No need to unscrew anything. Just pry the bezel off. I usually start in the lower left or right hand corners; it seems to be the easiest place to get it started.

As for looking for an aftermarket replacement, if all you are wanting is iPod integration and you aren't looking to upgrade your entire sound stage at some point down the road you would probably be best served with the PAC unit. An aftermarket headunit will require a relatively expensive harness to work with your OEM Infinity setup (since it is amplified from the factory), another adapter to retain the use of your SWAC, a separate Sirius/XM tuner, and a new subscription that you would have to pay for (they won't transfer the subscription from one radio to another, even if it is in the same vehicle). You also have to think that with an aftermarket head unit in the truck, the chances of your truck being broken into increases.

Don't get me wrong, i love aftermarket head units. I have one in my '08. I firmly believe the factory headunit should be the first OEM component to go when upgrading a mobile audio system. However, if all you are looking for is iPod integration, in the interest of keeping it simple and effective, i believe the PAC connector is the best bang for your buck.

 

When I installed my D3 with the Pioneer Sirius reciever I just called up Sirius and they swapped over the subscription to the new receiver free of charge.

 

Must have caught someone on a good day because they were of the strict policy that even lifetime subscriptions would NOT be transferred from one radio to another. This is both Sirius and XM (before the merger).

 

Good to know about the bezel. I have my brake controller and Espar timer all mounted in the lower bezel if I had to take it off. Not terrible, but it would still be a bit of a PIA and time factor to remove those.

I don't have the SWAC tuner you speak of. I opted to order the truck without it. I have Sirius in my company Ford currently - with the repeat of everything, especially in the comedy channels, I can do without it.

 

I know squat about radios and all the gizmos that go with them, but one of my friends had a wire harness that pluged into the back of his radio and fed through the dash where ever he wanted it to come out of. It was a plug that pluged into his Ipod. He still had to control it from the Ipod it'self but it playd through his stock speakers and the volume on his radio worked. Done know if that's like what the other guys were talkin about but I think he only paid $20 or so for it.

 

SWAC actually stands for Steering Wheel Audio Controls. You would need a separate adapter (which, incidentally, is made by PAC) to maintain function of your steering wheel mounted audio controls with an aftermarket headunit.

 

Thanks...................good that you know more about this stuff than me.