I have a H reg Rover Metro, it's a very basic model and has NEVER had a stereo in it. Thus there are no wires or speakers to simply plug in a head unit. Could anyone point me in the right direction to being able to wire it up from scratch by myself (I can't afford to get it fitted) and what wires/connectors I need to do this. I am ready to buy a CD tuner head unit, two 4" cones, and two 6x9's (to be put in a box in the boot), I can understand the basic principals in doing all of this but I just want to find out if there is anything in particular I really need to watch for or do. I KNOW that this can be done, I just need a push in the right direction :)
Any help is appreciated...
Chris K.
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You'll need:
- a permanent live from the battery (usually thru fuse box?)
- a ground from the chassis or similar
- a switched live from the ignition (fused)
- speakers fitting and wires running to the rear of the stereo
- an aerial and cable to headunit
- optional wire from sidelight switch to activate illumination etc
- if you're going to fit an amp you'll need perm live/neutral to the amp, and a wire from the 'remote/electric aerial' from the headunit, and the phone leads from the headunit pre-out to the amp
You shouldnt find it too hard, just lots of faffing around.
HTH
Mark.
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Just one point, Chris. Don't be tempted to save on wire by using the chassis as a return for the speakers. Use twin lead for each speaker. The reason for this is that some audio systems use 'floating' speaker outputs which will instantly die if earthed.
Andy.
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Thanks a lot :)
Are there any particular wires/connectors that I will need to get hold of to hook it up to the fuse box etc? (Bearing in mind I have a small budget hehe) I'm probably going to go for a JVC CD Player from Halfords... unless there is somewhere else that could be suggested for a better deal? (I'm in Leicester).
Chris K.
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In-Phase Audio/Car Audio Centre in Nottingham. www.caraudiocentre.com
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Only buy from Halfords if you have a friend that works at Halfords or Boots that can get you discount!
Look on the internet.
M
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If you're concerned about fitting, try Argos. They have a free fitting service.
Andy
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"If you're concerned about fitting, try Argos. They have a free fitting service."
I think they're only free if it plugs straight in. In this case, there would be a large bill, I suspect.
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If there is no small print it would be worth the laugh holding them to it. That will be one mounting cage, ISO > bare wire harness, at least 12 crimp connectors, fuse holder & fuse, 15m speaker cable, power cable ..... etc etc & a couple of hours labour for free please Mr Argos man, ohh is that Mr trading standards man standing behind you! He he he :-) Hope you can get away with it, let us know if you do. If not it is easy enough to do, just clearly label each wire you put in (and mark + side of paired speaker wire) as it will make you life soo much easier.
Good luck
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I think that empire direct (www.empiredirect.co.uk) had good savings on in-car stereo when I last looked...shop around and try and get it fitted as part of the deal.
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This USA company has some very good info on how to do it in relation to DYI car sterio instalation
www.crutchfield.com/
Try this section
www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S-M67FYLsn0Zb/ProdMenu...1
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When I fitted a stereo to a Mini I had some speakers in a box in the boot. They were sold to me like this. I took them out, chucked the box away, fitted them to some wooden panels under the rear seats - is this where I went wrong? Would I have had better sound quality if I'd left them in the box? ;-)
I came to the conclusion that unless the car is pretty quiet it's pointless fitting a stereo if you want to listen to decent music. Hence I haven't bothered in any car since my first Mini. If you want bowel movement inducing bass then it's a different story all together. Spend a lot of time damping panels (you can get stick on sheets of a heavy tar like stuff for this - heat it with a hot air gun and stick in place), stiffening parcel shelves, door cards etc. It's cheap to do and makes a big difference (allows decent kit to work well). Use good quality wires and make sure all connectors are clean and secure.
One last point, if you use an in-line fuse tape / tie the wires up as they exit on either side. On my Mini the weight of the wires and suppressors would pull the spring in the fuse unit back and break the circuit under heavy cornering.... Took a while to find the reason for this.
Piers
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