Stereo removal

saldu · 19-01-2010, 02:25 PM

Thought I'd re-post this in the AU section.

I know there is a tutorial on doing this, thing is, it seems the pins that the tool is supposed to hold back is bent inside the holes and one side will not release. I have tried coat hangar wire, straightened occie strap wire, the actual proper tool, small screw drivers etc. All release one side, but not the other. I thought about removiong the centre fascia to get at it, but you can't get that off with out removing the stereo first! I even managed to drop the top fascia clip behind the dash, so now I got a loose and slightly vibratiung centre fascia to add to my torment!
Anyone had this issue before?
It's the normal bog standard factory unit from the series 1 au. 99 model. It's the model before the upgrade, so it's still got the manual wind up front windows.

auxr · 19-01-2010, 02:37 PM

Condolences - bugger of a job, I have not had the misfortune of having to go through a stereo removal job (touch wood)- the only suggestion I can offer is to go away and have a nice quiet beer - hope this suggestion cheers you up somewhat

Jack91 · 19-01-2010, 02:42 PM

Just get one side out, then stick the tools in the other and wiggle and jiggle and itll come. Try pushing from the back of the unit aswell while jiggling. Ive never had a problem with 4 small alan keys

**Whoosha** · 19-01-2010, 02:45 PM

Sounds like something has been broken off in the inside before, best hope is if you can get one side out and give the rest a big heave ho it will probabley snap off but if your replacing it anyway

:

saldu · 19-01-2010, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DAVO_XR

Just get one side out, then stick the tools in the other and wiggle and jiggle and itll come. Try pushing from the back of the unit aswell while jiggling. Ive never had a problem with 4 small alan keys

Yeah, been doing that till there's no skin left on my knuckles, but I'll keep at it.
How the hell does that pocket underneath the stereo come out? Can't get to the back of the tereo to pull at it well.

saldu · 19-01-2010, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whoosha

Sounds like something has been broken off in the inside before, best hope is if you can get one side out and give the rest a big heave ho it will probabley snap off but if your replacing it anyway

:

Yeah, either that or one of the clips is bent in such a way that the tools/wire goes inside the pin rather than outside it. Looks like a brute force job I think.

greenguzzler · 19-01-2010, 04:13 PM

Make sure the prongs are pushed right in then pull them out with a bit of outwards, sideways pressure as well. It can be a 2 person job i know mine was.

grandpa_spec_F6 · 19-01-2010, 06:39 PM

We resorted to a hammer and pliers... then found one of the tabs wasn't quite pushed in to release it.

Trust me, go down to your local car audio place, guy did it for me for free :P

Hords · 19-01-2010, 06:44 PM

I've never had a problem with the old bent up coat hangar wire. Just make sure you're fully engaged, they go in a considerable amount and you should here a 'click' like sound as the securing tabs become disengaged.

saldu · 19-01-2010, 07:09 PM

I even took it to my mechanic, and he couldn't do it either.

When I got home from work, I spent about 40 minutes buggerising around with it, and finally got it out. Ended up prying the whole face off the stereo which enabled me to get a screwdriver to the broken clips. BOTH clips on the left side were broken off, so there was nothing for the tools/wire to engage when inserted. Luckily, the face of the stereo just plugs back in, and whilst it did brake one bit where it's screwed to the body of the unit, it does go back securely, and it does still work. Managed to get the centre piece off too, and found the dropped clip and re-fitted it, so no more vibration/rattle. I was not able to see exactly how to access the a/c buttons which are dodgy as hell. The slightest touch renders them inoperable, whilst a second touch makes them flick on and off. lol. A/C flicks on and off when it pleases. Has to be didgy buttons. An issue for another day now I know how to get the middle bit off.
All this muck around to fit an old second hand cd player I was given, that I HOPE actually works when I finally get it in. If not, it's back in with the original unit I guess.
Now all I need is some sort of adapter that goes from the factory AU socket, and has a kenwood plug at the other end. Surely they make them?

muzz · 19-01-2010, 08:36 PM

Aerpro make wiring adapters for most brands of cars and stereos. For our AU I used two. An AU to ISO adapter, and an ISO to Kenwood adapter. This was a couple of years ago and cost about $35 in total IIRC. I noticed that currently on the AERPRO website there are a couple of Kenwood to ISO's so you'd need to find the right one for your stereo. Also, the steering wheel buttons won't work, as you may already know.

Hope this helps.