Hi, just got a new CD head unit for my car. I would prefer to install it myself. Any tips?
Aside from the obvious “read the manual”, there’s not all that much to it. Make sure you have all the tools you’ll need handy, and take a break to stretch every so often. Take it from one who’s installed many, many car audio systems: under-dash work is tough on the back!
See if you can get a connector to plug directly into your wiring harness so you don’t need to cut the wires. This way, first of all, you don’t need to get in there with a soldering iron (you’ll still need to solder, or at least crimp, the connector to your head unit, but you can do it in an open space like your workbench), and if you decide to sell the car at some point you can put the old unit back. Do not just twist and tape the wires, they will vibrate apart at some point in the future (or the tape will come off and you’ll end up with a short circuit). Crutchfield carries most adapters for a fairly reasonable price; you can also find them at some local electronic stores.
One more thing: start early in the day (or at least have more time the next day) so you’re not rushed putting everything back together at the last minute so you can get to work the next day, because it took longer than you expected.
Don’t worry, RwS, I have alllllllll weekend.
Also, if you really want it to last, heat-shrink tubing (they have it at Radio Shack) is ideal for covering soldered connections; better than tape.
I prefer insulated-crimp butt connectors for connecting wiring harnesses to radios. You can get those at RadioShack as well as the tool to do the crimping. Unfortunately they no longer carry the harnesses themselves. They used to carry a wide selection for almost any car.