Old Car Gets New Toy: Roady2 XM Radio...

[Stealth TDI]

Hi,

Scott comes into the 21st Century and gets a satellite radio:

You already know I like to hide my stuff:

So where do I want to put the Roady2?

I got these visors from a junk yard to practice on. I'll need to trim the opening to match the Roady2. I hope to have enough room be able to close the lid and hide the unit altogether. The visor may be just a smidget too thin for that. If so, I'll find a way to turn the lid into a frame for the Roady2. The tough part will be getting the wires out of the mirror compartment, out of the visor and into the overhead, then down to the areas the wires need to go.

I have an overnight shift tomorrow. So no progress can be made. I hope to make it to Radio Shack on Friday for some connectors and wire, then I'll work on it Saturday with a goal to have it all put together before Sunday's autocross event. I'll post progress photos...

Scott

 

[Birdman]

Thats where i put my Sat. controller a few years ago. If you want to save some money on the programing look at the 4-5 year plans as they have already jumped their price from 9.99 to 12.95 . I locked into the 5 year plan which then broke down to 8.88, I wish i had the new smaller Ant. like came with yours but hopefully VW will come up with a stock one.

 

[Pevey]

Dang dude, you got enought gizmos in that car? I carry a pager cause they make me and its had a dead battery for a year. I drive to get away from people course I don't have to make money off them, just arrest them from time to time.

BTW, I love my Roady. Gonna miss discovery channel when it goes off XM next month.

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hi,

Thanks for the tip, Birdman. There's never enough gizmos, Pevey.

As long as I use them all is well. To be honest, the scanner doesn't get used so much. It frequently is not in my car. But I still leave the coax hanging there to fool potential thugs into believing there's nothing else in the car. The ham radio has enough memory channels and several scan modes that it can double as a scanner when needed.

Here's the progress on the Roady2 that'll have to hold me over until Friday when I'm back from my overnight shift and can swing by Radio Shack:

I'll figure out a way to cover up the plugs once I get them installed. There's a cut out for the wires that leads to the hinge that connects to the roof. All I have to do is cut a hole for the wires to pass through and into the overhead. Then the REAL FUN begins!

BTW, the compartment closes with just a hint of something being in there:

The junkyard piece turned out so well that I'm going to stick with it and save my factory visor for a day when the Roady2 might be removed. More to come later...

Scott

 

[schultzy]

I just put a Roady2 in my Golf. I just used the vent clip for now, until I figure out a better place.

That visor idea has me thinking....

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Got one of these for my TDIs (Just in time for the trip to the Fest!) and Paramedick showed me this install with a Pro-Fit clip.

I did this install with my '02 Jetta and a Pro-Clip, which has proven to be more robust than it looked.

Just came home from Western MA and I love the sound and having stations to listen to regardless of location.

It seems you're set on the visor mount but I thought I'd share these anyways.

 

[schultzy]

I was looking at those VSM (vehicle specific mounts), but $30 for a bent and drilled piece of metal was putting me off.

Your install looks nice tho....

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I was looking at those VSM (vehicle specific mounts), but $30 for a bent and drilled piece of metal was putting me off.

Yeah, ain't it something. However, the car's small enough that it's great to have the Roady out of the way and firmly supported. I think it's worth it in the long run.

Driving out to the Fest on Friday--19 hour straight--the XM was a life-saver, literally. I think the disco on the last hour of the drive kept me awake and safe. It's a great add to the car.

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hi,

I'm JUST about done. Unfortunately, the frame for the lid doesn't "grip" the opening well enough to keep the Roady2 from falling out when I open the lid. The frame was glued in when it still had a mirror. I will glue it back. I was hoping NOT to glue it so I can remove the Roady2 a bit easier. But I sort of wonder why I'd want to remove it, anyway. Perhaps on the rare occasion we take my wife's Passat GLS on a road trip? With premium unleaded at $3.40/gal, are you nuts?

Back on topic, all I need to do is a little painting of the trim areas behind where the wires connect, then paint the wire loom that leaves the visor and goes into the ceiling (not as clean as I had hoped; but I didn't want to damage anything), then glue the frame. After that, I should be all set and will post more photos.

Take Care,

Scott

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hi,

I'd like your opinion about color matching. I'm looking to do a little painting to make this look better:

All I need to do is color match the black wire run to the headliner; then choose a color for the "background" behind the radio area. I'm trying to decide between painting it black or paint it to match the visor. Black is easiest; but not necessarily the best. If I paint it to match the visor, I may also paint the wires the same color so it's ALL beige. Here's a look at it photoshopped with black:

And the beige:

Photoshopping the beige onto the wires would be VERY difficult. So please try to visualize it. Anyway, what do most of you think? Please vote.

Thanks,

Scott

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Scott, I can't see the colors on screen well enough to have an opinion. But whatever you do the Roady will change your driving experience. I drove all over Wisconsin today and having XM is the best! BTW, sorry we didn't see you at the Fest.

 

[dlai]

Scott: Nice upgrade. I voted for beige and beige. I think it will integrate better with the car. By the way, nice phone. I have one too!

Dan

 

[Stealth TDI]

Hi,

It's a wrap! I went with a black background since the "beiber beige" is very difficult to match; plus painting the wires would only result in the paint peeling off over time. Here's the visor after painting:

I chose to use a thin plastic backing to distribute the weight of the Roady2 more evenly. This sort of hides the corners when the visor is closed. Plus, it turns out the Roady2 get pretty warm. This heat could cause the vinyl visor material to expand under the weight of the receiver. So the plastic fills three functions: 1) weight distribution, 2) heat control, and 3) provides black backdrop.

Here's the finished product:

And it almost closes all the way... just 3-mm shy. But you can't tell when the visor is stowed:

I'm sure I could've done better with the wire loom. But I'll need to spend a little time to see if I can find one that's already grey in small diameter. What I have will do in the meantime.

Thanks for your comments,

Scott

 

[schultzy]

looks "stealthy" Good job!!