Hey guys,

Just in case anyone is considering putting an Alpine X100M (marine version of the X100) in their Xfires, I finally got around to taking some pics of mine installed tonight. They're in my gallery.

Some pics have the blue lights on, some the red (the unit lets you switch between both). The only drawback here -- aside from the lack of a green option -- is that the red lights are marred by the center dial staying blue all the time. Otherwise, the red looks great with the dash at night, matches the red on the instrument needles and the red of the four-way button on the console.

All in all, the unit is just about a perfect match for the silver console. The best iPod car stereo out there, too. Interface is perfect, almost an exact replica of the iPod's own interface.

 

Very Nice! I didn't know anyone was actually able to get one of those :P. Where did you pick it up from? I have been waiting to get my center painted black so I could stick the other version in there and not look like trash. This would def save me the trouble, looks great.

 

ImportLabSRT has this headunit in his SRT-6. It looks good, and is definately a close or almost perfect match to the silver trim.

The only downside I saw was that it has no CD player.

 

I've got one too. Got mine from ebay, $300.

I never used my cd player anyway, 3000 songs on an ipod is much more convenient than a couple hundred cd's that I'd constantly be changing out.

 

Toddy, that looks excellent!

1.) So is the unit silver, and the surround white? And if so (maybe it's just my eyes) does it seem as though the surround could be easily painted silver to match?

2.) What is the security for that unit? Does the faceplate come off, or do you type in a code, or what?

Great install!

 

Thanks, eganders. Unit is silver, perfect match for the console. Trim is white, but sort of a silvery white with a real shine to it. So it doesn't really stand out. I'm probably going to paint it, though don't really think about it much as it does blend it pretty nicely. The left side of the faceplate comes off, including the Alpine button. Just a quick push and it springs out.

Absolutely love the stereo. Seamless iPod integration. Much, much better than any other HU I've seen. Also much better than controlling the iPod directly. I have to do that in my PT Cruiser, as I've got the Chrysler factory NAV in there, and it's a serious pain now after getting used to the Alpine in the Xfire.

 

When this unit was first announced the trim was said to be silver, then we find out its white. Its still a darn nice unit Toddy and really looks great, I'm sure you'll love it. I got to a point last summer where I couldn't wait any longer for it to come out and purchased a another model (ida 001?) Alpine. It has a dark gray trim ring and I took care of that by installing a black carbon fiber dash so it blends well. Enjoy your Alpine, I'm extremely happy with mine. My pics are in my gallery also.
Pat

 

Was this difficult to install? Did you buy the iPod Alpine charge and control option? thanks in advance.....

 

Very easy. Got the Scosche adapter, did the wiring, installed. Took maybe 30 mins from start to finish. Bought nothing aside from the X100M. The iPod cable comes in the box, and the interface is designed to mimic the iPod itself, so you don't need anything else. Just plug the cable into the back of the unit and run it out back and down to the webbing on the passenger seat side of the console. Then pop in the iPod and go. You could run the cable into the glove compartment as well, but that requires some drilling, I believe, so I didn't go that route. That kinda of sucked, as I wanted to be able to lock up the iPod when I park with the top down, but this works for now.

It's an amazing receiver. Recommend it big time. DIY, you'll have no problems. I've only done one other car audio setup, and this was a snap. Paint the ring trim if you've got an issue with white, BTW. It's a pain getting the trim ring off after the install, and the unit doesn't come out of the dash very easily, either.

 

Thanks! Your pics were one of the reasons I went for an Alpine. Like the look of them a lot, and the iPod functionality is second to none.

 

Hello! Recently picked up my Crossfire. A black 2005 roadster,stock except Ruff racing wheels. Great car and love driving it.

This is my first post / question. I tried to read all the posts so I didnt ask a question that was obvious or stupid!

I want to upgrade my head unit and after reading all the posts I think I want the Alpine X100M. Looks great and I love the Ipod functionality.

The only question I have is regarding the Ipod connection. Does the stock cable that comes with the Alpine unit provide re-charging of the Ipod? Or is it just an audio cable? Looking at crutchfield, they sell a charging accessory for the Alpine X100M so it gets me confused.

thanks for all the great pictures and posts. Very informative and entertaining.

Ralph

 

The cable that comes with it also charges the iPod. Dunno what Crutchfield is selling there. You don't need it. You can get better deals elsewhere, too. I like Crutchfield for a source of information, but the prices are pretty high. Enjoy the car!

 

Thanks for all the info. Just ordered the Alpine from Ebay. Should be here in about a week. It will be my first install so wish me luck.

 

Toddy, my unit should be here any day and I cant wait. Picked up the radio removal tools from Wal-Mart for $4.50.

Can you tell me whats involved with the wiring installation? Do I need to order a wiring harness // adapter of some sort? Do I need to cut wires etc or does it just plug in?

any insight you can give is appreciated!!

Thanks Ralph

 

A search here will tell you everything you need to know. That's all I did and that was all the info I needed. The adapter you need is this one:

Scosche 86-Up VW Volkswagen Stereo Wiring Harness VW01B - eBay (item 170355430539 end time Sep-06-09 12:09:10 PDT)

You can usually get it at WalMart, too. You need to crimp the wires together between the adapter and the stereo harness. You can find the wiring info here with a search. Very easy, it's mostly a straight color match. All I do is twist and tape, but others are more involved. It's a snap. Then just plug in.

You also need an antenna adapter. Forget the model there, but you can grab that info here with a search.

You have any specific questions once you get rolling, drop me a note and I'll try to help. The posts here are really thorough, though. Spend some time wandering around and search the previous threads and you'll get better info than I can provide. Cheers!

 

Hello - doing my install Weds and have been studying the wiring diagrams and am a little stumped. I purchased the VW01B connector so I should be good to go, but....

where I am confused is the match up between the VW01B and the factory harness. The VW01B has 15 wires and the factory harness 9. The ones that match are. yellow,black, orange, red, white, white with stripe, grey, grey with stripe. There is one wire on the factory plug that matches up to a blank spot on the VW01B.

I can tie these wires from the Alpine to the VW01B, but there is no connecting wire on the factory plug. green, green with stripe, purple, purple with stripe, blue with stripe, and two pink wires. So I dont what good that would do?

I read a great article about install and just matching up the colors and that is very straight forward, but it seems like I am hooking up wires to nothing.

am I missing something real simple here?any thoughts would be appreciated. THANKS

 

not sure if this will be of any help, but i wondered the same thing when if irst hooked up my new radio.. but...

once you get the new radio and your new harness, it'll be 100% straightforward. just match the wires up.. no joke.. the PINK wire goes to the BLUE wire (amp turn on) though, this is the most important wire..this turns on the radio and lets sound come out!! if this wire isn't connected then no sound will come out EVEN IF all the other wires are connected!

 

Got it...kind of.

Had to move a pin in the scoche wiring adapter to match up with the amp turn on wire. took me a while to line up wire by wire.

The issue I have now is the radio works great, but having issue with I-pod.
I used the USB cord and the scoche adapter. The alpine recognizes the IPOD no problem. the display shows the song playing on the IPOD, but I have no sound! I made sure the volume was all the way up on the IPOD itself, but still nothing - very frustrating!

Radio works great and looks good - just not for the reason I bought it.

any ideas?

 

got it! just had to flip the blue wires coming off the head unit. works, looks and sounds great. thanks for all the help!

 

Which antenna adapter did you end up using with the Alpine head unit?
Thanks