Navigation Trim

m3chhawk

Does anyone know the parts numbers to change a base model cubby hole to the navigation trim? Looking to do a custom Nexus 7 install. Just want the trim pieces, not the screen/keypad/etc...

I think this has been mentioned on here before but I can't find the post and the micro fiche is confusing as hell...

James Donovan

Custom Nexus 7, Is it really possible. Well its first time I am reading something like this. So please elaborate if possible.

Nillaz

It's possible, though it would be a pain in the ***. I have a Nexus 7 and I love it dearly, but it is not well suited to the application at hand.

m3chhawk

It will actually be pretty easy. I will build a custom housing that mounts the Nexus behind the viewing window of the factory navigation. Everything will look factory. If the viewing window is smaller than the viewable area of the tablet you just change the viewable area. Android is open source.

The sound/video for the tablet will be ran to the back of the headunit on an auxiliary input channel.

You then wire the charger to an ignition line and set the tablet to turn on and off via the ignition source.

I'm pretty confused at how you came to the conclusion that it's not suited to the application?
Google Maps/Nav are hands down the best nav software there is. I'll have 16 GB of movies/music at my disposal (and yes they will sync every time I pull into my garage). I can tether wifi from my phone and have Pandora radio, etc... I will also be able to tap into my OBD-II Bluetooth module and display ECU information via Torque-Pro. You could even set it up to display digital speed since Nissan took that away from the 350 to the 370.

Honestly, I can't think of a better application for the Nexus 7???

Nillaz

I have several issues with flush mounting a Nexus 7, which may or may not apply to you.

First, the locked portrait mode for the home screen isn't suitable for a landscape install. Assuming that you're not installing custom roms you can install custom launchers that will impact the awesome performance you get from using stock jelly bean or you can install a rotation control app on your device. Last I checked most of the rotation switchers cause some moderate screen tearing on the Nexus 7 and there are a few apps that simply don't perform well with it.

Which leads to my next issue....if and when you do manage to crash your nexus how do you perform a hard reboot when you have flush mounted your tablet in the nav cubby? You'll have to tear your dash apart to get access to the power button or wait for the battery to run dry...which will take several hours at best.

From a hardware standpoint the Nexus 7 has a flaw with the screen where the glass can become separated from the bezel. Some people report the issue right out of the box but others report that it isn't always apparent for awhile. I personally haven't had an issue with this yet but I certainly wouldn't want to continuously expose it to the rigors of vibration and the swings in temperature that you get in an automotive environment.

Lastly is just my personal opinion, but I consider the audio in the Nexus 7 to be substandard at best. Asus used a pretty crappy DAC in the Nexus 7 and it shows when hooked up to any kind of decent audio system. I consider it to be bearable for YouTube videos and whatnot, but I don't think I could bear to use it as a music source or for watching movies with any semblance of dynamic range. YMMV of course.

My feeling is that the Nexus isn't the best choice for a tablet in a car, but its your car and your tablet so you have to do what you think is best. I just think there may be better options available.

theDreamer

Here is the part number:

__________________
theDreamer's Z // Fast Intentions // Uprev // GTM // HKS // TEIN
theDreamer's Silvia // URAS // GREDDY
Houston Zs // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

m3chhawk

Custom roms will solve this.

Extending and remote mounting the power button will solve this.

Not much I can do about this but when they drop the price to $100 and $150, they are going to be pretty expendable.

This I can't comment on as I don't own the Nexus 7. Thanks for the heads up though, its definitely something I will look into.

What are your recommendations? It's tough to beat the price point, especially after Google cuts the prices in half. I'm definitely not doing anything that won't fit in the cubby and doesn't look factory and I want to maintain a double din head unit.

m3chhawk

Awesome! Thank you! What category/sub-system is this under? I couldn't find it for the life of me.

theDreamer

Home » 370Z Parts (Z34) 2009-2012 » Genuine Nissan Parts » Body(Front,Roof & Floor) » 680 Instrument Panel, Pad & Cluster Lid

That is via Courtesy Parts website, it is about $400 for the part.

__________________
theDreamer's Z // Fast Intentions // Uprev // GTM // HKS // TEIN
theDreamer's Silvia // URAS // GREDDY
Houston Zs // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

diddy535

There's going to be a big hole where the buttons for the nav usually go right? That might be the trickiest part to fill I would think.

__________________

Nillaz

I completely agree on maintaining the aesthetics of your car and would never recommend putting some ridiculously sized screen in there. Sometimes bigger is most certainly not better.

If I was going to install a tablet in the nav pocket (I did toy with this idea for some time and seriously considered putting a Nexus 7 there for a bit) I'd probably have to go with the Galaxy Tab 2 with a custom rom (I'm not a fan of TouchWiz, especially when there are options like Cyanogen readily available). There is a stupid amount of support for the device, it has better physical build quality than the Nexus, a far superior audiophile grade DAC, and it has an SD card slot that supports at least 32GB cards.

The Tab 2 addresses all of my primary concerns with the exception of the power button, but that's going to be an issue with any tablet that's permanently mounted. The downside is that it can't compete on price and has slightly lower hardware specs. For myself I consider the price to be irrelevant (in this instance the price difference is practically throw away money, even after a Nexus price drop is taken into account) and the spec differences have little impact in real world use.

m3chhawk

I'll definitely consider the Tab 2. I have a the 10.1 Tab and absolutely love it.

The cost difference is definitely throw away money, especially if I'm gonna be spending $400 on the Nissan bezel anyway.

Thanks for the suggestions and if anything materializes I'll be sure to PM you a link of the build. Thanks again.

Nillaz

This was my thinking as well. It's a crazy world when you have to spend more for the housing than the actual hardware!

Looking forward to seeing the build whatever you decide to go with.

m3chhawk

I'll make a piece of carbon to flush the hole from the bottom and then get a mat similar to the cubby hole mat on the 350Z. This would make it like a factory tray. Wouldnt ever put anything there but it maintains a factory look.

didymus

Didnt someone else on the forum mount a screen like that?