I said I will be posting photos of my new JVC stereo and here they are. I did alot of research and this is what I went with. JVC KD-SH9700

I was worried about finding a player that matched the Crossfire well and this one does! Im thinking its the best match ive seen, maybe im partial 8)

Sure its not a DVD player or Navigation but I just wanted a nice player that sounds great and does MP3/WMA and im very happy. I can fit about 8 to 10 albums on one CD with MP3/WMA so its like have a virtual Changer :P

I just had them connect it to the stock amp and speakers and its much better than the factory radio. The sound is very clear and not blurry at the highs like the factory radio was.

I hope this post is informative to those who are considering to replace their stock radios.

Of course other have replaced theirs too with different brands (Bobafettm, Andrew, DFWSBR) and others so check their posts out too. Anyway this unit cost me only $250 smackers at www.rexstores.com or direct to the product at

http://www.rexstores.com/flexon/site...YBQN5/sku.html

questions or comments? Sorry about the slightly blurry photos

More Photos at https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...p?user_id=1472









More Photos at https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...p?user_id=1472

 

Was it a plug and play, or did you have to find a wiring harness? Looks great..jh

 

No, the installer thought he had a aftermarket connector to use but it wasn't close enough so he used what he called butt connectors where he would clamp a connection to the factory wires below the factory harness and it worked fine and if you remove them it does't leave a mess, just very tiny holes in the factory wires where it penetrated to connect. Sounds scary but it really looked like a good way to install the stereo. I watched everything he did just to make sure everything went well.

People say you can use a certain VW connector if you just want to use a connector but im thinking its easier to use butt connectors which work on anything and are universal. Of course make sure your installer uses a meter to double check each wire to make sure of what is being connected. If anyone needs the Radio Schematic just ask and I will email it to you.

As far as antenna connectors, he didn't know of one that fits (Again I think a later VW type does but im not sure) so he put a motorola connector in the JVC and hooked it to the frame till I find a connector that fits. It seems to pick up stations okay but I really don't get into radio much. If anyone knows of a antenna connector that fits for sure, please mention it because I would like to get one sometime.

 

...Also by the way, this JVC player does PICT images and gives you software to make your own Pictures and Movies that you can display on the screen. I took some footage of a Crossfire Review and made a few movies to work with the JVC. I made one for when you turn on the unit and I made one for when you turn off the unit. Also I made a screen saver that is pretty good also. Below is an explanation of what they do

(Turning on unit) Intro: Crossfire boldly aproaches and then unit is ready.

(Turning off unit) Outro: Crossfire is quckly going down a hill and up and over, unit goes off.

(Screensaver) If you want you can use this to play when you haven't pressed any buttons for like 20 seconds. I put together a cool routine of the Crossfire being driven with many views. I got the most of the footage from that review from"TopGear" because even though they were unfairly against the Crossfire, the visual footage was very nice.If you get a JVC and want these just ask and I will email them to you. They are easy to install, you just burn them to a CD in data format and they install in the player. Pretty cool stuff.

 

I initially got this information from DFWSBR, so a shout out to him for helping me out, first. He gave me the info, and I'm verifying its accuracy. You can get the adapter plug to plug your aftermarket radio into the stock harness at Bestbuy stores, or probably any stereo shop that carries Scosche products. The part number is VW01B - it is a VW plug but the shape and pin number are correct. It makes for an easy swap and you don't have to cut into your factory harness. I did rearrange some pins for my own purposes, just because I like uniformity in my wiring jobs, but that wouldn't necessarily be required.

The antenna adapter is 40-EU10. Sorry, I don't remember the manufacturer but again Bestbuy carries it in their installation bay. It is referred to as a European 00+ factory antenna to radio adapter. Again, it plugs right in and works just fine. The antenna adapter was $11.00, the Scosche plug was $17.00. DFWSBR has indicated this in prior posts, I'm simply verifying his information.

By the way, I used these plugs to install a Panasonic in dash DVD player and monitor, CQ-VD7500U, to be specific. Unfortunately I've already had to send the unit away for service, but the install itself went very smoothly. Good luck.

 

Yep, I knew that part, my installer just thought his simular connector would work and even though he finally used butt connectors everything works fine and im happy with the neatness and everything can be reversed if I ever wanted to put the stock radio back in.

The manufacturer is Metra Im thinking. Yes, I had the VW antenna adapter which didn't work, so Ill probably get the 40-EU10 even though I hardly ever listen to radio.

That is a bummer, hope they get it back to you soon so you can enjoy your Crossfire to the fullest

 

The mfg is METRA...

 

I was initially pretty bent out of shape when my $2000 (msrp) stereo didn't work, but I understand it's a pretty complicated piece of equipment and sometimes these things happen. Here's the story:

I bought this thing online because I had little choice, no one local to me really carries these things on a regular basis so my local radio people knew squat about them. My only alternative, and as it turns out, my most affordable alternative, was the internet. After a significant amount of research, I find this crew out of California called Factories2u.com, who carries the unit at a price that I can only assume is cost, because it is far below msrp. The store is highly recommended by Yahoo, so I give them a shot.

I had the unit shipped to me 2nd day air at the rock bottom price of $42. After it arrives, I take the unit out and "mock" it up on a table to make sure it all works right. It's a factory sealed, brand new unit, but it never hurts to double check, so I did. At that time, everything worked great and I was very happy.

After 3 days of measuring, disassembling, cutting, fitting, fighting, and cussing, I ran the wire where I wanted and mounted everything where I wanted - with the help of professional installer who was charging me $30 an hour. We get everything hooked up, double and triple check all leads, grounds, and other wires, and plug it in. You can guess what happens next - no stereo. I have power to the unit, but no LCD display. I reset the unit, no LCD display. The motor on the unit works, but there is no display. Guess what, it all has to come back out.

Of course, my first suspicion is that it's not installed correctly, even as unlikely as that is. These things are so easy to install that a high schooler could do it. Everything is color coded, all plugs will only go in place in one direction, and the instructions are easy to read and follow. It's almost an idiot-proof install. Anyway, I mock the whole thing up on the table and again the same problem - no LCD display.

To make a long story short I called my guys in CA to *****. They're totally calm about the whole thing and, to their credit, offer to replace the unit. The only problem I had with that is that I had to pay to ship it back, plus the three week wait time I would have to endure for shipping, restocking, processing, etc. My other option was to send it up to Fort Wayne, Indiana, for service. Not only would this take less time (probably a week), but it was much easier to ship, and I know that the unit has been on a diagnostic machine before being returned to me. For better or worse, I think this was my best option.

So now here I am. I have a Crossfire wired for a $2000 stereo but have no stereo. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this process will be quick and painless, but I'm not holding my breath. Stay tuned.