Stereo keys

[RJO89]

Hey guys,

I'm in need of a favour. I'm gonna be buying a new head unit in the next couple of days (Pioneer DEH-P7950UB ) : , but am in need of the stereo removal keys for the LS/LT focus.
Also, I am wondering if anyone knows where I can get a wiring harness to adapt for the standard ford unit. I found one on nexxia.co.uk but it is for the Sony head unit I believe, but I could be wrong. I'm buying the fascia from www.fascias.com.au.

Anyone who has done their head unit please help me out!!!

If anyone around Ringwood area in Melbourne has these keys, please give me a hand. Or even anyone across Melbourne. I'm happy to travel.


Many thanks,
Regan

[bodes-sh]

don't know if it's any help, but these guys http://aerpro.com.au/vrg.php say the harness is the same as an ef/el one, if you put in 05 year model it gives you the listings

[skriblz06]

Hey mate

If you don't mind waiting for delivery then you could just purchase these keys from ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-FORD-FOCU...sid=p1638.m122

i was in the same position as you a few months back trying to remove the stock head unit. Went to audio installation stores but none of them seemed to have had any previous experience trying to take the focus head unit out. Even tried going to my ford dealer where i purchased my car and they were saying it would cost me around $300 JUST TO REMOVE!!

Here is the D.I.Y way:

After all the searching trying to get people to do it, me and my brother just decided to do it ourselves (which we should of just thought of in the first place ). To my memory the tool we used was a metal filer i think. About a millimeter thick. My brother and I just sculptured 4 pieces of that metal filer to look like the keys in the ebay link shown above (we didn't make any holes but). It took a bit of fiddling around inside the slots in the stock head unit but it worked. All you need to do is wait till you feel it lock inside and when you push the piece inwards towards the lcd screen (eg. the slots on the left hand side be pushed to the right, right hand side slots be pushed to the left) , you will feel it spring back to its original position when you let go. Inside the slots are just spring locks so you would have to try and get all 4 slots at the same time or both sides separately. Individually would be too hard as each slot will just fall back into its place.

here is the end result:


The fascia you can special order from any JB Hi-Fi. A bit more expensive then the site you are buying from as it is around 50-60 to my memory.

Hope this helps

[RJO89]

That looks mint as. Can't wait to get it done. I'm buying my head unit off ebay too so the wait isn't a problem. Will just buy a set, then I'm sure I could sell them again, or loan them out to anyone that wanted them.

What did you do in regards to wiring? Did you just cut off the ford harness and re-solder all the wires according to colour? Or did you buy a harness for it? I would dearly love just to buy a harness to save myself the time (and potential screw up!!!)

Thanks for the reply. As I said, that install looks mad as

[BlackLS]

I wouldn't cut the connectors, you'd be better off getting some male pin crimp connectors on the loom that came with new stereo, and plug the pins into existing connector.

[skriblz06]

yehh my brother installed my head unit by just cutting the ford harness and just match the colours. He used a wire stripper to strip a part of the matching wires, bound the wires together, then used wire tape to bind them together. I've had not one problem with my system ever since he installed it 10months ago.

By the way, are you interested in installing an amplifier and sub also? I can give you an idea of where the wires can run through around the car if you need help (eg wiring from the head unit to amp, car battery through firewall to amp, and amp to sub) . I also found a list yesterday about which coloured wires match up with which. I just need to ask my brother again about what on the list is actually from the ford harness, and which is from the head unit. I wrote it down when he was taking my old head unit out (which would be similar I think to your headunit wiring as it was previously a pioneer also) and changed it to the alpine. I'll have to get back to you on that one but.

[RJO89]

Yeah I'm prob just gonna cut the harness adaptor. But keep it so that when (if!!) I sell the car, I'll keep my head unit. Gonna be pretty easy to solder them together too if they're all colour coded.
I am interested in doing that too, but not just yet. Got a fair idea of where to run all the wiring for the sub and amp. Prob run the amp down the left hand side under the door sills and the sub on the right hand side (drivers). But that probably won't be for a while, but if you can get the info and scan it or something, that would be much appreciated.

