Coastal Nav and Bluetooth Installation Observation

I bought the Coastal Tech Nav and Bluetooth kit from another PC member several months ago and finally got around to installing it yesterday. I dutifully followed the instructions that were included, which involved removing three air vents, the upper and lower dash around the steering wheel, the lower center console cover, the two bolts that hold in the MFD, and the MFD itself. At that point you unplug a connector from the back of the display, plug that connector into the Coastal device, then plug the Coastal device into the MFD. Finally, you reassemble everything and you're done.

What I realized as I was putting everything back together is that the whole process can be done in about 5 minutes (instead of 60) using a completely different approach. All one needs is a mirror (the first time only, after that it can be done by feel) -- no tools required. To prove it could be done this way, I removed the Nav/Bluetooth kit and reinstalled it this new way. Here's how: remove the center speaker by lifting up from the leading edge until it unsnaps, then removing the connector and putting it aside. Use a mirror to look at the connectors on the back of the MFD. Push the locking lever on the top of the right hand connector and unplug it, then snap it into the Nav/Blutooth cable and insert the remaining Nav/Bluetooth connector into the MFD until it locks. Push the Nav/Bluetooth kit into the speaker hole, then reinsert the center speaker -- I found the system sounds best if you leave it disconnected -- and you're done.

This is probably moot now, since the old Nav/Bluetooth kit doesn't seem to be offered, but a similar technique may be useful for installing their new Lockpick device. Incidentally, the Nav/Bluetooth kit works well, at least in my initial testing.

Lee