Okay car audio gurus I have some questions and maybe someone can give me a DIY link for what I want to do.

I have an XM Radio and a newly purchased Parrot bluetooth. I am wanting to do a build in where the ashtray is. After searching for the better part of the morning I am stuck with fiberglass. Well to be honest i have never done fiberglass and frankly i don't think i can be that handy.

So here is the question do you guys have any suggestions on how to make a build in? I have included some pics of what I mean.

Cartoys in Denver wants $250 to build.

 

if they can do a good job and match it perfectly with the rest of the center stack I say it would be worth it. Fiberglass is very hard to work with and in such a visible area you really want a very clean job. Too much work for your first time, unless you first spend some time practicing.

 

If i have them do it - should i have them wrap it in black vinyl or try to keep it like the grey-black plastic or ?????

 

I would have them try to match the plastic, wrapping in vinyl will look funny and probably not hold up over time. But color matching is the hard part.

 

i would ask to see previous work theyve done. is it 250 just to make the piece or install it too

 

the $250 is just for the piece - i already instaled the xm and from i have read i can easily install the parrot as well.

I wish there was an easy way for me to do this myself and save some cash.

 

I know this doesn't address your question but whenever I see someone about to install a phone kit I like to mention that there is usually an audio system mute pin on a phone connector under the center console on 95-00 Lexus vehicles that were prewired at the factory for a dealer installed Lexus phone.

On my 2000 LS400, the mute pin is the center front pin on the phone connector on the drivers side. To connect my phone kit's mute wire, all I had to do was strip 1/4" installation from the end of the mute wire, stick it into connector so it made contact with the middle front pin, and then secure the mute wire with a cable tie. I think the drivers side connector is the same in 98-00 Lexus vehicles and a different connector with fewer pins is used (but still with a mute pin) in 95-97 Lexus vehicles.

A audio system mute pin can usually also be found where the phone ECU would have been installed in the trunk or on the head unit or amplifier.

You can verify which is the mute pin by probing the pins in the phone connector with a cheap grounded 12V test light while the radio is playing. The radio will mute when you touch the mute pin with the test light probe. I wouldn't try probing the pins on the head unit or amplifier though -- a little dangerous and could cause damage -- unless you have identified the location and color of the mute wire by looking at the audio system diagram for your car.

IMO, having the radio mute during a phone call is extremely important. Before I hooked up our phone kits to mute the audio systems in all our cars, we were constantly missing phone calls while listening to loud music due to not being able to hear our phones ring.

 

Here is a closer view of the driver's side OEM phone connector on my 00 LS with the phone kit's yellow mute wire plugged in and secured with a cable tie.

 

that's a great point kansas, i'm tempted to look for something that will mute via bluetooth