Replacing the head unit. Installing the radio

Everything in our world of electronics is gradually becoming obsolete, and the car radio ndash; certainly not an exception. A few years ago, a high-quality radio tape recorder with a good sound ndash; was a real waste for the vast majority of motorists. Now, any store selling radio tape recorders can simply overwhelm anyone with various offers, from the most expensive and high-quality radio tape recorders to budget models. If you are going to replace your old radio, which was installed at the time of buying a car, then I will tell you how to do it!

Let's start with the initial configuration of the car radio in the ndash store; if you buy a car radio of a different brand than the one that was installed with you, then you need to check whether the adapter of its connector to a standard ISO connector is included with the radio. Of course, you can determine this very connector by its appearance ndash; it looks like twin wide double row contacts. And on the radio itself, the connectors can be completely different ndash; it depends on the model and manufacturer of the car radio. You can also try to check with the seller if any other adapters are needed. Be prepared to say the old model of your car radio, and the auto mag.

After that, you can proceed directly to the replacement of the radio. Keep in mind that all manipulations must be carried out with the car ignition off. First you need to remove the old radio from the ndash socket; this can be done using the special keys with which it was completed upon purchase. The fact is that the keys for extracting the car radio are different, depending on the model of the car radio itself. Therefore, those keys that come with a new radio may well not be suitable for removing the old one. Therefore, you will have to look for the old keys. Before inserting the keys, it is necessary to remove the front panel of the car radio and the outer plastic frame. The keys are inserted from the sides of the car radio to the full length. After that, they need to be pulled over ndash; thus removing the car radio from the socket.

Carefully with the wires: they should not be disconnected immediately ndash; it’s better to prepare an elastic band in advance in order to pull them together, because if you laquo; miss them, they will fall far under the dashboard, and it will not be easy to get them out of there. After the wires are pulled together with an elastic band, you can disconnect them from the old radio. You need to remember which wires connect to which connector. Next, remove the frame to install the radio. It can be screwed to the socket with self-tapping screws, or it can simply be fixed with plastic petals.

Next, you should start preparing the new car radio for its new place: to do this, you need to remove the installation frame from it and attach the ISO adapter, which should be included. The wires should be passed into the installation frame, and then the frame itself should be installed in the socket. Again, you need to look at how to install ndash; screws or petals. After installing the frame, check that it is installed firmly and does not hang loose.

Now you can connect the wires to the new car radio. To do this, you need to connect the ISO, wires from the antenna, and other additional wires, if any. For example, it could be supplementary food. See carefully ndash; all connectors and wires have icons, so you can't go wrong.

Everything, the wires are connected to the radio. Now you need to check if everything is connected correctly. To do this, insert the radio into the socket to the middle, and connect the front panel to it. After that, you need to turn on the car radio, check if the backlight is on. Next, you need to check if the ndash radio is working; this will check the correct connection of the antenna cable. You also need to clarify whether each speaker works, or maybe some one does not work. Next, it is desirable to check the playback of music from the disk, the performance of USB. If everything works, then turn off the radio, remove the front panel, and use both hands to completely slide the radio into the socket until it clicks. Then return the panel to its rightful place.

Everything, the installation of the car radio is completed.

Replacing the head unit is a very common practice. Most car owners do not like the factory head unit at all, most often it is not technically updated, slows down a bit and has inconvenient functionality.

In stores, you can easily pick up a replacement for a regular device. Even if the size of the new radio is smaller, you can also buy a special panel frame for your car in these stores. So the new device will stand as it should be, and you will enjoy the high-quality sound of your favorite music.

Replacement may require:

• panel frame for your car;
• new radio;
• adapter to ISO connector;
• screwdriver, pliers.

Most importantly, do not forget to disconnect the battery.

Replacing the head unit Nissan

For Nissan, a 1DIN radio tape recorder is suitable, for example, Pioneer. To remove the standard device, first, the panel with grilles for the blower is carefully pulled out, without turning it off. Then the socket under the standard device is removed. After that, you can see the screws holding the device, which must be unscrewed.

Next, the old radio is pulled out, as well as the frame and frame, and all the connectors and antenna connected to it are disconnected. To disconnect the old Nissan radio, first the frame attached with screws must be unscrewed from the radio with the frame, and then screw the frame back to the frame.

A new radio tape recorder is screwed to the frame with a frame. Using the ISO connector, purchased in advance specifically for the Nissan of the desired model, the wiring is connected. If you need a connection diagram or pinout, it is usually indicated in the instructions for the car. After all the manipulations, you can install new equipment in its place in the car, as well as install back the removed panels under and above the radio. Thus, replacing a Nissan head unit is quite simple. And in the case of Almera N16, where the regular one reads only CDs, a replacement is necessary for comfortable use.

