When you need your windshield or other auto glass repaired, don't assume you are going the safe route by hiring mobile services. That may be what your insurance company wants you to do, but they may have no idea of the procedures or problems that can happen with mobile service. It is often assumed that mobile glass installation conforms to OEM and all Federal Safety Standards for windshield and back glass, but such is not the case. Chances are, if your car insurance agent ever attended any safety or installation class, they would change their minds altogether about recommending mobile repair service. Most insurance agents have no idea of the procedures of glass replacement, so to the insured, it sounds convenient and ideal.

Consumers purchasing vehicle from automotive dealers take for granted that the vehicle conforms to all safety standards, including the glass. Mobile installations do not provide that assurance.

Modern vehicles employ many safety features that can be disabled and rendered useless through improper removal of windshields, side glass, and back glass. Air bags, side curtains, and other features can be deployed by static electricity. The computer system can be triggered and may disable those safety features through improper disconnect procedures. If this happens, the customer has to pay the dealer to reset the computer. That is not covered by insurance.

The question of proper installer certification is a concern. When it comes to mobile glass replacement, most mobile installers are not properly certified and in many cases are actually subcontractors hired by glass companies - or are independent glass installers that are not licensed or certified in the procedures of automotive glass installation. Such companies provide the glass, a vehicle to go to the jobs, or the installer will even use his personal vehicle and charge a flat amount for installing the glass.
the company that contracted the installation will address the problem later (if at all), meaning the warranty will expire before they get there.

Be very careful and judicious in your selection of a mobile service to perform any work on your vehicle. Considering how important the auto glass is to your safety and the functioning of your car or truck, it pays to exercise caution when hiring someone for the job.

I have come across a lot of car stereo systems over the past 10 years or so. There are so many "techniques" to installing head units. Everyone has their own opinion of what is right and wrong when wiring up a system, but just because it works doesn't make it right.

I asked Majestic Modifications what their opinion was on the subject. How do they install so many units and always get it right?

First, if applicable, always use the harnesses. The aftermarket wiring harness will usually take the guesswork out of the installation. These harnesses attach to the vehicle's factory wiring harness and gives you a color coded installation. You just attach red to red, yellow to yellow, etc. But is that all an installer should know?

Starting with your digital multimeter, find the power sources in the harness. One source will be continuous 12 volts, the other will be the ACC (ignition) 12 volts. These two will go with the yellow and red wires from the aftermarket head unit's harness. They are labeled accordingly. It is usually a good idea to attach the ground wire to the frame of the dash. A lot of head units come with a connector for this already attached to the ground wire. Secure these in place with some solder and shrink tubing. Slip the shrink tubing over one of the wires to be connected and move it out of the way. Connect the wires and dab a little solder on the wires. Let cool and then slide the heat shrink tubing over the connection. Heat with a heat gun/hair dryer to shrink the tubing to fit.

You can try to look on the internet for the wiring colors, but good luck. They will tell you the "typical" wire colors, but chances are it will be different. You can try two techniques to find the right wires. Clip the rest of the wires from the factory harness. You can test the speakers with a good 9 volt battery to see which speakers are which. Two wires connected to the same speaker will make it pop. Note which speaker makes the pop and attach it to that speakers wiring from the head unit. I like to turn the unit on and make sure the wires are the right polarity. A reverse wired speaker will not have as good a sound as a properly wired one. Continue the technique until all the speakers are connected.

The other way you can trace the speakers down is to turn on the head unit, but be VERY careful to not cross any wires. Start with a pair of wires, and attach them one at a time until you get sound. Note which speaker it is and attach it to that speaker's wires from the wiring harness, taking not of polarity. Continue until all the wires are in place. Zip tie the wire together and neatly tuck them behind the head unit.

Be sure you have a good ground wire connection. Be sure that RCAs or signal wires are running away from any power wires or sources, and are not run parallel to them.

If you want a neat trick, you can attach the 12 volt acc to the illumination wire, and you will be able to turn the unit on with your parking light switch. Take note, that anytime the unit is on, the dash panel lights will be on too, but you won't notice them in the daytime. The illumination wire is used to turn the factory radio lights on at night.

