Aftermarket Stereo Install
 

Anybody know where I can find a dash kit for my 2000 Infiniti I30. I have been told some one makes them, no one makes them ... and so on. Someone clear it up for me. I really dont want to have a custom one made ... they never seem to fit just right or look just right. Also has anyone run a high end converter to a Amp? How does it sound?

Despite what you have heard ...NO ONE MAKES A DASH KIT. At least not that I have been able to find and trust me I SEARCHED. I actually ordered the kit from Crutchfield after talking to a rep and him ASSURING me that it would fit. Guess what....HE WAS WRONG. So the custom route is really the only choice you have and you CAN get a nice fit and nice look if you go to a professional shop that has an experienced fiber glass guy. It can be done and it can be done relatively inexpensively - somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 - 200 dollars. Good luck :thumbsup:

Sadly, this is the truth. I have recently discovered why this is a problem for us I series owners. I was speaking with a rep there who transferred me to one of the techs to find out about the wiring for the steering wheel remote to work with an after market h.u. The tech was very helpful (john) and he informed me that crutchfield could have a kit fabricated made for the 2000-2004 I30/I35's but there is not an Infiniti dealership in the area of the main headquarters willing to work with them in the design one.

Its really sad. But I think Bose has something legal set up with Infiniti to prevent removal of the stereo h.u.

...then why would it only be with infiniti, bose is in many cars such as acuras, volkswagen, and many other manufacturers. IMHO bose is horrible and not very user friendly if it were to be changed out. i had bose in my I30, wasnt hard to take out just a pain.

You asked the exact same question that I asked the service tech with Crutchfield. Apparently, there has to be some type of legal issue with it. Its not just Inifiniti though, the same goes for All 00- present models for Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Saab, Volvo, Jaguar, some Lexus, some Acuras, Cadillac, and Lincolns. Pretty much most luxury vehicles fall into this category. Its nothing to change out the radio in our cars. (Luckily, Maxima's use the same brackets and harnesses.) But the problem is with the dash trim.

Ok guys ...I just wanted to add a little piece of information that I got today. Over the weekend I had a break in and my insurance company is replacing my Alpine HU. I told the agent that i had to have a custom trim piece made for the dash opening and in the process of taking my stereo out the bastards destroyed it. He contacted Circuit City (i know the source might not be the best) and they INSISTED that they now have a Metra kit for our cars. They even gave me the part number (88-00-9000). I plan on having the install done this weekend....so we shall see. I just wanted to pass along this bit of information - even though it is probably completely false.

Lets cross our fingers

There most likeley referring to the kit fro Maximas ... But if it is true it would be Fing GREAT! Wouldnt Metra have it on there Web ?

I checked the Metra site and nada.....i did find something that didn't look right on crutchfield.com. The bottom line is I will know WITHOUT A DOUBT this saturday and I will make sure that I let everyone know (yea or nay). Keep your fingers crossed - but I, for one, am not that hopeful :(

just for your info bose runs their speakers at sych a low impedence for quality purposes and power. also to keep ppl from chnaging so easy.

Just as I thought...NO DASH KIT FOR THE 2000+ I30!!! Don't let anyone tell you differently....sorry guys but it has been CONFIRMED!

do a search on ebay for stereo kit maxima

...there are no dash kits, please if your going to say something read up first. welcome to the org.

Well there is a dash kit available :) Check my other post.

i went to the best buy website and the circuit city website and none of their head units would fit my car (i did that "select your vehicle" option). i even went in and talked to someone at both stores and they said there's nothing they can do for my car.
does that mean i'm stuck with what came with the '01 i30?

Well it means that there is no kit available on the market that is made specifically for our vehicle. (However, the kit for the 5th gen Maxima still is available to use for mounting purposes.) The only problem you will run into is that you will have to fabricate a trim bracket to fit and fill the hole and gaps. But any radio that will fit the 5th gen Maxima, will fit your 01 I30.

so if i go into best buy and ask for the 5th generation maxima kit, will they provide the trim bracket to fit and fill the hole and the gaps?

