Why trim rings on aftermarket HUs?

[Dermen]

The trim ring on my Alpine HU makes the silver screws I used to attach the MSP radio support bracket visible, so I was thinking why are these trim pieces even there.

It's something I never understood this. All the after market radios are standard sizes, yet they all have this trim ring around them. Why not make the face of the radio take up the full size of the HU/din opening? It would look 100 times better and create more room for buttons, meaning they could make them a little bigger or add in a larger screen with more info.

 

[chuyler1]

They won't fit in some cars with the trim ring on. An example was my wife's 2000 Corolla. When I installed it, the trim panel around the radio mounts lined up flush with the edges of the unit with just enough space to put the detachable face on. If it didn't stick out so far it would have looked totally custom.

Fabricators also use the trim rings to integrate the unit into the dash. They glue it in place while the unit is installed and then remove it to bondo the dead space. You could do this in your MSP for a pretty nice look.

 

[Dermen]

I guess there are a few cars that they wouldn't fit in, but most cars they would, and if they didn't they could just make dash kits for them. They already have to make dash kits for most cars. And fabricators would still make a nice clean looking dash without the trim piece.

I actually saw that JVC makes a couple HUs with just small trim pieces on the two ends, but they are expensive since they have a 3.5" LCD.

The Alpine HU face sits out a lot farther than the trim piece, I guess it is just their design. I will probably take the easy way out and paint the screws black so they don't stick out so much lol

 

[chuyler1]

Another issue is that there is no way to remove the head unit from the cage if there wasn't a removable trim-ring. Most head units come with custom keys that slide into the sides. Stock head units that fill up the space use generic U-shaped Ford radio removal keys that slide into little holes. So for anti-theft reasons aftermarket companies stay clear of that method of removal.

Furthermore, flip-down faces usually need some space for the hinge to work. The trim ring leaves just enough space. If the face plate took up the entire front, you would either still have a gap or the face plate would jam when you tried to open it.