Not having the wiring harness for your vehicle is not a do or die situation. If you can get the harnesses, save the hassle and time and use it. If you find yourself in a bind, then follow the steps above and get it installed correctly.

If you are thinking of replacing or upgrading your original factory fitted car radio but are unsure of the options, benefits and technical considerations, then read on, all will be explained.

Factory-fitted radios (standard fit radios) in the past had relatively low power outputs of about 3 to 5 watts RMS. However, the latest factory-fitted radios have improved vastly with power outputs of up to 100 Watts. These figures represent 25 Watts, ‘peak’ power per channel x 4 (this basically means x 4 speakers).

This actually translates to approximately 10 watts RMS x 4 channels, when used for any length of time (continuous). Is this power substantial to produce high quality sound? Yes and No

Compare this to aftermarket radios (radios manufactured for retail sale), such as the best-selling Alpine, Kenwood, Panasonic and Sony brands, where basic models start at a power output of 45 Watts x 4.

Why am I telling you about factory-fitted radios if you are about to replace it?

I am telling you about factory-fitted radios because if you really wish to keep your radio you can, by adding a CD changer. This gives you the option of CD and/or MP3 at way below what your dealer would charge. This can only be done if your radio has a CD Changer output socket found at the rear of your radio.

Now, if you feel the factory radio must go, ensure that the aftermarket radio you’re planning to install has all the features you need. Furthermore, ensure that it is easily compatible with other units like CD changers. This is very important because you never can tell when you’ll want to upgrade your car audio system. Then you won’t have to spend on interfaces to enable you connect your new unit.

CD interfaces are used to enable your factory-fitted radio to communicate with an aftermarket CD Changer. The set up your factory-installed radio has determines if the interface connects at the rear of your radio or to the factory pre-installed CD lead (where available).

Not all pre-installed CD leads are compatible with the interfaces and in such a case, you would simply ignore the pre-installed lead and run the replacement as if it wasn't there. The product descriptions in most online shops will detail whether your car will have a pre-installed CD lead. If you don’t have a pre-installed CD lead the interface will connect at the rear of your radio and the CD lead that comes with all CD changers will then connect at the other side of the interface and run to your CD mounting location.

Important: When installing interfaces ensure your keys are completely removed from your ignition.

Interface - Extra wiring connections

A very small amount of interfaces, require a few extra connections. However, interface manufacturers are constantly re-designing their interfaces to incorporate all connections so they are ‘Plug & Play’ (push connection only, with no extra connections). They realize that these components are becoming increasingly popular with “DIY’ers” and are consequently making these changes.

The maximum extra connections you can have are two 12-volt wires to connect and an earth. The 12 Volt wires are switched ignition and permanent live. These can be connected at the rear of your radio.

You'll also have a black ground wire that will be secured beneath a nearby screw that makes contact with the metal body of the vehicle or to a screw on your radio or under the mounting screw that mounts the CD changer.

Running the CD lead

*Connect the CD lead to your radio and CD changer and check for correct compatibility and operation before running the CD lead.

Many people think this is harder than it actually is. Your best option is to run the CD lead down the passenger side of the car and simply push it under the plastic trim that runs from the front to the rear of the car. With some vehicles you may have to remove the trim to hide it there or under the carpet. Avoid any screw locations that could pierce the CD lead when screwing them back in and avoid any tight areas that could pinch the lead such as the rear seat when it is adjusted. Hide any excess CD lead under the rear seat or tie up behind the glove box. Since the lead is extremely robust it will not be damaged under the rear seat.

Mounting the CD Changer *Check for correct compatibility and operation before mounting the changer.

The most popular locations to mount your CD Changer are in the boot or under the front passenger seat. Many glove boxes are also large enough to accommodate a CD changer, especially the smaller 6-disc models, the MiniDisc or the MP3 changer. Compare the CD changer measurements with that of what is available in your glove box.

CD changers can be mounted at any angle from 90 degrees (vertical) to 180 degrees (horizontal) as there are angle screws on either side of the unit that can be adjusted with a screwdriver according to the angle you require. Selection of the correct angle prevents the discs from skipping.