Regan

[skriblz06]

Hey Regan,

Just asked my brother nows what the wiring information is about. Bare in mind I have no idea in what this wiring information is about, i just wrote it down for him when he was telling me what colour from the pioneer is connected to the ford wires. He understood this information so hopefully you would be able to understand it too because i sure don't. haha

So here it is:

The colour codes on the left is from the Pioneer headunit and the colours on the right is the wires from the ford:

Red to Yellow/Green
Blue/White - Blue
Yellow - Orange/Black
Black - Green/Black

Speakers:
Purple/Black - Grey
Purple - White
White - Black/White
White/Black - Grey/Black
Green/Black - Grey/White
Green - Purple/White
Grey - Red/White
Grey/Black - Red/Grey

Yehh your idea is pretty much what i done too. Running the wires from the head unit to the amp under my seat was done through the left hand side of the dash, and the battery wiring to the amp was done through the drivers side. If you haven't scene it yet, theres a rubber plug just sitting a tad higher then the pedals on the firewall. You can just pull that rubber plug out and it will create a opening in the firewall. All i done to mine was drill a tiny hole in the rubber plug and squeeze the wiring through it then put the plug back in its place. I ran the "ground" cable by unscrewing the center container (forgot what its called, its the thing in between the two front seats to store stuff ) and running it underneath that and then screw the container back down.

Hope this info helps in some way!

[RJO89]

Just picked up an awesome bargain. Going to make everything a whole lot simpler

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....MEWN:IT&ih=015

[RJO89]

Hey Skriblz,

I bought my head unit today and I've just been looking over the wiring diagrams from both the Focus and from my head unit, and I think you might have wired up the front speakers back to front. It wouldn't make any difference I don't think, but the Pioneer wiring diagram says that the grey wire goes to the front right speaker, which on the ford diagram is the white/black wire, whereas you've said the front left speaker connects to the grey wire. Really doesn't matter I don't think, just gonna mean that if you ever try and fade the music from one side of the car to the other, it's gonna be the reverse on the back speakers lol. So if you set it all to the left on the head unit, it will all be on the right in the front speakers, but all on the left on the back speakers . Just thought I'd let you know, but as I say, it won't make a difference unless you fade your speakers

[skriblz06]

ohh serious? never really noticed it because haven't been bothered to fiddle around with the fading options. Thanks for the info but, if I ever change back to a pioneer then I'll keep it in mind

[RJO89]

Yeah you should just try it to see if it works. That way I'll know if I've done it wrong, or if you've done it wrong

[RJO89]

Ok got the whole box and dice today. Just a bit unsure about how to actually secure the head unit to the fascia. the fascia didn't really come with a lot, and I don't want to screw anything up.
I know I need to secure the metal sleeve from the head unit onto the fascia somehow, but I am unsure exactly how. The head unit came with some things, two strips of metal (I believe to remove the head unit...), some small black squares with clips on them with tape on the back, and about 6 little screws.
I'm wondering if I need to put the screws in behind the metal sleeve to prevent it from moving forward, but then it would be impossible to get it out... Or not. I'm really unsure. Anybody who has done this before, please help!!!!
If that is the case, where I have to screw in the sleeve, what do the little black squares with clips :S.
I can take pictures of everything if you guys think it would help you, but I'm pretty sure anybody who has installed a stereo with a custom fascia will understand what I'm talking about.


Many thanks,
Regan

[RJO89]

Don't worry. Got it sorted. Feel like an idiot now :

[RJO89]

Need help again with this god damn stereo. Couple of questions:

a) Instead of a plain blue wire on the ford harness (see scriblz post), I only have two blue/black wires. I assume they both plug into the system control lead from the new head unit??

b) The damn antenna has a different connection. The ford one doesn't fit into the aftermarket one. Does anyone have any idea how to do this? Can I cut the antenna cable and re-solder it onto the after market head unit wire? I don't think I could because the antenna wire from the ford unit is rather thick.

