After Market Stereo

As they say - anything can happen. Actually, I've heard of someone installing a CarPC in the dash - had it crash during brief power outage and when the power came back up - POW - dude got a facefull of airbag.

Most of the time - unless you have a factory JBL audio system, you should be OK with most aftermarket headunits. Just make sure to pull the negative battery terminal off the car before you start disconnecting the audio system. If you are still concerned - most electronic retailers can install the system for a minimal cost or even free, depending on the promotion on hand. If something gets messed up - its on their nickel and not yours.

Hi allWas thinking about replacing the stock stereo in my '03 CE with an aftermarket Sony product, but I am leery about the warning given out in the owner's manual. It said that "..installation of after market products may interfere with the operation of the Airbag system.."

That is called a "Cover Your ######" statement. Every car manufacturer places this statement in their owner's manuals because some one at some point in time did a really hack job on their stereo and did something stupid like pulling power for the stereo from the airbag module or something like that and it caused the airbag to not work properly.

As long as the install is done right and only deals with the existing stereo wiring and no other wiring, there is about a zip chance that the airbag system will ever have a problem of any kind relating to the stereo. For that matter, replacing the stereo will not cause your factory accessories to stop working correctly (providing nothing is shorted out by a faulty installation) or keep your car from giving ECU readings. My guess is that the install on your Wife's VW was a hack job for one and that for two the VW's stereo did more than just bring in tunes, meaning that it is integrated into the car's computer somehow. The Corolla's stereo is just a stereo, nothing more.

What constitutes a clean install that will not cause problems down the road? A clean install is one where the proper mounting brackets and trim kits are used. A proper install is one where a wiring harness adapter is used (if available, and yes there is one for the Corolla) and the new stereo's wires are soldiered to the harness adapter and then covered with heat shrink tubing. If you are installing yourself and can't soldier, crimping caps are a decent alternative, just be sure you twist the individual wires first, then twist the two wires together and then crimp it until you can't pull the wires out of the crimp cap anymore.

Another thing a good installer will always do to ensure a clean install is to ALWAYS DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE AND PHYSICALLY REMOVE IT FROM THE BATTERY AND ENSURE THAT IT WILL NOT COME INTO CONTACT WITH ANY METAL PART ON THE CAR. THEY THEN WAIT 5 MINUTES BEFORE THEY EVEN TOUCH ANY OF THE VEHICLES WIRING. This prevents the possibility of any system still carrying current and keeps everything extra safe. Once everything is installed they reconnect the negative battery cable and reset all of the functions like the automatic door locking mode and the compass, etc. to their previous settings.

I've installed my own audio before and it really isn't that hard, especially if you order from some place like Crutchfield.com that gives you step-by-step illustrated instructions on how to remove your old stereo and install your new one. One thing I will say is this, unless you have your heart set on Sony, check out Alpine or Kenwood. It would be a shame to spend all the time to install a stereo only to have to pull it out a year or two later because it stopped working correctly. Sony's kind of have that reputation.

I would definately have an aftermarket stereo installed professionally...I don't mind tinkering with mechanical stuff, but electronics scare me...And yes, it's true, if you do have a VW, do not try to install any aftermarket components because the vehicles electronics are co-dependant on each other. (A prime example to buy Japanese...I don't have anything good to say about German cars: Q: what do you call 100000 Volkwagens on the moon? A: A Damn good start!!! ))fishexpo101-the number on my factory stereo is A51802-is that a JBL , or the Panasonic? If it is the JBL, what would be the problem with installing aftermarket?

 

Thank you guys, I really appreciate your info!

Your Corolla is a CE right?

If it is than you don't have the JBL stereo. It wasn't an option on the CE model.

Just to be sure, you can look at the front of the stereo. The JBL models have the JBL logo on them somewhere or another. The JBL logo is just the letters JBL inside a solid colored square.

If you did have a JBL stereo it isn't really a big deal. It just means that you would need an amp bypass kit to have an aftermarket deck installed. Factory JBL and BOSE audio run special types of amps, speakers, etc and they need to be bypassed since they won't work with an aftermarket head unit. Stay away from BOSE and JBL factory car audio systems if you can in the future. They are not really good sound and they cost a lot. The aftermarket can provide you with better sound for less money.