Double DIN conversion

[jogon]

This new Pioneer modular unit looks quite interesting https://www.pioneer-car.eu/eur/products/sph-evo62dab-uni
I think the screen can be mounted further away from the main unit using a 1.5m lead too

 

[DJ 190]

This new Pioneer modular unit looks quite interesting https://www.pioneer-car.eu/eur/products/sph-evo62dab-uni
I think the screen can be mounted further away from the main unit using a 1.5m lead too

It's just my opinion, but I think that that particular Pioneer unit is going to look dreadful! Will it not block the air-vents? I have just (yesterday) fitted a Pioneer AVIC F970DAB into my A2. It brings the A2 right up-to-date! Touch screen, DAB, DVD/CD playback, Full Iphone connection with "mirroring" Sat-Nav, DVBT, rear-camera connection ..... on it goes! I visited "Impulse" at Watford and they've enabled the M.F.S.W., so not much lost! (only the navigation direction window in the instrument cluster). I've done a few installations and conversions to Double-DIN .... have you not considered this route?

David

 

[jogon]

It's just my opinion, but I think that that particular Pioneer unit is going to look dreadful! Will it not block the air-vents? I have just (yesterday) fitted a Pioneer AVIC F970DAB into my A2. It brings the A2 right up-to-date! Touch screen, DAB, DVD/CD playback, Full Iphone connection with "mirroring" Sat-Nav, DVBT, rear-camera connection ..... on it goes! I visited "Impulse" at Watford and they've enabled the M.F.S.W., so not much lost! (only the navigation direction window in the instrument cluster). I've done a few installations and conversions to Double-DIN .... have you not considered this route?

David

I just said it looks interesting for anyone wanting to try something different as the screen can be mounted pretty much anywhere on the dash of a car. If anything floating screens seem to be even more upto date.

 

[oneflewover]

The double-DIN cage has two screw attachment points behind the centre vents. They're an integral part of the installation of the double-DIN cage into a single-DIN dash, but can only be accessed by removing the dash and flipping it upside-down.
So, if you are going to convert a single-DIN dash to double-DIN by retrofitting the metal cage, I'd suggest it's a much longer job than a straightforward swap, because you have to remove the single-DIN dash, install the cage properly, and then reinstall the dash.

Cheers,

Tom

From this, do I take it that a double din cage can be correctly fitted to single din dash if it removed?

 

[depronman]

It can but needs some fettling as the single din dash was not designed to have the cage fitted
The double din dash is a totally different dash in how it is constructed
Why Audi did this is beyond me but they did

Better to get a double din dash and be done with it. Then it’s just dash out and double din back in. No faffing about fettling the single din dash to take the cage

Paul


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[oneflewover]

It can but needs some fettling as the single din dash was not designed to have the cage fitted
The double din dash is a totally different dash in how it is constructed
Why Audi did this is beyond me but they did

Better to get a double din dash and be done with it. Then it’s just dash out and double din back in. No faffing about fettling the single din dash to take the cage

Paul


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, finding one undamaged is the problem.

 

[paolo_audi]

Hello guys, I’d like to install a single DIN radio with larger display. In order to avoid to cover cup holder and hazard button I’d like to have the monitor ( suppose 8/9 inch ) to go down and to do this I need to exchange climate control with storage compartment. Is it possible to do this easily or they wont’t fix themselves in the two differents space ? naturally I know I have to file the two corners of climate control to match dash curve. Thanks for your reply

 

[Erlingtheyounger]

Hello guys, I’d like to install a single DIN radio with larger display. In order to avoid to cover cup holder and hazard button I’d like to have the monitor ( suppose 8/9 inch ) to go down and to do this I need to exchange climate control with storage compartment. Is it possible to do this easily or they wont’t fix themselves in the two differents space ? naturally I know I have to file the two corners of climate control to match dash curve. Thanks for your reply

That’s basically the set up of of a double din, unless I’m misunderstand what you mean. At the very least you’ll need a double din cage and the bravery to attack your dash.

 

[paolo_audi]

Thanks for your reply. My questions exactly is the following .
Is it possibile to exchange the storage and climate control without replacing the cage ?

 

[Erlingtheyounger]

Thanks for your reply. My questions exactly is the following .
Is it possibile to exchange the storage and climate control without replacing the cage ?

No, I don’t believe it is.

 

[Andrew]

Good Morning Paolo,

I am still a long way from understanding what you want to do. There is hours of reading in many threads about this.

If you are asking if the cubby can be removed and discarded and the climate unit moved down in its place (after minor corner trim), then the answer is yes, no problems.

This will then leave you two vacant single din 'slots' like this...

As you can see all the fixing bits and pieces for securing the two absent single din units will have to be removed to fit a double din radio. Looks a brutal process to achieve something like this....

Or a bit further...

After removing most of the securing elements there is the the problem of securing your new double din radio. The solution is to use an after market metal box. Strongly suggest you read this ....

This weekends mod - double DIN conversion without removing the dash

As many of you will know we fitted a DAB roof aerial to my sons A2 and couple of weeks ago, so now for the main event, an Android unit with DAB, Bluetooth streaming and phone calls, CD, nav and reverse camera. We had previously fitted the reverse camera whilst the headlining was removed to...

www.a2oc.net

I do like the idea the screen of your proposed new unit can be placed elsewhere avoiding a lot of the destruction above, but the million dollar question is where?

Hope this helps.

