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Can You Upgrade a Single-DIN Radio to a Double-DIN?

February 6, 2015
Double-DIN touchscreen with Apple CarPlay installed in a dash

If your dash has a small radio and you want a large touchscreen with CarPlay, the real question is whether your car can take one. Most can. Here is what "double DIN" means, what it takes to fit one, and what you keep.

What DIN means. DIN is simply the size of the radio opening. A single-DIN radio is about two inches tall. A double-DIN is twice that, the size that fits most modern touchscreens. Older and some economy vehicles came with a single-DIN opening.

Can yours be converted? Usually.

It comes down to the dash:

  • Many single-DIN dashes have room behind the trim for a double-DIN once the correct dash kit goes in.
  • A dash kit fills the gap cleanly so the new screen looks like it belongs, not wedged in.
  • Some vehicles do not have the depth or shape for it. We check before we promise anything.

Keeping your features. Modern cars route climate display, chimes, steering-wheel controls, and the backup camera through the radio. We use an integration interface so a new screen keeps your steering-wheel buttons, your backup camera, and your factory warnings working. Done right, you gain wireless CarPlay and Android Auto without losing anything you had.

The honest part. On some vehicles a double-DIN swap is not clean or not possible. In those cases the better answer is often adding wireless CarPlay to your existing factory screen. We will tell you which path actually fits your car instead of forcing the wrong one.

Not sure what your dash can take? Send us your year, make, and model, or call 618.222.2234. See our car audio services.

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