xenarc 7000IDT mounting woes

**chrislloyd** · 04-25-2005, 12:59 PM

i think xenarc kind of blew it... worse.. now i have a useless 700IDT

i spent most of the day saturday trying to figure out how to mount this thing. the cage they supply wasnt an option for me since i have a double din opening. i was planning on using the facotry mounting brackets to mount my alpine raido and the 700IDT

2 problems.

the outer trim on the monitor is too big to poke though the dash bezel... such that you would have to mount it behind the dash. but them.. the monitor dosent come out far enough to clear the trim on the dash. even if i could mod the dash to work... the holes in the unit are useless. any screw that you put through will hit the sliding mechanism

if i mount it through the front ( i would never as it would look like crap) there is no locking mechanism for the cage that is suppied

so not really happy with my purchase

now what?? is there a true indash monitor that woks like an alpine or other aftermarket monitor??? do i sell this one?? only to try again with an overhead??

frustrated!

**xdjxklusivex** · 04-25-2005, 02:06 PM

what car do you have? if you send me the screen and the dash bezel i can fabricate a piece for you and send it back ready to put into your car for pritty cheep

or you can just sell it? if its brand new u might be able to get close to what you paid or ebay it

**Cris** · 04-25-2005, 02:48 PM

Pics are worth 100 words Chrislloyd...

**chrislloyd** · 04-25-2005, 04:28 PM

sorry... its a toyota tundra. it has a typical double din opening. i was figuring i could ISO mount the alpine and the xenarc. i knew i would have to mod the brackets to mount the xenarc... but thier "mounting holes" are practically useless. you might get 3/4 threads... and any more you will interfere with the sliding mechanism.

on top of that... since the trim of the xenarc is larger that a din opening.. (width and height) even moding the dash... it will interfere with the alpine.

i put a pic of a tundra dash... its not mine. i currently have an alpine single din unit installed.. with a pocket under it. i had moved the alpine down to the bottom slot... and planned the xenarc in the top.

**hd54321** · 04-25-2005, 04:39 PM

I had the same exact issue as you did. I have a '98 Lexus ES300 and I used the factory mounting bracket to mount the 700IDT. My biggest gripe with the monitor is that it does not have standard ISO or DIN monting holes. It seems like the manufacturer drilled 2 rows of random holes on both sides of the case.

In any case, my Lexus can take a 2-DIN installation. My HU is on the bottom and the 700IDT is on the top. To make the 700IDT fit (though it doesn't look like it even fits), I burred down the three little bumps on the inside of the Left & Right factory brackets. These bumps look like they temporarily hold a radio in place prior to screwing it into the bracket. So, I burred these suckers down on both sides of the bracket. Than, I realized that the 700IDT is about 1mm too wide to fit perfectly in the bracket. I basically had to use some elbow grease to get it in the bracket and than to properly fit it in the car.

Just to let you know, I haven't even screwed the monitor in place. The bracket fits so tightly that the 700IDT won't even move. Even if I were to screw the monitor into the bracket, I couldn't without further modifying it - which I didn't want to do.

Lastly, I have to custom make some sort of bezel. The 700IDT is not the same standard size as an aftermarket radio. So, I gotta get some scrap plywood or MDF from HD this weekend to begin creating this thing.

-HD

**chrislloyd** · 04-25-2005, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by hd54321

My biggest gripe with the monitor is that it does not have standard ISO or DIN monting holes. It seems like the manufacturer drilled 2 rows of random holes on both sides of the case.
-HD

your exactley right!

i went so far as to drill out the little dimples... this did help slightly. i started to modify the dash bezel... but the trim on the xenarc is too tall also... the mod of the bezel along the top of the raido in that pic... starts to come out... so if i file it to get the rmonitor to fit... you would start to see a gap between the top of the xenarc and the dash.

i was going to mount it completely behind the dash... and file just enough to get the monitor part though... but it dosent extend out far enough then to open all the way

i had such high hopes for this thing! im pretty dissappointed right about now. i have a long road trip next weekend that i was hoping to finish this for.

im looking for insight on the flip down now.

atleast i got the new alipine in... so i have good sounds!

**ecrase2500** · 08-24-2005, 11:54 AM

Hi everyone,

This is my first post but I've been lurking for a while. I wasn't sure whether to start a new thread or just add to this old one, so I flipped a coin.

I too have been disappointed by the 700IDT's nonstandard dimensions. The product page on Xenarc's website states, "This monitor would fit perfectly into a 1-DIN dash opening." However, upon receiving my 700IDT yesterday, I found this is clearly not the case.

