Aftermarket radio for MK4 Golf. What do I need?

OK so I'm browsing Crutchfield and I find a DVD double DIN unit for $319. It has everything I want (DVD, bluetooth, and Sirius). Also comes with the American International adapter that I need.

The problem I have is Crutchfield says I need a $159 adapter!!! Is this true? This is insane!

Adapter for what exactly? The main connections?

Only thing I've ever come across is the red and yellow often need to be swapped around and you have to make sure nothing connects to the k line. The red and yellow are battery and ignition live, you'll know if they need swapped because the unit wont store any settings.

As someone who has used two expensive adapters, forget em. They Fail! That wire is only to get the deck to act as OEM where it stays on with the car off until you remove the key. You can use the wire coming from the steering column instead as the turn on lead. I don't remember the color but if you Google it there are a couple posts about it. Brown and white I think? I had to take apart the wire loom on the left side of the column to get to it, but after having 2 $100+ adapters fail in 3 years I KNOW my radio will work now.

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Ah ok so I can just cut and splice the harness included into my factory harness? Also I'm looking at the Pioneer AVH-X3500BHS and it says I either need:

a) CRUX SWRVW-52 Factory Integration Adapter Connect a new car stereo and retain the factory amp and steering wheel audio controls in select 2002-up Volkswagen models

or

b) PAC C2R-VW2 Factory Integration Adapter Connect a new car stereo in select 2002-up Volkswagen vehicles •Your vehicle has no accessory power lead at the receiver. The integration adapter provides the accessory power you will need for your new receiver.

The nice thing I guess is that the double DIN adaptor, antenna, and radio removal tools are all included free.

there is 2 wires you need:

ACC: which you can use the 75X terminal in the relay box (driver side footwell), or for stock function, S-contact in the steering column.

ILL: use the gray/blue wire (iirc, it's been a while) in the headlight switch connector.

20IndigoBlue02 said:

there is 2 wires you need:

ACC: which you can use the 75X terminal in the relay box (driver side footwell), or for stock function, S-contact in the steering column.

ILL: use the gray/blue wire (iirc, it's been a while) in the headlight switch connector.

Click to expand...

So I can use the harness that the radio manufacture provides I'll just have to do a little side work? If so this is good news because those harnesses are crazy expensive.

GTSLOW said:

So I can use the harness that the radio manufacture provides I'll just have to do a little side work? If so this is good news because those harnesses are crazy expensive.

Click to expand...

Do you have a Multi Function Steering wheel? If so, that expensive adapter keeps the functions (volume, radio advance/skip, illumination) in tact.

If you do not have a MFSW, then you can forego the expensive adapter. But that adapter is basically a CAN translator for the aftermarket radio. That's why it's expensive.

04 Golf TDI's didn't have the technology package like the Jetta, so no multfunction steering wheel.

The radio harness, you can get a cheap Metra 71-9003 harness for most of the wiring. Don't hack into the existing harness, then hunt for the other 2 connections.

The parking brake, you have to remove the console to access the parking brake. There are some "hacks" available to avoid it.

tongsli said:

You can get S-Contact at the cluster, Pin 30 of the blue connector
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=459828&postcount=11
In the double din connector there is a T8 black connector where you should find the following:

T8/1=speed signal (blue/white)
T8/2=blank
T8/3=Kwire (gray/white)
T8/4=86S, S-contact, ignition switch
T8/5=power (red/white)
T8/6=58d or dash lights (gray/blue)
T8/7=power (red/white)
T8/8=ground (brown wire)
The T8 brown connector is for the speakers.

Click to expand...

Metra Harness is cheap. Here are some of the wiring assignments.

Negative to the mfsw.

20IndigoBlue02 said:

04 Golf TDI's didn't have the technology package like the Jetta, so no multfunction steering wheel.

The radio harness, you can get a cheap Metra 71-9003 harness for most of the wiring. Don't hack into the existing harness, then hunt for the other 2 connections.

The parking brake, you have to remove the console to access the parking brake. There are some "hacks" available to avoid it.

Click to expand...

So I'd wire the Metra 9003 to the harness provide with the Pioneer unit and then plug the metra into the factory leads?

This is the adaptor it's telling me to buy:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_127C2RVW2/PAC-C2R-VW2-Factory-Integration-Adapter.html

GTSLOW said:

So I'd wire the Metra 9003 to the harness provide with the Pioneer unit and then plug the metra into the factory leads?

This is the adaptor it's telling me to buy:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_127C2RVW2/PAC-C2R-VW2-Factory-Integration-Adapter.html

Click to expand...

you don't need to. The PAC C2R-VW, when you connect to the ACC wire, will not operater like the stock radio. It will having more like when you connect to the 75X terminal, so, it would only work in the accessory position of the ignition.

plus the PAC unit is very bulky. Even if you had a GPS unit, the PAC unit will not get the speed signal from the CAN-BUS system.

Great! Buying the HU now and the Metra 71-9003 harness elsewhere.

On cars up to at least 03 you do not need the PAC C2R Vw, all you need to do is wire the VW harness to the pioneer harness and hook the ACC wire to fuse 10 ( you can go in the back of the fuse box but it is a lot easier to use an add a circuit fuse kit) for the acc hook up wire. IF you have the steering controls on your wheel just get the all in one axxess SWC off ebay they are cheaper then the pac which needs up to 3 units to make it all work and only takes 4 wires to hook it up. This came from VWVortex and is tha way I have been hooking up radios for other people including mine, FUSE 10 lets the radio turn on and off just like the stock radio setup. If you need the video on while you are drive( for people in the back seats) ther are cheap relays already wired that you can use to bypass the E brake fail safe. I wire my from the back but you need small hands the wires are very tight. THe add a fuse is the simple way.

