Installing Dension 500S in a 987 (applicable to 997 too)
Discussion
So, some success...
I decided to install the unit in the front trunk. In hindsight this was a mistake, I'll come onto why shortly.
As is well documented the instructions that come with the Dension unit are probably the most pathetic, unhelpful load of old tosh I have ever seen..
Despite their best efforts to scupper the installation, I got it all working ok..
My 987 (2006) has Bose, Nav, and Phone. I unscrewed the plastic unit that covers the Nav unit and changer.
I wasted time unscrewing the changer and then realised the whole nav/changer cage just slots out forwards.
Then it was a case of getting the unit into the optical loop, and crimping power/earth (I used the feed to the nav unit; red and green for positive, brown for negative).
All working fine, but I do get a pcm phone error, but was expecting that.
Now there are thee reasons that using this unit in the front trunk is a mistake.
1. The Ipod lead is WAY to short to get from the front trunk into the cabin.
2. To get wires into the cabin you would need to go through one of the large grommets that the thick wiring loom goes through. I could see no easy way to get these removed/lose, there is one trunk side and one cabin side and they are very firmly in place. The only way to get something through would be to make a hole in this, which I did not want to do. The hole would have to be quite large to get both the microphone cable (at best the smaller Jack end coming from cabin into trunk), and the ipod connector.
3. I tested the Bluetooth and with the Dension located by the changer, the signal was poor.
On a positive note the ipod works well, and the sound quality (with Bose in my case) is excellent.
So I put everything back together for now, and the ipod has to go in the front trunk.
I will now work up the energy to get the PCM unit out, and get the unit in the car so Bluetooth works better, I can run the mic and thus make calls, and then have the ipod and USB connectors in the cabin; either in the glovebox or cubby under the climate control.
Interested to know if anyone has run cables from trunk to cabin, since unless I am mistaken this looks to be a proper PITA.
I decided to install the unit in the front trunk. In hindsight this was a mistake, I'll come onto why shortly.
As is well documented the instructions that come with the Dension unit are probably the most pathetic, unhelpful load of old tosh I have ever seen..
Despite their best efforts to scupper the installation, I got it all working ok..
My 987 (2006) has Bose, Nav, and Phone. I unscrewed the plastic unit that covers the Nav unit and changer.
I wasted time unscrewing the changer and then realised the whole nav/changer cage just slots out forwards.
Then it was a case of getting the unit into the optical loop, and crimping power/earth (I used the feed to the nav unit; red and green for positive, brown for negative).
All working fine, but I do get a pcm phone error, but was expecting that.
Now there are thee reasons that using this unit in the front trunk is a mistake.
1. The Ipod lead is WAY to short to get from the front trunk into the cabin.
2. To get wires into the cabin you would need to go through one of the large grommets that the thick wiring loom goes through. I could see no easy way to get these removed/lose, there is one trunk side and one cabin side and they are very firmly in place. The only way to get something through would be to make a hole in this, which I did not want to do. The hole would have to be quite large to get both the microphone cable (at best the smaller Jack end coming from cabin into trunk), and the ipod connector.
3. I tested the Bluetooth and with the Dension located by the changer, the signal was poor.
On a positive note the ipod works well, and the sound quality (with Bose in my case) is excellent.
So I put everything back together for now, and the ipod has to go in the front trunk.
I will now work up the energy to get the PCM unit out, and get the unit in the car so Bluetooth works better, I can run the mic and thus make calls, and then have the ipod and USB connectors in the cabin; either in the glovebox or cubby under the climate control.
Interested to know if anyone has run cables from trunk to cabin, since unless I am mistaken this looks to be a proper PITA.
Edited by edo on Sunday 6th October 18:00
I have the same car as you and have recently done the same install as you, fortunately I read online that the Bluetooth would be crap if I put the unit in the frunk so went for the cabin from the outset.
The unit was installed behind in the PCM and has been said there is more than enough room in there for it, I secured mine with cable ties.
I installed the USB port in the glove box, I did this by drilling a small hole in the back and then attaching it to the top of the box using sticky pads, looks really neat and you hardly notice it when opening the box. The IPOD lead I was originally intending to run up to a Brodit iPhone holder located near the steering wheel but I hated the holder when it was in position and I have now moved it to the cubby hole in front of the gear lever.
Unfortunately my unit has gone tits up and I currently have no nav, music of any kind or phone and I need to remove it to get it fixed.
The unit was installed behind in the PCM and has been said there is more than enough room in there for it, I secured mine with cable ties.
I installed the USB port in the glove box, I did this by drilling a small hole in the back and then attaching it to the top of the box using sticky pads, looks really neat and you hardly notice it when opening the box. The IPOD lead I was originally intending to run up to a Brodit iPhone holder located near the steering wheel but I hated the holder when it was in position and I have now moved it to the cubby hole in front of the gear lever.
Unfortunately my unit has gone tits up and I currently have no nav, music of any kind or phone and I need to remove it to get it fixed.
USB box went in the glove box. I also drilled a hole through the side/top and fed the cables through. The iPhone/iPod 30 pin connector is under the armrest in the centre console. I drilled another hole for that too
The mic went all the way up into the roof light by the rear view mirror. I just took out one of the little plastic domes. I keep meaning to replace both of them with mesh, but only I can see it.
The mic went all the way up into the roof light by the rear view mirror. I just took out one of the little plastic domes. I keep meaning to replace both of them with mesh, but only I can see it.
