headunit in newer taurus
 

has anyone ever put a headunit in one of these cars (its the one with the oval dash) first you have to transfer all the heater controls on to the new kit (the kit is $60 might i add) after thats done and you wire up the harness you have to run the power and ground, speaker wire, and antenna wire to the rear of the car. after you do all that you have to bypass the factory amp thats in the rear of the car. before you can slide the kit in you have to saw out some extra plastic that keeps the kit from going in. you also have to use another harness so that the rear defroster will work. i think i charged the guy around $150 to install it. man i hate doing those!

sounds like fun. I should try one of those :D

no desire to even work on a taurus, unless its RWD, 350CI and tube chassis :)

Ryan. :D

i wish i could say that but id probably get fired:p

Re: headunit in newer taurus
 

Yeah, there a pain in the butt!! I'm an installer at a car audio shop and the kits that we have (METRA) comes with the dash kit and harness. You still have to move all the a/c controls from the factory dash piece to the new one. But it has a harness for the rear window defroster and it has the power wires and ground coming from that same harness with the rear window defroster harness as well. The other harness consist of the speaker wires and antanna cable that you have to run from the factory amp in the back. Of course our kit sells for $109.99. It does make it a little easier cause you don't have to hunt down the power wires. And we charge about $85 labor. There's alot of the newer Fords that you got to do stupid crap like that with.

Re: Re: headunit in newer taurus
 

kinda makes you wonder if Ford is trying to stray away from aftermarket radio. I use to love doing Ford radios b/c it takes like 10min and I can have a new HU installed b/c all you need are the Ford keys and then put the cage in, do the wire harness and bam!! Ya done. But now, takes forever.

Re: Re: Re: headunit in newer taurus
 

I've wondered the same thing. Ford Rangers and full size trucks and some cars take no time at all. Easy quick money. The got where most of the cars mainly Taurus's, Escorts, and some of the Crown Vics is a major pain. Most all of them you got to run wires and an antanna cable to the trunk. Of course the new GM cars are a pain also, when you got to run the harness to the back and relocate the factory radio in the trunk and the harness up in the dash has no switch power.

Oh, by the way, don't you just love how Ford has about 4 different harrness.

Re: Re: Re: Re: headunit in newer taurus
 

oh no, that's the best part of the install. It takes me longer to prep the wiring harness than to change and replace the HU :D

Re: Re: Re: headunit in newer taurus
 

ahhhh, unless its a common ground systed, those are a PITA too, and as shawnster said, the older crown vics have the factory amp in the trunk that you have to bypass. they are no picnic either...........man i really hate ford. id have to say that the easiest install you can do is a blaupunkt radio in a VW (as long as it doenst have the monsoon system) because the blaupunkt harness is the same as VW's factory harness. all you have to do is pop the radio out with some keys, put the cage in and plug it in and your ready to go! no harness needed, man thats sweet.

Those Taurus' are cake. I can do one by myself in less than 30 mins. :p