After Market Stereo

[Hughsie]

Hi,
After my last query about Selespeed foibles I have joined the AROC because I can see what a knowledgeable lot you are.
So the CD/radio unit in my 147 is rubbish. It has a complete mind of its own so I think that I might replace it. I was wondering if anyone has experience with doing this.
I am unsure of whether to do a single DIN or a double DIN and whether or not the conversion will nullify the steering wheel buttons. Will I need an aftermarket surround such as those sold on eBay from the UK?
I have priced Sony, JVC, Kenwood and Pioneer as they are all available in my town.
Any advice will be welcomed.

[poohbah]

Changing head units is usually pretty simple, if that's all you are doing. Most decent car stereo suppliers (such as Alberts here in Perth - dunno if they are national) should be able to provide a correct adapter connection for your vehicle to hook up the existing car wiring (including steering wheel controls) to the new unit. If they can't find one that works for the 147, you may need to look overseas. You may also need a separate adapter for the radio antenna unless you don't ever wish to listen to AM.

Assuming you get the right adapters, there is one absolutely critical thing you must do.: disconnect the negative terminal on your battery - or even a tiny touch of exposed wires on the car frame or metal console parts can short out anything/everything electrical on your dash. I learned this the hard way a few years back when my "cheap' head unit transplant into a 156 killed the clock, fuel gauge and temperature gauge in the console, and required a whole new fuse box which cost double the head unit.... all because I forgot.

Next time I did it (different 156), all done in no time without any issue cos I remembered.

However, if you are putting in a whole new doof-doof setup with separate amps, woofers, tweaters, speakers etc, I suggest you get a professional to install.

[V AR 164]

Alright, so your gonna need a few things whichever route you decide to take.

The basics:
So when it comes to installing your desired headunit, you will need a facia panel to fill in the blanks around the headunit. These can eaisly be obtained from online sources (ebay and such), as well as auto parts stores (supecheap etc), although due to the 147 not being a common car, it will most likely need to be ordered in.

Next step is to choose your desired headunit. Either double or single din depending on what you want and how much your budget accommodates for. You can get very good single din for around $150-$200, whereas a double din touchscreen unit will run you upwards of $350. Obviously I would recommend a double din, it will update look and feel of the interior drastically.

Then comes the wiring. If you are not going to use the steering wheel controls (SWC), this process is made very easy as it is broken down into 2 steps:
-The cars factory headunit plugs that get converted into a universal ISO plus (step 1)
-The universal ISO plug into whatever headunit plug your going to purchase. Every brand of headunit has a different plug, so a pioneer harness would not be compatible with a kenwood harness, for example. (step 2)

If you want to keep the steering wheel controls (SWC) functioning, you will need a steering wheel control harness. These can sometimes be very tricky depending if the car has a CANBUS system as well as other systems. Just make sure you get the right one for the specific year and option level of your car.

Prices:
Prices vary store to store, but here is what you should expect to pay in the ballpark of for each component: approx:
-Facia Panel (single din) $40
-Facia Panel (double din) $100 (including mounting brackets etc)
-Headunit (single din) $150
-Headunit (double din) $350
-Non SWC primary harness $18
-Secondary harness $18
-SWC harness (can vary a lot) $100-$150

You can either do a decent single din without SWC for around $220
Or the whole setup (touchscreen, SWC etc) for around $600

Of course there are cheaper alternatives, but this is the going price for this stuff at work (supercheap), so I'd thought I'd just pitch in.

Also, I highly recommend Aerpro. Their website breaks down everything you need: https://aerpro.com/vehicles/alfa-romeo/alfa-romeo-147-2001-2010

Cheers, Andrew.

[Citroënbender]

Aside from prior comments, I think an important angle is to work out what you want as the outcome (including product life), and then let it direct your budget.

I'm not a musicky person in the sense of feeling a need to have "my music" (as people say!) with me always but also appreciate that there are other angles - like one member mentioned yesterday, the ability to access comprehensive navigation functions and control an effective hands-free kit.

Could you achieve much of your target with a basic Bluetooth single DIN unit and a mini-tablet? That place the onus on your head unit to be good for connectivity and amplification. Everything else comes (and goes) with the tablet.

[Hughsie]

Thanks very much everybody. That is all great information. I am going to print it and give it to my local installer who has never done an Alfa of any generation. But better him than me. I limit myself to wiring up driving lights.