The metra 71-9003 was not the harness we need. That is the exact harness that plugs into the back of the stock radio. Anyways ran to BB got the right unit and I'm g2g. I had no idea what your guys were talking about with the 75X etc... until I found this fantastic video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsvmh-Sx5Dg

GTSLOW said:

The metra 71-9003 was not the harness we need. That is the exact harness that plugs into the back of the stock radio. Anyways ran to BB got the right unit and I'm g2g. I had no idea what your guys were talking about with the 75X etc... until I found this fantastic video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsvmh-Sx5Dg

Click to expand...

Don't listen too closely to what he says. I think he said four or five times that "our cars" don't have switched power and then proceeds to show you the 75X terminal which is exactly switched power.

Fuse 10 is the switched power that the stock radio uses. A simple 10$ add a fuse from Pep Boys or where ever you buy parts and you are done. This way you can run the radio with the car turned off as long as the key is in it, as soon as you remove the key everything will shut off just like stock. #75 is under the dash and is where power comes into the car from the engine compartment also works but not like stock. Several ways to wire these cars pick what is best for you. I like to stay as stock as I can in casr there are problems.

Birdman said:

Fuse 10 is the switched power that the stock radio uses. A simple 10$ add a fuse from Pep Boys or where ever you buy parts and you are done. This way you can run the radio with the car turned off as long as the key is in it, as soon as you remove the key everything will shut off just like stock. #75 is under the dash and is where power comes into the car from the engine compartment also works but not like stock. Several ways to wire these cars pick what is best for you. I like to stay as stock as I can in casr there are problems.

Click to expand...

Are you sure fuse 10 is the same as S-CONTACT? The S-CONTACT is at the steering wheel and at the cluster harness.

Usually, the fuses are fed from the battery then go out to the various circuits. I don't know for sure but it seems odd that Fuse 10 acts like S-CONTACT.

Ok, I just looked it up. 97-251 Bentley Manual

The radio uses (2) fuses 37 & 42

6.0mm wire to Fuse 42, 25A aka 30a solid red wire for constant power

D/86S - from switch(AKA S-Contact) 1.0mm wire to Fuse 37, 10A red wire with yellow stripe which also goes to the cluster at T32/30.

I'm so confused

Birdman said:

Fuse 10 is the switched power that the stock radio uses. A simple 10$ add a fuse from Pep Boys or where ever you buy parts and you are done. This way you can run the radio with the car turned off as long as the key is in it, as soon as you remove the key everything will shut off just like stock. #75 is under the dash and is where power comes into the car from the engine compartment also works but not like stock. Several ways to wire these cars pick what is best for you. I like to stay as stock as I can in casr there are problems.

Click to expand...

Was gonna ask about this. Currently I have the main power running off the 75X which only powers the radio when I have the key in and turned forward. Is #75 on that bar with that 75X was on?

GTSLOW said:

Was gonna ask about this. Currently I have the main power running off the 75X which only powers the radio when I have the key in and turned forward. Is #75 on that bar with that 75X was on?

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75X and #75 is the same thing. I'm not sure why Jerry used the # when describing it.

Hmm that's odd. Because I have mine wired to 75X and the radio only works with the key turned all the way forward. I would love for it to work like the factory i.e. only having the key in.

Birdman said:

Fuse 10 is the switched power that the stock radio uses. A simple 10$ add a fuse from Pep Boys or where ever you buy parts and you are done. This way you can run the radio with the car turned off as long as the key is in it, as soon as you remove the key everything will shut off just like stock. #75 is under the dash and is where power comes into the car from the engine compartment also works but not like stock. Several ways to wire these cars pick what is best for you. I like to stay as stock as I can in casr there are problems.

Click to expand...

Re-read what he wrote

GTSLOW said:

Hmm that's odd. Because I have mine wired to 75X and the radio only works with the key turned all the way forward. I would love for it to work like the factory i.e. only having the key in.

Click to expand...

Did you see what I posted on page one?

tongsli said:

You can get S-Contact at the cluster, Pin 30 of the blue connector
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=459828&postcount=11
In the double din connector there is a T8 black connector where you should find the following:

T8/1=speed signal (blue/white)
T8/2=blank
T8/3=Kwire (gray/white)
T8/4=86S, S-contact, ignition switch
T8/5=power (red/white)
T8/6=58d or dash lights (gray/blue)
T8/7=power (red/white)
T8/8=ground (brown wire)
The T8 brown connector is for the speakers.

Click to expand...

If you connect T8/4 of the existing wiring harness to your "trigger" wire on your aftermarket head unit it will stay on with the key in the ignition

I'll have to check the harness later for the trigger wire. Not sure if I remember seeing that one?

tongsli said:

Are you sure fuse 10 is the same as S-CONTACT? The S-CONTACT is at the steering wheel and at the cluster harness.

Usually, the fuses are fed from the battery then go out to the various circuits. I don't know for sure but it seems odd that Fuse 10 acts like S-CONTACT.

Click to expand...

Lito I got it off the Vortex, I first tested it with my test light then hooked my radio up to it. I wired mine into the back but add a fuse works OK. Radio plays when you turn the car off and when you pull the key out the radio shuts down everything is just like stock. I have had it wired like this since I bought this O3 off PeterV 5 years ago. Use the the harness from Metra that Crutchfield sells for 15$ IIRR.
That is the only harness cars up through the 03 cars need unless you want to wire up the controls on the steering wheel.
I used one that Amazon was selling for about 40$ and it way very easy to set up. You can also get the E brake bypass relay from them. I would think the S contact would need a fused curcuit from somewhere but you know the wiring on these cars a lot better then I do. Give me a call sometime.