Looking at putting in a Navigation Deck. Any advice?

[zb2488]

In the future i'm looking to put in a double din navigation system into my 2006 Trailblazer LT with the Bose audio system. I've looked at a couple options and narrowed it down to two from what I've found. The Pioneer AVH-4100NEX and the AVIS Avant 2 A2-U70. I've also done a bit of research on wiring harnesses to retain the steering wheel controls and OnStar, and found the PAC RP5-GM11.

My concerns are: How well each unit functions, how well they fit into the dash compartment, what mounting kit works best, how well the wiring harness performs, and if there will be any issues with the factory Bose amp.

I was very interested in the full android options made by Klyde and distributed by many other companies (Pumpkin, PuPug, Xtrons) but I think the best one is the AVIC Avant 2 universal A2-U70. Having the full android functionality would allow me to use maps within the deck, have all of my favorite sound apps (spotify/pandora/soundcloud), as well as any other app that I want built into the deck. My concern is what kind of quality grade i'm going to get with these units.

For a more standard car audio brand, I was also looking at the Pioneer 4100NEX. I feel a tad more comfortable as the pioneer is a reputable brand and has Android Auto built in, but if the AVIC Avant 2 works as advertised I would like the functionality of that one more.

If anyone has experience installing a double din of any sort, i'd like to know what dash kit you used to mount it, if you had to modify any part of the center console, how it fit, etc.

So my real questions are.

1. Does anyone have experience with the Pioneer AVH-4100NEX (Or any NEX series really), or the AVIN Avast 2 universal.

2. Does anyone have experience with the PAC RP5-GM11? How did it work for you?

3. What mounting kit would you recommend for a Double Din in a 2006 Trailblazer LT?

4. Are there any complications with the Bose amp when installing an aftermarket radio?

Thanks for reading this wall of text, and for any advice/knowledge you can share. When I do make a purchase, i'll be making a video/guide of installation and how it all works. I might also put in my sub, not sure yet. I have a 15 inch alpine type R with an alpine 1000 watt amp just waiting for a nice spot. Not sure if i'm interested in having the sub in anymore, was a bit overkill for me ( especially in my old honda

)

 

[gmcman]

I cant remember off hand which interface I used for the Bose, but I based my purchase on being able to use the nav when the vehicle was in motion, also make route changes. Alot of the units require you to stop and the Avic D-3 was easily modded to allow for this.

Just food for thought.

 

[Mooseman]

I currently use the same PAC interface. Works well, includes steering wheel controls but has one annoying trait. The chimes are loud and non-adjustable produced by a small tinny speaker on the interface itself. I also had a Metra/Axxess, had two of them fail and don't have steering controls. The chimes are adjustable though and come out through the speakers. I still recommend the PAC.

I currently have an older JVC without GPS. I have seriously been looking at the Android units for one reason; the ability to use a Bluetooth ODB2 interface to monitor the engine, tranny and such as well as the cool factor and the ability to use any mapping program I wish. Just have to be sure not to get an older version or hardware. If you check at Aliexpress, you might be able to find a better deal than on eBay.

 

[zb2488]

Yeah I was reading about that. I wonder why PAC went that route. Seems like more money to produce an exterior speaker instead of routing the chimes to the speakers. Was also looking at the PAC OS2X which seems to do everything the GM11 does but routes the chimes to the factory Bose amp

 

[zb2488]

Put in my deck today. Went pretty smoothly with the exception if getting the top part of the dash back on. That was a major pain in the ass. Hooked up my Sony MEX3900U with a pac RP GM11 harness. Everything was plug and play, even the SWC's. The chime box really sucks though, not sure why they went that route.

 

[Mounce]

Gotta have a chime box because the original chimes are lost when you remove the factory radio. Not necessary to have them but that's what they give you.

 

[zb2488]

The metra harness is able to push the chimes through the speakers but its not as well made as the PAC one

 

[Mounce]

Oh didn't realize you had experience with a different one.

 

[zb2488]

Other users have said that it can

 

[Mounce]

Does yours not put the chime through the driver door speaker? Just chimes from the box? If so I agree on the bad design. I assumed yours was dinging through the door speaker but you didn't like the sound or something.

 

[Sparky]

I have a basic Metra harness for my basic Pioneer single DIN and it has an external speaker. I didn't think any of the harnesses allowed for going through factory speakers as that would require the HU to support that kind of pass thru.

 

[Mounce]

Huh, I always thought the boxes sent it through the door speaker

 

[Sparky]

Nope.

What's interesting is on my Silverado it puts the turn signal clicking through the driver side A pillar tweeter

 

[Mounce]

Whaaaat. Since when was turn signal clicks not came from the relay itself? 2007+ Silvys and their brethren I guess?

I think I'll stop here before I drag the thread way off topic lol. Thanks fer the info.

Glad you got everything sorted out OP.

 

[zb2488]

Getting off topic doesn't bother me but yeah. I turned down the chime box a tad and it doesn't sound as bad. The chimes themselves aren't the same as when it was the factory unit, some of them get cut off and the pattern is usually faster but as annoying as the chime box is the rest of the harness works well so it's still worth it. Should've taken pictures but I did it late at night when it was about 95 degrees and 60% humidity so I really just wanted the thing done. I've heard the Axxess harness pushes the chimes through the speakers but I don't have any experience with it.

The new issue is that our Ipad is a wifi version and doesn't have a GPS in it. So now i'm debating whether to get a bluetooth external GPS unit, or sell the ipad and get a Samsung galaxy tab S. Right now I have the ipad hooked up to my new radio via blueooth, and my phone providing a wifi tether for data but since the ipad doesn't have its own GPS unit it's kind of worthless for navigation since it can't really pinpoint our location or follow smoothly. Using my Nexus 5 for navigation for now but i'd like something with a bigger screen.

 

[triz]

Any pics?

 

[zb2488]

I didn't take any during the install but I can take some pics of the final setup. Working fairly well at the moment, have some lingering audio issues i'm gonna have to address.

 

[triz]

That's all I want. Thanks.

 

[zb2488]

Have some pics taken. Will upload soon

 

[NateDG]

I know this is old but I had to throw this in; I also used the same PAC interface but I still have my chimes coming through the speakers, and the little external chime speaker has never made a peep. I don't get it.

On another note, the guy at my local mobile audio store said some people will wrap that speaker in electrical tape and it makes the sound less crazy.