I'm preparing to have an AVIC-N5 installed in my 2010 Honda Insight EX wo/nav but the car is so new that some parts are in the process of being manufactured. I'm a little confused as to what these parts are. (TOLD you I'm a newbie!) 1. Dash Plate: Is this the plastic specially shaped dashboard backing into which the actual radio will be inserted? (It has to be special for each brand of car to provide 'holes' where non-radio related accessories must protrude ... in my case the emergency flashers switch.) Does a Dash Plate come with knock outs to accommodate 1-Din/2-Din radios? 2. Installation Kit: Is this the part that actually holds the radio in the Dash Plate? If so, are they specific for each Year and Car Model ... and radio manufacturer ... or just 1-Din/2-Din units? 3. Wiring Harness: My radio comes with a harness that has a plug on the radio end and bare wires on the other where it will plug into the car connections. I "think" a Wiring Harness is similar ... plug on one end and bare wires on the other which will be connected to the manufacturer supplied harness (bare wires to bare wires) mentioned above. It's purpose (???) is to keep the original Honda plug intact in case I sell the car and want to reinstall the original radio. I'm also having them install an XM radio and Backup Camera but these should be no problem because they connect directly to the AVIC-N5 with maybe some wiring to 12V. 4. Antenna Location: The navigation and xm radio parts come with magnetic based antennas which Pioneer suggests be mounted on the roof. I'm concerned about them being knocked off possibly scratching the car and/or possibly snapping the antenna cables in a car wash. My thought is to have them mounted on the dashboard as close as possible to the center of the windshield. At the moment I'm using portable units (XM and Navigation). The navigation unit works well with the unit near center on the dash but the XM cuts in and out. The xm antenna is sitting to the far right of the dashboard very close to the metal roof pillar. (The xm is a very inexpensive Audiovox unit.) Is mounting the antennas on the dashboard a bad idea? Can they be mounted close together near center without interfering with one another? I'd really appreciate your help with these questions so I have an idea what the installer is talking about once the job begins.
questions 1,2 and 3 your dead on. about the xm antenna it has a strong magnet so its hard to knock it off the roof.(i have one). also i dont think having the 2 near each other will interfere with each other.the roof is the best spot cause its a 100% open area. on the dash you'll get dead spots when the roof line blocks the signal. i used to have mine in the back part of the roof of my suv and my roof rack blocked the signal when i was driving a certain direction. i moved it to the center of my windshield with zero reception probs.
Thanks for your quick response. One final question you may be able to help with ... Crutchfield says the AVIC-N5 will fit my Insight "with modifications". They then mention a CORPORATE PANEL. Just what IS a corporate panel? Are they saying I need a car model specific dash plate? Thanks again!
The Insight has Nav as an option. That means there is a dash available from Honda to install what you wanna install. For example, if I want to put a Double Din in a Civic, I simply go to Honda and order a center dash Peice #4907444. Now the heater an AC controls would have to be transfered to the new dash. The mounting brackets would also have to be ordered. This can be done, but we'll need to do some research. Please post a picture of your dash. Pedro Quiroga and me wanna see what we can figure out. We love a challenge
Above is the Insight WITH nav installed. Above is my current setup. The black area surrounding the radio/nav system is what I'm thinking is the DASH PLATE. The dimensions "look" the same basically as far as fitting into the dashboard. The red button (upper left) is the emergency flasher switch. The square thing (lower far left) is a passenger air bag warning light. The second thing in the bottom picture to the right of the air bag warning (my current dash plate) is an Aux Input jack with a rubber flip out cover. I won't really need this. The radio I'm having installed is a 1-din (2 X 7) with a motorized pop-out screen so I don't really need the full opening of the nav unit. I believe they make mounting kits with the 2 X 7 opening plus a second 2 X 7 storage box directly below. That should cover the extra space. Do you think I can pick up just the nav dash plate from Honda and use an installation kit as mentioned above? Thanks for you assistance! Dave
I didn't catch the AVIC N5 part. As far as I can tell no one currently makes an install kit for your car. My suggestion is to go with Double Din Radio and change the dash plate. Now can you use what you have? Maybe. But I would send it to a professional installer. Go to your local Honda Dealer and find out how much that Double Din Panel is. Also find out what brackets are used to hold the factory Nav in place. They have an "exploded view picture" of the parts, see if they will make you a copy. It will look like the Civic Dash Pic Below
Thanks for the reply. I was looking at the part you mentioned (dashboard replacement). The cost (not sure if it's mine or the dealer's) runs about $675 ... that's without installation. My best bet (least expensive) seems to be to just be patient and wait for the 3rd party manufacturer to start making dash plates and replacement radio harnesses. My installer called the factory. They claim to be working on their design right now (dash plate) and asked me to check back with him in 30 - 45 days. Right now I feel like I have a Christmas present I can't open before my birthday in Spring! [Grin!] I've got the radio/GPS, the XM radio and a backup camera but have to wait and keep them boxed up. (Are they defective? Do they work?) Heck! I just turned 68. Maybe before I'm 70??? [Grin!]
you could check out body shops to see if they could fiberglass you a new plate and have it painted to match the interior. They may be able to use the current plate and just modify it to work for you. That's the only thing i could think of at the moment after searching online for a new plate (2010 models have no aftermarket parts yet).
Can you post a picture of the exploded veiw? I don't believe you have to replace the whole dash, just the center piece. If it costs $675 from the dealer then it will cost just as much from the aftermarket. Also the Honda part will fit better. I use the Civic as an example because I've researched this vehicle and done these a couple of times. The dash piece from Honda (for the Civic) is $32, while the aftermarket Kit is $44. I've used both parts, the Honda part fit better. You need to look at the Exploded Veiw Picture. Find a dealer that knows what they are talking about (that will be the hard part). Good Luck, keep us posted. If I get by the Honda dealer sometime, I'll look it up.
