Bracketron makes these vehicle specific bezel mounts for mounting satellite radios, phones, Ipods/Zunes/mp3 players, GPS units, or whatever else you can think of for a whole host of vehicles (sadly, not 1st gen Xterras, sorry guys). I had one in my Ranger for my phone because the only other place to put my phone was the cup holder, and that was inconvenient when I had a passenger and we both had drinks. I put one in my wife's Focus for her XM radio. I've been mostly riding around with my phone in the tray beneath the switch panel, or the tray above the radio. I have plans for both of those areas, so I decided to get a Bracketron to hold my phone. The included instructions are top notch, but I figured I'd do a write-up, and maybe someone would see how easy it was and decide to get one themselves.
Start by removing the tray above the radio. It just pops out by pulling straight up.
Then remove the single screw that was revealed.
Pull the top part of the radio trim bezel toward you; it is just clipped in like the top tray after the lone screw is removed. You may or may not have to unplug all of the wiring harnesses attached to this panel.
Locate and remove the four screws holding the radio to the dash. Be careful not to drop a screw into the dash; you may never see it again. Unplug all harnesses from the radio and set it aside.
Locate the notch in the trim to the left side of the open area. Your Bracketron will be mounted just above this. Hold the Bracketron in place and mark the 3 mounting holes. Using a 5/64" drill bit to drill 3 pilot holes for the mounting screws. Be careful and go slow, the plastic is soft and thin and won't take much effort to punch through. Then mount the Bracketron with the 3 screws.
Reinstall the radio and dash panel in the reverse order from taking it apart.
The Bracketron is predrilled for the AMPS mounting system, and comes with several mounting options. I'm using the multimount with wings to hold my phone. There are some other options, like a ball mount for the Garmin Nuvis, but that one costs a little extra (less than $5 I think.) I got my Bracketron from MyRadioStore.com, but Bracketron has their own website at bracketron.com.
Note: If you unplugged the harness to the airbag indicator light on the dash bezel you will have a flashing airbag warning light on the instrument cluster. It can be corrected by following these instructions.
EDIT: Relocated the mount a little further down to put an end to an annoying vibration, and angled it toward me a little more to keep it from catching the sun and reflecting it in my face.
Start by removing the tray above the radio. It just pops out by pulling straight up.
Then remove the single screw that was revealed.
Pull the top part of the radio trim bezel toward you; it is just clipped in like the top tray after the lone screw is removed. You may or may not have to unplug all of the wiring harnesses attached to this panel.
Locate and remove the four screws holding the radio to the dash. Be careful not to drop a screw into the dash; you may never see it again. Unplug all harnesses from the radio and set it aside.
Locate the notch in the trim to the left side of the open area. Your Bracketron will be mounted just above this. Hold the Bracketron in place and mark the 3 mounting holes. Using a 5/64" drill bit to drill 3 pilot holes for the mounting screws. Be careful and go slow, the plastic is soft and thin and won't take much effort to punch through. Then mount the Bracketron with the 3 screws.
Reinstall the radio and dash panel in the reverse order from taking it apart.
The Bracketron is predrilled for the AMPS mounting system, and comes with several mounting options. I'm using the multimount with wings to hold my phone. There are some other options, like a ball mount for the Garmin Nuvis, but that one costs a little extra (less than $5 I think.) I got my Bracketron from MyRadioStore.com, but Bracketron has their own website at bracketron.com.
Note: If you unplugged the harness to the airbag indicator light on the dash bezel you will have a flashing airbag warning light on the instrument cluster. It can be corrected by following these instructions.
EDIT: Relocated the mount a little further down to put an end to an annoying vibration, and angled it toward me a little more to keep it from catching the sun and reflecting it in my face.
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