My 2003 G35 has fallen prey to the apparently common Radio - A/C issue. I called the dealership and they actually recommended the After Market Radio install to fix the issue. I knew from these boards about what the answer was, but was surprised to hear the service guy so honest about it.

I'm looking for a couple simple questions on what i should ask anyone i'm considering to do my aftermarket stereo install...
* Will they do that PAC-SWI thing for stereo controls
* Do they have that JDM kit? The thing doesn't have nav, do they still have to have some special plate to put over the a/c radio area?

Those are just a couple guesses-i'm honestly a little lost and just want to know who in the dallas area i can trust to install my stereo and do it right so everything works. In determining who to trust, i wanted to interview them a bit and make sure they are up for the job. (maybe it's common knowledge how to do this, i don't know)

If anyone has any recommendations for fairly good bang for the buck stereos i wouldn't mind that either. I can't be dropping $1000 on the unit though. I'm thinking under $500 for the receiver.

Thanks for any responses,
Brian

 

Any shop/amatuer worth it's weight in salt will do the PAC SWI.

No shop that I have ever heard about carries the JDM kit. They may be able to order one in, but I doubt they'll give you anywhere near the deal that you'll find from Riverside or other sponsors of this site (or their sales on eBay).

Your best bet is to order every part (check my shopping list) you need and just take it to the installer so they can't mark it up at all or just do it yourself. As far as installs go, it's about a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10. Any shop can handle it, and in fact a lot of people have followed the references and assistance on this site (most of which can be found from my Shopping and Resource List sticky at the top of this forum) to do the install themselves with no prior experience.

Under $500 receiver I'd recommend the Pioneer 3200BT - everything but navigation. Just buy a garmin if you need nav.

 

So i guess i need all 4 things on your list?

It looks like this will run me about $1,000 after everything, ouch! Do you know which JDM i'm supposed to get? I have a black car with the tan leather inside (if that's sufficient to know).

What about JDM vs Metra? I noticed metra is a lot cheaper, and i don't have the DVD system so i guess it's my option right now?

What was the main reason for picking the pioneer? Do you think this will make the Bose system sound better? It's okay that i have a bose system, right? Does it play DVDs?

Thanks,

Brian

 

This guy just did the Metra + Pioneer 3200 combo with bose: You can ask him any questions you have about it.
https://g35driver.com/forums/audio-v...l-awesome.html


The Pioneer is recommended for a lot of reasons, excellent iPod interface, good sized screen, hands-free bluetooth, excellent user interface, 4v pre-outs, can connect with xm or sirius sat radio adapters, hd radio adapters, illumination color can be set to match, reliability... Kenwood doesn't really have anything that compares at that price, and JVC, Alpine, Clarion and others really can't match the features and sound quality.
Hopefully, this compare link works:
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Produ...=01|130P3200BT

Basically advantages none (or few) of the others in that price range have:
4v pre-amp outputs
Variable colored illumination (no ugly blue lights)
8 Channel EQ
Built-in bluetooth
Best DVD frequency response
20+ reviews with a 4.5-star reviewer rating. That's damn good.

I'd say the worst thing about it is that the USB input is in the front instead of the rear.

To go with Crutchfield for everything and do metra:
3200BT - $450
Metra Kit - $100
PAC SWI-PS - $70
Harness - $free
Ant Adapter - $free
-------- $620

If you pick up the swi-ps on amazon, you can knock another $30 off that to bring it under $600.

If you do the install yourself, that leaves you $400 in your $1k budget to put a multichannel amp in there in place of the Bose amp, and really be blown away at the improvement of the whole system.

 

What about this weird dual climate feature. I found somewhere on here that the JDM didn't have dual climate natively, but you could solder it on by using the dual climate button you already have. Is this something you can ask an installer to do?

Anyone have recommendations for installers? Big chains (best buy, etc)? Small specialty places?

Also which JDM am i supposed to get (I don't have navigation). The

JDM INFINITI G35 DOUBLE DIN CONVERSION KIT 03-04 BLACK? Tan interior.

Brian

 

You can get one with the dual mode button installed if you watch for them on eBay, otherwise, a good shop can do it, best buy probably wouldn't even attempt it.

Best buy's hit or miss, but I'd avoid them. You'd have to ask in one of the regional forums for a good local shop.

Whichever color the trim around your radio is, you need that 03-04 JDM kit.