Thread: How much would you expect to pay for iPad install

Got another quote today... This guy says he will fiberglass my existing bezel so the tablet will fit. Due to the power + usb(audio) attaching to the bottom of the tablet he says we need to relocate my climate control & head unit to the glove compartment. $1200 firm all said and done. 2 days of work. 1 day with the car.

This would be a nice functional setup -- but it'd be harder to go back to stock & would cost me some money to do so. My car is a 2005 w/ almost 100k on it. My concern with this type of setup is if I need to get rid of the car in the next 3 years or so that would be a bit of a waste.

Is this too cheap? Hes been in the business for 20+ years. He has tons of photos of his work & a facebook page with good feedback. He has no staff but runs two garages, one at his home dedicated to auto work.

Thanks for the link to the volume control. I may get an amp + control. Might save some money on the install since he doesnt have to fabricate the head unit into the glove box.

Here's the install I did on my Bro's prius: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cRM2...e_gdata_player

If I was charging, I would probably ask $1000

for a guy in business-- keeping his brick-and-motor shop open, i don't think $1,200 is too much for what he has-- you said that he has tons of references, and pics of previous work, which is a huge plus.

i have always hated the idea of moving my climate controls-- it has nothing to do with the labor involved, but because i use them all the time, the idea that they would be moved farther away from me..

have you considered putting the ipad in landscape position instead of portrait?

assuming this is your dash:
http://image.motortrend.com/f/852540...front_dash.jpg

after looking at some how-to's, i would recommend getting a second radio bezel-- this way, you can have one modified one, and still have the original-- so if you want to return it to stock, it is just a couple snaps away..



you keep bringing up the age and mileage of the car vs. the overall project cost-- if you are concerned about that, then don't do it.

personally, i have a "diy, or don't do it at all" metality, so the overall cost of the projects that i do doesn't matter as much because i gain a lot of knowledge on many different subjects. they just take forever to complete!! not to mention, when you diy, there are no labor costs(ok, maybe a case of beer,and some pizza here and there ) so the overall cost of the project is cut way down. fabrication like this is almost always has higher labor costs then material costs due to the amount of time it takes to do all the sanding, and paint work..

Originally Posted by torres1708

Here's the install I did on my Bro's prius: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cRM2...e_gdata_player

If I was charging, I would probably ask $1000

Oh awesome, this is the video I've been showing installers. I think that install would be perfect for me. $1000 is a nice price too Are you close to Seattle? Seriously.

---------- Post added at 09:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:54 PM ----------

Originally Posted by soundman98

for a guy in business-- keeping his brick-and-motor shop open, i don't think $1,200 is too much for what he has-- you said that he has tons of references, and pics of previous work, which is a huge plus.

i have always hated the idea of moving my climate controls-- it has nothing to do with the labor involved, but because i use them all the time, the idea that they would be moved farther away from me..

have you considered putting the ipad in landscape position instead of portrait?

assuming this is your dash:
http://image.motortrend.com/f/852540...front_dash.jpg

after looking at some how-to's, i would recommend getting a second radio bezel-- this way, you can have one modified one, and still have the original-- so if you want to return it to stock, it is just a couple snaps away..



you keep bringing up the age and mileage of the car vs. the overall project cost-- if you are concerned about that, then don't do it.

personally, i have a "diy, or don't do it at all" metality, so the overall cost of the projects that i do doesn't matter as much because i gain a lot of knowledge on many different subjects. they just take forever to complete!! not to mention, when you diy, there are no labor costs(ok, maybe a case of beer,and some pizza here and there ) so the overall cost of the project is cut way down. fabrication like this is almost always has higher labor costs then material costs due to the amount of time it takes to do all the sanding, and paint work..

I plan to install in landscape orientation. This is better for a couple reason.. The on screen keyboard will be larger and the controls in the media app are also large in this orientation. It also simply doesnt fit well in the dash when in portrait.

I don't plan on getting rid of the car for at least 2 years. Its given me no problems so far (5 yrs. 100k miles) but if it starts becoming problematic I could see wanting to just get rid of it. I've considered maybe now its just a good time to get a new car which is an option but I dont have a very compelling reason to do so.

I dont have the skills to DIY. I would love to though. Judging by some build videos I've watched this doesnt seem like a good starter project.

My only real building experience is model airplanes (large gliders) which do require fiberglassing & sanding...

Are there any good sources that have DIY info that could help me determine if its even remotely possible to DIY for a first timer?

Search on Youtube Fisherman Ipad.

DIY would be easier using an Ipad than it is moulding a screen in to your dash if you ask me.

the bezel how-to in the fab section here, and bugbyte ipad install thread should have some very good info--between the 2 of them it should be plenty of info to work your project out. and if you run stuck, post up in the fab section, or PM nexson, or djvillar directly. i see them post a lot of different solutions and ideas in the fab section(nexson also does a lot of bezels in his spare time).

you fly r/c, so i know you have the patience for fabrication (i have a blade 400 heli) while some of the priciples are the same (time consuming, and require lots of patience), the application, and products used are a little different..

If it was me, I'd just design a 3 part holder in cad/sketchup and get it cnc'd or jetcut out of stainless steel a bit like the fisherman has done. Wouldn't be much work at all.

Yup, if you've got $1k to spend, I'll bet you could do some solidworks drawings and get it printed for somewhere around that price. Emachine shop does it but I don't know the price.

You could buy a cupcake stereo lithography printer and make it from that, then print out a copy of the machine and sell it to reduce your cost!

I dont know what it's like in the US but in the UK it's pretty cheap to get stuff machined inc CNC, Laser & Abrasive H2O. 3D printing is still reasonably expensive though as it's new tech.

I got a doubledin faceplate to house my Linitx 7" transflective screen made out of 4mm alloy for £10 ($16 ish).

I'd estimate it would cost around £80 for me to make a complete Ipad housing out of alloy, actuator £15-£20, loom & switch £10, facia fab £25. So DIY for under £135 ($219) and you've got an impressive install much like fishman has here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TaVigs8Who

But if you're no good at doing it DIY I would guess around the prices you've been getting would be about right although most fabshop jobs I've seen aren't great IMO.