Quick reply would be much much much appreciated....

Many thanks,
Regan

[skriblz06]

hey mate

I never ended up figuring how to install the antenna from the ford to the after market headunit. If all else fails you would have to just live without a radio. It pretty much sucks. I had to live without radio in my focus for about 9 months nows so I am on the same boat as you. Ive tried asking JB-HiFi installation places but all they tell me is to try and find an after market plug that does it (which funny enough they dont sell). So either they didn't know how to do it or they couldn't be bothered to help

[RJO89]

I just found out how to do it. You need a female European adaptor. I believe it is this one - http://dnaaudio.com.au/blowout_pages.html/aae001.html. Now I just gotta figure out where to get one. Gonna be my task for tomorrow. They must sell one at JB, else I'll try Dick Smith.
Living without radio isn't an option.

Edit - Just found the right one. Gotta order it from the UK. The link for it is here - http://www.nexxia.co.uk/Car_Stereo_f...a_adaptors.htm. It is the code number PC5-100. Gonna install everything, then take it out again to install the antenna once the adaptor arrives.

Regan

[skriblz06]

Sweet, I never knew what the actual plug looked like cause never saw all the wirings. Thanks for that! If you ever do happen to find one in a JB or Dick Smith store can you let us know. That way I wouldn't have to rely just on MP3 all the time

[RJO89]

Yeah I found one at JB. Cost $15.00. But you can get one for $9. I got the one with the extension lead. No idea why .
the brand name is AerPro. Pretty prominent brand name I believe.

[skriblz06]

Really? Hmm I must not be looking for the correct item. Because I visited a JB today before work and they had nothing in the car audio department that looked similar to the plug in the links that you previously posted above. Ill try another JB on the weekend. Btw do you have any pics of your headunit installed yet?

[RJO89]

Yeah I went to the one closest to me and they didn't have any. They told me it was because they didn't do installations anymore, so they sent me to another one. Just ring up before you go to make sure they have one. Just ask them if they have a european antenna adaptor.

Haven't got any pics because I haven't installed it yet. Doing it tomorrow . I'll post some up tomorrow night.

[RJO89]

Alrighty got it all done. Put it in today. Wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. but it was still a challenge. The hardest part probably would have been wiring up the microphone for the phone, and slotting the head unit into the fascia (it's a very tight fit behind the centre console...
Here's some pics:



Inside the glovebox -


(Both iPod and an additional AUX cable)
Looking from inside the glovebox towards the door(showing where the holes were drilled for the cables)


And the microphone.. -



Overall, extremely happy with the unit. Sounds a lot better than the stock, looks a lot better, and has a lot more functionality

Regan

[skriblz06]

awesome head unit. How much did you pay for it?

[RJO89]

Bought it for $500. Retails for $770. Dunno why, but JB had it on sale for $530 and I just offered $500 and they took it.

[skriblz06]

I finally found the antenna plug. Works good. Thanks for the heads up mate. Wouldn't have realized how to use the radio in my car again if you didn't provide the links
Bought the Aerpro plug you were talking about from JB

Cheers mate

[Loris]

hey all, looking to replace my headunit in the tdci.. need to get the keys of course, will two keys be enough to remove the unit or do you need four?

im looking to buy this to do the job: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/FORD-FOCUS-MO...dZp1638Q2em122

do i need to buy two sets(they come in pairs) of these to get the unit out?

can i just put both keys on one side and then do the same for the other side?

[RJO89]

You need four keys. They all need to be put in at the same time, and you can't get the keys out until the head unit is out.

[Loris]

ahh cool thanks im buying the 4key set then.

[tezarity]

Hey guys, i found a guy on Ebay who sells the Stereo keys for $10 with free shipping and he also does the fascia for $50 as well...

If the items aren't listed, then just send him an email and he'll hook you up.

http://search.ebay.com.au/_W0QQsassZtxtr3me

[Loris]

i bought a set of 4 keys for like $8.. still waiting for them :(