# Mk4 iPad Mini Dash Install DIY with Lots of Pics



## Pauly JP (Jul 18, 2013)

This DIY was done in an 03 gti and should be spot on for almost any 00-05 golf, gti, or Jetta. Other cars would have the same general idea.

Things you'll need
-iPad Mini 
-Bluetooth single din radio 
-IR (infrared) repeater
-small neodymium magnets
-Dremel or something to cut fiberglass
-fiberglass kit 
-Bondo
-sandpaper 80-400 grit
-painters tape
-few extra screws and nuts
-primer/paint of your choice, I use Rustoleum. 
-time and patients 


I got this idea off my buddy Matt, who got it done professionally and I thought I'd try it myself. Couldn't find any amazing guides so I took it upon myself to write something up. Hope you find it useful. 

Making the fiberglass mould
1. You're going to want to wrap your iPad in painters tape just one or 2 layers thick, the thinner the better in this case. You may scratch the backing of the iPad later on if your not careful, i overlapped my tape making it 2 layers thick. Use a car wax and apply a thin layer to the iPad, to help it pop out of the mould easier once the mould is dry. I even made a 3 piece thick piece of tape to go across the iPad to help pop it out of the mould when it's done. Mark where the home button is on the tape with a sharpie, you'll thank me later. 

1a. If your worried about damaging your iPad you can actually buy a fake iPad on Amazon for around $20 and it has all the same dimensions. 



2. Read the instructions on the box and learn the correct mixture of resin to hardener and how to work with fiberglass. Work in a well vented area this stuff stinks! Start adding fiberglass resin and fiberglass cloth over the back of the iPad and using the little tool that comes with the kits, push out any air bubbles and make it the tightest fit possible to the iPad, make sure to get a good tight fit around the edges. After 2 layers stop and wait 3 hours for it to dry all the way through.

3. Although the mould is thin, now is a good time to pop the iPad or fake iPad out for the first time as the mould is slightly flexible. Use a Dremel or flathead to break off any resin that's hardened over the front edges of the iPad, be careful not to ding the iPad. Sand the mould a bit and make sure the iPad can come in and out of the mould easily. 

4. Put the iPad back in the mould and turn the whole thing back over. Use the neodymium magnets and locate the spots on the iPad that are magnetic (this is supposed to be for a Smart Cover, but will help hold the iPad in the car in this case). Make sure you plan ahead and make sure the home button on the iPad will be facing the left side of the car. And the magnets will be at the top of the mould. Use 2 more layers of fiberglass and seal the magnets inside the mould. 
Should turn out like this 





If you ever plan on taking the iPad out of the car you're going to need a way to pop it out. I think the cleanest way of doing this is to add an angled portion to the lower half of the mould. If you want to save a little time just add a spot to reach your finger in and grab it. 

5. Mark off the bottom 1/3 of the mould and cut out the backing with a Dremel. Tape the iPad in the mould at an angle and re fiberglass the back bottom half. Here's what you should have afterwards. 





I put a small amount of bondo on the back to fill in the gap from the strip of tape I had behind the iPad. Make sure you use a good mix of hardener, the wrong mix makes for a pain in the ass. 

After sanding down any imperfections you should have something like this. I used plastic wrap to keep from getting dust on the tablet.

http://youtu.be/tuJHfgeTMS0

Remember, things might look a bit rough but the bondo will give it a nice finished look. 

6. Now it's time to start caking on the bondo and sanding it a finished look. This is one of the most time consuming steps, but you're looking for perfection here.
I didn't take a picture of the step by step bondo process, so if you're unsure check YouTube for bondo guides. 

7. Although the iPad is held into the mould at the top with magnets, to keep the iPad from swinging around we're going to add a small lip at the bottom of the mould. Just but tape or plastic wrap over the iPad (you really only need this at the bottom, and you want it as thin as possible). Bondo over the front of the iPad and let it hang over the screen as a lip. 

Here's some pictures after a bit of sanding and cutting off the excess fiberglass around the sides. 





This is as far as I'm going with the mould until the interior is prepared for the install. 

Now it's time to take the radio and all the trim out and relocate the radio to the glove box. You have to take out most of the interior to get to the radio center console.

