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Anybody had any problems replacing the standard xsara radio cassette with another brand (blaupunkt)cd player?
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This will get moved to Technical Matters later today.
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It all depends when your car was built, 3 different radios have been used I think.
Upto V reg,
V to X reg
Y reg (new shape) onwards
The first 2 have adapters available from Autoleads (try Halfords for the adapter). The adapter is quite expensive and allows you to use the steering wheel buttons with a Sony.
I think Alpine and Blaupunkt make adapters too, but I believe they are hard to find and very expensive.
I changed the radio on my V reg Xsara for a near-top of the range Sony, it sounded great. Still looking for a Xsara owner who would be interested in the adapter and radio for a bargain price though.
People report varying levels of success when changing the radio on newer Xsara, C5, Berlingo, Picasso etc. Some dealers say it invalidates the warranty due to interference with the electrics of the car, some people suffer with random electrical problems; failure to start, dashboard or electric window problems etc. Some people claim their new radio works perfectly.
I now drive a C5 and my dad a Picasso, I wouldnt dream of changing the radio on them due to the number of problems that could be caused. When I was in the dealer a while ago, someone brought a Xsara in with random electrical problems, the dealer looked and saw another CD player, said to go return it and get his money back and the car would be back to normal.
Hope this helps.
Ben
On my 3rd Citroen. Saxo, Xsara, C5.
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With that in mind, would it possibly be worth it to get a compatible autochanger from someone other than the main dealer for £170 ish?
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But that won't get you exciting features such as CD Text, graphic equilisers, flashing lights, better amplifier, high pass filters etc.
I remember seeing someone who sells identical changers for some models, cannot remember if the Xsara was one of them, nor which age stereos it worked with.
Many audio shops will sell Sony Sound on Top to add a cd changer to your present head unit, I think they were about £200.
I personally prefer the decent head unit and change speakers option to get sound for a decent price.
Ben
On my 3rd Citroen. Saxo, Xsara, C5.
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