Hello, hope this is the right forum for this discussion. My 1997 Honda Civic radio volume knob broke, after trying like heck to get it working again, nothing:( I only listen to music on my phone (no radio/cds/etc). All I would want is an aux/headphone connection to play on my car speakers but my horrible google skills didn’t find any simple way to achieve this.
When it comes to aftermarket radios I’m quite confused, are they mostly universal? (meaning good expectation to fit into a good number of car dashboards?). Would I need something additional for the wiring as well?
Was looking into this radio
Not sure if that’ll naturally fit my car, would I have to buy anything additional to get this to work with my car?
I suggest that you order from Crutchfield. They know what works in your car and they have good customer service for any issues that you might encounter.
Another vote for Crutchfield. They did a great job helping us get a unit for our Forester, along with the needed cable adapter and complete instructions, It is WELL worth the few extra dollars to go with them.
My vote is also for Crutchfield. In the old days adding a new, non-original stereo meant tracing wires with a test light or vOM and splicing radio wiring into the factory harness.
The inexpensive installation kits now available make wiring and dash fit a snap. I changed the stereo out in my Lincoln some years back and I think the complete install kit at Wal Mart was about 15 bucks or something like that.
It made the stereo a plug in and clean looking operation. As a bonus. the kit faceplate on mine has a storage cubbyhole in it and the cell phone fits right in it.
Some car radios are set up to easily work w/Iphones. I think you use the Iphone to control the radio when you do it that way.
The kind of radio I prefer though is a simpler design. It has a USB connector on the front, and it plays the mp3 files it finds on the USB memory stick you insert. You’d have to transfer the songs on your Iphone to a USB memory stick. The problem you might have is that Iphone songs sometimes won’t play except from the Iphone, b/c you haven’t paid for the digital rights to move them to other devices. If that’s the case with your tunes, best to go with the first type of aftermarket radio, the Iphone compatible radio.
The place that sells these kinds of car radio in this are has a whole wall of them, and many are priced less than $125, some as low as $50.
And another vote for getting an adapter kit.
With an adapter kit (or connector) you can splice the wires of the new unit to a plug that fits your OEM wiring harness right on the kitchen table. Then, to replace the old unit, you simply unplug the old one and plug in the new one. It completely eliminates all those problems caused by butchering wiring harnesses.
Crutchfield is a little more but you’d have a similar radio, the wiring connector,the dash plate to make the radio look like it’s supposed to be there. With instructions for your specific year and model for around $75. You’d need to track down an installation kit either way
When you add in the FREE installation kit, FREE instructions and FREE wiring harness…Crutchfield prices aren’t bad. Plus the have FREE tech support. I’ve bought a few car systems from them over the years with great success. Their home equipment pricing is not that good since you really don’t need much help with installation as you do with a car stereo.
At least for Radio’s under $100 you pay $15 for the installation kit (Including the wiring harness) The Instructions come free still.The Cheapest radio is $60. Shipping is free
We ordered our car stereo before from a certain auto parts warehouse online store and JC whitny I think… these two are also reputable in terms of product quality. though jc whit has a better customer service quality and cheaper price.
When you add in the FREE installation kit, FREE instructions and FREE wiring harness…Crutchfield prices aren’t bad. Plus the have FREE tech support.
Well, if you have to add in all that stuff so that their prices aren’t bad (i.e. reasonable compared to the competition) then I think it would be more appropriate to say those things are INCLUDED in the price rather than FREE (your emphasis). In fact, nothing a business provides is ever FREE…or they wouldn’t be in business long.
Obviously you pay for it…but you have to include those things when doing a price comparison. I’ve looked at Amazon and Best Buy for car stereos…and their base price is less then Crutchfield…what the don’t tell you is you’ll need a new mounting bracket, new wiring harness and possibly an install kit faceplate - which you have to buy separately. Then when you add everything up the prices are very close. What then puts Crutchfield over the top is their on-line and phone tech support.
I think it would be more appropriate to say those things are INCLUDED in
Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for the other companies to tell you you’re going to need this extra stuff for a good installation…and tell you how much it’ll cost.
Besides the extras, the other big reason I like Crutchfield is that I trust that they’ve done a good job of identifying what components will fit my car. This is especially important when it comes to speakers.
I don’t disagree with the reasons you like Crutchfield over the “competition” just taking exception to the notion the add-ons are free, that’s all. My preference is to pay a little more for the added attention to detail, full disclosure on what is required to do the installation and the tech support in the event something does not go well…
I don't disagree with the reasons you like Crutchfield over the "competition" just taking exception to the notion the add-ons are free, that's all.
You’re looking at it backwards. Crutchield is the HONEST ones here. The other places are purposely being deceptive by trying to sell you the exact radio for a cheaper price…then adding on all the extra’s at the end. There are so many hidden costs you end up many times paying MORE. Crutchfield’s prices are all inclusive. They’re telling you it’s free because the other places aren’t telling you what else you’ll need to do the installation correctly. It brings to light how deceptive the other places really are.
I also vote for Crutchfield. When I swapped out the radio in my old car, Crutchfield told me that it might not fit as the one I selected was about a quarter inch too long. And they were absolutely correct. I made it fit, but the clearance was precisely as they described. I was pretty amazed that they had that comprehensive of data on what would/wouldn’t fit. I also ran into a minor snag as my vehicle has an external amplifier and power antenna and the amp would only come on when listening to radio, not CD/USB. A quick call to them and they knew exactly what needed to be modified to make it work.
You might pay a few more bucks for a stereo through Crutchfield, but it’s well worth it IMHO. If you spend over $100 I think, they give you an installation kit for free with your order too. At least they did with mine.
Potayto, potahto. I’m comparing prices on a radio first. The installation kit is secondary to me.
If someone is buying a radio online vs going to a shop, it’s probably a good bet they’re planning on doing the install too. If they’re clueless about needing an installation kit, they’re probably in over their head to begin with…I don’t see the deceptive part at all …
The installation kit is secondary to me. If someone is buying a radio online vs going to a shop, it's probably a good bet they're planning on doing the install too. If they're clueless about needing an installation kit, they're probably in over their head to begin with
Installation kit is secondary, but you plan on buying it anyways. Yea…that’s logical.
We ordered our car stereo before from a certain auto parts warehouse online store and JC whitny I think... these two are also reputable in terms of product quality.
Got a good laugh over this one. Maybe way back in the days before I can remember J.C.Whitney was reputable. But now…?
I’ve always found JC Whitney to be reputable, and I started buying from them in the early '70s. The important things when buying anything over the internet (or, in those days, from a catalog) is knowing what you’re buying. JC Whitney sells and has over the years sold junk like toilet paper oil filter kits, but the bulk of their catalog is reputable stuff.
The spoilers I bought from JC Whitney for my '72 Vega were plastic rather than fiberglass, but they said so right in the catalog description. And the plastic was IMHO just as good as the fiberglass for a lot less money. Both the front and rear spoilers held up great for the four years I owned the car. They were the only parts on the Vega that DID hold up, but that’s another thread.