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Nissan Patrol overhead switch panel


hawairish
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@R50JR sent me an ebay link the other week for a Patrol switch panel and convinced me that it'd fit.  I did some additional comparisons and agreed that it would.  I had some concerns about how well the trim colors would match (there was a "K" gray, "W" light gray, and "G" tan, as far as I could tell), since it was clear the trim color codes were not the same here (my all-black interior trim is "G") and all the photos I could find seemed too tough to tell the exact tone.  After some deliberation, I ordered the last pair of "W" "K" panels the seller had.

 

After waiting a few days, they arrived.  Product looked great.  The color was a slightly brownish-gray.  (My Frontier has a "K" gray trim, and it's not even remotely close).  In hindsight, the light gray "W" might have been good contrast.  But overall, I dig it.  Fitment is good.  Material quality is really good.  Getting the console down from the roof and detaching the wiring harnesses from the backside of the sunglasses tray was the toughest part.  Things may get a little more complicated once wires are up there.

 

The company that makes them is Kenay Kustoms out of AUS.  Unfortunately, they do not ship direct to the US, but I plan to reach out to them to confirm fitment based on the pics below.  They also made color-matching blanks, except they were out of stock of them.  The black ones were reasonably priced, ordered through the same ebay seller (dukes_4x4_and_camping) that sold the panels.

 

Anyway, some pics below.  Not sure what all I'll put in them yet, but it'll be way more useful than the worthless the sunglasses holder that doesn't fit any sunglasses I've ever owned.

 

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It does block the climate and compass readouts a little, but a slight head dip resolves that easily.  It's not something I stare at regularly anyway.

 

IMG-1973.jpg

 

From this perspective, the color match is perfect:

 

IMG-1975.jpg

 

And it's too bad there aren't any cool Nissan switches to put here, but they would fit reasonably well:

 

IMG-1976.jpg

Edited by hawairish
Typo
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That is awesome use of an otherwise useless space, I love it! Mimics the placement of the outfitter switches on the newer Ford Super Duty. I'd also imagine that if the color difference really bothered anyone that much, it'd be easy enough to match it with interior plastic paints that are available, but for my utilitarian use it's fine. Just might have to pull the trigger on one of these (and yes, I just looked them up on ebay ). Nice find fellas!

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I had some concerns about how well the trim colors would match (there was a "K" gray, "W" light gray, and "G" tan, as far as I could tell), since it was clear the trim color codes were not the same here (my all-black interior trim is "G") and all the photos I could find seemed too tough to tell the exact tone.  After some deliberation, I ordered the last pair of "W" panels the seller had.
 
After waiting a few days, they arrived.  Product looked great.  The color was a slightly brownish-gray.  (My Frontier has a "K" gray trim, and it's not even remotely close).  In hindsight, the light gray "W" might have been good contrast.


Just to be clear, which color did you actually order? I don't really care about matching, but would like it to not look like a gaudy, mismatched add-on. I'm torn between the K & W. For some reason the W is less money than the K...

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2 hours ago, 01Pathmaker said:

Just to be clear, which color did you actually order? I don't really care about matching, but would like it to not look like a gaudy, mismatched add-on. I'm torn between the K & W. For some reason the W is less money than the K...

 

 

Typo on my part (now corrected)...I ordered the "K" trim, not the "W".

 

Also, I ordered two of them.  @TowndawgR50 has the other one now and can weigh in on things.

 

I also reached out to Kenay Kustoms and got a reply from the man himself, Kenay.  An interesting notable was that the panel also fits an older Subaru Forester console.  But he did share some advice about the color trims and thinks the "W" might be a better look.  I'm checking if he's okay with me posting up some of the trim color pics here to keep the colors convo in context.  He also mentioned changes to the website to allow for shipping to the US soon.  (Duke's Camping also did a great job on the ebay transaction, despite ebay complicating things; they sorted everything out very quickly.)

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This is an awesome find. I ordered one as well, not sure what trim color it matches but honestly I couldn’t care less because a quick shot of paint will make it whatever I want. I just want something to replace my current set up because it’s too cramped behind the panel with all of the wiring and even though its functional, it does look out of place

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I've been exchanging emails with Kenay and he's been very helpful.  Here's the trim pics from his website (https://kenaykustoms.com.au/) so that we have some consolidated info here:

 

W.png

 

K.png

 

G.png

 

0.png

 

Order in the pic above: W, K, G

 

As mentioned previously, he is planning to update the site to allow for shipping to US, price will be around $70 AUD shipped (about $54 USD as of today).  I may actually pick up the W trim since I light gray might be a nice contrast.  But, I can wait out @PathyGig12's review...keep us posted.

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I received mine the other day and I'm very pleased. I'd agree that the color is close enough that when coupled with the OEM privacy glass that creates a darker interior environment it's not obviously different. The part quality is great. Not a single complaint yet. 

 

Getting wiring up there will definitely be a chore. I suspect I may need to split the leads between the A-pillars but I'll see how it goes when I cross that bridge. 

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I received mine the other day and I'm very pleased. I'd agree that the color is close enough that when coupled with the OEM privacy glass that creates a darker interior environment it's not obviously different. The part quality is great. Not a single complaint yet. 
 
