Things need for Alpine IVA-W205 installation

Okay, I've decided to install Alpine IVA-W205 on my Cayman, and trying to come up with a list of things I'll need to install it myself. Currently My cayman has CDR-24, sound package plus (no bose), no CD changer. Besides the unit itself (Alpine IVA-W205), what else do I need? (Do I need an AMP? what kind?) Please help, guys! :cheers:

You don't need an amp, you can use the Alpine's internal amplifier to drive the midrange speakers and tweeters and retain the Sound package plus amp for the center and door subs. Use the same process detailed in TresX's post here: http://www.planet-9.com/cayman-electronics/10691-avic-d3-installed.html

What is Sound Package Plus? And, if I don't have it, do I need a secondary amp at all for an install like this... Planning on putting in an IVA-W200 when my car comes out of hibernation.

Fyi - Canbus FYI - for doing an install like this, I did figure out what CANBUS provides you with and why you might want it. This product description says it pretty well: CAN Bus Parking Interface I never quite "got it" until I read this... But, basically, in a typical (old?) car things like the handbrake/parking sensor are exposed wires whereas with the Cayman it runs through the canbus. With the IVA-W200 (and other units), you need the parking sensor to tell the unit that the car is in park so it will let you do things like watch video! I believe that's how it works. Reverse gear sensing would be useful, too, especially if you had a reverse camera and the video should kick in when the car is put in reverse. For me, I'm not doing navi now, and probably don't need the speed sensor if I did, plus I purchased one of the "hacks" for the IVA-W200's parking sensor. So, I won't need to scrounge for a source wire or tap the CANBUS to get any of the head unit's locked-out or special features that depend on signals from the car.

usa35, the canbus adapter is not necessary for the install; all the wires required are in the car in regular copper form, you just have to do some hunting for them. The link I provided in my earlier post tells you where to get all the signals you need. Sound package plus is the middle-of-the road audio system for the Cayman, standard on the Cayman S. If you have a base cayman without the SPP option, you still don't need another amplifier to run all the Caymans speakers as long as the headunit has a 4 channel amplifier built in. But if you want better sound or are planning on adding a subwoofer, then you will need an amp.

Thank you very much for your response. Will I need that double DIN bezel from eBay (seems like from a japanse seller)? What would it look like if I did not have it?

Without you, you will constantly see into the dash of your Cayman and the wiring harnesses behind the headunit. You need some kind of bezel, you can easily build your own if you're good with wood and spray paint it black, silver, or gray. - Suneet

Right - thanks for elaborating. I was trying to say the same thing. You can use a canbus adapter to get various signals translated from canbus to copper, or find the source. The problem with finding the source is that you are now running new wires through your car - I assume the adapter mitigates this. I have a Cayman S, so I guess I have SPP! I still don't understand if I need an amp or not, but I'll do some digging in the previous posts (again.)

If you have SPP, you don't need another amplifier unless you want one.

I fitted a Pioneer AVIC-HD3 (Z2 equivalvent in the UK) recently and I did not need to use a CAN-Bus adapter. I considered it because it would have made connections a little simpler, but as Suneet says above, you can find what you need. It's all in TresX's AVIC-D3 article, but if anyone needs some guidance, I'm available. My install was in a 987 Boxster but the wiring is all the same.

This is the Jap Bezel from eBay, the color is slightly off, the paint is not as flat as the stock grey. also the head unit is nice but you'll have to add on other features, like the blue tooth adapter, sirius or xm adapter, navi system. if they plug in the blue tooth find out if you can wire into the steering wheels mics i had mine mounted near the sun visor.

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So I guess it is better to have bluetooth unit while I'm installing it, right? I was going to buy the unit separately later on.. But is that bezel worth paying $330? Or should I buy an used CDR24 and customize its face plate.?

My Bluetooth device came with the Pioneer head unit so I connected it at the same time I loaded it in to the dash - just seemed to make sense that way since it connected at the back. I don't think the bezel is really worth $330 (fortunately I paid less than that) but it does look the part. If you can find a faulty CDR24 or even one at minimal cost, it might be worth trying to make one - at least that way you'd get a total match. Al the same I think the Japanese bezel is an extremely good match and I'm perfectly happy with it. You can't see it particularly well, but here's a shot of mine. AVIC-HD3