New MFD (DX) and Parrot Install in Fabia

[PGuk]

Hi,

I've just completed an install of a Parrot 3100, Blaupunkt rear speakers and the OEM DX Navigation unit in my 06 Fabia Sport. I've had a few problems along the way, which I thought I'd explain just in case it helps someone else.

My car was the Fabia Sport so originally had the symphony head unit installed with the underseat CD changer and rather surprisingly - no rear speakers as standard.

I managed to get hold of the OEM Blaupunkt Fabia rear speaker pack on eBay, and the DX Navi unit (seperately on eBay from Lithuania!). The main problem was the length of the ISO harness cable in the dashboard. The cable was wound tightly with the CD changer lead and had absolutely no slack. It literally just reached the back of the Symphony when in the upper DIN slot. There was no way it would reach the lower DIN position for the DX connectors. There was also no room for the enormous parrot cable set, even using string to pull the wiring into the cavity behind the switch blanks.

I got around the problem by building a custom ISO extension cable, which included the Parrot cabling, with Line-In rather than the standard Speaker-hijack audio connection. (Excellent guide to pin connections on Fabia-vrs.com - Mobile Phone Car kit Integration). I used a crimp tool to attach a molex PC style socket and plug arrangement so the parrot could be plugged in from behind the glovebox. I also needed to get hold of the Navi plug-and-play cable (eBay - £13 from Poland) which i incorporated in the harness extension. I also required a CD changer extension cable to complete the Navigation unit install (which I bought online at bluespot), since the cable in the harness wouldn't reach and there was no slack anywhere in the dash.

The parrot control box was fitted to the steel dash framing on the left hand side of the passenger footwell, in the space revealed when the glovebox was removed. I took out 2 switch blanks and made shaped cuts to the replaceable plastic trim piece to fit the Parrot LCD flush with the dash (part number is searchable on here - costs under £2). The GPS antenna is mounted just below the tax disc holder and the cable is totally hidden around the bottom of the A-pillar plastic cover.

All in all a very time consuming job, but well worth the effort. No visible cables and a completely flush fit. It almost looks like the Parrot is part of the dash.

Hope this helps/inspires someone! Thanks to vRStu for the amazingly detailed phone kit instructions on his website. Otherwise I wouldn't have had a clue what cables to order for the green line-in block!

PG

[VRStu]

Nice work.