aftermarket stereo help

hey all, i just picked up my first diesel yesterday, a 2006 jetta tdi.

i've been looking into putting in an aftermarket stereo, but i have some questions. crutchfield recommends this http://www.crutchfield.com/p_127C2RVW/PAC-Volkswagen-Radio-Replacement-Interface.html?tp=3486, a PAC Volkswagen Radio Replacement Interface in post-2005 VWs due to "no accessory power lead at the receiver"


i was wondering is this necessary? i've done 2 or 3 car stereo installs on different makes/models, so i'm definitely not an expert, but i havent come across anything like this. its $130, so i'd like to avoid it if its not necessary

(ps i've done a cursory search through the archives for this question and didnt find much, but i'm sorry if this has been answered already)

Well, if the only thing you're truly missing is an accessory power lead, there are plenty of other places to get it. The benefit with that module is that you don't have to cut any factory wiring, but $130 is too steep if that's the only thing you gain from it. It looks like it gives you many other things, but if you are not planning on using them I would avoid it. Is your power jack/cigarette lighter always on? If not you could always t-tap, cut and splice, or slice-loop-and solder a wire onto that for the accessory lead.

Head units normally get their power for the current heavy draws (i.e. the amplifier circuit) through the constant power.

Just go to the locak McParts store and get an add-a-circuit for the fusebox. Find a switched fuse and then just tap off of that. The switched power is usually just for sensing the presence of current, so you can get by witha 2 or 3 amp fuse.

Easy to do and nothing permenant done to the car.

you can actually get the power at the cigarette lighter for switched which is pretty easy. However, it will not behave as the OEM does and stay on until you remove the key. If that's important to you, you should use the module. Also, if your vehicle has steering wheel controls, the interface for that will also have an accessory lead that you can use in lieu of the aforementioned module.

thanks for the suggestions. i don't have sterring wheel controls, and splicing wires or the add-a-fuse method are probably outside of my ability (perhaps not necessarily difficult to do, but i've never done it before) and i'm not quite keen on sacrificing a cig lighter.

i'll have to consult with my ElecEng friend or maybe even discuss it with an install shop, although i hope the install costs aren't as much as the adapter.

Well, you wouldn't have to sacrifice your cig lighter to do that. The only downside would be as stated above that your head unit would have constant power and you'd have to manually turn it off with it's power switch. For that matter, if the power to the lighter is constant, you could just use the constant power lead from your battery for both at your harness.

didn't they switch the lighter to acc power in the mkV?

Is there an equivalent to the 75X terminal in the 2005.5<? There's a huge switched power stud behind the dash on the 99.5-2004J/G/B... labeled in huge numbers "75X"(IIRC thanks to Alphaseinor's(all hail!) instruction),

What's the equivalent stud in a 2005.5+?

Aftermarket radio

Note: Be careful when removing OEM radio as you could set off air bag CEL. Also read about aftermarket radio problem on Ross-tech.

2004STARWARSTDI said:

Note: Be careful when removing OEM radio as you could set off air bag CEL. Also read about aftermarket radio problem on Ross-tech.

Click to expand...

thanks for the heads up. (its this, if anyone is curious)


i am becoming less and less incline to do this myself, though i still havent decided. the add-a-fuse thing doesn't look too hard, actually.