8. I'm not going to explain how to take everything out so here's an interior removal DIY
Interior Removal: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...ake-center-console-armrest-glovebox-ashtrays)

Here's what your going to look like with all your goodies missing. 



Make sure to bag all your screws and keep them where you won't lose them. 



9. You're going to need to wire up your new radio and make sure it works, and also wire the IR Repeater. 

The IR repeater is important because it takes the signal from the radios remote (into the black wire) and repeats the signal in front of your radios infrared receiver. Without this you would have to drive with the glove box open, as the remote will be the only way to adjust the volume. 

Here's a picture of my messy wiring and the wiring for the IR repeaters housing. 





10. It's very easy to wire, red is positive and black is negative just run it off your radios wiring. The brown is to change the frequency of the repeater and 99% of the time you can just cap it and ignore it. The black eye is the receiver and the white eye is the part that goes to the radio, don't confuse those. 

11. Tuck wiring through the slot in the side to get to the glove box. Might have to stretch or rearrange a few things, but it should fit. 



12. Now back to the iPad since the dash is out. Cut the sides of the radio trim to help fit the iPad mould. Your going to have to kinda eyeball it and cut where needed. 



13. Once you have a good fit, it's time to fiberglass the two parts together from the back. Using a few small pieces of cloth and a good amount of resin to secure them. I used c clamps to hold it tight to my workspace (Taco Bell tray). 



Getting close to being done! 

14. Bondo the front of the radio trim to make it all look like one solid part. Take your time, it'll show. 


After some sanding


15. Prime it and paint it black. I used flat black Rustoleum and it looks the exact same as the stock black trim. Screw it into the dash and make sure you like everything. 

16. Cut a rectangle in the back of the glovebox that the radio will line up with, and also allow you to plug everything in. Mount the radio into the glovebox. I did this by drilling a hole through that little flap at the top and putting a screw through the radio cage and through that with a nut on top. And plug everything in and slide the radio back into place and your set! 




17. Reassemble everything in reverse order using the guide I listed in step 8. 

18. Put the IR repeaters eye somewhere not so noticeable but functional. In the pictures you'll see mines just hanging there, I eventually just pinched it in between a piece of trim and it's barely noticeable. 




It's very nice to be able to push the bottom and it pops loose from the magnets. 




http://youtu.be/vQWwK_633yE

Here's some of my thoughts on the project.
-Great looks wise! Awesome to be able to watch movies, browse playlists, Netflix, YouTube, pop it out and pass it to a passenger. The whole experience is amazing! 
-The maps app with the turn by turn directions played over car speakers is awesome, works just as good as an actual gps in my opinion. 
-you can control the volume over the iPad (which is hard to do when you have no access to the buttons) or the remote (this is the way to go imo). 
-if the iPad dies (damn this thing has an incredible battery) you can charge it off the radios usb in the glovebox and still play music off your phone. Basically your not suck without music if it happens to go dead. 

Only thing that bugs me
-volume control, using the remote is fine, works flawlessly. But having to use the remote gets annoying at times. If you drop it, it dies, you can't find it, it's annoying. When someone in the car starts talking you can reach out and turn it down quickly and accurately. With this its a bit more sluggish, looking for the remote and clicking it down. Adjusting a volume slider on the iPads screen is nearly impossible when moving, the slightest bump throw the volume to zero or max. 

Overall, in my opinion I think the entire project has been a great success. Sorry in advance for typos or grammar errors. Feel free to leave any comments or questions and I'll do my best to get back to you!


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## vwportal (Jan 1, 2007)

*I'm impressed*

Wow that looks good, almost surprised Metra doesn't make a dash kit for tablets.


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## SlowSilver (Apr 9, 2014)

Wow that came out like a boss. How much room was left behind the cradle for the ipad? I've been toying with the idea of a tablet install but with 3 gauges behind it for track time and fun runs. This thing is the tits, and so much cheaper than buying from somebody.


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## rommeldawg (May 25, 2009)

http://www.soundmanca.com/ this has kits and a lot of installation videos to give you some more ideas that can help you create your own stuff


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