Mp3 player Installation

>$3< · 04-01-2006, 08:38 PM

Hi, my first post here...
i joint this forum just today after i bought a Mp3 player for my dads 1999Forte as a gift for his birthday and had my hopes crushed when i was tryin to install it. Well i spent about 1 hr reading the manual of the actuall mp3 player then spen about 4 hours in the car tryin to get the tape player/ dash board off, and then i searched this forum for a few more hours trying to find some sort of a step by step instructions but were unsuccsesfull, then i read some of the actaull ford manual for a while and nothin there either. Any way the closest thing ive found to helping me was this image that i found in one of the posts in this site.
http://photobucket.com/albums/v697/k...urrent=s42.jpg
http://photobucket.com/albums/v697/k...urrent=s41.jpg
any way... so anyhelp would be great n im in a hurry since dads birthday is in a few days.
my main question is how do i get the old tape player out... i was startin to think that i had to rip off the complete dashboard to get it out but after seing that pic i realised its only the oval section in the middle... ive unscrewed the 2 screws that wer behind the ash tray. i cant see any more screws, wats next!?
ive looked behind the place wer the clocks is in some of the models n ive looked behind the panel that has the back window heater etc..

tnx...
The head unit is a boss bamp3500 bought for just 130 from straghtfield used to be 330.

mattbl · 04-01-2006, 10:07 PM

Hi there and welcome to the board.
Have a read of the link below, this may be of some assistance
Cheers
Matt

http://www.fordforums.com.au/vbporta...article&id=231

http://www.fordmods.com/forums/documents.php?doc=5

Edit: added another link as well. I'm sure you'll be able to work it out with these 2 docs
Cheers

>$3< · 05-01-2006, 12:31 AM

thanks that helps a LOT. i now actually have a clue of wat im doin.
just a question:

Quote:

Remove the Centre Console Shroud, by unclipping it from the Instrument faschia

<<< This is talk in about the oval thing right!? ive tried for hours it doesnt come off.. any tips would helpfull.
and also... i read some wer that you have to pull out the old system out usin hooks eg: cloths hanger!? before startin to remove anything else?! if this is so... wer do i connect the hooks to just inside the slot for the cassete!?
thanks
hopefully ill be able to get this done

>$3< · 05-01-2006, 04:38 PM

urrm just an update... i got the top of the oval part of aswell. so so far ive taken out the screws behind ashtray, n the top im guessin there are anther 2 left... but im seriously unable to get them out rite now pretty much all myfingers except for my thumbs are bleeding =D ... some help would be greatly appricated.

>$3< · 05-01-2006, 06:27 PM

Ok that didnt work i coulnt get the 2 side out, even though the top and the bottom wer free. im tryin the coat hanger method now...

EvilChief · 05-01-2006, 10:14 PM

in order to replace the stereo system there is no need to pull out the entore oval piece ... all you need to remove is the actual tape unit itself. to so you stil 4 pieces of coat hanger into the 4 hohles of the original tape deck until u hear a click. It helps if u bend the end of teh coat hanger inwards just a little, so you can hook behind the clip. Once you can feel all wires are hooked in you can start pulling out the tape deck. The little pocket underneath sometimes slides out as well, as its only clipped in and can get caught (note: pocket only there on single din tape decks).

from there the installation is to be done as documented in the manual of ur mp3 player

>$3< · 05-01-2006, 10:23 PM

ok thanx a lot...i was in the car for about 8 hours today, each of my finger tips is at least cut in 2 places but still im gonna be tryin to do this myself, with the coat hanger thing, firstly it wont come out very easily but i have a feeling if i play around with it for a while ill be able to get it out its just that the 2 bottom holes dont seem to "click" no matter how far i go. and also lets say i take out the tape player... dont i still have to screw the new player to the sides of the slot, meaning that i still have to get the oval piece off!? Also i read that there is a complete installation guid in "gregory's manual" which contains diagrams etc.. n der was a link but the link is not vaild. anyway ill be back in the car tommorow cutting up more of my flesh.

EvilChief · 06-01-2006, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by >$3<

ok thanx a lot...i was in the car for about 8 hours today, each of my finger tips is at least cut in 2 places but still im gonna be tryin to do this myself, with the coat hanger thing, firstly it wont come out very easily but i have a feeling if i play around with it for a while ill be able to get it out its just that the 2 bottom holes dont seem to "click" no matter how far i go. and also lets say i take out the tape player... dont i still have to screw the new player to the sides of the slot, meaning that i still have to get the oval piece off!? Also i read that there is a complete installation guid in "gregory's manual" which contains diagrams etc.. n der was a link but the link is not vaild. anyway ill be back in the car tommorow cutting up more of my flesh.

you dont need to screw it in .. the new player will come with a kind of metal casing that will be secured/clipped into the original position of teh tape deck. the the mp3 player will clip into that casing, no need for screws or drilling stuff or similar ...

