head unit install

[E30 B27]

how do i uninstall an aftermarket head unit? i cant figure out how to pull the damn thing out... it should just slice out right?

i bought a better unit because the previous owner installed a crappy 45w unit that only produces treble... ear splitting...

[E30 B27]

*slide

[StereoInstaller1]

What brand is the deck you are trying to get out?

[E30 B27]

alpine, like the lowest of their line

[accident]

On the mounting receiver there are two tabs that click in to the unit itself. Stick something flat down either side of the unit and then pull it forward

[E30 B27]

where are these tabs located? forward or back?

[StereoInstaller1]

Actually, hold on there.

I need a pic of the sides of the area by the face, the inside "lip" of the area where the face fits.

Alpine had for years 2 little slide clips that you move with a pen or a pick tool adn then it slides right out, but not all Alpines are like that.

[StereoInstaller1]

and?

[SimplyDope]

We can only assume he's out spreading the knowledge to others.

[kungfooren]

Hi all,

I'm running into a similar issue with mine--too stupid to figure out how to pull it out.

Here's a picture of my unit. Previous owner had Best Buy install a SONY headunit.

Any ideas? Are there screws to undo?

Thanks!

[accident]

Do you see the two little metal tabs on the right hand side? There should be an identical set on the left side. There is a tool that slides in the slot and releases tabs on the side of the unit. A butter knife or thin screwdriver works fine as well.

[kungfooren]

Thanks! My butter knives were too tall to fit in the slot. Going to try hacksaw blades and my swiss army knife.


The reason I'm doing this is to get access to the temp control knob. For some reason, it can't turn all the way. I can only turn it halfway and it gets stuck as if it's hitting something. In fact, I can see the head unit move a bit as I try to turn the knob.

[StereoInstaller1]

HVAC controls are pretty easy to block if the wiring is sloppy.

As Accident said, there are 2 little tabs that lock the deck in place. The Sony keys are similar to these:

[deutschman]

If you cant find the tools, some thing thin and the right length will work. The original tools both unlock the head unit from the metal brackets, and serve to pull the head unit out.
If you make some long tabs out of some thin metal (like the metal sheathing the use to put around the wall behind a hot water heater) you can slide it in ether side of the head unit which will unlock the metal brackets but you will have to pull the head unit out separately.

[StereoInstaller1]

^exactly. Tin snips and a hunk of thin sheet metal