whew.
i just got back from best buy and i'm confused.
so i went in there today and told them "i read online that anything that fits the 5th generation maxima will fit my i30." the guy went into the back and came out and said "yeah, it can be done but we'll have to charge you an extra 100 bucks for installation 'cuz we have to rewire everything. but make sure you pick something that'll fit the 5th generation maxima." i asked him which ones those were and he said "oh, ALL of these head units will fit the maxima."
so i'm wondering why he said "make sure you pick something that'll fit the 5th generation maxima" when he could've easily said something like "luckily, all of these will fit; don't worry." the way he said it, it made it sound like it was going to be a hit-or-miss. like, i was going to have to stand there and read everything and do some research as to which ones fit.
and i'm wondering why they told me a week ago (the same dude) that there wasn't anything they could do for my car but now they're saying "..as long as it fits the maxima, it's a-okay." wouldn't it have been easier if they had just said something like "oh, you want a head unit for your i30? well, no problem. just pick any one of these 'cuz anything that fits the maxima will fit your car."

...or is it like a secret club? hmmm..
only people that say the magical words "i heard that anything that will fit the 5th generation maxima will fit the '01 i30", get the special, exclusive treatment.
am i onto something here?

what do you mean by the dash trim?
are you saying that the head unit can be replaced but it'll look ugly and awkward in the car?

sorry i'm asking so many questions :mecry:
i just bought my i30 recently after reading the messages in this forum (it was either the '01 i30 or the '02 maxima; the choice was one of the hardest, i must admit).
i'm trying to slowly tweak it (hopefully, starting with the head unit, then the tints, followed by rims, etc).

This is the problem with the 5th gen maxima dash kits in A33 I30 and I35s:

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...81_16_full.jpg

first off, thanks a million for linking that image. seriously, i've been racking my brain trying to picture it and trying to imagine how big of a storage shelf it would leave.

looking at that picture, i guess it doesn't look that bad. the only part that looks awkward is the top two corners. it looks like the spaces look like \ / but the kit looks like | | so it leaves a slight gap. or am i just looking at it wrong?
i was actually looking forward to a storage shelf so i can place stuff in there (like breath mints and lifesavers candy).

i wound up getting this JVC head unit and i have to go in on tuesday to get it installed.
http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US...6986087_sa.jpg
i tried to pick one that was more consistent with the rest of the interior (dash/gauges).

The problem is that we have a wider dash than our Maxima brethren. So you'll have gaps on each side of the kit in the dash.

You might want to hold out and order the Taiwanese Cefiro dash that Ossamah and I have. Perfect fitment...just a little pricey. Scroll a couple pages back through this forum and you should find the thread.

so basically it'll fit perfectly vertically but be a little short horizontally?
is it bad to have a little gap though? i'm referring to either dust getting in or perhaps some rattling.
if it's not too much trouble, can you post a straight-on view of that picture you linked (if you have one). i just want to get a sense of how much of a gap i'll be looking at and if i'll be able to live with it.

the dash that you and ossamah have sounds awesome but i don't know how to remove/install dashes.

Its a piece of cake to remove the dash piece. All you need is some picktools and philips :) I might end up putting my dash piece for sale since I havnt installed it yet.

The picture wasn't of my car, so I can't give you anymore photos.

The gap isn't going to cause anything bad, I just think it will look like a$$ in the dash. And let's face it, we didn't buy these things off the dealer lots to look ghetto-rigged.

Something you need to realize though - installing the dash we have is easy, just like Ossamah said. In fact, it would be nearly the same as installing the Maxima dash kit.

I have a few pics I took when I was test fitting the thing. I will try to post them up later on.

yeah, after thinking about it for most of the weekend, i decided to return the head unit and cancel the appointment. every time i pictured the gap, it got larger and larger. haha.
and i was thinking about this kid i knew when i was younger who was like the first person i knew to get a head unit (it was back in the day when it was still a new thing) and i remember it not looking right. the head unit was sticking out and there were gaps all over the place and it DID look like a$$.
thanks so much for all the input and advice.

quick question though. in the manual it says to not use any CD-Rs. has anyone had any problems?

Been using CD-Rs for almost 3 years with no problems.

Alot of CD players say they won't play CD-R's, but that doesn't really apply anymore.
When CD-R's first came out they wouldn't play in alot of players due to the crappy die and bad reflection.
But You might still have problems using dirt-cheap no-name CD's

phew, good news.
my brother has a 1998 dodge stratus and it doesn't play ANY CDs at all. it'll either just load or display an error message.