Adding Sirius Satellite to 911 Carrera 4

[TorontoMike]

I love my Sirius Satellite, but I don't want to devalue the original car by replacing the in dash unit. Thoughts or comments? Also ethstetically, is the external unit not a great idea?

I have a 2001 Carrera 4 Cabriolet.

Edited August 13, 2011 by TorontoMike

[E Kap]

If you ever decide to resell your car, I don't think what stereo unit you have will make much of a different in resale value. The newer units offer you so much more than adding sirrus/xm. You'll get aux in, USB in, HD radio, blue tooth, etc. Many units give you the option of choosing the amber color, so the car will still look original. I have a JVC unit with the color change option and am please, but the blue tooth audio streaming is not great. Also, forget about using your bluetooth phone in the cab with the top down. Try Crutchfield.com and you'll find a lot of options.

[alabamatoy]

I love my Sirius Satellite, but I don't want to devalue the original car by replacing the in dash unit. Thoughts or comments? Also ethstetically, is the external unit not a great idea?

I have my original factory radio sitting on a shelf, and it can easily be reinstalled. The replacement that I got from Crutchfield and installed myself is infinitely better sounding, and it supports the integrated serius receiver which is mounted under the hood. The Sirius antenna is mounted under the little plastic dome cover at the center of the dash and the bottom of the windshield.

The factory radio doesnt add any value to the car. The Kenwood that I installed as a replacement is black, and looks very factory.

[Gonzo911]

I added a Pioneer AVIC-x930bt ($850 online) to my 03 996 Cab. Nav, iPod Dock, CD, DVD, Sirius tuner, and Bluetooth. Looks and works great and the bluetooth pairs easily with my Droid for phone and audio (like Pandora). Also has the color change option and the start up (flash page) can be customized (I used a very cool stylized image of the Porsche Logo). Watch the installation costs since the subwoofers in the 911 run off fiber optics so you will likely need to add and amp to run those separately. Note, when they took out the original deck, I had them make that into a "Pocket" so I now have a place for my phone/sunglasses, etc. I also have the original in the garage, just in case!

Edited September 13, 2011 by Gonzo911

[davendre]

I added a Pioneer AVIC-x930bt ($850 online) to my 03 996 Cab. Nav, iPod Dock, CD, DVD, Sirius tuner, and Bluetooth. Looks and works great and the bluetooth pairs easily with my Droid for phone and audio (like Pandora). Also has the color change option and the start up (flash page) can be customized (I used a very cool stylized image of the Porsche Logo). Watch the installation costs since the subwoofers in the 911 run off fiber optics so you will likely need to add and amp to run those separately. Note, when they took out the original deck, I had them make that into a "Pocket" so I now have a place for my phone/sunglasses, etc. I also have the original in the garage, just in case!

Hi,

Do you have some pics from the installed Pioneer?

[Gonzo911]

Sorry for the delay. Pics are attached.

[Dennis C]

I agree with the previous comments. The 996 is generally not viewed as a collector's car, so changing the head unit isn't likely to cause the car to lose value in most cases.

I have a Kenwood DNX-6960 in my 996 with Garmin navigation with real time traffic updating/re-routing, Sirius satellite radio, bluetooth with voice activated dialing, iPod integration, etc. It has been a wonderful upgrade and has certainly made my 996 feel more up to date.

[Gonzo911]

Note: Loren was kind enough to correct another post concerning the fiber optic link to the sub woofers. That change was made on the 996 MY03 or later. Earlier model year 996's may not experience the same issue I had requiring installation of a second amp in the audio/nav upgrade.

[hoacha]

Sorry for the delay. Pics are attached.

OK..That is FANTASTIC..what dash mods where required? ( newer 997 components, wiring,etc)

[Gonzo911]

Of course, the cutout in the dash had to be modified to fit the new deck, but the AC controls and new pocket fit easily in the slots where the old CD holders and stereo were. The wiring just followed. Note that the AC controls are at the lowest point on the dash since that component is not as wide (and the dash narrows at the bottom). I decided this would minimize the customization and keep things as "natural" looking as possilble. Since the pocket could be any size I wanted, that wasn't an issue.

As noted, when adding the new deck the existing subs would not work with the new unit due to the fiber optic connections of an 03 996, so I had to add a separate amp to run the subs. This added about $1000 to the project. The acutal nav system is mounted under the passenger seat and the new amp is mounted in the boot. Except for the subs, I did add all new speakers but kept the original speaker grilles to maintain the original look of the car. It all looks and sounds great, plus, since I have a 6-spd, the audio is so much easier to operate now that it is not behind the stick.