Xoutpost.com - Phatbox Installation

Unhappy that my OEM CD Changer didn't handle MP3 files properly via the head unit, I recently purchased a Phatbox exported from the US to the UK (boy that import duty is steep!).

My excitement at its final arrival was somewhat tempered by the rapid realisation that it didn’t fit the standard CD changer rack and I’d have to be ‘creative’ to get it in there.

I thought my experience and solution might be useful to others considering a similar purchase.

While I found a number of useful articles on xoutpost.com - notably Dan Foxley’s installation notes at http://www.xoutpost.com/showarticle-157.html) I wasn’t 100% happy with the results. While the rack he makes does works (I tried it out), without ordering a new cable as he describes, the connector provided as standard by Phatnoise pinches too badly at the back, and you can’t close the CD Changer compartment door once the cassette is inserted in the front of the Phatbox.

So here’s my solution – attach the Phatbox to the inside of the compartment door. While I’m sure there are 101 reasons why this isn’t a good idea – it works for me - it's a clean install, uses the space in the CD Changer compartment, doesn't pinch the connecting wires and still allows easy access to insert and withdraw the cassette containing the MP3 library.

Here’s what I did:

1. Removed CD Changer & Racking from the LH compartment. I inserted the Blitzsafe box by crewing it to the hole vacated in the top right corner of the compartment by the CD Changer rack. (Picture 1)

2. Next I removed the panel cover and took it indoors. I removed the felt covering from the inside of the panel (the five plastic retainers pop right off with a little pressure) and inserted two MDF boards to the left and right. (Picture 2)

These were 1.1cm deep, 20cm long (to leave a little room at each end of the Phatbox) and the width was different for each as they had to fit within the retaining plastic lips of different size on the inside of the door. I attached these panels with a high-strength epoxy resin capable of bonding wood to plastic.

3. After waiting for the epoxy resin to hold (mine took 48 hours), next I re-attached the felt with the plastic clips and screwed down the Phatbox to the boards underneath. If you’ve got the depth of the MDF right, the screws do not come through the plastic cover. I drilled six small holes through the felt and MDF boards to make this easier. (Pictures 3 & 4).

4. Then I simply headed back to the car to re-attach the cables and re-insert the compartment cover. The cable at the back of the unit has plenty of room to drop down into the well at the base of the cover and there’s loads of headroom for extracting the DMS cartridge at the top of the cover. (Pictures 5, 6 & 7).

I’m sure more experienced X5 owners than me can tell me this is a dumb idea, but it seems to work.

I hope this is useful to others here on X5world.

Cheers