:

>$3< · 06-01-2006, 01:02 AM

yeh i got the two metal bits ill work out what ill do once i actually get the factory one out. correction IF i get the factory one out lol
Edit: I heard that shops such as Ford, stratfield, jb hifi etc take out the origianl player for free is that true?

EvilChief · 06-01-2006, 01:05 AM

haha, if you dont just go to a stereo install place and ask them to pull it for ya ... for a couple bucks they happily will do it, in most casesthey do it for free, it takes 20sec if that

>$3< · 06-01-2006, 01:09 AM

ill probebly try it a few more times my self, then if i couldnt do it ill drop down to ford its a 30 second drive there from my hosue anyway =D.

>$3< · 08-01-2006, 06:33 PM

I went to jb hifi today n the guy said that he'd charge me 40 bucks just to take the unit out even though it costs 66 dollars to remove+install everything...what happened to

Quote:

If they dont do it to free they will do it for a few bucks

~sigh~ dads birthday is in 2 days =(

blackers10 · 08-01-2006, 10:32 PM

try a FORD dealership matey
they know they can be right pain!!

EvilChief · 09-01-2006, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by >$3<

I went to jb hifi today n the guy said that he'd charge me 40 bucks just to take the unit out even though it costs 66 dollars to remove+install everything...what happened to ~sigh~ dads birthday is in 2 days =(

rip off ...

JC · 09-01-2006, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by >$3<

I went to jb hifi today n the guy said that he'd charge me 40 bucks just to take the unit out even though it costs 66 dollars to remove+install everything...what happened to ~sigh~ dads birthday is in 2 days =(

I have the proper removal tools - got them for nix from Strathfield a few years ago. Sp tell JB to stick it, and go to another installer.

Ford may charge you $5/$10 to do it, but if you know the service guys at your local dealer, then they should do it for nothing, as long as it comes out easily.

>$3< · 09-01-2006, 01:33 AM

are the 2 removal tools the key lookin things...!? cause i got a pair with the new head unit... but still i cant get it though to reach far enough

EvilChief · 09-01-2006, 08:14 AM

no the new headunit most like has a diff removal system ... ford's removal system is very similar to VT/X HU removal

>$3< · 09-01-2006, 09:20 PM

damn, just wonderin how much do these tools cost!? JC said he got them from stratfield...

>$3< · 09-01-2006, 09:23 PM

And also after spednding easly over 20 hours lookin for ways to remove this hu in the past week or so, ive found out that many people have got theirs out use butter knives etc... Hows this possible when you cant get pretty much anything past the 2 sides of the stereo!?

>$3< · 10-01-2006, 03:11 PM

apparantly the two spring thingys on the sides are broken n the only way to get the stereo out is to "destroy" the dashboard... Thats what ford and a couple of other installers that actually looked at the stereo said.
so ill be taken the mp3 player back now :(

HLC · 10-01-2006, 03:21 PM

whoa whoa whoa.

ok perform a basic search. there are about a gazillion threads about the stereo removal.

or you could go to strathfield, and get them to install if for $88 and get warranty.

ok, to remove the stereo, get a wire coathange. cut 2 long lengths, and bend them into a U shape. and put them in the holes on the fron of the headunit til it clicks. now you either bend them inwards, towards each other or away, i cant remember. play around with that. then reach in under the ashtray and push the back of the HU. thats how i got mine out.

just read the bad news. all that man-handling has effed it up. :(

HLC · 10-01-2006, 03:22 PM

what city you in mate? im sure someone will happily come have a look at it for you?

SIKSIX · 10-01-2006, 04:28 PM

hey try the coat hanger trick again but when you put all four of them in try and apply pressure outwards on the coathanger bits then pull out. if not do one side at a time with one finger in the tape part and the other on the coathangers.

>$3< · 11-01-2006, 11:36 AM

lol, the thing with the holes now is that they wont click. The coat hanger goes all the way to the back of the dash. Anyway when i tried to take it back to straghtfield the guy convinced me that i should give their installer guy a try aswell and charged me 80. Well im pretty sure he wont be able to take it out anyway because be sides ford n otehr shops i took it to a car audio expert. He was the one that said that the best way is to smash the dash.

EvilChief · 11-01-2006, 09:54 PM

on that case pay the 100 bucks and get some guy to install it, so if he ИИИИs up he has to pay for it or find a sokution for it. especially you dont have to kill urself with soldering ion and breath the lovely solder fumes ;) ... by the sound of things it would really be easier for you just to get it done by someone.

btw there is a way to get behind stereo without taking of the front cover, but only of you have extremely small hands and dont mind cutting them