplate needs about 4" of clearance to detach. I don't think the shifter would present a problem but I have yet to verify that.

If you are ever able to install this successfully please let us know.

 

Just checked the clearance between the shifter and where it looks like the face would extend out to. I'd say there's plenty of room. This all could be moot though if the JVC won't fit in the JDM kit...

 

hey

here's the update -

The unit IS in my car now. i found an installer who actually knew what they were going and got it in. It fits ok but it does stick out from the JDM kit about a centimeter or two. it's not a flush fit like the kenwoods...

Also, the shifter IS a problem. There's enough clearance for the motorized faceplate to open when it's in the JDM kit (but not by much...) but it WILL hit the shifter when it's in park. In drive, there's enough room, but not in park. Fortunately, i play music from my Ipod in the glove compartment, so i don't need to put CD's in it much.

With the unit installed, it's impossible to get at the release switch to take the faceplate off without some kind of tool. So, while it's possible to take the faceplate off, it's a royal pain...

Also, forget about using the motorized tilt feature of the receiver. it presses against the top of the JDM kit

otherwise, the unit is ok i guess for the money. The ipod access isn't terrible. the screen is decent and has a good quality picture.

All in all, though, if i could go back in time, i would have picked up the 512 or 812 or saved for another couple months and sprung for the 8120. But this unit will work for now until i can afford to replace it...

 

Thanks for the update! That will solidify my decision to go for the Kenwood 812. I keep trying to get away from it because of the price but always end right back with it as my choice. It really is just about everything I want my head unit to be (less the price of course).

 

Can you put pics up of how far it sticks out?

 

the JVC is a really good unit 5 volt preout detachable face but the detachable face is a problem... it is meant to stick out so that you can detach it.