You can watch the video for more information on changing radio tape recorders.

Ford head unit replacement

For Ford, there is a Ford 6000CD head unit, which almost all users do not like. It lacks a USB input, does not read MP3 format and has very poor sound quality. Therefore, we will consider step by step how the Ford head unit is replaced.

For a Ford car, in addition to the frame, you will need to purchase an additional radio adapter and skid. By the way, in Ford Fusion, decorative partitions are installed in the place under the standard head unit, which are not recommended to be cut. You also need to make sure that you have an activation code, you will need it to start a new audio system.

To remove the standard head unit, the Ford has small slots, as shown in the photo, into which you need to insert the keys, placing them so that they look at the center of the radio. Focusing on the strip above the AM / FM button, slightly loosen the remaining strips to find the latches. So the strips will go deep, which will contribute to the easy extrusion of the head unit. To disconnect the wires, you need to use a special device for this (handle), provided by the manufacturer.

After the old radio was in the hands, it is enough just to replace it with a new one. Next, all the wiring is connected, and the new radio is installed in the allotted place in the car.

Toyota head unit replacement

First of all, decorative moldings are removed from the sides, from below, and then from above the Toyota head unit. Next, the temperature regulator, which is held on the latches, is removed, and the wire connector to the emergency gang is disconnected. After that, you can remove the head unit by unscrewing the four bolts. All connected wires with connectors are also turned off. Further, all the brackets necessary for mounting are rearranged to a new radio.

To install the antenna, you need to remove the glove compartment, the upper compartment, the right front pillar (if there is an airbag next to it, carefully study its removal in the instructions for the Toyota car), as shown in the photo. After removing the rubber door seal, the lining is removed. The antenna wire is carried down the rack, under the torpedo visor. Under no circumstances should the cable cross the airbag. Further, according to the pinout, the wires are connected to the new radio, and it is installed in its place. This is how the Toyota head unit is replaced.

Replacement head unit Opel

The technology for replacing the head unit with a new one does not differ from the above. Wiring is connected according to the pinout, through ISO connectors. It is important to make sure that the yellow and red power wires are connected correctly. Unfortunately, the Opel frames do not fit tightly enough, which causes some inconvenience. Therefore, many install the device in the glove compartment, while the control is carried out by the remote control.

Thus, replacing the Opel head unit does not always lead to satisfactory results.

Renault head unit replacement

To begin with, the decorative panel, frames are removed. To pull out the standard Renault device, four fastening screws are unscrewed. There may be difficulties with fitting the mounting of a new radio, i.e. from the head unit Renault mounts may not fit. Replacing a Renault head unit involves connecting the wiring through pre-purchased ISO connectors for the desired Renault model, as well as for the antenna. Next, the radio is inserted into the transition frame and installed in the right place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dim4kQbWYgk
To replace the Volvo head unit, in addition to all the basic steps, you will need a grinder to cut off all unnecessary plastic partitions in the mounting frame, otherwise the new equipment may simply not fit. Just like when replacing a Kia head unit, it will be necessary to properly connect the wiring to control the radio from the steering wheel. To change the radio to Audi, you will need to check the connection pinout in advance.

Hello! I have such a question - a Renault Simbol car, it has a standard radio tape recorder on cassettes, I want to change it to a normal tape recorder, but I don’t know how to do it. How And there is a switch under the steering wheel that controls the volume and changes stations, will it work and what is needed for this? (Elena)

Hello, Elena. At one time, I myself encountered a similar problem, I hope our recommendations will help you.

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How to change the radio for Renault Symbol?

Indeed, the steering column switch is a very convenient thing. Thanks to him, you can adjust the volume, switch radio stations, etc. without being distracted from the road.

But if you want to change the cassette player, then you need to consider a few nuances:

1. To set up a good media system that will be controlled by a switch without any problems, your best bet is to buy a Renault setup. But this option is the most expensive. To date, such systems cost from 20 thousand rubles and more (from 8 thousand hryvnias). A more accurate cost can be obtained from the dealer or on the Internet. Such systems usually come with a CD output for discs, as far as we know, MP3 recorders from Renault are not on sale today.
2. There is an option - to buy an expensive adapter, the cost of such devices varies around 100-150 dollars. After consulting with an electrician, the specialist stated that only a high-quality adapter would make it possible for the switch to perform all the functions assigned to it.
3. You can buy a cheap adapter, but it will work accordingly. Sometimes the adapter allows the steering column to perform all the functions - adjusting the volume, changing the radio station, etc. But in most cases it does not work correctly. It all depends on which adapter you buy and how smooth the hands of an electrician are.

As for the replacement itself, there is nothing complicated here.