If you set it next to your 1-DIN head unit, the 700IDT is visibly larger in all dimensions. It is definitely too wide to fit between the stock mounting brackets for my X-Trail's 2-DIN head unit without hammering the "locating dimples" around the screwholes flat.

As the previous posters mention, the screw holes provided in the case have nothing to do with the standard mounting brackets. Normally these would be recessed a bit and centered between top and bottom on the sides of the unit, but holes here would interfere with the sliding mechanism.

After a couple of hours of fiddling with various mounting possibilities last night (and after scratching up the case's paint to the point of "no return") I have arrived at a plan that I think will work.

1. I'm going to check on the price of the stock mounting brackets and order a new set of them, because I am definitely going to ruin the ones I have. I need to return my car to stock when the lease is up.

2. The big, bulky, plastic face plate that's on the 700IDT snaps off with relatively light effort and no tools. Without this piece attached, the very front of the unit will poke through my dash bezel, up to the 700IDT's case lid, with no mods. This is far enough for the screen to slide out and flip up. With the faceplate removed, you can actually see how much unused room is in the case.

3. The original 700IDT faceplate won't fit if I do this, so I'll have to make a new one. There are actually some convenient steel tabs with screw holes at either corner of the case that can be used to attach it. There's lots of vacant space in the case: about an inch height, full width, all the way to the small power supply at the back, never in the way of the monitor's travel. It seems a shame to not use this, so I'm considering mounting a slim DVD drive or a USB/firewire hub in my new custom faceplate.

4. The X-Trail model I have has a double-DIN opening for the stock radio at the top of the dash, and a separate single-DIN opening for a storage pocket just below it. I'm mounting a single-DIN Alpine head unit where the pocket was, removing the factory radio, and relocating the pocket to the top of the 2-DIN opening. The 700IDT will go in the lower half so it doesn't interfere with the X-Trail's center-mounted gauges when it's open.

5. I'm going to hammer the dimples flat on the lower screw holes on the mounting brackets. I'm not going to grind the dimples because this would enlarge the holes to the point where I'd need to use washers. I'm still not certain I'll use these holes, though, as they'd line up with an undrillable part of the 700IDT's case. Just keeping my options open.

6. I'm going to position the single-DIN pocket and the brackets relative to the 700IDT in the way I want (depth, angle, etc. so that the monitor's front slides through the dash bezel properly).

7. I'm then going to clamp them in place, mark my drill holes and drill new holes in the bracket or the case, whichever seems to work best.

8. I bought a tap-and-die set when they were half price, and I'll put it to good use creating new threads if I need them in the case.

9. If all goes according to plan, everything should screw together at this point, and the brackets will be only slightly wider apart than before. The X-Trails's mounting point for the brackets should flex enough if needed, without any outward appearance of ill fitment.

I'm taking pics of the process, and can post them if anyone's interested.

Cheers!

**markbuts3** · 08-24-2005, 12:07 PM

One thing to remember is that the IDT trim piece comes round the top and keeps the back of the screen away from the metal casing as it slides out. Without it the back gets scratched up when it slides in/out...

Mine is in a 1 DIN opening and fits fine with the cage btw....

**ecrase2500** · 08-24-2005, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by markbuts3

One thing to remember is that the IDT trim piece comes round the top and keeps the back of the screen away from the metal casing as it slides out. Without it the back gets scratched up when it slides in/out...

Mine is in a 1 DIN opening and fits fine with the cage btw....

Thanks, that's good advice. I'll have to make sure there's some sort of protection for it. Unfortunately, the cage just wasn't an option for me given the bezel/mounting points in the X-Trail.

**Viscouse** · 11-13-2005, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by ecrase2500

I too have been disappointed by the 700IDT's nonstandard dimensions. The product page on Xenarc's website states, "This monitor would fit perfectly into a 1-DIN dash opening." However, upon receiving my 700IDT yesterday, I found this is clearly not the case.

If you set it next to your 1-DIN head unit, the 700IDT is visibly larger in all dimensions.

How'd it go ecrase? I'm having a similar issue in that the DIN cage is about 1mm to small. So I don't know if I can even jam it in there. I tried taking the black surround off but am stuck with the 3 screws on the back.

I can't even use the supplied cage as it is exactly the same dimensions as the DIN cage. I don't know if I should use brute force to jam it in there, becuase I don't want to get 1/2 way in & then it decides it won't go anymore.

I really wanted this monitor to work.