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So how hard is it to install your own car stereo?

Colin

Monkey
Nov 5, 2001
372
0
in my tiny apartment
I have a '00 Ford Focus with the stock radio/tapedeck and a broken trunk-mounted 6-disc changer. The changer has been broken for a year or two and I had been using an iPod with transmitter until that, too, broke. I'd like to pull out the disc changer, remove the existing/stock stereo, and install something new with a CD player. Maybe something I can plug an iPod directly into.

I know I will need some sort of 'key' to pull the unit out and a 'face plate' of sorts to fill the gap from the larger stock unit. I doubt it is that simple -- what am I missing? A 'harness'? Wiring? I am most worried about pulling out the disc changer in the trunk. I figure the long card is just run under the carpet. But, the little LCD 'thingie' under the dash screws with some radio stations. How that is ired is beyond me.
 

mobius

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
2,158
0
Around DC
Wiring harness, Deck, Faceplate. It is not hard at all just look around the glove box and areas under ur dash for screws. Just pull them out and lots of dashs unclip. you just pretty much unplug and cut wires and plug them into the new deck and match colors on the wiring harness.
 

Repack

Turbo Monkey
Nov 29, 2001
1,889
0
Boston Area
Unless the factory unit has external amps you should be fine. Some companies even make head units that will fill up the entire space, but I would go with a DIN standard unit and a face plate. They just look better. I have an Alpine that has audio inputs in the back for hardwiring an mp3 player. Mine was ~$270 (without harness or anything else) and was the cheapest of the good stuff. Full mp3 CD compatibility, remote control, and inputs were the features that I was after. I had never done one before and it was easy. With a little work you can epoxy the ends of the audio input into the face plate which would look cool. That way you won't have wires hanging out when you take out the iPod.

There have got to be a million FOcus tuner site. I would check there. I got all of my useful info from a Pathfinder site.