1. There are four holes on the side of the tape recorder. They are equipped with special pins. You can use ordinary knitting needles or thick wire at least 25 cm long.
2. First, the knitting needles are inserted from one side (for example, on the left) and pressed all the way. After doing this, you will feel that the tape recorder can be removed. The procedure is then repeated with the other two holes.
3. The equipment is removed, the power and the wiring block are turned off. You can install a regular media system, then you just need to connect the wires.

In order to remove the regular car radio from the car, no special skills are required. All that is required is a set of special keys supplied with the device. But what if there are no keys? Is it possible in this case to remove the radio from the niche without breaking it? This will be discussed in today's article.

Removing the radio with standard keys

Before proceeding to the process, we list what is needed for this.

Required Tools

1. Standard set of keys supplied with the radio (keys can be either 2 or 4, depending on the model of the device).
2. Knife (if you have to pry the frame).

The sequence of extracting the car radio from the niche

1. The front panel of the car radio is removed, if necessary, the decorative frame under the panel is also removed (on older radio tape recorders this frame usually blocks the key slots, on more modern devices this problem does not exist).
2. Provides access to keyholes. They are located at the side walls of the radio.
3. Regular keys are inserted into the holes until they click. Sometimes this will require considerable force, or slightly shake the key to the left and right, while pressing it into the hole.
4. After the keys are installed, the device is carefully pulled out of the niche.

Video: removing the car radio with regular keys

Removing the radio without keys

Sometimes it happens that there are no keys for some reason. They can be lost, and in especially severe cases, they are simply not included in the package. In such a situation, you will have to use improvised materials.

Required Tools

1. 2 pieces of steel strip (length 30 cm, width 1 cm, thickness 0.5 cm).
2. Protective gloves.

The sequence of removing the car radio without keys

Video: removing the radio with two steel strips

Important Points

• When removing the device from a niche, in no case should you make great efforts, since you can damage the wires behind the radio.
• If steel strips are used to remove the device, then they must be used only with protective gloves, otherwise it will not be possible to avoid cuts.
• Steel strips are far from the only handy tool that can be used to remove the radio. Very often, motorists use old ATM cards or thin plastic rulers, from which “keys” are cut using ordinary scissors. And sometimes even barbecue skewers are used to remove the radio.

So, you can remove the radio from the niche without keys. This can be done with the help of improvised materials, fortunately, there is no shortage of them. If we are talking about modern radios, then preference should be given to "keys" made of plastic, since the cases of these devices in most cases are also plastic, and metal tools can leave deep scratches on them.

Instruction

The first thing to do - when choosing a radio in the store, check its completeness. If the radio tape recorder is different than the one you have now, then be sure to pay attention to the presence of an adapter complete with the radio connector itself to the standard ISO connector - two wide two-row contacts, the connectors may be different, depending on the manufacturer (SONY, Kenwood etc.). Check with the seller if additional adapters are needed by telling him the make and year of your car, this applies in particular to foreign-made cars.

Everything you need is bought, you can start replacing. We remove and install with the ignition off. You can remove the radio from the socket using special keys that were included with the radio upon purchase. The keys to the new radio may not fit, so remember where the box or documentation for the old radio is, the keys are most likely there. Before inserting the keys, remove the outer frame and the front panel of the radio. Having inserted the keys from the sides of the radio to the full length, pull them towards you, slightly bringing the keys together, the radio will come out together with the keys.

Half the job is done. Do not rush to disconnect the wires, they may fall behind the central panel, pull them together with an elastic band or a long wire that will remain outside, now they can be disconnected. Remember which wire was connected to which connector on the radio. Now remove the frame for installing the radio from the socket, it can simply be pressed with petals that need to be bent, or screwed with bolts or self-tapping screws (they must be carefully unscrewed).

Prepare a new radio, remove the installation frame from it and connect the adapter to the ISO connector. Having passed the connecting wires into the frame from the new radio, we install it in the socket for the radio, fixing it in the same way. Check with your hand that the frame is secure. Now you can start connecting the wires to the radio. Connect the ISO connector, antenna wire, auxiliary wires, if any. Antenna connectors are standard and have a corresponding icon next to them, as well as other connectors that are not included in the ISO connector.

After all the wires are connected, you need to check the connection. Attach the front panel to the radio, and insert it into the socket to the middle of the case. Turn on the power of the radio, if the backlight lights up, then the radio is receiving power. Turn on the radio function and tune to any radio station, after the start of the broadcast, listen to each speaker separately, they should all work. Radio reception also means that the antenna is working and connected correctly. Then check the operation of the radio when playing sound from a disc and from a flash drive, if there is a USB connector. Now turn off the radio, remove the front panel and with the force of two hands applied on the sides of the front part, slide the radio until it clicks into the frame. Install the bezel and outer frame. Now you can fully enjoy high-quality sound.

note

When connecting the radio, do not forget to “ground” it, the wiring is screwed onto the radio body with a bolt, so you will get rid of many problems during its operation.