Suspending the CD changer from the underside of the rear deck (on saloon models only) inside the boot is a popular way to go because it keeps it hidden and also does not take up any usable space. However, make sure the CD changer magazine can be inserted and ejected without any obstructions.

Easy Installation with Adhesive Velcro

We recommend you only use Velcro when mounting the CD changer horizontally (flat) as a large surface area is used to join the two mounting surfaces together minimizing any movement. Please be aware that manufacturers do not actually recommend using Velcro, but in our experience we have found it an excellent way to mount CD changers quickly and effectively, especially for awkward locations such as glove boxes under passenger seats and for flat surfaces where drilling would be awkward. Audi A3 and BMW 3 series are a prime example (dependent on boot design).

Stick the Velcro strips to the CD changer first and then place the changer into the appropriate mounting location. What have you got to lose? If the discs happen to skip (it would be a first in our experience) simply use the brackets and screws supplied as a backup plan.

Look before installing with screws

No matter where you mount the CD changer, make sure you don’t drill and screw the mounting screws into your fuel tank or brake lines, etc. This can be prevented by simply checking before drilling.

FM Modulator CD Changer

An FM Modulator installation requires a permanent live, an ignition live and a ground/earth connection. The aerial from your existing radio connects into the FM modulator unit and the aerial connection from the unit connects to the radio. You run the CD lead from the unit that is hidden behind the dash, glove box or kick panels and then mount the CD changer in your desired location.

Next, mount the control display using adhesive velcro to a surface that you can see to select CD tracks, etc. To operate CD's you then play a CD and tune it into a radio determined frequency and store this frequency/channel into a radio preset button on your radio fascia. CD's will always play on this stored preset.

Is your CD changer not playing discs? Does it skip while playing? This should help solve the problem.

If you are using a CD changer and CD changer interface adapter package, please ensure that you have followed the adapter installation instructions (included with your delivery) to the letter. Also check the discs you are playing to ensure they are not the problem. Now, read through and do the following checks.

1) Ensure that your keys are completely removed from your ignition when installing the adapter. This is a common mistake and the result is that your CD changer will not initialize (link-up) with your radio. Basically, this means that the 2 units are not talking to each other.

2) Check the connections where the adapter connects to the radio or pre-installed CD lead (where fitted as standard) and the CD Changer. Also check that the pins in the connectors have not been bent or pushed out when the connectors were pushed together. This is a common fault

With the connector actually connected to the interface adapter box, inspect these pins from the rear of the connector very closely, as they could become dislodged when you push the radio into position, especially if it is a tight fit. Once inspected, actually place the radio on your passenger seat or hold it without pushing it back into the radio aperture and then test for correct operation. If it works, push it back into position and test again, if the fault returns the connectors and their connections are the problem.

3) Try disconnecting the CD adapter from the CD changer and then disconnect the CD adapter from the radio or pre-installed CD lead. Leave disconnected for 15 minutes. Then, with your keys removed from the ignition try connecting the adapter to the CD changer before connecting the adapter to the radio or pre-installed lead (dependent upon your car’s set-up). Now, check to see if the problem has been resolved.

Ensure once more that you have followed the CD adapter instructions in the exact order in which they are displayed when installing.

4) Check if your adapter has any extra fly-leads or wires attached (such as an earth, 12V ignition or 12V permanent live) that need to be connected to the cars wiring system or chassis. If it has, make sure they are connected correctly and securely.

5) Ensure that the earth connection is made to the body (chassis) of the car securely and that the surface of contact is a good, clean solid earth. If there is any paint on the earth pick-up point, clean the area with abrasive paper (sand paper, etc.). This will ensure that it is in contact with the adapter earth ring terminal.

6) If you are using an Alpine CHM-A634 CD Changer in conjunction with a KCA-130B (Ai-NET to M-Bus convertor) ensure the small switch found next to the “Eject” button has been set to position No. 2. The CD changer leads must be disconnected when moving this switch. Please consult your manual for more details.

7) If you are using a Kenwood CD Changer ensure that the small switch, found next to the “Eject” button on some models, has been set to the correct position for the Kenwood radio model you have connected it to. Consult your handbook for more details.