I have an '04, base stereo, no nav, no bluetooth. I, like most of you, desire all of that. I was looking at double din installs, and some look nice, but double din nav units are too expensive (need to save my money for the repairs). And I really do like the stock look.

So, it makes me wonder if I can set my little Garmin 205w GPS unit in the ash tray compartment (with some mods and re-routing of the socket)?

I also wonder if I can nicely position a bluetooth (one of the small parrot devices) unit in there too? I read a post SOMEWHERE out here in internet-land where a chap had his tomtom fit into the ashtray and the dimensions of his tomtom were greater than mine. But I'm not jealous.

Well....if anyone has tried this or knows of a place for me to get more ideas/inspiration, please let me know. In the meantime, methinks I will have a go at it.

 

Hello,

This doesn't really answer your question but I recently owned a 3 Series BMW and I used the ashtray slot which had similar dimensions to the X-Type's to install a remote radar detector display - the receiver was located behind the grille. When not in use, the lid kept the unit out of sight.

I also thought about using the X-Type slot for my Magellan GPS but feared I'd have to cut out too large of an opening to be able to see the full screen. Plus, it would be too hard to use the touch pad. Instead, I spliced a power feed into the lighter circuit, ran the lead behind the radio and through the opening just below the dash pad. I bought an aftermarket GPS holder that hooks into the air vents. When in use the GPS unit sits below the top of the dash and isn't noticeable from outside the car. When my car is parked, I remove the GPS and stash it. The holder is black and doesn't protrude very much so it isn't obvious.

Good luck,

Steve

 

I remember reading about a guy who mounted his satellite radio unit in the ashtray area, but not a GPS, sorry I can't help. If the unit is small enough to fit in the area and still have the cover close, go for it, the wiring should be easy enough. I can't offer anything other than some encouragement - go for it!

 

Wow...I pulled out the astray today and there a boatload of room down there! I'm thinking that people could put a single din replacement head unit in there (with some creative bracket work) and hide it behind the ashtray cover. Noone would be the wiser and you keep the totally stock look.

Very intriguing. I'm still going to try to fashion a nice bracket and surround to hold the GPS, but wow....that's the ticket for stereo replacement / upgrade I think!

 

Hey mod...should this be moved to the stereo section or stay here? It's relevant to the S-Type, and possibly other models.

 

I mounted my Sirius radio receiver in the ash tray compartment - no surgery, just a bit of hot melt glue for the mount, and put all the wiring and a Motorola T605 bluetooth adapter between the console storage bucket and the outer wall of the console. All power for both, and phone wires for the T605 are available in the center console area under and behind the bucket - 4 screws and it comes out.

 

I was perusing ebay and found an '06 with what seems to be a Bluetooth unit mounted in the ashtray area. Not too bad, although the trim doesn't match up too great, the overall concept sure fits what I'm after. Even slicker if I could hide it behind the wood door....

 

That's the factory installed sirius sattelite radio option. It replaces the ashtray with that plastic piece that has the sat radio control panel in it. - Basically because they didn't feel redesigning the radios to have it built in.

George

 

That's factory?! Ugh...shame on mr. Jaguar. I thought it was a nice mod, but nowhere near what I'd expect for factory. Thanks for the info.

 

I think it came out as a dealer add-on option in like 07. It was pretty ghetto, didn't even connect to the radio directly but rather through a hardwired FM modulated connection. Basically a band aid to get a desirable feature into an end of production run car or two (you could get it in the S-type as well). Without spending the $ to redo the **** poor audio systems in them.

George

 

Found this on the UK site. Nice job and very do-able:

http://www.jaguarforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=32095