Andy

 

[Proghound]

As I understand it, the idea is to fit a single-DIN unit in the middle slot, with a screen which will extend and swivel up to cover the upper slot. However all the mounting points for a single-DIN headunit are in the upper slot. The middle one would be too wide to hold it without some form of cage, or possibly some 3D-printed pieces to build it inwards from the edges.

 

[Andrew]

As I understand it, the idea is to fit a single-DIN unit in the middle slot, with a screen which will extend and swivel up to cover the upper slot. However all the mounting points for a single-DIN headunit are in the upper slot. The middle one would be too wide to hold it without some form of cage, or possibly some 3D-printed pieces to build it inwards from the edges.

Cheers Ian, that is a bit clearer and a link to the proposed new unit would help Paolo.

Don't know where I got the idea of a remote screen.

Andy

 

[paolo_audi]

Thanks for your replies ! I apologize if I am not very clear but I am italian so English is not my language.
My idea is to use a 1DIN radio with a sliding screen and instead of covering cupholder and airvents to slide down and cover the space under the radio. But to do this I would cover the air climate control.
That's why I would like to move down climate control and move up storage. If I could do this when the screen slide down it will cover the storage and not climate control.
So the question is : can the storage and climate control be exchanged from their position ?
From Andrew's pics it seems not as two slot are different.

 

[depronman]

I think you are making yourself a LOT of work for very little gain
Myself I fitted a 2Din dash to my A2 (well I actually fitted the same 2Din dash to two different A2) all so I could fit a touch screen 2Din head unit mainly to get satnav
The reality is that I now use a satnav on my phone because it is sooooo much better than the dedicated car satnav’s
The pioneer head unit I fitted as CarPlay so I can see the map and direction in the screen but the reality is I would have been able to see them on my phones screen with it in a mount on the dash

Just my thoughts before you embark on major butchery

Paul


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Proghound]

Ah, now I understand fully OK so if the headunit is single-DIN and it stays in the top slot, fitting it isn't going to be an issue (any more than it normally is to fit an aftermarket unit to an A2).

Regarding swapping the positions of the climate unit and the cubby ("storage"), the locating spring clips for the cubby are on its sides, behind its fascia. For the climate control they are on its top and bottom faces (also behind its fascia). You can see that the bottom slot has the sides built out slightly, but the middle slot doesn't. So while the climate will locate in the bottom slot (once its corners have been rounded off), you'd need to build out the sides of the middle slot to a similar extent to get the cubby to locate.

You might also think about covering the fascia of the cubby in plastic card or similar, to make its lower corners square so as to avoid having holes visible in the centre stack of components.

 

[audifan]

Double din dash does not have the storage ( hence the hand brake stray ) so just leave out the storage compartment and fit the radio as low as possible and have the screen open above covering the gap. TBH sounds to me far more trouble than it is worth.

 

[Proghound]

I think you are making yourself a LOT of work for very little gain
Myself I fitted a 2Din dash to my A2 (well I actually fitted the same 2Din dash to two different A2) all so I could fit a touch screen 2Din head unit mainly to get satnav
The reality is that I now use a satnav on my phone because it is sooooo much better than the dedicated car satnav’s
The pioneer head unit I fitted as CarPlay so I can see the map and direction in the screen but the reality is I would have been able to see them on my phones screen with it in a mount on the dash

Just my thoughts before you embark on major butchery

Paul


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Double din dash does not have the storage ( hence the hand brake stray ) so just leave out the storage compartment and fit the radio as low as possible and have the screen open above covering the gap. TBH sounds to me far more trouble than it is worth.

The whole point here is that it's not a double-DIN dash, it's a single-DIN dash. @paolo_audi just wants to swap the positions of the cubby and the climate unit, so that when the flip-out screen on the aftermarket headunit is extended (downwards) it's not blocking access to the climate buttons. It looks like only minor and reversible surgery would be required to persuade the cubby to fit in the middle slot.

 

[paolo_audi]

Wowww so many interesting info ! Thanks a lot to everybody!
For the middle slot I might also try to use the cover installed on car without radio. It could be the right size …

 

[Andrew]

The whole point here is that it's not a double-DIN dash, it's a single-DIN dash. @paolo_audi just wants to swap the positions of the cubby and the climate unit, so that when the flip-out screen on the aftermarket headunit is extended (downwards) it's not blocking access to the climate buttons. It looks like only minor and reversible surgery would be required to persuade the cubby to fit in the middle slot.

Like you I now understand the aim but disagree with the words 'minor and reversible surgery'. Had the kit to hand and looked at it and it turns into a nightmare.

On the up side securing the cubby should be straightforward, just a small block of plastic of precise thickness screwed to the each side in the precise position.

Now the problems begin.

Minor, but the sides of the cubby are not straight they curve slightly in to match the dash in its normal position. (Inspect)

The real pain is the large trim bit that sticks out at the bottom. Normally this covers the screw heads securing the ashtray.

Sit it on top of the climate and obscures the vent perfectly and stops the cubby pushing home.

This trim does not looked clipped and will have to be cut off but unfortunately it is included in the design height of a single din unit.

With...

Without...

Chopping off the pesky trim will create a big hole! Okay I suppose the way forward is to remove the front cubby trim (clips in I seem to remember) and replace it with some massive ugly infill piece round the cubby front, horrible.

Lastly I dread to look at what butchery might be needed of the vacant middle dash slot to allow the cubby to slide home and be supported.

Paolo, good idea but abandon it.

I am sure I read somewhere of an aftermarket single dash headunit with a remote screen. This sounds doable.

Andy