killer4605

well, if you saw my earlier topic about the WRX vs the TC then you should know that i decided to go with the tC. i am very happy with my choice so far and have zero regrets....well maybe 1, that i didn't push for different tires (bridgestone POS).


anyways, i thought the stock cd player would be ok because it already plays mp3s, but it is so incredibly weak that it just has to be replaced. i have a few questions though:

1- will my steering wheel controls still work?

2- will the aux input in my arm rest thing still work?

3- should i have the dealer put it in or should i do it? i installed my cd player on my xterra but it did not have the steering wheel controls and stuff.

4- will changing the headunit actually make a big sound difference... what is the limiting factor in this case?

and now, what do you guys think of the following CD-Players. feel free to add to the list, my only requirement is it must play MP3s, and it has to cost less than 300$

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Jense...oductDetail.do
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Pione...oductDetail.do
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Pione...oductDetail.do
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Pione...oductDetail.do

the jensen is fugly but the price is great. the 4700mp has a good price too but the wattage isnt as high as the jensen. the other 2 pioneers have nice looks but price isn't too hot.

engifineer

I didnt take time to look at all the links, but here is what I can add:

No, your steering wheel controls will not work unless you take apart the unit and wire them in. I have done this in the past, but do not reccomend it unless you have some background in EE or PCB testing.

The armrest aux should be able to be wired into the new unit

Never take it to the dealer unless you have to. Take it to a third party installer or do it yourself

The factory unit is actually fine for most normal listening. You will see some gain in performance with the new unit, but not a lot. The limiting factors are the speakers used. I would personally add an amp, sub and new speakers then go for the head unit, unless you are adding video and nav up front as well.

Like I said, I didnt check out all of your links, but I can give you some pointers on what not to buy. Do not buy Pioneer. I used to like them but they have really gone downhill. Between me, a few friends and my GF I have had experience with multiple car and home recievers. I have yet to see one go 2 years before starting to crap out.

Run away from Jensen at all costs. Worse than above.

If you want very good quality and want to spend some dough, buy and eclipse unit, they make some very nice stuff.

On the lower end of the price scale, I have had decent experiences with some of the sony stuff (just the head units). Next up I would say kenwood.

Thats just some of my experiences anyway

Welcome, and enjoy that new car!

engifineer

One more thing. Dont look for a ton of power output from your head unit. look for quality. Buy an amp to power everything. Doing so not only produces better sound quality, but also reduces the heating caused by driving your headunit outputs so hard. So it is much better on you HU to run amps as well. I look for quality of the unit, functionality and the number of and V rating for the pre-outs.

dachmo

The DEH P7700MP is a great HU. I just installed it on my g/s car. I have the DEH P8MP and it's awesome...the only thing is that you have to get used to the Multi-Control ****.... It works better on the 7700.

rjj130

Eh, I have actually had the opposite in fortunes... I had a really nice Sony HU that I got shortly after purchasing my '94 Corolla back in '98...not even two summers of having it, the CD loading mechanism was shot. It wasn't worth it to send back to Sony and fix so I bought a Pioneer.

I had nothing but good times with that HU. I also had Pioneer speakers all the way around as well, so I'm big on Pioneer as far as quality. The unit is now in my Mom's '95 Camry and works flawlessly w/ even factory speakers!

I think the unit itself is about 4 years old...

engifineer

^^ I have heard the same about the sony.. mine ended up being pretty nice though. The flip-over face was a bit slow in the winter once I moved to MN.... but then again, it was 15 below too

The pioneer issues were all skip/cd load related, as is the issue with some of the oem 6disc changers in the tC. I really liked everything else about my Pioneers, but after owning 2 that both went to crap (1 in the first year, one in the second year), my gf owning one with the same issues after a year or so, two friends with the same issues, and 2 people with pioneer home units having the cd mechanism breaking in a year or so I got paranoid of them. Also, the dealer I used to know almost quit selling them because of those types of issues. But, different people have different experiences I know.

killer4605

yeah i went to circuit city today and saw a HUGE difference between having an amp and not having one. i can get new speakers on ebay or maybe jack my polk momos from my old xterra (my mom drives it). speakers will cost me about 60$ a pair.

how much will a decent amp cost? i don't want to add a nav yet, and i definitely will NEVER add a sub because i'm not a fan of bass. so i just need an amp to power the front and rear speakers.

also, are there any how-to's available that show detailed steps to removing the rear speakers and the headunit. i can install everything myself once i figure out how to remove those.

also, engifineer, does it matter if you solder the new speaker wires or just wrap them together? on my xterra i just wrapped the wires and it sounded perfectly fine. on my friend's sunfire i soldered them and it sounded the same. my soldering skills kind of suck (oh man can't wait to screw up my gauges installing the new white LEDs i bought lol) so can i just use some solder tape?

oh, one more thing. i've never installed an amp before (always thought they were only for adding subs) so how do you wire an amp up?

engifineer

Always solder your connections for a few reasons. First, they are stronger connections. Second, they are electrically superior connections and third, oygen is sealed from the inside of the connections. Oxygen causes corrosion, and it occurs fast on copper. Twisted toghter wires will still corrode, especially with stranded wire, which has more exposed surface area.

The best idea for you is to find you a good 4 channel amp to run your fronts and rears. Pick out the head-unit you want and run all four line level outs to the amps and wire up your speakers.

