The other day I was bored and browsing eBay for mods (a dangerous thing to do sometimes!) and came across this quick and inexpensive mod that I wanted to try out – for just $30 I picked up a gloss black RNS-E faceplate to replace the matte finish that came OEM. While it’s a small mod, I think the gloss finish pops nicely against the carbon trim and gives the navigation unit a newer look, although maybe I’m just suffering shiny object syndrome. There are still plenty more on eBay, so if you’re interested check the link below!
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Installation was a breeze – all you need is a very tiny screwdriver like the kind made for eyeglasses, and the old faceplate comes off from two screws on the underside of the unit. Simply hit the eject button of the navigation unit to find the screws and then loosen them by turning to the left, and voila! The new faceplate then snaps right on and reuses the same screws to retain it.
Two minutes later and you’ve got your new faceplate installed, and can admire the small but noticable touch that will freshen things up! If you really wanted to get crazy, you could have this painted to color match your car or accent color of choice, such as gloss red or white in my case, or even get really crazy and wrap it in 3M Carbon Fiber Vinyl (just be sure to keep it thin so the unit can still shut properly).
What do you think – is this mod worth $30?
I like it! Nick, where did you get those blacked out button strips? I too am trying to eliminate as much chrome from my car as possible.
Not sure what you mean by the blacked out button strips, but everything other than the faceplate is OEM and how my car came. I’m wondering if you have a newer model that has the chrome buttons or something?
Ok that’s possible, mine’s 07. The raised lines under ESP and Pass airbag off. for example are chrome for me, but I know they are removable, maybe i’ll just spray them black. Thanks.
where i can find glossy frame for 30$??
I found mine on eBay, but maybe I just got lucky.
I ordered a new faceplate off eBay and they sent me the entire radio. I only want to replace the faceplate screen since the current one is cracked. How do I remove the faceplate from the radio I got from eBay without a power source? Is there anything else that I should worry about?