Helpful advice

Sometimes you can’t pull out the radio with special keys alone, after inserting the keys, try gently prying off the top or bottom of the radio with a thin slotted screwdriver. Having disconnected the old radio, do not rush to remove the frame, perhaps the new radio will fit into it without the need to replace it with a new one.

Sources:

• how to change stock
• How to remove the radio on the Nissan Almera Classic 2009

In order to connect the speakers to a brand new radio, it is not necessary to go to a car service, spend a rather large amount of money. If you are at least a little versed in electrics, then you can do it yourself.

You will need

• To connect the front speakers to the radio, you will need 6 meters of flexible speaker cable 2x0.75 mm, 2 rubber corrugations with a diameter of 14 mm with a 90-degree turn of the outputs. It is possible without turns, but then it will be necessary to carefully wrap the wires with insulating tape so that they do not rub against the edges of the holes that you drill in the front doors, since the manufacturer did not provide any electrical wiring in the doors.
• To connect the rear speakers, you will need 11 meters of 2x0.75mm speaker wire. Here you can use a not very flexible cable, even a regular one is suitable for home electricians of the PVS brand. These wires will lie motionless during the entire period of operation, so nothing threatens them.

Instruction

In the front door, just under the top hinge, closer to the outer skin, make a hole with a diameter of 13mm. The second hole must be drilled 100mm lower so that when the door is opened, the wire turns and does not bend. Then it will last a long time. Try on how the wire will be located in the door, and mark with a marker the section of the wire passing through the corrugation, with a small margin.

Wind 5 layers of insulating tape on the exit from the body and the entrance to the door.

Put on the corrugation and with the help of a thin steel wire, tighten the wire into the door. Attention! In order not to damage the insulation, it is necessary to lengthen the wire to make it easier to go. The part of the wire that will go inside the body cannot be laid - the wire can be easily damaged there, it must be wound with insulating tape to the general wiring.

Fold the 11-meter wire in half. Pull one of the ends a meter and in this form wind the wires with insulating tape. Cut the fold with pliers.

Now you need to lay the resulting bundle of wires in. It is better to lay along the threshold. For greater reliability, the section of the harness that runs along the floor can be tightened into a plastic corrugation for electrical cables. The part of the harness that runs directly along the rear shelf can be secured with plastic clips.

Also lift the harness section in the front of the machine from the floor and tie it with insulating tape to the main wiring, and then bring it out to the same place where the wires for the front speakers have already been brought out. In order not to look for where which wire is later, it is better to mark them immediately. For example, "front right" or abbreviated in English as FR. The rest: front left - FL, rear right - RR, rear left - RL. Do the same for all other speaker wires. After that, if the wires go the same color or without a strip along the entire core, and it is impossible to distinguish a conditional plus and minus in each pair, then the negative wire must also be marked.

When the wires are marked, check with a tester for a short circuit between the wires and, making sure that there is none, you can connect them to the connector and put the radio in place.

Then we check the speakers for compliance with their nominal impedance. Speakers with a coil resistance of 4 ohms are suitable for modern radio tape recorders. If the device shows a resistance of 3.2 to 3.6 ohms, you can install the speakers in pre-prepared places and connect them to the acoustic wiring. The main thing is not to confuse the polarity, otherwise there will be little bass. Make sure that the speaker terminals do not come into contact with metal parts of the machine.

When everything is connected, check the system is working.

Perhaps the first thing that every owner who has bought a car aspires to is equipping the car interior with a modern acoustic system. Musical compositions have the ability to reduce the driver's stress while driving through city traffic jams, or to cheer him up during monotonous movement along suburban highways.

You will need

• - car radio - 1 set.

Instruction

The place intended for installing a car radio in the front passenger compartment, as a rule, is closed with a plastic plug, which is removed, opening a niche for inserting a metal shaft into it, which is part of a pre-purchased set of radio equipment.

Having inserted the shaft, metal petals are bent outward along its perimeter, so that they, bent, do not prevent the radio from entering it. The petals of the shaft are made extended to the base, their bend securely fixes the shaft itself from spontaneous falling out together with the radio tape recorder during movement.

After the shaft is inserted into the front panel, it is necessary to connect the wires to the electrical connector of the car radio, which is also included in the delivery. In this case, you need to be guided by the electrical circuit for each radio. Having studied the colors of the electrical wiring insulation, the wires are soldered to the terminals of the block, after which they are insulated with electrical tape.