Porsche Carrera 4S Aftermarket Stereo Install Factory Amp Bypass

I recently installed an aftermarket stereo and amplifier into a 2003 Porsche Carrera 4S, it was a pretty easy install. If you are going to be working on one of these vehicles, this may help you out.

The factory amp should be located on the driver side of the storage compartment under the hood, right next to the spare tire.

Once the spare tire is removed you should have easy access to the two 10m bolts that secure the metal braket holding the factory amp in place. I fully bypassed the factory amp and installed an aftermarket in its place.

At the factory amp there should be 6 pairs of speaker wires, 2 pairs going to the front dash speakers, 2 pairs going to the front door speakers, and 2 pairs going to the rear speakers. There should also be a heavier gauge pair going to the factory subs if equipped. The front dash speakers, and the front door speakers should meter 2ohms each when testing the speaker wires at the factory amp. The rear speakers should meter 4ohms each. The factory subwoofers if equipped, behind the seats will typically meter 1ohm each (single voice coil). They are normally wired in parallel, so at the factory amp the pair of wires for the subs will meter 1/2 ohm. Depending on the aftermarket amp you are installing, you may need to rewire the subs in series to bring the load up to 2ohm.

This should be the wire colors-

Front Left Dash Positive - Yellow

Front Left Dash Negative - Yellow/Brown

Front Right Dash Positive - Red

Front Dash Right Negative - Red/Brown

Front Left Door Positive - Green

Front Left Door Negative - Brown/Green

Front Right Door Positive - Purple

Front Right Door Negative - Brown/Purple

Rear Left Positive - Blue

Rear Left Negative - Brown/Blue

Rear Right Positive - Blue (Pin 13-14)

Rear Right Negative - Brown/Blue

Once I had my speakers and subs all wired I ran power from the battery, which is only about 5 feet away. I Then grounded the amp, and ran my RCA's and amp turn on/stereo ground wires to the new stereo. 

There should be a rubber grommet on the driver side firewall, where you can run your wires through.

Behind the factory stereo you should have a 12V constant wire on the factory stereo harness. I used that and the ground I ran from the same grounding point as the new aftermarket amp, to try and eliminate the possibility of engine noise. You will however need to run switched power from the fuse panel (driver side kick), or tap into switched power directly off the vehicles ignition switch. DO NOT MISTAKE THE VSS WIRE FOR SWITCHED POWER ON THE FACTORY STEREO HARNESS.

Hope This Helps!

Jeremy's Car Audio Tips  

Volvo XC90 Aftermarket Stereo Installation

If you haven't installed an aftermarket stereo into a Volvo XC90, then you may find this car audio tip helpful.

The stereo removal is pretty easy if you need step by step direction for removal I will post a link bellow.

Metra 99-9225 Dash Kit Instructions

Along with a dash kit, you will also need an aftermarket antenna if you want to be able to get reception with your new aftermarket stereo. I will post a link to the antenna I typically use bellow.

Universal Window-mount Antenna 

If your going to be integrating the factory steering wheel controls you will also need a SWC interface, like the one bellow.

Axxess ASWC

Moving on, once the stereo/ac control panel is removed you will need to separate the face of the stereo from everything els. Make sure the key is completely out of the ignition switch before disconnecting any wire harnesses. Do not place the key back into the ignition switch until you have reconnected all necessary harnesses. 

The main LCD display will need to be reconnected and remain in the vehicle to allow the factory components to function properly. In order to make this possible you will first need to remove the LCD display from the stereo panel. 

The CD changer portion of the stereo can be removed, and will no longer be used. The main LCD will need to be reconnected and set aside.

This is the CD changer harness. Other than the two orange fiber optics cables there should be three wires.

12V Constant - Violet/White 

Switched 12V - Violet

Ground - Brown

When I wired up the new stereo harness I tapped into the Violet/White for my 12V Constant at this harness, but I tapped into the cigarette outlet power for my Switched 12V and ground because I know the cigarette outlet is rated for more current.

The wires coming off the cigarette outlet harness should be,

Switched 12V - Violet

Ground - Black 

Once you have connected your main power wires for your stereo, and any accessories like the power antenna, SWC interface, you will need to connect your speakers. The Volvo XC90 I installed this stereo in had what was called the eight speaker system. Some will come with the twelve speaker system, with an optional sub. If the vehicle your installing the new stereo in has the twelve speaker system you will need an additional amp to power the additional speakers. Otherwise some speakers will be lost including the factory sub. 

The speaker wires can be found back bellow where the factory stereo/ac controls mount, in the dash.

Front Left Positive - Gray/Red

Front Left Negative - Gray

Front Right Positive - Gray/Red

Front Right Negative - Gray

Rear Left Positive - Gray/White

Rear Left Negative - Gray

Rear Right Positive - Gray/White

Rear Right Negative - Gray

As you can see you will need to meter and pop the speakers with a 1.5V battery to identify what side the speaker is on.

