[Travlin]

Your instrument cluster is both recessed and covered by a hood.

It wouldn't be easy to recess the HU display so how about just a hood if the anti-glare screen turns out not to be sufficient?

That was part of the reason I pulled the HU, to determine if there were any room for that. There isn't. Nor is there any simple way to angle the screen toward the driver without considerable customization. Though, having it easier to reach would be nice, I don't want to undertake that project.

The shroud would be the next step. Though I'm hoping the matte finish will disperse reflected light from the interior hitting the screen. Fingers crossed. I'll find out soon enough.

 

[WilRams]

So I was all set to order everything for my stereo upgrade but after reading closely I’m more confused then when I started. I have the base am/fm stereo in my 19 Transit. I want to upgrade to the Pioneer MVH-1400NEX. Besides that my only must is to retain the steering controls. I thought I needed the Maestro RR and FO2 in order to do this but after checking their site it only list the 4 inch screen and the mytouch 4.3 screen not the base unit. Will it still work to retain steering controls? The other features it gives are nice but not a must. Is there another option to retain the steering controls? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Travlin]

You might give Crutchfield a call. Their staff ought to know what goes with what.

 

[Inkog]

So I was all set to order everything for my stereo upgrade but after reading closely I’m more confused then when I started. I have the base am/fm stereo in my 19 Transit. I want to upgrade to the Pioneer MVH-1400NEX. Besides that my only must is to retain the steering controls. I thought I needed the Maestro RR and FO2 in order to do this but after checking their site it only list the 4 inch screen and the mytouch 4.3 screen not the base unit. Will it still work to retain steering controls? The other features it gives are nice but not a must. Is there another option to retain the steering controls? Any help would be appreciated.

I'm afraid not, at least not plug-n-play. The only available Maestro harness for the transit requires the in-dash display to function, as it designed to pull power amongst other things from the display's wiring harness. You could rewire the harness, but I decided not to bother since I didn't even have the steering wheel controls.

 

[WilRams]

So I spoke with the Axxess ASWC-1 manufacturer today. They don’t list it and have not tested it on a base radio Transit but looking at the schematic they are confident it will work. They gave me the pins to tap into. They suggested to not use any connectors or taps. It needs to be soldered into the truck side harness.

 

[Erik McCullough]

So I spoke with the Axxess ASWC-1 manufacturer today. They don’t list it and have not tested it on a base radio Transit but looking at the schematic they are confident it will work. They gave me the pins to tap into. They suggested to not use any connectors or taps. It needs to be soldered into the truck side harness.

Wilrams, did it work? I have a 2018 T-250 with exactly the same conundrum. I have the steering wheel controls, but a base head unit. I had already upgraded to a new headunit (Alpine 107) when I quickly realized I had lost my controls. Ugh.

 

[Benrod650]

I was looking into this as well I believe this unit will work with steering wheel controls and backup camera

https://www.sony.com/electronics/in-car-receivers-players/xav-ax210

 

[twentythreemx]

Sorry to bump up an old thread.. but question. Anyone install the metra kit and know the size of the opening for the double dinn? Should be 7", right? My radio measures right at 7" and the metra kit is like .3" too small. No way it's fitting. I can't imagine that all of these kits are not the right size.. maybe I got a bad kit???? I sanded it down a bit and tried to get it to fit. I got it around the radio but its so tight, that and a combination of the clips being terrible..neither the top or front of the mtra kit will click into place..

Can anyone confirm the size is exactly 7" for me please? (across, not diagonal)

 

[asdrew]

I trimmed mine here and there until it fit. I had a challenge getting all the clips to lock in also.

 

[pjtezza]

Sorry to bump up an old thread.. but question. Anyone install the metra kit and know the size of the opening for the double dinn? Should be 7", right? My radio measures right at 7" and the metra kit is like .3" too small. No way it's fitting. I can't imagine that all of these kits are not the right size.. maybe I got a bad kit???? I sanded it down a bit and tried to get it to fit. I got it around the radio but its so tight, that and a combination of the clips being terrible..neither the top or front of the mtra kit will click into place..

Can anyone confirm the size is exactly 7" for me please? (across, not diagonal)

It is not unusual to have to trim, particularly with off-brand stereos. To get the unit to clips to work:

1. Make sure your stereo sits flat without any tension. Zip tie cables and trim the interior dash plastic if necessary.
2. Carefully follow the instruction for attaching the clips to the kit. Some of the clips look similar and it is easy to get them mixed up. The "bumps" face outside.
3. Leave off the white plastic clips off the bottom left and bottom right.

 

[twentythreemx]

It is not unusual to have to trim, particularly with off-brand stereos. To get the unit to clips to work:

1. Make sure your stereo sits flat without any tension. Zip tie cables and trim the interior dash plastic if necessary.
2. Carefully follow the instruction for attaching the clips to the kit. Some of the clips look similar and it is easy to get them mixed up. The "bumps" face outside.
3. Leave off the white plastic clips off the bottom left and bottom right.

