# 2004 VW Passat w/ aftermarket radio



## kuhnarchitekt (Jul 6, 2007)

I am probably going to get burned for this, but I am a newb to these forums so please be gentle.
I just picked up my 2004 Passat yesterday, and love it already. It came stock with the double DIN Monsoon system, which (I think) is leaves me zero options to install my Sirius satellite radio. Yes, I could use an FM transmitter, but the ones I have used in the past never worked all that well. 
I stopped by Circuit City ready to buy and have them install a single after market DIN radio. I literally had the cash in hand, ready to buy the radio and book a time this weekend to have it installed. When I told them the car make and model, it was like I told them I was holding anthrax. They backed up, took a deep breath, and sighed.
In short, they told me a complete re-wire of the car would have to be performed - including a rather expensive wiring harness - in order to get the amp to perform properly. They even regaled me with a few horror stories of DIY'ers that have botched their own car during the install. Is this true? Or do I really look like I just fell off the turnip truck?
I am a fairly handy guy, and have installed radios in other cars before - is it THAT difficult that I can't do it myself?


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: 2004 VW Passat w/ aftermarket radio (kuhnarchitekt)*

total crap.
buy the same HU from onlinecarstereo.com, save like 60%, and then check out enfig.com for the wiring harness and the pocket to fill in the hole.


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## kuhnarchitekt (Jul 6, 2007)

*Re: 2004 VW Passat w/ aftermarket radio (afinley)*

Thanks for the input - I knew it was a line of bull****, but wanted some one else to tell me!
As an FYI - the same Sony CDX-GT710 CD Receiver that I was going to buy originally at Circuit City for $200? Crutchfield has it on sale for $179, and I used promo code "3A706" to get another $20 off (good until . 8/31/07) $159 total with free shipping. 
This is a bargain as is, but then factor in the free antenna adapter, receiver kit, wiring harness, and receiver add-on (the pocket to fill the double DIN) and it's a damn steal! The only thing I need now is the servo or wire or whatever to make my steering wheel controls work. Any one know where I can get that?
PS: Mad props, dap, and kudos to "http://dinsolutions.net/howto_aftermarketheadunitinstall.html" for installation tips. My Passat will be slightly different, but the stock radio is the same.


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## user name unknown (Sep 2, 2001)

*Re: 2004 VW Passat w/ aftermarket radio (kuhnarchitekt)*

What's up man?
I got your email!
Circuit City = nothing
They don't know what they are talking about. You will be able to install the aftermarket headunit with no problems at all.
If you order from Crutchfield, you will get everything you need to do the install.


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: 2004 VW Passat w/ aftermarket radio (user name unknown)*

google SWI-ALP for the steering wheel interface


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## kuhnarchitekt (Jul 6, 2007)

*Re: 2004 VW Passat w/ aftermarket radio (user name unknown)*

Thanks for the support! One thing that another local installer told me though - that amp that comes with the Monsoon system. Evidently, this is where all us DIY guys get in trouble.
I will have to check when it comes in, but I hope the Crutchfield kit comes with the right hardware to incorporate it into the system, rather than bypass it altogether.


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## kuhnarchitekt (Jul 6, 2007)

*Re: 2004 VW Passat w/ aftermarket radio (afinley)*

Are you sure about this part "SWI-ALP"? Every google search I do tells me that it's compatible with "JVC, ALPINE, CLARION, KENWOOD, or BLUPUNKT stereo"s. No mention of either a Sony HU or a VW car.


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: 2004 VW Passat w/ aftermarket radio (kuhnarchitekt)*

i know that that swi-alp work with A4 chassis, dont know about sony. try swi-son to see if there is a similar part for sony HUs.
the monsoon amp isnt a problem. from an install standpoint, just install like it isnt there. it takes speaker level inputs, and just goes from there.


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## DankNugz (May 19, 2007)

yea the circuit city guys say that for every sound system with a stock amp. try hooking up the rca preouts from the head unit to the stock amp if your not gonna change the speakers.


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## SB_Beetle (Oct 11, 2003)

Glad you're going D.I.Y.
The electronics "superstore"(?) intallers are more concerned about the nightmare stories they've heard from their buddies about the curious flashing dash lights and rapid blinkers after a co-worker's professional install job. I've installed Alpines in both Monsoon and non-Monsoon systems with no issue. Self install also gives you the pride of completion and knowing what to do if something goes wrong.


