How to install after market stereo in ES

I finally got my double din stereo installed and thought I'd share how I did it for those who are interested.

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Remove the bezel that's above the factory radio

There are 2 clips holding it in place, just get your fingers under the edge and pop it off.




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There are 2 screws securing the factory radio.

The picture below is from above the radio, through the windshield. Remove the 2 screws that are circled.



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There are 4 clips holding the radio in place. Two at the top and two at the bottom. Start at the top and get your fingers behind the radio on each side like below (i only show one hand) and pop it off the clips.


Then do the same to the bottom:


The radio should come free from the dash now. On the back of the stereo unclip the wire harness and pull the antenna wire out.

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Remove the mounting bracket on each side of the stereo. You'll need these to mount your new stereo


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For my installation I had to flatten the tabs on the mounting brackets (with a hammer) so they would fit flush with my new stereo.


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This is the new stereo with the mounting bracket installed


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I purchased a Metra 70-7001 Radio Wiring Harness from amazon to connect the new stereo without cutting any wires.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002BG6DM/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00


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The Wiring Harness did not have a ground wire so you can use one of two screws in the dash to ground to. See below:


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Connect your wires using the wiring harness and mount your new stereo the same way the original was mounted.


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I purchased the double din panel for the SE from Mitsubishi. Part number: 8002A116HC. This is for the silver one, they have a black one as well but I dont have the part number. It was $120 from the dealer, I purchased from http://www.RicartParts.com for $87.50 plus shipping. Was a perfect fit, no modifications needed. Pics below:





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Finished product:

Excellent writeup and photos- thanks!

Plankton, thank you for the excellent photos and writeup and links for the hardware. Well done!

Awesome instructions, thanks!

Jenn

I agree. Thank you so much!

You've provided many people here with everything they'll need to do a complete. professional upgrade. Sharing well documented articles like the one you've written are one reason why forums like this one are so valuable

All together, what did the upgrade cost you?

Don

Thanks for all the feedback!

The Panel was $87.50 + $9.95 shipping, the wiring harness was $5.07 + free shipping from amazon.

So $102.52 not including the stereo which I pulled out of the car we replaced with the iMiev.

If anyone is interested the stereo is a Clarion CX501.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KVLB9E/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i02

Great information - thank you!

Did you do anything about speakers in the back - or do you just have the front speakers as delivered on the ES?

Dan

Dan asks the same question I have -- has anyone put in rear speakers? The $64 question is -- is there speaker wiring in place? And what size/shape are they?

NeilBlanchard said:

Dan asks the same question I have -- has anyone put in rear speakers? The $64 question is -- is there speaker wiring in place? And what size/shape are they?

Click to expand...

I confirmed the rear speaker wires are there. See picture below, I did a continuity test from the stereo harness to the clip below and confirmed it.

OK then, does that mean that folks without rear speakers should put their faders on full front so that no juice is directed to the rear wiring?

They may not be hooked up to the ES stereo - If you put the fader to full rear, does the sound go away completely?

Even if it does, there's no worry about 'juice' going to the rear speaker plugs as they're insulated connectors - No way for them to short out or anything

Don

The rear speakers are not there to complete the circuit, so there is no power in those wires.

Thanks for confirming the wires being there -- I would assume that they were, because making a different wiring harness would not save any cost. It's just odd that a pair of speaker drivers cost too much to put in a ~$30K+ car.

Nnnnnnnnot really a $30k car. It's a $15k car with a $15k battery.

Right, I bought a stripped 1987 VW Golf for $8,200 new that had four speakers -- no stereo, but four speakers. They should put speaker drivers in the rear, and sell you an upgraded coaxial speaker if you want one.

My brother Nathan pulled the rear door panel off his car, and there are *no* speaker wires for the rear speakers...

He'll have to run new wire.

What is the intended speaker driver size?

I don't know about the 'drivers' but the front door speakers are 6.5 inch I believe

Don

NeilBlanchard said:

My brother Nathan pulled the rear door panel off his car, and there are *no* speaker wires for the rear speakers...

He'll have to run new wire.

What is the intended speaker driver size?

Click to expand...

The wires are there in my ES. Check the pic i posted, bottom of page 1 of this thread. Its taped to the wires for the power window. Confirm by removing the panel like I did in the pic.

I'll tell him to look again for them -- I didn't know about them being taped to the power window wires.

Good deal doing this has been on my list of things to do. The boat has been keeping me busy and poor so i have not got around to a stereo upgrade yet.

My brother Nathan found the plugs for the rear speakers -- thanks for telling us about it. He is installing 5 1/4" diameter speakers -- the frame opening is kind of triangular. I'll try to get a look at then and take a picture.