Some trimming maybe but.. this is well over 1/4 inch.. that seems pretty extreme! I checked 2 radios I had and both were 7".. I thought thats pretty standard why the heck would they make this thing any smaller?

When you say leave off the white plastic clips on bottom left and right, I assume you mean the OEM ones that stay in the dash where the metra piece clips in? That's a great tip and not in the instructions if so! I think i read something about that while I was trying to read through a bunch of the previous posts on this thread, hopefully you're confirming that then!

 

[pjtezza]

Some trimming maybe but.. this is well over 1/4 inch.. that seems pretty extreme! I checked 2 radios I had and both were 7".. I thought thats pretty standard why the heck would they make this thing any smaller?

When you say leave off the white plastic clips on bottom left and right, I assume you mean the OEM ones that stay in the dash where the metra piece clips in? That's a great tip and not in the instructions if so! I think i read something about that while I was trying to read through a bunch of the previous posts on this thread, hopefully you're confirming that then!

It is not unusual to have to trim and we don't do it by sanding.

I am referring to the white plastic clips that come with the install kit.

 

[twentythreemx]

Whats the best way you recommend to trim? I tried heating up the plastic a bit with a heat gun and heating up a new razor blade and it just didn't cut through easily enough that my lines were still not very good.. sanding wasn't terrible but i need to go out a bit more.

 

[surly Bill]

A lot of radios seem to be "close", but there isn't a standard being followed. I had to trim the width of my Metra housing on the sides, expanding about .25" total to fit the radio I bought. The height was spot on.

I used a razor knife and multiple swipes until it could be snapped off, like drywall. If you have to touch up, use a coarse metal file. Not a wood file, a course tooth file made for metal. Have a brush handy to wipe all the plastic buildup out of it every so often. A fine file will work, but take longer.

 

[twentythreemx]

thanks for the tips!

 

[ratherberiding]

I had to trim the width of my Metra housing on the sides, expanding about .25" total to fit the radio I bought. The height was spot on.

I had the opposite experience. The width for the JVC M560BT I eventually installed, and the Sony XAV-AX1000 I originally planned to, were fine, but he height was off. I returned the Sony because the gap was 1/4 inch top and bottom and very obvious. Crutchfield helped me out and I switched to the JVC because the latter is taller. Apparently there is more variability in head unit sizes than I realized, but Crutchfield have additional measurements not visible on their website that the staff can access. Maybe a different batch of Metra kits too between our experiences too. In the end it worked out but I had hoped to have a volume knob because I don't have steering wheel controls. Bought the remote for the JVC and that works well enough, fits in the litte coin pocket thingy to the right of the wheel. I did find yesterday (after I've had it for a couple of months) that the video feed from the rear camera is available anytime. I wasn't expecting that so nice bonus.

 

[ratherberiding]

Oh and it displays without the rear guides, which only appear in reverse.

 

[surly Bill]

I'm going to replace my 4 year old double din because it's Android 4.0 or something, and newer apps and GPS programs won't work. I don't play CD/DVD anymore, so I'm going to go ahead and get one of the $50-75 double DIN Android 9.1 units on Ebay/Amazon that are only a few inches deep (no need to make space for the CD/DVD disc or motors). I looked at the 10" screen ones, made a template out of cardboard and held it up to the dash, and didn't like how it partially covered the vents and/or blocked my view of the passenger roadside, and the ones that rotate to be vertical covered the controls below and blocked more of the windshield.

Most of the adds have the outer dimensions listed, and they do indeed vary up to 6-7mm! It's odd there isn't a "standard" size. I have black hot glue to use as "caulking" if I have any gaps between what I cut out for the old one and how the new one fits.

 

[Tijoe]

I have a 12.8" touchscreen double din installed in my van. (Pics are posted in other threads.) I have a low profile 10.1" double Din installed as a rear view mirror. I have not had any issues associated with how much of the vents are blocked by the large screen, or how much space in the middle of the windshield area is blocked by the 2 monitors.

One issue I have some concern about is how many swipes or touches it takes to navigate to different apps while driving.
Sometimes it takes 4-5 touches to get to the App or screen I want. This is distracting while driving. This is part of the reason I have 2 monitors. I can set up split screens on the main dash monitor. One that displays the radio/app. like torque, and the other navigation. On the Reverse monitor, I can have split screen that shows the rear view mirror camera and Waze. I no longer have to use cell phones for navigation, and almost all the things I want to monitor are now displayed and can be seen at a glance without any driving distractions.

 

[surly Bill]

Mercedes showed off a new 56" touchscreen for the dash of their EQS. I guess they win the pissing contest.

It also features AI, so maybe it will plan your route for you. Then kill you because you are a harm to yourself, and must be eliminated.