How to Install a 2-DIN Apple Carplay Radio in your C5 Corvette

It’s a DIY project, but if you’re not comfortable cutting, drilling, and wiring, you may want to bring your C5 Corvette to a pro installer.

C5 Corvettes are a terrific performance bargain. They’re light, the 345 horsepower LS1 is peppy and reliable, and aftermarket modification support is plentiful. Yet, while a 20-year-old car may be able to cruise and hang with modern muscle, it’s the amenities that really make older platforms feel their age. Case in point, do you really want a CD player radio in 2020 when back-up cameras, Bluetooth, and Apple Carplay come baked into every new vehicle? Of course not.

Enter the DriveHub YouTube Channel with the above helpful video. In it, he covers installing a new 2 DIN Apple Carplay radio into his C5, and a few things to avoid.

The DriveHub host, who also owns a C6 Corvette, first lays out all of the tools needed to complete the installation as well as all of the accessories. In addition to a 2 DIN Pioneer head-unit, a C5 radio swap requires a replacement center console bezel to house the radio and HVAC controls, which will need to be painted. There’s also wiring from the radio as well as an Axxess XSVI-2004 Wiring Interface that helps connect the aftermarket component’s with your Corvette’s factory gear, even if you have the Bose system.

Installation is relatively straightforward, but if you’re not comfortable with drilling, sawing, and soldering wires, it may be best to bring your C5 components to a pro for installation. The process involves prepping and painting your new center console bezel. Then you remove your OEM bezel as well as your radio head unit and HVAC controls. You then need to cut away a couple of OEM metal structural supports to make room for the new gear and drill new holes using a supplied adapter. And finally, wire your new gear together and reinstall everything.

The host of DriveHub runs into a problem when connecting both the Pioneer’s power wire and the Axxess power wire. Connecting both causes the car to go into a security mode, while only using the Pioneer wire seems to fix the issue. He also manages to blow his trunk fuse a couple of times after connecting an “illumination” wire from both the Pioneer and Axxess harnesses. Deleting them seems to help. Your experience may vary.

Despite the challenges and headaches, the install ends up looking great and really updates the whole car. Speaking from personal experience as a fellow Pioneer Apple Carplay radio owner, I can attest that Apple Carplay is an excellent upgrade and the Pioneer interface is really simple and intuitive.