 After locating the speaker wires you will want to cut each pair. One side will be coming from the factory amp, the other side will be going to each set of speakers. You shouldn't need to use the side that runs down towards the factory amp under the passenger seat. The other side should be the side that runs to each set of speakers, you will want to test this side with a digital multi meter. You should get a reading of around 2ohms on each pair of speaker wires. Now depending on the stereo your installing, will depend on how you will want to wire these factory speaker to your new stereo. If your new stereo doesn't support 2ohm speakers, then you may need to wire the front left and rear left speakers in series and the front right and rear right speakers in series to get the impedance up to around 4ohms. You will lose your "Fade" in the stereos settings, along with some volume and quality but should allow you to power the factory speakers off the aftermarket stereo without adding an aftermarket amp. If you are also installing new speakers then you shouldn't have to worry about the impedance of the factory speakers.

After you have all your wiring taken care of, you will want to place and secure the main LCD nicely bellow the stereo. I normally rap it in carpet.

That's just about it, sometimes you will have to cut out some of the plastic behind the stereo to get it to fit in just right. One other thing you may want to be aware of is the headphone controls in the back of the vehicle will be lost. 

If you happend to trigger the AIR BAG LIGHT then you will need to get that code deleted at the dealership, or if you want to do it yourself you can purchase a diagnostics tool like this. 

It is the Autel AutoLink AL619

Anyway I hope this helps!

- JEREMY'S Car Audio Tips

2002 Mercedes Benz G500 Switched Power

If you're going to be adding some aftermarket accessories to a G500 Mercedes Benz, chances are you will probably need to find switched power. I recently added an aftermarket In-dash/Navigation stereo in one of these vehicle. I tapped into switched power at the fuse panel on the driver side of the dash under a plastic cover.

I used the empty (A) fuse terminal, designed for the rear heated seats.

I made my own fuse tap, with an inline fuse.

I connected it to the top terminal, that should be the side that meters switched power. I recommend wiring a relay if you need more than about 1-2 amps.

(86-Switched Power From Fuse Panel / 85-Ground / 30-Battery / 87-High Current Switched Output) 

-Jeremy's Car Audio Tips 

2002-2008 Dodge Ram Double Din Indash Install

Most of you I'm sure already know a double din in-dash stereo will not fit into a Dodge Ram truck without some modifications. This is how I did it.

The Dodge Ram 1500-2500-3500 should all have the same size stereo.

Some will come equipped with a premium Infinity sound system. I bypassed the factory Infinity amp, and I will be posting how I did it in the near future.

This is how the factory stereo looks.

Once the factory stereo is removed, you will have to cut the top corners to allow the plastic to move up in order to fit the new aftermarket double din. There will also be two small plastic tabs in the bottom corners, cut and remove those.

Moving on to making the double din fit. I normally use masking tape to cover and protect the face of the stereo, to avoid any scratches.

  

I first mocked the new stereo up from the back, and marked the pieces I need to cut out. I just used masking tape and a small marker. With this Pioneer I filed about a half inch from the bottom and the top. But different stereos fit a little different.  

I typically use a mini belt sander to get close, then I use hand files to get it perfect.

In order to make the face sit flush behind the dash panel, you will have to cut and file some of the edges.

After I got the stereo to fit just right, I used a black marker and covered the top and bottom edges so when the stereo mounts in and this is put back into place you will not be able to see any unfinished edges. 

For this install I made ABS plastic inserts to fill the gaps on the sides. It is a cheaper alternative to filling and refinishing the dash panel.  

I got each piece to fit perfectly, then I filed and sanded them to have a slight curve. After that I painted them.

Now to the stereo mounting. I first put the stereo in the dash to get a good idea on how far in the stereo was going to have to sit in order for the dash panel to fit nicely. Once I had an idea, I mounted back-straps to the sides of the stereo and slid it in. I then started bending the back-straps trying to get them lined up with the mounting holes. At the same time fitting the dash panel into place to check for fitment.  This part can be very tedious and time consuming, be patient. You will have to (mount, check fitment, re-adjust) probably about five time to get in just right.

After I had it mounted, and fitting to my satisfaction I removed the dash panel one more time.

I then glued my inserts into place, and let dry. 

Once the glue cured, I mounted the dash panel and was all finished.

I think it came out really nice! I left out the part where I wired the stereo, do to the complexity of the Infinity sound system in this vehicle I will be writing a future post on how to bypass the factory amp. Hope this helps - Jeremy's Car Audio Tips

2003-2007 Chevy Silverado Double Din Indash Install Tip

If you haven't had a chance to install a double din in-dash stereo into a 2003-2007 Chevy Silverado, then you may find this tip helpful. 

If you try to fit the stereo into the dash cavity as is, you will notice it will not fit correctly. 

Due to the form of the plastic dash supports the stereo will not go far enough back to allow for proper mounting, unless you remove some of these pieces.

Don't worry, you won't need anything more than a pair of angled pliers. I've seen other installers use different methodes, but I think this is the easiest way.

I normally begin by removing the two corner pieces, the plastic is quite brittle so you won't need much force. Be carful the broken edges will be very sharp.   

After I remove the corner pieces, I then remove the center suport. 

Once the removal of the interfering plastic is complete, I normally do on last thing... 

That is cover the rough edge with some duct tape, to avoid possible damage to any of the wiring and or your hand when managing any of the wiring when mounting the stereo.
Hope this helps - Jeremy's Car Audio Tips