Getting wiring up there will definitely be a chore. I suspect I may need to split the leads between the A-pillars but I'll see how it goes when I cross that bridge. 

I’ve run a few wires up there. It’s definitely not fun. I have the curtain airbags so it was a bit more work. The trickiest part is trying to get the wires to go straight to the console. They usually end up in a space between the roof and “sub roof “. A lot of sharp edges up there too.


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I’ve run a few wires up there. It’s definitely not fun. I have the curtain airbags so it was a bit more work. The trickiest part is trying to get the wires to go straight to the console. They usually end up in a space between the roof and “sub roof “. A lot of sharp edges up there too.  

 

Yeah, we didn’t have much trouble running power for a dash cam & a microphone line for my new radio. 

Do the ‘03 & ‘04s have airbags in that A-Pillar? I’m jealous, the Pathy is not a great vehicle in which to have a collision. Side curtain airbags seem like a wise addition. I used to joke that in an accident, my wife’s Jetta would look like the first Mars rover landings.

9b6043693583dc1b523727acc2170ffa.jpg

 

 

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I’m honestly not even sure my air bags work anymore, haven’t had anyone look at them since I got the truck 6 years ago. oh well 

 

In regards to getting wiring up to the overhead panel, I’ve had to rewire mine 3 or 4 times since I first put them up there and each time was an absolute pain. I got to the point where I didn’t even bother doing it properly because I kept changing my lighting or redoing which switch went to which light, so my wiring was just tucked above the secondary sun visors, rationalizing that Id do it properly someday. Ive got them under the headliner and A pillars now, the only ones exposed are the few that run to the monitor on the dash. Haven’t found a good solution for that section yet

 

With that many switches it just becomes a pain because of how many wires Are involved. Keeping it all organized is the hardest part. When I go to install the new panel I’m going to have to tie together the related ones and keep things from jumbling together because last time I managed to lose track and spent a couple hours trying different combos

 

 

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2eafce9b16c2ad02094287e696dbe0c7.jpghttps://www.ebay.com/itm/182445594617

 

I’d highly recommend color coding if you have the patience. In the long run it will make rewiring & diagnosis easier. SUPER happy with this item from BP Automotive btw, superb quality.

 

That said, it’s bulky for sure. Not a problem at the A-Pillar for trucks without air bags but probably an issue with them. It’s just going to be ALOT of wires.

 

While less robust, that’s part of the reason I’m going with one of these below on the Pathy. @02_Pathy put his in front of the shifter & it’s perfect. 8 Gang & the lights are down out of your peripheral vision where they won’t bother you at night. Plus, much easier to wire. Though admittedly not as robust as the system I put in the 4Runner.

 

bcbadc310f90a4fb88d7927ef425801c.jpg0e8cf927bcb48954c98eb322fe7122c8.jpg

Photos courtesy of @‘02_Pathy

 

Auxbeam 8 Gang Switch Panel Automatic Dimmable LED Touch Control Panel Box Electronic Relay System Car Touch Switch Box Universal for Truck ATV UTV Boat Marine SUV Caravan https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07KZLB74K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_F5H8DPTXKEBYW0XQJS9Q?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

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By my estimate, most applications should be doable in 8 wires (12V, illumination, and 6 signal leads) while using a ground in the roof (I presume there's a good one on the sunroof motor).  If you don't plan to have the switches handling the load, you can get away with a smaller gauge wire and a relay module.  With an array of modules, that wire could then become one or two multi-conductor cables (i.e., a Cat6 cable can handle the voltage, but only a small current...but it allows the use of other RJ45 connection means, which might help things).

 

But, I don't think routing wires up there is too problematic.  Not having a rat's nest above the panel is the real challenge.  It would be terrible if removing the console meant disconnecting two dozen slide connectors.  I use pinned harnesses for this sort of stuff.  The do sell Carling switch harnesses, but they look really bulky.

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I had the same problem with my center console. The second or third time I had to remember where all the spade terminals hooked up, I bought an extension cable for something in a PC (similar to this), cut it in half to make two mating pigtails, and wired one side to the switches and the other to the harness. I'm not going to call this the right way to do it, but it was cheap, it was easy, and it worked. Looks like you can get ethernet cable in "extension" form as well, and I'll bet it would be easier to fish through an A pillar.

 

However you do it, draw up a wiring diagram so you're not reverse-engineering your own work later on.

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1 hour ago, Slartibartfast said:

I had the same problem with my center console. The second or third time I had to remember where all the spade terminals hooked up, I bought an extension cable for something in a PC (similar to this), cut it in half to make two mating pigtails, and wired one side to the switches and the other to the harness. I'm not going to call this the right way to do it, but it was cheap, it was easy, and it worked. Looks like you can get ethernet cable in "extension" form as well, and I'll bet it would be easier to fish through an A pillar.

 

However you do it, draw up a wiring diagram so you're not reverse-engineering your own work later on.

 

Great suggestions in there, especially cutting the extension cable.  The ribbon cable on that sort of application also helps, since it can be flat or rolled up to wrap around existing wires...and being power wires for PC application like what you provided, they'll do well handling 12V and a bit more current.

 

And definitely make wiring diagrams!  

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