G'day all,
We all know how pathetic the standard stereo system is in the Jimny. So in desperation of having a stereo i could actually hear and use I set out to replace it. After some searching on this and various other forums I found a lot of people had suggestions on what audio gear to use but not a clear how-to.
Keep in mind this is not necessarily a sound system i would recommend but not bad when working on a budget. I also wanted to go for the cleanest finish with minimal cutting drilling or bending.
I started with the front speakers. Removing the kick panels was very easy. Just a matter of removing the door sill guard and then the trim clip in the kick panel and it pulls away.
Kick panel.
To my horror these were the speakers i discovered and removed.
The standard speaker holes will accept a 4" speaker with no problem. They may accept a 5" speaker but i could not find one that would fit without either using a spacer or modifying the mount holes. I replaced them with a pair of Jaycar Response Precision 4" kevlar speakers.
While i was replacing the front speakers I also decided to fit a pair of the same 4" to the rear. (I will post a how-to on rear if requested but i did find one on another forum.)
With the four new speakers the sound system was starting to sound a lot better. This new setup didn't last long though as the limited functionality and power of the stock head unit was annoying me.
Here in lied a huge problem as it seemed no one made a fascia kit for the Jimny. I didn't want to spend upwards of $400 on a cheap looking ebay brand head unit just to maintain a clean look. Besides I already had a perfectly good bluetooth Pioneer 1 DIN head unit which would leave me space to fit a UHF in dash and not have to make up a mounting system for elsewhere. I did come across the topic from 'cammac' which showed that the fascia kit from 'AudioExpress'. I took the Suzuki part number from the supplied Audio Express kit to my Suzuki dealer and, sure enough, I had a genuine Suzuki fascia kit in my hands within a few hours. It only cost me $103.
So i set out removing the old head unit.
Just pull it off. There are 6 clips, three on each side. The silver edging is screwed on from the back and it comes away with the main piece.
Lighter socket plug.
Hazard Light plug.
The trimless dash.
I removed the Silver edge pieces that are held on by a few screws each side.
The lighter socket is tricky to remove.
you have to push this black tab while trying to slide the metal part towards you.
Once the metal socket is out the plastic retainer is removed by pushing in the plastic clips on each side while removing it.
Back of the hazard switch which is removed by pushing the top and bottom tabs and feeding it through the panel.
The airvents also push out with a bit of encouragement.
The two fascias. Replacement on the left.
Then transfer the stuff from the old fascia to the new one.
The next step is to change the head unit which i don't have photos for yet but i will try and put some up soon.
The cradle that holds the head unit slides out after removing the four screws that retain it. Then unclip the harness and antenna.
For the vehicle to ISO harness i found the Aerpro APP071 suited my Jimny standard wiring. To fill in the spare space below my 1 DIN head unit i used a universal 1 DIN pocket i had lying around at home.
Here is the result once wired up tested and installed.
The sound is a lot better than the factory sound. Obviously it is not a high end audio system. Though, without spending huge money on an amp, nicer speakers and a sub, i have still managed to get a lot better sound system.
With a bit of previous experience in fitting car audio this was pretty easy and took me less than a day to complete.
Let me know if this was helpful or if you need more info on any part.