For your connections, this is a great way (looks professional and will make a good, insulated, solid connection):

1) Purchase some heat shrink barely bigger than your wires, you can usually just buy a pack with assorted sizes for $5 - $10 or so.

2) Buy a soldering iron. Since you will most likely use it for your leds, find a dual wattage 20 - 40W iron from radio shack. It should run you less than $20 or so.

3) Buy a medium to small gauge 60/40 or so solder.

4) Cut the heat shrink to about twice the length of the exposed wire in the connections

5) slide a peice a ways down your wire and twist the two wires together END to END. It should look a little like one wire with some insulation missing in the middle. It will not be a strong connection, but that is ok for now.

6) Hold the iron on the bottom of the wire (on 40W setting), touch a little solder where the wire sits on the iron. The puddle that forms will add surface area, benefitting heat transfer

7) Add the solder to side of the wire away from the iron. The solder will wick to the hottest point, the iron. So it will coat well.

Hold the wire still for at least 5 seconds or so while the solder dries. A good connection will be shiny.

9) slide the heat shrink over the connection and heat with a heat gun or lighter.

This will make very solid, sealed and safe connections.

Sorry for the long winded response, but I thought this may help.

For your leds, look here: https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...=37747&start=0

And here:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...er=asc&start=0

I also do them for people that are willing to ship them to me or live in my area. I try to do it cheap enough to make it fair for both of us...

I'll stop writing a book now

engifineer

For your amp, follow the schematic that comes with it. Connect a proper sized power wire for the amp. Run this straight from the battery. I reccomend larger than you need in case you decide to add on later. Ground it to a solid metal structure on the car with a large ground as well. For the remote turn on, dont use the power antenna wire... you may only have an amp when the radio is on an not the cd. If the hu has a remote wire specifically for the amp, use it. If not, use an ACC wire. Wire up your speakers and you are done! Make sure of course that you connect positive and negative the same to each speaker so they are not reverse phased.

killer4605

how much do you charge for the gauges?

i already bought the LEDs so i could send those with them.

jallamas

Hey engifineer,

If a person decides to run a 4 channel for the speakers in a Xb do the dash and the front door speakers on two channels and the rears are the last two channells?



jallamas

jallamas

Also nice post on soldering, it made me fell like I was in electronics class 20 plus years ago.

engifineer

[quote="jallamas"]Hey engifineer,

If a person decides to run a 4 channel for the speakers in a Xb do the dash and the front door speakers on two channels and the rears are the last two channells?



jallamas[/quote

I believe that one of the front sets are tweeters correct? That is how the tC is setup. If so, run them like you said. Running parallel speakers normally reduces impedence which may not be good on the hu or amp if it is too low. However, tweeters typically have a higher impedence, and also respond only to high frequencies...meaning at most frequencies they have high impedence. So you are ok tieing your tweeters to your front channel.

terra_tC

Here is something I saw that will work with your steering wheel controls on an aftermarket HU. It uses the remote senson for your HU ( if you have one)
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-7uESt55...info&i=127SWIX

engifineer

If you already have the LEDs it will be $50 plus shipping. Regular ground normally should run somewhere around $10 each way. I will have them finished and ready to ship out the same evening I recieve them. I am guessing you got the ones from LC-LED?

killer4605

yep. your posts have been very helpful. i think i am going to give it a try and do one of the leds... if i can manage 1, i can do the other 13. otherwise i'll give in and have either you or a pro down the street do it.

a few questions though:

1- do i need to put any flux on the pcb before desoldering the old LEDs?
2- once i remove an LED and i am trying to put the new one on, do i put the iron on the contact of the PCB where the solder is and put the LED down as i hold the iron in place, or what?

3- can you take a picture of your gauges, just above the steering wheel column. i pulled off the trim without looking how the flappy rubber thing at the bottom was oriented and now i dont know how it is supposed to go (in or out)

thanks again for your helpful posts.

killer4605

oh yeah, what size are the speakers in the front and in the back? 5 1/4 and 6 1/2s?

engifineer

You really dont need flux. Here is how I have been doing it:

1) Using small sized solder wick, lay it on the joint between the end of the LED and the board.

2) lightly push the iron into the corner untill you see solder appear through the wick

3) do this on both ends. Then lay the iron directly on one end and gently pull it away slightly with needle nose pliers or tweezers. Heat the other end and remove.

4) tin the tip of the iron slightly and place the new led. Hold it down on the board with the end of the tweezers or pliers. Lay the tinned tip in against the joint between conact and led just long enough for the bead of solder to make contact.

5) Remove the iron. This will tack the end in place. Solder the other end as I said in the soldering post. I usually blow on it a couple of seconds after one end so I dont overheat it. Then go back and finish up the first joint . use a damp toothbrush to remove any debris and the end. As long as you dont hook it up wet you wont hurt the board.

The rubber flap sticks a little inward just hanging down to fill the gap. It really almost hangs there. It doesnt show up well in pictures.

engifineer

Not sure about the size. I know people have posted on it in here. I havent replaced mine yet.

For the LEDS.... if you go to radio shack and buy one of the small pcb through hole boards for about a buck or so, the round pads on them are pretty well spaced for one of those SMT LEDs. You can use one of the LEDs and that to practice putting one on and taking it off.