Hi Everyone! I recently purchased and installed the AVIN Avant-2 into my 2008 Honda CR-V LX. My original head unit was the single DIN with the small storage space underneath. As my music habits gradually moved towards streaming music, I added accessories to the OEM unit so that I could stream over bluetooth. I bought a bluetooth mini stereo plug adapter, and it worked flawlessly, but the few extra steps to turning on the adapter, charging it, and changing the audio source on the radio proved to be particularly annoying especially when I wanted to switch over to bluetooth while driving. In addition, I also wanted an integrated navigation system instead of mounting my smartphone on the dashboard. Since I wanted to use navigation software from the Google Playstore, it made sense for me to look for a double din Android based stereo and navigation system. From the product specifications, this unit seemed like the perfect fit.
Here are the product details:
https://avinusa.com/honda-crv-8-avan...on-system.html
AVIN is a US based company located out in Northern California. I preferred to go with an American company because it reduced the chances of a fly by night company from Asia (no offense). Here are some photos I took from unpacking the unit:
The installation was not as hard as I originally anticipated. Part of my fear came from the fact that I never changed a car stereo unit before. For me, the most difficult part was to not damage the cosmetics of the area surrounding the unit. Unfortunately, I did make a few scratches but nothing that is too noticeable. The key thing is to have the necessary inexpensive tools to remove the unit and surrounding panels (all of it should be available at your local hardware store):
Small plastic prying tool
Thin but sturdy flat head screw driver
Electric Tape to cover the flat head
Phillips Screw Driver
I created a DIY guide to install the unit. I’ve attached it here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2a...ew?usp=sharing
For me, the hardest part was removing the temperature gauge because the small groove was very hard to get into (this is where I caused the cosmetic damage). I highly recommend watching the videos referenced in the DIY guide severals prior to removing the old unit. If you’re a veteran, then this should be a piece of cake.
Once the old unit is removed, everything following that is very easy. On the old unit, be sure to transfer over the plastic clips and mounting brackets, otherwise the AVIN unit cannot be properly mounted into the car.
Also, be sure to remove the two screws on top of the AVIN unit. If these aren’t removed, the DVD drive will not function properly.
At this point it’s a matter of doing everything in reverse with a few added but easy steps. The nice thing about this unit is that it is truly plug and play. It comes with adapters that will connect to the car wiring. Wire harnesses and cable splicing is not necessarily at all. It’s that easy. I put a lot of details in the DIY guide, so please do check it out.
So far I’ve been having fun using the AVIN unit. I’m testing it for when I drive to work, the supermarket, to see friends, etc. Each case requires a slightly differently use of the unit. I’ll write impressions of the unit in a subsequent post. In the meantime, check it out and see if this unit might be a good fit for your commuting lifestyle.
