Posts Tagged Seat

How You Can Help Your New Stereo Fit In

Posted on October 16, 2011 | Car Stereo.

Aftermarket car stereos are built to a standard. While this means they will fit almost any type of car, it also means they’re not designed to match the style of any discrete brand. Fascia adaptors are plastic, clip-on frames which blend your new stereo into the pre-existing design of your car.

Lots of people want the best stereo for their car. Whether you’re after top sound quality, if you want to be able to listen to digital radio on the go, get better reception or an integrated LCD screen, it can be an exciting purchase. But there’s a problem a lot of people don’t consider until they come to fit the stereo; it doesn’t look right. To fit your new stereo you’ve had to take off the fascia that surrounded the old one, and now it won’t fit back on again. A fascia adaptor can help. They’re available in both single and double DIN sizes and will help blend your new car stereo into your old car design.

“DIN” is short for “Deutsche Industrie Norm” and is, as the name suggests, the standard measurement for all aftermarket car stereo units sold in the UK. A DIN is 2 1/8 inches tall and 7 /18 inches wide – the depth is dependent on the design. A double DIN radio is twice the size and is generally the dimension used by the more showy car stereos boasting LCD screens, SatNavs, DVD screens and the like.

If your old car radio is a standard DIN or double DIN size, then fitting your new one shouldn’t require anything more. If, however, it isn’t – as is the case with most retail cars – then you will be needing a DIN adaptor kit/double DIN kit. These aren’t complicated; they fill in the empty socket left by removing your old car stereo, leaving a socket into which your new DIN or double DIN aftermarket stereo can be fitted. And there you have it. Your DIN/double DIN kit has left you with a spanking new stereo complete with LCD screen, iPod socket and everything else you could possibly want to blast out your Basement Jaxx on the Monday morning commute.

Only, it looks a bit odd. A bit sticky-outy, if you know what I mean. It doesn’t sit well with the rest of dashboard. You might have better sound, but you’ve cheapened the appearance of the rest of the car.

This shouldn’t be too much of a shock. Your new car head unit wasn’t designed to fit in specifically with your make and model of car. It was designed to fit equally well into a Seat Ibiza, a Citreon C4 or a Renault Megane. You need a fascia adaptor. Each is simply a plastic frame designed to fit around the outside of the new head unit, blending it into the surrounding design of the dashboard. The genius of the piece is its simplicity. It doesn’t obscure the display or controls of the stereo, but it does make it look smart. DIN and double DIN fitting kits allow you to fit an aftermarket car stereo without radically altering the appearance of your car’s dashboard. Fascia adaptors are available for a wide range of major car brands, including Seat, Kia, Ford, Jaguar and Volkswagen.

Depending on the make and model of your car, you may need a “cage” to hold your stereo and fascia in place. If this is the case, ensure that your fascia adaptor comes with the cage, as it could otherwise prove a headache to find a matching one. Quality suppliers of car stereo paraphernalia should offer this combination as standard where it is appropriate.

iPad Car Mount – The Perfect Solution For In-Car Entertainment

Posted on September 1, 2011 | Accessories.

An iPad car mount is definitely a must-have accessory for all iPad owners. It will enable you to use all of the great apps and features of your iPad while in your car and on the move. It will turn your device into a complete in-car entertainment system with the added benefit of wireless internet. You can easily stay in touch by checking your e-mails in the traffic jam and you and your family can also enjoy music, movies and games in the car which is a great way to keep the kids occupied on long journeys. You can take full advantage of the touch screen system to easily open all your programs as your iPad will be securely mounted at the correct height and within easy reach.

There are a variety of different holders available and you can mount you iPad almost anywhere in the car, for front seat use you can choose a dashboard mount for example and if you want to use it for the kids in the back you can choose a headrest mount. Some of the mounts are available with a metal construction that offer strong support for the device and can be secured to the dashboard while other models offer a more flexible solution and can be easily moved around the interior but with most models you will be able to swivel and tilt you iPad and adjust it to the perfect height and viewing angle.

Probably the best thing about mounting your iPad inside the car is that you will be able to save a lot of money on other in-car devices. You won’t need to purchase an expensive in-car entertainment system for movies anymore and because you can use the iPad to play music there is no need for a CD player or radio either. Your iPad can be turned into a GPS system and can also give you all the latest traffic information to help avoid the jams and cut down on your journey time too, the list of advantages is endless.

There are just a few things you need to think about before buying one to ensure you choose the best one for your needs. If you travel a lot in the car then you need to make sure that your iPad will stay stable and secure and not easily get shaken around or fall off so it’s a good idea to choose a strong metal mount that can be securely fitted to the dashboard.

An iPad car mount offers a multitude of solutions to help you get the most out of your portable device. This is a great investment that guarantees you and all your other passengers an entertaining journey.