- so I'm a newbie to this forum so bear with me. Wife has a stock UK
'97 MR2 with factory fit 18401 radio / cassette head unit (single DIN with blanking plate below). She wants to play CDs - not unreasonable. What are my options (excluding paying £400+ to Toyota dealer)? Before I start pulling the fascia apart:- 1.
Are the amps built in to the head unit or separate (if so, where are they)? 2.
I'm guessing passive since no subs visible? 3.
Is this a Fujitsu / Panasonic / whatever unit under the skin? 4.
The head unit has CD controls on it - so this suggests pre-wiring for a changer; what's the product code for the appropriate Toyota CD unit and where does it normally fit? Are the leads likely to be in situ already?5.
Is replacing the Original head unit with a third-party combined radio/CD a better bet (don't need cassette)?6.
What third-party units would you suggest as suitable matches? 7.
Where might I find suitable units? Looked on e-pay for Toyota units and most of the offers have been for a self-contained single-slot CD player coupled with the Type 1 head unit (ours is Type 2 according to the manual). There are many posts suggesting that these CD units are prone to skipping and ejecting the CDs.Not bothered whether single CD or changer; MP3 ability not necessary; looking for simple cost-effective upgrade without tearing the car apart.
Quite happy to keep the existing head unit since it works OK and integrates well cosmetically (don't really want silver unit with bright blue LEDs, graphic equaliser and loads of bits that don't add anything to quality of playback - yes I'm a flat-earth hi-fi geek).If I could source a good used CD unit for
£60-80 with straight forward fitting I'd be well pleased. A quick net-scan suggests that a new (non-Toyota) CD/radio/amp all-in-one head unit is gonna cost a tad more... Couldn't find answers after pouring through forum after forum so apologies if this has been covered
(just point me at the appropriate post). Thanks for any help.
Graeme