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## kuhnarchitekt (Jul 6, 2007)

*Re: I did it*

I just wanted to send a quick reply about how the installation went.
In a word - pretty freakin' smooth!!
The only problem I had was the removal of the double DIN radio. After about an hour of trying to get the keys to "catch" the tabs on the interior of the radio, I finally conceded and drove quickly to Best Buy for their expertise. It took the guy a little while and he was just about ready to send me away, but he finally got it to click.
Having made all the harness connections this morning, I removed the stock radio, ran the wire to the fuse box, connected the wiring harness, broke the pocket (more on that later), inserted the collar for the radio & pulled the wires through it, connected the radio to the wires & antenna, slid the whole thing snugly into place, and turned the radio on. WHA-LAH!
One thing about the pocket kit - of course you have to assemble it, but the little "tabs" that secures the faceplate to the pocket are really really fragile (no, they aren't made in Italy!). Within about three seconds of putting it together, I broke one side so now the thing is useless. Great thing about Crutchfield is that they will ship me a new one free of charge.
Thanks for all your help, guys - it was as easy-peasy as I thought it was going to be.


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## chrishart1 (Jul 2, 2003)

I also have a 2004 and just bought a dash unit with all necessary pieces from Crutchfield. I am surprised by the necessity to run a wire to the fuse panel. Why can't we just use the same wire that tells the OEM dash unit to turn on and off? Is there any trick to removing the panel below the steering wheel (so I can route that wire over to the fuse panel? Crutchfield doesn't say anything (!) about that step in their instructions. I'd like to think it would be straightforward, but this is VW after all.


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## kuhnarchitekt (Jul 6, 2007)

*Re: (chrishart1)*

I thought of this, too - but didn't want to screw around & decided to follow the directions. I would think that two wires sucking power from one wire that is only providing power for one wire is bad though. 
It was a bit of a job getting that red wire to the fuse box. I don't remember the exact path, but I think I got it under the steering column on the interior of the car. After that, it's a lot of noodling in the dash up to your armpit for the elusive wire that you can't see, but totally worth it.
RTK


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## chrishart1 (Jul 2, 2003)

The red wire doesn't draw any significant amount of current. It's merely a trigger that tells that dash unit to power off when the voltage disappears from that conductor (which Crutchfield says to connect to the wiper circuit). I know for sure that it would be safe to connect the red wire to the same lead as the yellow (and not run it over to the fuse box). But that would mean that you absolutley have to remember to turn off the radio every single time you leave the car. I can't guarantee I'll remember that every time, so I definitely do need to connect the red wire to some trigger source.
But the thing that surprises me is that there is evidently no trigger wire already present in the stock radio wire harness (since I'm sure that Crutchfield would have you take advantage of it, if it were there).
All the cars I have owned in the past have had this trigger wire and it made the wiring job very simple. I'm at a loss to understand why this is missing in the VW and how the OEM radio knows to shut down when you remove the key. One would think it would be simple to take advantage of the same "system" with the aftermarket radio.
Does anyone have deeper knowledge about this? How does VW do this with the stock unit? I could poke around in there with a multimeter, but I was hoping someone here might have already discovered the answer.


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## chrishart1 (Jul 2, 2003)

From some forum reading I've done, it sounds like the stock radio is turned on and off by the CanBus and not a simple trigger wire. Leave it to VW to make something needlessly complicated.
So, what I'm considering using as my car-on/off trigger source is one of the switches immediately next to the radio. I'll use either the passenger heat seater control or rear defogger switch. It should be trivial to determine which supply wire is ignition-controlled. Then I'll use a 3M crimp-in-place connector to tie into it.
I'm surprised that Crutchfield doesn't suggest this themselves, as this would spare customers from having to route a wire under the steering wheel (which has the potential for causing problems, when done in an untidy fashion). Since the red wire only draws a small enough current to trigger a relay, there's no overload risk to the circuit you tie into.


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## afinley (Dec 29, 2004)

*Re: (chrishart1)*

look above youre dead pedal, under the drivers side dash. is there a power ditribution block there?


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