1994 Golf GL Stereo

GhostlyPea

GhostlyPea

GhostlyPea

Soldato
Joined
30 Dec 2004
Posts
4,681
Location
Bromley, Kent
Hi all,

Does anybody know how easy it is to fit a replacement stereo in this car? It already has one with a removable faceplate (a Sony I think) and Im looking at something like this LINK. Yes it's cheap and possibly nasty but for the amount of time Ill spend in the car it doesn't need to be flash. I just need something with aux in for my phones MP3s.

Cheers

- GP
 
If it already has an aftermarket stereo in there, it should be a straight swap as the car will already have an ISO lead in it. The only part that will need removing is the cage as they are brand specific.
 
easy peasy

at the very worst i imagine it would be like my old 95 gl .it still had the original nearly iso but not quite iso connectors in it and your radio stations forget themselves until you find where you need to swap the power pin into

try the sony model number into google before you buy anything mind , i recently bodged an ancient pioneer cassette deck into accepting aux thanks to the interweb
 
Gotcha, thanks guys. It's a Sony CDX-5060 (appears to be thing one LINK). I assume it's got he required connector at the back and it would just be a case of pulling the old sheath out, clipping the new connector in place and screwing the new unit in?

- GP
 
Pretty much, you'll need the right radio keys (or some small flat blades) to pull it out,

unplug

remove the old cage

push new cage in

plug new unit in

turn it on

save a station, turn it off, turn it on, check station still there, if not change the two wires (that will have push connectors on no doubt - usually yellow and red) round

push new unit into place....give customary wiggle/pull (then check the head unit) and bobs your mothers brother
 
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Lovely. Just went and picked up an Alba unit from Argos (it also has an SD card/USB as well as Aux so pretty flexible...) - yeah it's probably rubbish but for something that will get as little use as this it will be fine. I don't have the old removal tool for the Sony, is it easy to fashion one from a coat hanger or somesuch?

- GP
 
Sometimes it's easy enough to do that or use a knife but I can't remember what the sony ones are like - to be honest you could try just giving it a good old fashioned bit of brute force, it's only bendable metal tabs that lock it in place and you'll be replacing the cage anyway.
 
Yeah that's what most of the plan was I think. The stereo is as old as the car so trying to find a digital manual for something 8 years old is quite tough, however I think I found one. It seems to have slots similar to the new radio so I'm hoping the new removal tools will work. Fingers crossed I'll have good news to report back by this evening!

- GP
 
If memory serves, the Sony HUs provided in those Goofs were not ISO compliant so you might need an adapter or solder in some ISO connectors on the loom.

You will need to swap the permanent live and live (red and yellow) cables over too IIRC, else you'll lose settings etc.. every time you switch the ignition off.
 
Urgh well I hope it isn't that complicated - I'm hardly a wiring God. There was some kind of adapter in the box - plastic bit one end and some loose cables the other.

- GP
 
That'll be the adapter you'll need if it isn't standard wiring to the one you pull out. I wouldn't worry about the prospects of having to do it - you can get find the live(s) & earth pretty easily, the rest are pretty much just a case of turning the thing on and then touching wires to find out which one sends to which speaker etc.

You don't even have to solder (though it really is a better way to do things) if you don't have the confidence

There will definitely be a golf 3 wiring diagram on the net somewhere too which will make it even easier
 
Yeah I found a wiring diagram luckily. I'm hoping that there is simply an adapter in use connecting the normal output through to the Sony unit - another old forum I found indicated that this might be the case. If not then I guess I'll just have to persevere. My only fear is either damaging the old unit as it's removed or when I unplug it something happens that means I cant put the old unit back in or it damages the car/new unit when I turn it back on after installation...

- GP
 
Well I live in Bromley so that's a little far although I do appreciate the offer :D maybe keep an eye on this thread later as I might need to shove a pic up for some help ;)

Anything I should be aware of before I start or any tips?

- GP
 
Awesome, Ill be home in about an hour so Ill get some images up. Appreciate the help so far everybody (first car @ 26 so I need to learn "mechanics" ;) - this seems a good start :p )

- GP
 
Right, unit installed! Took all of 10 minutes. The old Sony unit handily used the same removal tool as the new one so I didn't have to mess around with "making something". When I removed it the old cage came out after bending 2 bits of metal back inside it and I was right - there was some dodgy Sony converter cable, which when I unplugged it left me with the aerial and the brown and black blocks which fit snugly into the ISO plugs on the back of the new HU. Slotted back in to place and all worked first time. Dead chuffed.

Thanks again everybody

- GP
 
Lets just say it was a relief :p

There was a cavity underneath the cage - pulled it half way out and was thinking "****... none of this looks like it will fit". Finished taking the cage out and my mate said he thought it was caught; pulled it further out and boom - plugs

- GP
 
Find anything good behind there? :D

I found a fiver, loads of business cards, lighters, napkins etc.. behind my dash when I pulled the stereo out.
 
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