vw car stereo

[swel304]

I got a new (used) car today, 2001 jetta. Its pretty sweet, but apprently when the person who origianlly ordered it was picking out extras like heated leather seats they decided against the cd player?! The must have been one of the people who said "cd?! they will never take off. pfftt" Anyway I didnt think it would be a big deal to change it but boy was I wrong. After an hour of looking for any way to get the damn thing out I look on the internet for insturctions. So I find out now I need to buy a special tool (that I will only use once) to pull out the factory stereo.... To further deplete funds I also see that europeans dont use the same antena coax cable as the usa, but I was told by a car/stereo place that some vw's do have coax and some dont..... anyone installed one in a 2001 (or similar) jetta gls befor? any advice or info? even if I have to buy the key and the adapter it will still be cheaper than paying the car place 50$ to install it.

Also I am looking at radio's. Nothing extravagant. I pretty much just want a cd/mp3 player thats not complete crap but not super expensive. I was in walmart and saw a very cheap (80$) unit that has some really cool features but a name brand Ive never heard of. not only does it play mp3/wma cd's, its got a usb port for a thumb drive, an sd card slot, and front aux input.
http://walmart.scosche-cars.com/products2/?sfID1=24&productID=1652&walmartProductID=4744710
anyone have experience with that brand or unit? Seems to be very cool but the low price makes me wonder if its worth anything.

[swel304]

oh and also, someone has stolen one of the vw emblems off one of the rims... anyone know where to get a replacement?

[Thatdirtykid]

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/ used stuff.
The Real Source http://www.800luvbugg.com/ is good but overpriced. they actually bought out my fav catalog too.
JC whitney has alot of genaric stuff too.

oops it seems that since they bought out my fav catalog, they may have stop carrying new VW stuff.

[Glock23]

One of the first things you should try is call your local salvage yards. They normally have both of the things you are looking for, and will sell them for much less than anywhere you can find online or in catalogs. Make sure you are nice when you call them, because most of the time they set the price at what they feel like at the moment. Also, most VW factory stereos should fit your car (gti's, golfs passats ect...) so you may want to ask if they have any VW CD players. If you buy a factory radio, it will actually help the value of your car more than an aftermarket. And be prepared, Vdubs are pricey for parts and service, but they are great rides. Congrats on your purchase! Oh, and if you decide you need some new euro spec wheels on the Jetta, let me know. http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/pts/274535225.html

[jorr16]

I have used http://www.crutchfield.com in the past for some of the car stereos that I have bought. Basically their prices are really close to anything you would find in Walmart and Best Buy. They have a very wide variety of aftermarket stereos which I'm sure would fit your budget. Honestly the best part about dealing with them is that if you order a CD player from them they give you everything you need to get it hooked up including your antenna adaptor and stereo removal tool. Did I mention that was all free too? By far one of the best online buying experiences I have ever had. I know this might sound like an advertisment but I was lucky enough to get told about this site and I think everyone should know about it if they are going to put their own stereos in their car. Honestly it's not that difficult either if you can follow directions. Check it out. I ran the jetta through the what fits my car thing and it gives you everything you need as long as you get it through them...
Good luck!
J

[jorr16]

Don't mean to step on your toes Glock but I've tried going the way of junkyards and I would say don't do it. You can get a really good aftermarket stereo that sounds alot better for the less than what the junkyards sell around here anyway. Most junkyards sell those stereos at like 150 to 200 a pop because they know they can get that much for them.
J

[some call me...tim?]

I've always been a big fan of Crutchfield, they might not be the cheapest outfit, but they're definitely not overpriced. I'm pretty sure they give you everything you need to install (weird tools, wiring harnesses, etc.) for free when you order stuff from them, and they're hands down the best customer service, both in helping you install the stuff and with any problems you might have with the product.

Besides that, I think Circuit City actually installs their stuff for free or at a good rate...I know when I got my car alarm, installation was included in the price and it was for an entirely reasonable number. Plus they did it right then and there, no need for an appointment or anything.

Oh, and the walmart thing didn't link for me, just took me to the walmart home page, but generally, I wouldn't trust it. If it's something cheap, something you've never heard of, and its coming from walmart....well, I wouldn't expect it to last.

[NoLifeLeft]

The hardest part about putting that radio in is usually how tight the space behind the radio in a VW is. Take the time to do a lot of careful tucking in on the wires, you'll be glad you did.

