Master plan and your project:
Carefully remove the dashboard components surrounding your radio by removing any set screws or hex bolts securing the fairing and carefully pulling the component away from the vehicle. You should see a couple of set screws holding in the stock radio. Remove these, and slide out the old head unit.
A confusing collection of colorful wires should follow the stock radio. Disconnect these by carefully prying apart the wiring harness connection that connects the stock radio to the vehicle. The harnesses can be tough to pull apart, but with some wiggling it will eventually separate. Disconnect the radio’s antenna connection and set the old head unit aside (don’t throw it out--if you want to keep your new system when you sell your car, you’ll eventually need to re-install the old radio).
For Speaker wire go to:
http://aawholesaler.com
Friday, January 25, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Making the installation much easier:
You should also purchase a wire harness designed specifically for your vehicle’s make and model. This will save you from having to cut any wires inside your dash, and, trust me, that’s well worth the $20 you should expect to pay for a harness. Before you begin to disassemble your dash, you can splice the new wiring harness to your new radio by matching wire colors and descriptions. Also attach Kenwood’s add-on Ipod control interface (KCA-iP500) and navigation system (KNA-G510) following the product’s simple instructions. Once the harness is connected, the rest of the job is plug-and-play.
For Stereo Accessories, connectors, wire, speaker wire and more go to:
http://aawholesaler.com
You should also purchase a wire harness designed specifically for your vehicle’s make and model. This will save you from having to cut any wires inside your dash, and, trust me, that’s well worth the $20 you should expect to pay for a harness. Before you begin to disassemble your dash, you can splice the new wiring harness to your new radio by matching wire colors and descriptions. Also attach Kenwood’s add-on Ipod control interface (KCA-iP500) and navigation system (KNA-G510) following the product’s simple instructions. Once the harness is connected, the rest of the job is plug-and-play.
For Stereo Accessories, connectors, wire, speaker wire and more go to:
http://aawholesaler.com
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Replacing the Head Unit
When purchasing a head unit (the in-dash radio that controls your system), make sure you chose the appropriate size for your car. Head units are sized as single-din (a 180 x 50 mm panel) or double-din (180 x 100 mm panel) and you can often purchase an adaptor plate to fit a single-din unit in your double-din vehicle. The opposite was true for my car: I installed a double-din 7inch touch screen head unit, the Kenwood DDX-6019 available at www.Kenwood.com. Keep in mind that depths, although largely standard, could vary, so pay attention to how much space you have.
AMP's STEREO's and more go to:
http://aawholesaler.com
When purchasing a head unit (the in-dash radio that controls your system), make sure you chose the appropriate size for your car. Head units are sized as single-din (a 180 x 50 mm panel) or double-din (180 x 100 mm panel) and you can often purchase an adaptor plate to fit a single-din unit in your double-din vehicle. The opposite was true for my car: I installed a double-din 7inch touch screen head unit, the Kenwood DDX-6019 available at www.Kenwood.com. Keep in mind that depths, although largely standard, could vary, so pay attention to how much space you have.
AMP's STEREO's and more go to:
http://aawholesaler.com
Saturday, January 19, 2008
If there’s one piece of advice you have to follow it is this:
Read through each component’s instructions to create a master installation plan. Know what you have, where each piece is going to go, and what extra tools it will take to connect everything. Make sure that you’re confident that once you pull apart your dashboard you’ll be able to fit it back together. Check literature about your car to make sure you don’t need extra adapters such as a custom radio faceplate, or, especially with older or imported vehicles, to make sure there are no non-standard components behind the radio (such as a separate amplifier buried deep within the console) that might greatly complicate the process. Finally, get a big piece of paper and draw a diagram that details where every wire will run. This will organize your thoughts and uncover any potential problems.
In addition to all your new equipment you’re going to need wire cutters, black tape, crimpers, pliers, screwdrivers, a rubber mallet, a drill, a Dremmel, a ratchet set, flashlight, wire tubing, double sided tape and wire tires to get the job done.
