Since it will be a couple of weeks until I get a key component, I decided to hold off on removing my back seat and start work on the dash mount and to do some more reading. I soon found out that the speakers I planned on installing (JL 6W3v3-4's) would not work and since I would end up getting a DSP eventually I decided to read some more about them. 

Once I found out that the rear speakers I choose were too deep, I looked into other options before I settled on the JL Stealthbox and since I would no longer be using the rear speakers, I'm hoping to purchase this pre made seat delete from Euro Kreations instead of building my own. Since no one will be sitting in the rear, I am toying with the idea of re-ducting the air from the rear vents into the seat delete to circulate air around the amps.

The key component I am missing is the Audio Control EQX, which I have now decided against. After reading about several DSP's and their advantages, I've decided to step it up and replace the EQX with an Audison Bit Ten D. I now intend to run USB Audio into the DAC, which will feed the Bit Ten via optical cable. This will allow me to power the driver that came with the C5-653's separate from the mids and tweets.  

Over the next two weeks I will primarily be working on the dash mount and getting my tablet back in order. Unless I decide to build a seat delete, posts regarding the Nexus install will be brief, but I may do some minor cosmetic mods to the car which I will post about. Thanks for reading.   

This past week, I received most of the items that I need to get this install going and ordered the front speakers and a USB Mini B extension cable for the OTG, but there are still a few items to be ordered and several other things to tackle.

My goal for the weekend was to start modifying the dash kit, root the device, install the kernel, and download the appropriate apps to get the Nexus 7 working in the car. 

On Friday I began the process of modifying the dash kit. This process is going to take a bit of work and if it turns out the way I hope it will be worth it. Most of the Nexus installs I've seen appear to have the device permanently installed into the vehicle, which is something I want to avoid. I want this install to be as stealth as possible and I would also like to have access to the external accessories plugged into the device without having to take the dash apart. Once this is achieved, pictures will be posted.

On Saturday I successfully rooted the device and verified with Root Checker.

After this was done, I installed ROM Manager, so I could install the kernel from the internal SD while in recovery mode.

I then attempted to install USB ROM and after several failed attempts gave up and decided to use Timur's Kernel, which should provide me with what I need. I made my donation and waited for a link to arrive.

On Sunday morning the link was in my inbox. I downloaded the .zip files onto the device, powered down, and powered it back up in Fastboot. 

Everything appeared to take, so I rebooted the device and that's when I encountered my first major problem. The device is now stuck on this screen;

I Googled the issue and found this tutorial. I currently have the Android SDK installed and have taken a peak, but that's as far as I've gotten with the process. I plan on completing the process this week and will start the root/kernel install again. 

Next weekend I hope to pull the car into the garage and begin the process of building an amp rack and also determining if the rear speakers I've spec'd for the build will work where I want them to. The JL 6W3v3-4's require a ported or sealed enclosure, so I need to decide If I am going to relocate them or do a little cutting to the rear speaker mount. I'm leaning towards cutting. Should be fun. 

Thanks for reading and check back next weekend for another update.

When I purchased my GTI last month, I was excited that I finally had a car that I could put a 2 din Nav unit in and after a bit of research I decided on an Alpine INE-W940. Then I dug a little deeper and learned that the head unit I chose is only capable of indexing 10,000 songs and this was something I wouldn't be able to live with, so it was back to square one (for a few minutes).

For several years, I have been trying to figure out a way to put a 2TB HDD in a car with little hassle and when I read that with a little bit of work a Nexus 7 could accomplish this, my mind was made up. I spent several hours figuring out what the best set up for me would be and am now in the process of building my system, which will consist of the following;

Nexus 5

Nexus 7 [2013 (purchased)]

USB OTG 4 Port Cable (on order)

DVB-T USB Stick (on order)

Western Digital 2 TB Passport

Behringer UCA202 (on order)

Audio Control EQX

JL Audio 300/4 & JL Audio 500/1 (in the mail)

JL Audio C5-653 for the Front

JL Audio 6W3V3-4 x2 for the Rear

This install is not plug & play and I was not able to source what I need locally and had to order most of it online. A couple of items are being shipped from China and it may take them until mid September to arrive, so while I'm waiting I plan on rooting the device and installing USB ROM. For now, I have settled on the following apps to operate and use with the device while it's in the car;

Car Home Ultra

Super SU

Power Amp (installed)

Pandora (installed)

Podcast Republic (installed)

SDR Touch (installed)

Spotify (installed)

Tourqe

Thanks for reading and I will update as I progress, so check back often.