[Glock23]

Don't mean to step on your toes Glock but I've tried going the way of junkyards and I would say don't do it. You can get a really good aftermarket stereo that sounds alot better for the less than what the junkyards sell around here anyway. Most junkyards sell those stereos at like 150 to 200 a pop because they know they can get that much for them.
J

Toes intact man. The places around us are really fair, and will hook you up cheap. $150-200 is crazy! Even if not for the stereo, the wheel cap should be an easy score. I agree aftermarkets can sound better, and I had a top of the line JVC in mine before it got jacked.

[Solty]

check out

www.vwvortex.com

for all of your VW needs.

-mike

[swel304]

Ok after some research on that 80$ walmart stereo I find that about 9 in 10 of them dont work or quit working after a few days. After some more research I find that boss makes a deck with the same features, more power, and well... it says boss on on it . I orderer one here and after shipping it only cost me about 50$ more than the walmart special which I think is probobly worth it, I just wasnt looking to pay 300+ for a deck.
http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=5218
I already have the wiring harness and the keys are only like 10$. I called a guy from a website that sells the keys and he told me to go to a VW dealership, that they sell the keys for the same price so I wont have to pay shipping and wait a week for them. He also told me that some jetta's do have the coax wiriing for the antenna and that I would just have to wait and see when I open it but that I could also get that at a vw dealership for the same price (seems very helpful for costing himself sales). Really I dont listen to FM radiio much but If Im going to put in a deck I want to do it right. I also realized that my new car has a 200w amp in the trunk that runs/filters all the little speakers around the car (sweet), so I think the boss will be sounding pretty good (hell the factory deck dont sound all that bad).
As for the junkyard comment I think he meant for the VW wheel emblems, not the radio. Im not so concerned about resell value as to go for a crap factory unit over something I would like better. for that matter, I will keep the tape deck and take my deck out if I ever sell the car. Really I just wanted someting that would play mp3 cd's so I wouldnt have so many discs laying all over the car, but being able to play off a thumb drive and sd card will just be that much better. Makes me want to get a protable usb harddrive and just put all my music on it and stick it under a seat (if it will read a hardrive anyway).

[jorr16]

Oh yeah, I guess I didn't see that about the wheels. Yeah for sure go to the junkyard if you can for those cause they would probably be way cheap. It seems to me that anything electrical from the junkyard is definately not worth it especially stereos. My bad!
J

[swel304]

well, I ordered the wheel piece centercap and all from ebay for 15$.

The raido seems to become more of a hassle every day. A guy at work that has an '01 beetle tells me that the reason he hasnt changed out his factory stereo is because he was told that it is somehow tied to the antitheft system and if it is disconnected the car wont start until some kind of special code is entered . Im really not sure how that would help, if someone is stealing the car why would they unhook the radio first? Anyway, does anyone know if thats true of all VW years/models? Its looking like I am going to have to pay to get this thing installed.

In the meantime Ive dug out all of my old cassetts (most being at least 10 years old). I had almost forgotten how bad music on tape could suck. I am spoiled on cd's and mp3 players. cant wait to get this thing finished. It makes me wonder though why people havent got that nostalga thing going with tapes like the die hard record fans.

[jmammo]

Im really not sure how that would help, if someone is stealing the car why would they unhook the radio first?

Well if the thieve can't or does no know how to hot wire a car (but really who doesn't?) then the start stealing things in your car, anything and everything really. Radios are on of the first things they steal. Especially if you have a nice one, although even if it is a factory one they can get some good cash for it.

[garublador]

I have a 2001 Passat and the CD player option was an extra $500-$600. All they offered at the time was a 6 disc player that went in the trunk. I tried to get a single disc player later and they said it would be $400 to put that in. When I went to Best Buy during one of their "free install" promotions it was still a couple hundred bucks extra to get one installed because of how the stereo system was set up in them. So it's not that the original owner opted out of the CD player, it was just an expensive option for what you really got.

What I ended up doing, and what I'd recommend other's do, is to get an MP3 player and one of those tape adapters that plugs into the headphone jack. I'd avoid the Sony brand adapters, they haven't worked well for me in my car. When it's all said and done, it's less expensive and less work than getting a new stereo and you don't have to cart around CD's.