After swapping out my OEM radio/CD player in my P5 today I had some notes that go along with Sir Nuke's guide on removal and tool creation. Call it a layman's or newbie's guide if you will. It was my first DIN removal and until I 'got it' it was a pain in the butt.
To get the bezel off, I removed the Tape/MD faceplate and reached inside to push the bezel out. Feel around and you'll find a spot that moves the bezel a little and give a little push. I didn't want to try and pry it from outside and risk a scratch or crack. Once you have one or two of the clips free, work around until the rest are.
At the very top of the bezel is the hazard switch. Use a small screwdriver to release the tab that locks the harness to the switch. You might be able to work with it connected, but it gave me a little more room. Because the heater/air controls have cables that run behind the radio, I couldn't take the entire bezel off and you really don't have to. I did release the "zone" selector cable because you can see where it attaches up and to the left of the gas pedal. Use a spike, pen, or other pointy instrument to get the loop over the plastic that keeps it in place. This also gave a little more room to work.
Once the bezel was free, I looked for where to use the removal tools. I didn't know that there were two pieces of bezel on each side of the radio. (I'm new ok!) They pop off and reveal the holes that will release the radio.
The tools in the above guide do work and I made mine from an old wire coat hanger. A few things do help with the removal. First, make sure the wire is straight and firm. On one of the "U" shaped tools I made, the coat hanger was a little bent by the tip which caused it to get hung up in the bracket. Secondly, if an arm of the "U" tool angles inward or outward, it might not fully engage the clip or even miss it entirely. I found this out after I pulled the unit and looked at where the tool was hitting. If everything is straight and rigid, the "U" tool should slide right in and removal is a snap. I had a real pain because my funky wires weren't hitting the tabs as they should. I used a painted coat hanger, but would recommend a non-painted since the paint scratches off and leaves flakes.
You're also taking your bezel's life in your hands if you don't mask it off with tape. I didn't scratch mine, but came so close I thought I did. Twice.
I didn't use the larger tool with the bent ends. Since I was having a hassle getting the tabs to release, I slid one side free and then the other. There was enough wiggle-room that you can free one side and pull it out enough so the clips can't lock-on and then work to free the other.
Sill having trouble? Between the two holes the tools go into, next to the unit there is a little slot. I used a small screwdriver to aid the release of the clip. For example, if you are working on the volume knob side, insert the screwdriver 1/4" and slowly apply pressure away from the radio. It doesn't take much, so don't crank on it and break something. That was the final staw in getting the clips to release on a stubborn side. I used the Tape/MD area to pull the radio out through the bezel.
Putting in the new radio and connecting everything back together was a snap. I used the Metra 70-7903 wiring harness (crutchfield.com) and the Schosche MA1537 DIN piece (sounddomain.com). I didn't install any mounting brackets, but it could use something for support. There is about a 3/4" space between the radio and the pocket and being plastic, it flexes. I went for the ghetto fix and used cardboard and a little tape in between the two for support.
While the stock unit was nice with the same glow of the dash, it couldn't play mp3s, skipped too often, and even more often with a CD-R.
To get the bezel off, I removed the Tape/MD faceplate and reached inside to push the bezel out. Feel around and you'll find a spot that moves the bezel a little and give a little push. I didn't want to try and pry it from outside and risk a scratch or crack. Once you have one or two of the clips free, work around until the rest are.
At the very top of the bezel is the hazard switch. Use a small screwdriver to release the tab that locks the harness to the switch. You might be able to work with it connected, but it gave me a little more room. Because the heater/air controls have cables that run behind the radio, I couldn't take the entire bezel off and you really don't have to. I did release the "zone" selector cable because you can see where it attaches up and to the left of the gas pedal. Use a spike, pen, or other pointy instrument to get the loop over the plastic that keeps it in place. This also gave a little more room to work.
Once the bezel was free, I looked for where to use the removal tools. I didn't know that there were two pieces of bezel on each side of the radio. (I'm new ok!) They pop off and reveal the holes that will release the radio.
The tools in the above guide do work and I made mine from an old wire coat hanger. A few things do help with the removal. First, make sure the wire is straight and firm. On one of the "U" shaped tools I made, the coat hanger was a little bent by the tip which caused it to get hung up in the bracket. Secondly, if an arm of the "U" tool angles inward or outward, it might not fully engage the clip or even miss it entirely. I found this out after I pulled the unit and looked at where the tool was hitting. If everything is straight and rigid, the "U" tool should slide right in and removal is a snap. I had a real pain because my funky wires weren't hitting the tabs as they should. I used a painted coat hanger, but would recommend a non-painted since the paint scratches off and leaves flakes.
You're also taking your bezel's life in your hands if you don't mask it off with tape. I didn't scratch mine, but came so close I thought I did. Twice.
I didn't use the larger tool with the bent ends. Since I was having a hassle getting the tabs to release, I slid one side free and then the other. There was enough wiggle-room that you can free one side and pull it out enough so the clips can't lock-on and then work to free the other.
Sill having trouble? Between the two holes the tools go into, next to the unit there is a little slot. I used a small screwdriver to aid the release of the clip. For example, if you are working on the volume knob side, insert the screwdriver 1/4" and slowly apply pressure away from the radio. It doesn't take much, so don't crank on it and break something. That was the final staw in getting the clips to release on a stubborn side. I used the Tape/MD area to pull the radio out through the bezel.
Putting in the new radio and connecting everything back together was a snap. I used the Metra 70-7903 wiring harness (crutchfield.com) and the Schosche MA1537 DIN piece (sounddomain.com). I didn't install any mounting brackets, but it could use something for support. There is about a 3/4" space between the radio and the pocket and being plastic, it flexes. I went for the ghetto fix and used cardboard and a little tape in between the two for support.
While the stock unit was nice with the same glow of the dash, it couldn't play mp3s, skipped too often, and even more often with a CD-R.
