Hello Fellow X300 Enthusiasts.

This topic is not so much a question or an issue . Its more of my own experiences on doing the stereo replacement in my X300 with Non premium sound system .

Helpful YouTube video's,

You Tube

The First video on speaker replacement is actually where i started . His methods and process worked perfectly for me. I would like to note that the Plastic trim remover tool set i purchased were adequate but a little too flexy to be able to pop off the door trim clips as easily as i would have liked. I would recommend a metal set with some sort of plastic covering. i followed this and did not break or damage any clips or door components.

You Tube

This second video of the stereo removal was quite rough and shows the general procedure but is missing some information.

My experience removing the stereo was that getting the Ski slope out of it clips is the most difficult part, it took quite a lot of effort to slide it up and over the J Gate cover. If i was to do this again i would probably try and release the J Gate cover's clips with a long screwdriver first and then attempt to remove the ski slope. With the Ski slope removed I unscrewed the gear knob and then proceeded to unscrew the plastic housing that indicates gear position ( 4 metal screws ) This made pulling the stereo assembly out much smoother and with less chance of damage than the video's show.


Autoleads X300 Facia Adaptor is out of stock as of 20.01.21

After much searching i Found the Kenwood KDC-BT530U ( New Zealand Model ) to be fairly plain with good functionality and including the front panel colors that can be set to match the oem lighting.

Thanks to another topic on this board i discovered that the facia is not 100% necessary although i would of preferred it. My solution is to cut out a flat spacer to slip in-between the head unit and the jaguar Console, this is to hide the 2 visible holes and the plated sheet metal. I will provide a PDF or DXF template so that other members can cut out their own spacer. My feeling is once that part is CAD designed i might take it further and 3D print my own Facia adaptor.


Another Issue I faced is the Autoleads JAG to ISO harness, is 9 GBP , but getting it here is 40 GBP. Which is a bit Silly really. So My plan is to De Pin the OEM connector and try and find matching pins that will slide onto them. these can be heat shrunk in position and if the car ever needs reverted to standard the heat shink is simply cut away and the pins re inserted into the connector.


Do any members on this board have the body side plug pinout for the non premium stereo ?

 

Part 2

Installing speakers in x300 front doors

on my particular Japanese import 95 x300 6.5 speakers are not a direct fit .

Some swear that 6.5 fit without modifications and some say the same for 6.0.

im using Alpine s65 coaxial 6.5 speakers and they were not compatible .

what I’ve had to do is use the speaker adaptor supplied to screw to the mounting holes that match the door card and then use an mdf spacer that picks up on 4x m4 screws to mount the speaker . Ive used 12mm mdf and had to keep the profile quite tight . But there have been no modifications to the jaguar door card .

 

yeah, most speakers wont without standoff-spacers, as no modern cars have rear mounted speakers any more - most use the door or dash cavity as a cabinet, and mount on the front to make a good seal.
crutchfield has a list of the few speakers that are confirmed direct fit, but if you want a modern coax with a big magnet and lots of travel, spacers are the only way.
the rear doors are quite tight though, so getting big coaxes in there is quite difficult - the speaker and spacer combined cant really exceed the stock speaker height.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the rears . The reasonable priced options in NewZealand are not as good as on crutchfield.

I’ve got a second pair of 6.5 for the back but I think they can get diverted to my Landcruiser and I will grab some smaller speakers for the back .

the mistake I made was not taking a speaker into a shop to be matched up . The plan was to be prepared and have the parts on hand. But this didn’t really work .

 

How deep are the speakers you've got?
i think there is about 70mm of clearance in the back without any cutting (stock speakers are 68mm), so they might fit -you only need to make spacers deep enough to clear the surrounds, as the tweeter has more depth to work with.
i used some JBL 620 GTO's, and with some 6-8mm spacers they fit just about.

 

I don’t have one in front of me but the specs say 2.3” deep which is 58mm so if I’ve got 70mm to work with then it might be ok .

I appreciate the dimensions, it’s hard to get solid information so thank you .

when I’m all done I think I’m going to 3D print one piece adapters. Mdf is ok but I’m fussy .


For the adapter harness situation I’ve used the terminals from Deutch dt connectors. I’ve cut the oem plug off the car but left room to re pin the oem connecter if I ever want to put it back on . Space itself is a little tight so I’ve made to call to use only the pins and heat Shrink them .

it’s a permanent solution but still can be reversed if the oem plug ever needs re fitted or if I need to ever change the head unit again .


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