It seems like every new car today has succumbed to the trend of integrated touch controls and glossy screens covering every inch of the dashboard. Even those that do no longer integrate the center stack into the car in such a way that it is now almost impossible to alter your car stereo. Gone are the days of do-it-yourselfers wiring up a head unit and jamming it into a uniform standard slot in your dashboard. We just didn’t realize how good we had it.
Leave it to the Germans to have a standardized format for everything. The non-profit Deutsche Institut für Normung (DIN, or German Institute for Standardization) developed a standard for car radio cutouts, putting pressure on automakers in the mid-1980s to install their stereos in a uniform 2-x7-inch slot. Once stereo manufacturers developed larger format screens and higher quality audio drivers in the 1990s, it was determined that it needed more space to be packaged. Thus, the Double-DIN standard was born, allowing 4-x7-inch slots. By creating these uniform stereo standards, automakers can save money by producing the same head units for multiple cars, or by farming out their own head unit development entirely to car audio companies.
The additional benefit of DIN stereo standardization was found in the aftermarket. Many car enthusiasts will spend their time and cash making their rides unique, myself included. Whether it’s better sound quality, greater utility, or frequent updates as the car gets older, installing an aftermarket stereo is the easiest way to make the car yours. Sometime in the 2000s automakers decided to move away from this longtime standard, placing an emphasis on stylish dashboards with more connectivity and larger stereos. It was a mistake if you ask me.
2000s stereo sadness
At the risk of being labeled a Luddite, I think the integrated infotainment system was a mistake. Twenty years ago it was all about design integration, which had a very short lifespan (above). Modern car interior design these days is an effort at minimalism, and automakers think attaching an iPad to the dash makes their car techy or whatever. I’d go a step further and say that integrating car functionality and information into the stereo screen was the original sin, long before touch screens became de rigueur.
These factory-installed systems from a decade or more ago are typically slow, sluggish, hard to navigate, and – most importantly – ugly. This would be forgivable if they were as easy to upgrade as DIN-standard stereos. What’s worse, the technical teams at major automakers are trying to cram more stuff in than they actually know how to do well. Do you really think Mitsubishi is better than Google or Apple at GPS and mapping? Can Kia or Chevrolet make a higher quality audio system than companies that make it their entire mission? be realistic.
I could go out right now and buy a nice touch-screen unit with integrated Apple CarPlay and a backup camera from Sony (or a dozen other car electronics companies) and install it in a 30-year-old car without any major hassles. Trying to do the same with a decade old Ford is running into hiccups and probably means losing functionality. I’d love to upgrade the terrible screen-and-button combination in my ancient Nissan Leaf, but installing a nice double-DIN stereo would mean giving up access to the car’s heating and air conditioning controls.
Should you get a DIN stereo?
Automakers need to stick to building cars, because there have never been in-dash “infotainment” displays that work as promised, and they’ve aged worse than milk. Try using a 2009 car’s in-dash stereo now and let me know how your experience was. Even better, try playing music from your phone through the same stereo.
I’m a simple guy who likes physical media, and I just want good quality audio sound, the ability to play CDs, and easy Bluetooth connectivity. I don’t mind using my phone for maps on the windshield mount, but if you don’t, there are plenty of single- and double-DIN options that have screens to mirror Apple or Google Maps. I can get all this done in my older cars with a simple DIN standard head unit, but it’s more difficult for anything manufactured between 2007 and 2019.
I owe at least a portion of my car enthusiasm to the DIN standard, as learning how to wire stereos in my cars was one of the first DIY projects I completed. It was the confidence gained from that simple project that allowed me to delve deeper into the rabbit hole of car engine swaps and suspension overhauls. It was also the access to relatively cheap customization that gave me an appetite for my own automotive personality. Buy an old car, put a DIN stereo in the dash, listen to CDs. You won’t regret it.