AnthonyR said:
I have the same car as you and have recently done the same install as you, fortunately I read online that the Bluetooth would be crap if I put the unit in the frunk ......(
Wasn't a problem for me. I did consider putting it behind the PCM but realised I may need occasional access. Put it on top of the DVD Navigation drive in the front. No problems with bluetooth whatsoever.Not down to the Dension, but I did have a problem recently when I updated my iPhone to iOS7, although it's all sorted now.
mankey said:
AnthonyR said:
I have the same car as you and have recently done the same install as you, fortunately I read online that the Bluetooth would be crap if I put the unit in the frunk ......(
Wasn't a problem for me. I did consider putting it behind the PCM but realised I may need occasional access. Put it on top of the DVD Navigation drive in the front. No problems with bluetooth whatsoever.Not down to the Dension, but I did have a problem recently when I updated my iPhone to iOS7, although it's all sorted now.
I did the same thing a few years ago, and probably wasted exactly the same amount of time unscrewing the CD changer before just slotting the whole assembly out in about 2 seconds!
I have also got mine installed in the front boot, but this has worked out quite well for me because I have a separate iPod for the car that is never removed, so I actually prefer not having it in the cabin. I have also found the bluetooth connection fine.
I did actually remove one of the main gromets to run the microphone cable through. I didn't really fancy putting a hole through it either, so I have just left it off for now as the car lives in a garage anyway.
I have also got mine installed in the front boot, but this has worked out quite well for me because I have a separate iPod for the car that is never removed, so I actually prefer not having it in the cabin. I have also found the bluetooth connection fine.
I did actually remove one of the main gromets to run the microphone cable through. I didn't really fancy putting a hole through it either, so I have just left it off for now as the car lives in a garage anyway.
HELP!
Ok I removed the unit from the front, a have installed (tried!) in the cabin.
As per various other installs, I have the fibre cable that was going into the head unit going into the dension, and then a new fibre cable going from dension to head unit.
As per other instructions I have removed the fibre from the changer in the front boot and joined it (had to use a female connector with a cable looping into it as I could not find the small joiner that came with the dension.
Still no joy and I get no nav/changer/amp error. I have tried swapping the fibre connectors on the dension but it doesn't work either way round.
The suggested wiring in the (pathetic) instructions is no help at all.
I attach a pic to try and show what I have done. Units powers fin and connects to my phone even.
Ok I removed the unit from the front, a have installed (tried!) in the cabin.
As per various other installs, I have the fibre cable that was going into the head unit going into the dension, and then a new fibre cable going from dension to head unit.
As per other instructions I have removed the fibre from the changer in the front boot and joined it (had to use a female connector with a cable looping into it as I could not find the small joiner that came with the dension.
Still no joy and I get no nav/changer/amp error. I have tried swapping the fibre connectors on the dension but it doesn't work either way round.
The suggested wiring in the (pathetic) instructions is no help at all.
I attach a pic to try and show what I have done. Units powers fin and connects to my phone even.
Right, fixed my own issue. AS I was not using the changer any more and pacing in the cabin I only needed one port on the dension, and had to separate the fibre pairs. One wire from car to HU, one to Dension and one between them.
All working now.
Dension your installation instructions suck balls!
All working now.
Dension your installation instructions suck balls!
Thanks. All good.
Now I know I have it all in and working I rekon I could do the whole thing quite quickly.
Putting the unit in the cabin means you dont need the "dual" version, but good for resale I guess.
You also lose the cd changer but to be honest why would you want that when you have BT, Ipod and USB.
Functionally it is a little fiddly to start with, you use the cd up and down arrows and chose cd 6 to go into settings.
Phone calls work fine, but of course you need to be in dension/changer mode, or you wont hear anything! I.E. if the phone rings and you are in FM it wont switch over, but no system could control the head unit to do this when you are using a system hat "spoofs" cd changer.
All in all happy now it is in. (some work to do, ran out of time and the inside of the car looks like a bomb went off in the electrical department of halfords!)
Now I know I have it all in and working I rekon I could do the whole thing quite quickly.
Putting the unit in the cabin means you dont need the "dual" version, but good for resale I guess.
You also lose the cd changer but to be honest why would you want that when you have BT, Ipod and USB.
Functionally it is a little fiddly to start with, you use the cd up and down arrows and chose cd 6 to go into settings.
Phone calls work fine, but of course you need to be in dension/changer mode, or you wont hear anything! I.E. if the phone rings and you are in FM it wont switch over, but no system could control the head unit to do this when you are using a system hat "spoofs" cd changer.
All in all happy now it is in. (some work to do, ran out of time and the inside of the car looks like a bomb went off in the electrical department of halfords!)
Hi Edo
That looks like a job well done and you're to be congratulated. When I installed mine I realised that I needed to put my brain into gear to establish the best way of doing it before I went ahead. I'm sure you'll agree that fundamentally it's not a difficult job, but you do need to think about some of the practicalities.
Are you sure about switching to phone calls from FM mode? Mine will accept phones calls regardless of what you're listening-to, whether the radio, traffic bulletin single-CD or the USB.
As for the bomb-site appearance of your car, I suffered the same fate when I realised I needed an essential connector to complete the job.
That looks like a job well done and you're to be congratulated. When I installed mine I realised that I needed to put my brain into gear to establish the best way of doing it before I went ahead. I'm sure you'll agree that fundamentally it's not a difficult job, but you do need to think about some of the practicalities.
Are you sure about switching to phone calls from FM mode? Mine will accept phones calls regardless of what you're listening-to, whether the radio, traffic bulletin single-CD or the USB.
As for the bomb-site appearance of your car, I suffered the same fate when I realised I needed an essential connector to complete the job.
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