Did you just buy a new stereo for your car, but have absolutely no experience with car audio installation? You might think that it is a complex task that needs a professional, however, you can certainly install it yourself! In this article, we’ve compiled a how-to-do-it yourself guide for you! Keep these tips in mind while installing a new car stereo to avoid any risk of damage and also you’ll save yourself some time.
Make Sure Ignition Is Switched off
First things first, you have to turn off the ignition of your car for a while or remove the ignition key when installing your new stereo. Disconnect the battery’s black ground wire at the bottom of your car. Be careful to never work on any electrical components while the ignition is switched on in order to avoid blowing up any fuses, getting an electric shock, or injuries. You can also wear rubber gloves.
Removing The Old Stereo
You can then get a screwdriver or 2 knives/blades to take out the old stereo. Then push them into both sides of the stereo, put some pressure on the knives/blades, and pull the frame. This will allow you to remove the external thin plastic cover over the screen so that you can easily remove the inner part with your hand. If you want to remove a car stereo correctly, you have to be cautious and gentle when grabbing the display, always work from the bottom to the top to ensure it comes out straight so that you don’t break its frame. Unplug the series of wires at the back of the stereo; the antenna wire first; which is the thickest of them all. You can then remove the other cables and plugs attached at the back. Identify the 12V wire (yellow wire), the speaker wire, the dimmer and accessory wires, and the ground wire so that you are able to attach the stereo again and order adapting harnesses. You can always use the instruction manual that comes along with the stereo when you first buy it. We recommend taking the old stereo to the store before buying a new one and make sure it fits.
Installing The New Stereo
When you decide to install a new head unit, you can either purchase a single DIN stereo or a double DIN stereo, you can also choose between a touch screen or a non-touchscreen. Any component you replace or update will provide a marginal improvement to the quality of your music. After the old stereo is removed and you’re ready to install a whole new unit, connect each wire to its harness;
- Make sure all the wires that can come in contact with the car are well-insulated
- Assemble the mounting kit and connect the power.
- After all the wires are plugged in, test the FM and CD components, make sure the speakers are working properly, after pushing the new stereo into place; you should hear a clicking sound.
If you bought a radio with bolts in the casing, you have to unlock and remove these bolts in the CD’s tray before installation. Screw all the pieces back, then turn on the car’s power again, sync the Bluetooth, and connect with the steering wheel if there’s a remote control, you could also test the USB connection and enter the channels again.
Additional Components
You can replace your stereo’s ordinary speakers with higher quality premium speakers that sound much better and have a longer life. This will significantly improve the factory sound. Consider installing an amplifier that can provide the optimum sound experience and high-performance car audio; however if your factory stereo doesn’t have preamp outputs, you won’t be able to use these amplifiers, as they use something called ‘line-level inputs’ that receive signals from these Preamps. Did you know that most car audio systems include amplifiers? but they’re weakly built in the amp and are generally not that good or powerful.
If you follow these instructions and tips, you’ll be able to replace your old outdated stereo with a new stereo and play your favorite music right away. We all like to start our day by listening to some music on our way to work, to enjoy the driving experience a bit, and be chill and relaxed before someone kills our buzz at work. But it’s okay if you don’t get the hang of installing stereos at first, it takes a lot of trial and error. Besides, buying a new stereo unit is already costly, so learning to install it yourself means you’ll never have to pay anyone to install your equipment for you again!