For Stereo Accessories go to:
http://aawholesaler.com
Read through each component’s instructions to create a master installation plan. Know what you have, where each piece is going to go, and what extra tools it will take to connect everything. Make sure that you’re confident that once you pull apart your dashboard you’ll be able to fit it back together. Check literature about your car to make sure you don’t need extra adapters such as a custom radio faceplate, or, especially with older or imported vehicles, to make sure there are no non-standard components behind the radio (such as a separate amplifier buried deep within the console) that might greatly complicate the process. Finally, get a big piece of paper and draw a diagram that details where every wire will run. This will organize your thoughts and uncover any potential problems.
In addition to all your new equipment you’re going to need wire cutters, black tape, crimpers, pliers, screwdrivers, a rubber mallet, a drill, a Dremmel, a ratchet set, flashlight, wire tubing, double sided tape and wire tires to get the job done.
For Stereo Accessories go to:
http://aawholesaler.com
Thursday, January 17, 2008
MAKE A PLAN
Before you start turning the screwdriver and ripping into your dashboard, set aside time to plan out the entire installation process. It wasn’t until I was looking at a colorful fistful of stock radio wires--with no wiring diagram for reference--that I realized my confidence--er, haste--wasn’t going to get me anywhere (it turns out that the 50 feet of speaker wire I assumed would be more than enough for a tiny Mustang, is about three feet short when you finish all the splicing, meaning I had to rerun all the wiring.
For Stereo connectors, wire and more go to:
http://aawholesaler.com
Before you start turning the screwdriver and ripping into your dashboard, set aside time to plan out the entire installation process. It wasn’t until I was looking at a colorful fistful of stock radio wires--with no wiring diagram for reference--that I realized my confidence--er, haste--wasn’t going to get me anywhere (it turns out that the 50 feet of speaker wire I assumed would be more than enough for a tiny Mustang, is about three feet short when you finish all the splicing, meaning I had to rerun all the wiring.
For Stereo connectors, wire and more go to:
http://aawholesaler.com
CAR RADIO WIRE HARNESSES -
Our car radio installation guides specify Metra Wire Harness numbers when installing aftermarket car radios. These wire harnesses also have several manufacturers. We suggest the aftermarket wire harness, it saves time and headaches. Wire harnesses lessen the chance of mistakes for blown fuses, shorted wires and several other radio related installation problems. Using the aftermarket harness will also allow you to reinstall the factory car radio. You may not be happy with your aftermarket radio purchase, you may want to upgrade to a better model and you can use the aftermarket wire harness again. We have seen cut wire harnesses with many aftermarket car radio installations. There is no going back to the factory car radio unless you have the original car radio wire harness. All car radio installation shops sell the wire harness that mates to the factory wire harness. They do not sell the harness that mates to the factory car radio. There is a section of this website that may help if you feel the need to cut the factory car radio harness, Factory Car Radio Wire Diagrams and Color Codes.
For Stereo Accessories go to:
http://aawholesaler.com
Our car radio installation guides specify Metra Wire Harness numbers when installing aftermarket car radios. These wire harnesses also have several manufacturers. We suggest the aftermarket wire harness, it saves time and headaches. Wire harnesses lessen the chance of mistakes for blown fuses, shorted wires and several other radio related installation problems. Using the aftermarket harness will also allow you to reinstall the factory car radio. You may not be happy with your aftermarket radio purchase, you may want to upgrade to a better model and you can use the aftermarket wire harness again. We have seen cut wire harnesses with many aftermarket car radio installations. There is no going back to the factory car radio unless you have the original car radio wire harness. All car radio installation shops sell the wire harness that mates to the factory wire harness. They do not sell the harness that mates to the factory car radio. There is a section of this website that may help if you feel the need to cut the factory car radio harness, Factory Car Radio Wire Diagrams and Color Codes.
For Stereo Accessories go to:
http://aawholesaler.com
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Car Radio Installation Kits -
There are several manufacturers for installation kits. Install kits are specific to vehicle. Use radio installation kits that are available to you locally or on the internet. All manufacturers kits for car radio installation and mounting are basically the same.
For Amp Kits and more go to:
http://aawholesaler.com
There are several manufacturers for installation kits. Install kits are specific to vehicle. Use radio installation kits that are available to you locally or on the internet. All manufacturers kits for car radio installation and mounting are basically the same.
For Amp Kits and more go to:
http://aawholesaler.com
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