Double-din radio housing for center dash and dash speaker blanks

[zipn]

Remove the center dash cover and snap in a double-din sized sized hole cover with a open cavity behind the dash along with generic metal mounting points. This would allow installation of after market radios, many of which include built in apple car play, AA. Also for left and right, need matching speaker blanks. They should also have a pre wired12v run, acc and ground pigtail stuffed back there.

example…
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_113DMX809S/Kenwood-Excelon-DMX809S.html

 

[Ewwgas]

I am planing to have a setup like you are explaining even if it's custom and mounts where the Bluetooth speaker should go

 

[JeffVA]

Completely agree 👍
Boomer here and I leave my phone at home on purpose, it's not an extension of my body.
Hopefully Slate will develop a plug in basic FM radio with a single speaker for the center of the dash. Some pre wiring and antenna would be great. Will remind me of my 70ies era Chevy.

 

[Swinefuzz]

Completely agree 👍
Boomer here and I leave my phone at home on purpose, it's not an extension of my body.
Hopefully Slate will develop a plug in basic FM radio with a single speaker for the center of the dash. Some pre wiring and antenna would be great. Will remind me of my 70ies era Chevy.

https://www.amazon.com/PolarLander-...pcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A24F413M74R78K

These are a thing, apparently. $35. I'm sure the quality is superb.

 

[enigma9o7]

Even something like that would work, but besides the DIN opening and power/ignition wires, we'd still need an antenna. And I'd rather not have to drill into new truck to install that, I really hope if they offer radio-ready option that not only includes somewhere convenient to mount it, but also a 30" mast antenna wired to that location. Somewhere to mount speakers and wiring would be nice and preferred, but I can see how that isn't absolutely necessary with a head unit like the one pictured above... but an antenna still is!

 

[E90400K]

Even something like that would work, but besides the DIN opening and power/ignition wires, we'd still need an antenna. And I'd rather not have to drill into new truck to install that, I really hope if they offer radio-ready option that not only includes somewhere convenient to mount it, but also a 30" mast antenna wired to that location. Somewhere to mount speakers and wiring would be nice and preferred, but I can see how that isn't absolutely necessary with a head unit like the one pictured above... but an antenna still is!

Slate should use the rear window defroster grid for the antenna, like BMW does.

 

[enigma9o7]

Slate should use the rear window defroster grid for the antenna, like BMW does.

I admit I haven't tried BMWs version, but I've used something similar in the past and they are nowhere near as good as a real 30" whip, they're basically only useful for close stations. If you live somewhere 45+ miles away from the city, they hardly work at all. I would prefer they keep it simple with the traditional screw in easy to remove 30" antenna mast on passenger front fender, like full size trucks (and many older cars) use.

That being said, it'd be better than nothing for sure. But why try to do something complicated like that when a simple solution works better. Plus, not everyone has the window right behind them, some people are doing the fastback or SUV version so everyone will have different glass and so would require wiring different, etc, makes it more complicated.

 

[E90400K]

I admit I haven't tried BMWs version, but I've used something similar in the past and they are nowhere near as good as a real 30" whip, they're basically only useful for close stations. If you live somewhere 45+ miles away from the city, they hardly work at all. I would prefer they keep it simple with the traditional screw in easy to remove 30" antenna mast on passenger front fender, like full size trucks (and many older cars) use.

That being said, it'd be better than nothing for sure. But why try to do something complicated like that when a simple solution works better. Plus, not everyone has the window right behind them, some people are doing the fastback or SUV version so everyone will have different glass and so would require wiring different, etc, makes it more complicated.

The radio antenna on my E90 worked excellently. The glass transfers.