Car stereo upgrade advice?

[c/f]

The wife has a Ford mini Van with Double Din 6CD factory stereo. What I am looking to do is update to something that allows for handsfree cell phone use and any other cool stuff that pairing to a modern APP based stereo would bring to table.

Im afraid without ever having one I'm likely to miss out on something I have no idea about. She uses Android phones as a rule.
Thanks

[capthis]

Oh Mike..... magic holes Mike your expertise is needed here lol

[gus]

You should talk to my flying buddy, his name is Jim Fosgate

[capthis]

You should talk to my flying buddy, his name is Jim Fosgate

lol

[the lift]

I think if you get anything with bluetooth that IT will do what you want. Most aftermarket systems have it. Allows you to link your phone.
I always have used Crutchfield for my car stereo needs. They include wire harness and any dash fillers to make a nice looking installation.
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-vDGgX52qrfS/

[ThumbSkull]

If you don't want to have to figure out the factory wiring harness, and the door chime and other alerts through the system, Crutchfield will be your best bet. They have almost mastered the plug and play installation. The last few car systems I've done have been Kenwood. They seem to have it figured out for bluetooth and easy-ish DSP type EQ.
Run through the factory car configurator on the main page. They will eventually point you to a harness that will prevent several hours of frustration.

[capthis]

If you don't want to have to figure out the factory wiring harness, and the door chime and other alerts through the system, Crutchfield will be your best bet. They have almost mastered the plug and play installation. The last few car systems I've done have been Kenwood. They seem to have it figured out for bluetooth and easy-ish DSP type EQ.
Run through the factory car configurator on the main page. They will eventually point you to a harness that will prevent several hours of frustration.

And just like that Magic Holes Mike appeared and busted out some knowledge!



Yes... from hence fourth the bro formally known as Thumbskull shall be known as Magic Holes Mike. If you have to ask why you missed the most epic night of BS and Magic Holes. And Constrictor was not drunk.

[the lift]

...They (crutchfield) also give you good directions on how to take apart the dash for your particular vehicle and you can look at that process before you buy. Same with the doors if yer doing speakers. That in itself is a great help.

[capthis]

...They (crutchfield) also give you good directions on how to take apart the dash for your particular vehicle and you can look at that process before you buy. Same with the doors if yer doing speakers. That in itself is a great help.

Oh so you don't have to break the clippy things off cause you pulled on a Ford door panel like a Chevy Door panel when you were supposed to lift???

That sounds awesome!

[the lift]

lol!

Ya they're all different. Mostly pretty easy if you have a diagram of your dash. I remember ordering a stereo from them for my 74 gutlass back in the early 80's...used my tax return money. Even back then they did all the same stuff.

My only complaint is you still have to connect all the wires of the 2 harnesses together... solder, butt connect, whatever. Just a matter of matching wire colors.

[sparkplug]

got left out on mike thing,were do we look for a smile.

[McDDD]

I swapped out the factory double DIN AM/FM/CD in my 2008 F-150 with an Atoto A6 unit. With a smartphone as a personal hotspot, the upgrade gave me Google Maps navigation, which was the main reason behind the swap. The hands free phone was a bonus.

[c/f]

Done, Ended up with a JVC from Crutchfield , definately have used Crutch over the years but to distracted with all choices of online vendors these days. Looking forward to a spliced and ready to go plug/play besides parking brake ssoooo

Second question, does anyone know the means by which to hack the parking brake wire??

[c/f]

FWIW , MAgic Hole Mike and Capthis were at odds over use of the Magic hole or overstuffing it to the point it stops working.

[MikeMcChiken]

Do your research . I got a Kenwood Excelon single din with CD . It has all the bells and whistles . Too many in fact . A lot of radios advertise they work with Android but they are usually buggy and work better with Apple . Reviews are your best hope . You can even call and talk to a tech at Crutchfield . I just got back into car audio . I always put in good gear when I do an install and really miss the high end simple radios of the 90's when . You cant get a high end radio now without buying a damn computer built in it

[Doug B]

got left out on mike thing,were do we look for a smile.

Look here. Magic holes.

http://www.solostove.com

[ThumbSkull]

The magic holes...

[sparkplug]

well my shop oil burner melts cast iron car drums. but then, it does spray the oil with air onto drum.

[sparkplug]

lets face it,we have overload of computers. got to be tec guy for anything. they cant make a fire,or change a tire,but the tec they get. new car radios why,lights to bright,to many buttions,loaded with stuff dont need,,not marked clearly. need more amps,build it in radio. dam,i miss the the 80s. just try to buy a flashlight,no flash,beeps,radio,bunch of batterys. speaking of batterys,18650 work great,lots of power,why we dont use them more in rc.

[basmntdweller]

I’ve been looking at replacing the head unit in my truck ever since they threatened me with fines and such for using my cell while driving. For at least the last 10 years, I’ve been mechless, no cd or tape, strictly memory card. I was looking at Best Buy a couple weeks ago. They had a kenwood that would run off memory card and had a backup camera as well. It was around $200 installed but wasn’t ready to pull the trigger. Actually wanted to come on here and ask about it before buying.

Any thoughts? I use IPhone as well.