Loving the system! Sound is a big improvement. In order to keep the factory rubber mat, I cut it down, so the sub could fit. I also finished wiring up the rear view camera, which was simple: the red power wire I attached to the green wire next to the rear hatch lock, which goes to the reverse lights, and I attached the black ground to a ground location at the same sight. The trigger wire I mentioned above, and the camera attaches to the head unit. The red wire coming off the head unit input isn't used because the head unit already has a trigger wire.
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MugsBRZ ...My solution for the light was to improvise. I found a rubber nipple used to cover a vacuum port. I cut it in half then glued it over the light. The cover completely eliminates the blue light, except for a hint of light that peaks through a crack, which is good because it gives me an idea of where the gain knob is in the dark. I don't have a pic of the rubber cover, but I mounted my knob here:
I mounted it there because it was cheap plastic--easily replaceable if I need to replace it. I used 3M tape to mount it then screwed it in. I drilled a hole in the back for the wire and wrapped the grey wire in black electrical tape, so has a clean look.
The sound deadening was a lot of work--A LOT! But, the effect is profound. On a scale of things:
--There is the raw sound of removing all the panels on the car.
--There is the sound of installing all the panels.
--There is the sound of installing all the panels with the addition of sound deadening.
--Then there is my wife's Audi Q5.
The car is much closer to my wife's Q5. I bet if it had sound deadening on the firewall then it would be super close. There is still engine noise, but there is minimal road noise, and there isn't the sound of rocks and debris hitting the wheel wells and stuff. The sound is much more isolated too. I can compare the sound of the system on road and at a stop, and they are pretty close, so I know the sound deadening is doing a good job.
On a side note: while I love a light-weight, raw, sports car, I often find the car is too light for the power on the street and too visceral at times. With that said, the extra weight of a passenger is enough to annoy me, but this has added weight low and to the rear, so the car feels more planted and more solid on the road because it feels less hollow and frail like the difference between an unopened can and an empty tin can.
The head unit is awesome. I would highly recommend it. The fitment is spot on (see below), but I did have to enlarge the screw holes a little, so I could align the system perfectly. The second it boots up it automatically connects to Apple Carplay wirelessly and without the need to push anything. The screen, the capacitive touch, the sound, the interface, etc are all awesome. Definitely worth the premium price. It did come from Malaysia, so probably Aus spec or in that time zone for DVDs, which I won't be playing in a car, but the radio works great.
I went online to Kenwood's website and download an update. I saw a review from an installer who said the wire going to the speed sensor that allows CarPlay to understand that you are moving or something is no longer required after the update, so I did that immediately. The number changed from 1.5.0009.4300 to 1.6.0009.4300. Here is a pic of the old number for reference:
