How To Remove Car Radio

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Car stereos sometimes wear out or break, and you need to swap out the old one for a replacement. This might sound tricky, just it's really a pretty easy chore. All you lot need are a few simple tools and some patience. Once you know the right process, and so you'll be able to remove an former machine stereo like a pro!

1. one

   Disconnect the car battery to avoid a stupor or short. Disconnecting the battery is an important condom precaution. Popular the hood and find the battery. Unscrew the nut on the negative terminal first and pull the wire off. Store it safely on i side of the hood. So unscrew the positive last and move it to the other side of the hood. Make sure the positive concluding doesn't impact any metallic parts of the car or it'll produce a spark.^[i]

   • Car batteries commonly have a red clip on the positive terminal and a black clip on the negative terminal. If the clips aren't color-coded, await for the + or – symbols.
   • Never let the positive and negative wires touch.

2. 2

   Remove any screws or bolts around the trim. The trim is the plastic border around the stereo. On some cars, the stereo trim is merely clipped on, merely others might have screws or bolts holding it on. Check around the border of the trim for anything attaching it to the dashboard. Unscrew the bolts or screws to free the trim.^[2]

   • If there are bolts or screws, they might be near the bottom of the stereo trim so they're hidden from view.
   • Keep rail of whatever spiral or bolts you remove so you can reattach the trim after.

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3. 3

   Pop off the stereo trim with a flathead screwdriver. Whether the trim was attached with screws or not, you tin can remove information technology the same way. Insert a flathead screwdriver under the trim and gently work around information technology to loosen it. Pull the trim off when it pops free.^[3]

   • If the trim is stuck, you may accept missed a screw or bolt. Double bank check and remove anything holding the trim downwardly.
   • Be careful when you lot're removing the trim. If yous crevice it, it might exist expensive to supervene upon.

4. 4

   Pry the dashboard covering off if y'all have a newer auto. Newer cars and SUVs make it a chip more than difficult to remove the stereo and might embrace it with a whole dashboard panel instead of but a elementary trim. Luckily, this is easy to remove as well. Find the border of the panel and insert a plastic prybar into the infinite. Work the prybar around the panel until it pops off, then pull it off to reveal the stereo.^[4]

   • On some SUVs, the panel continue downwards to cover the cup holders. This doesn't change the removal process. Just keep working effectually the panel with the prybar until it comes off.^[5]
   • Do non employ a screwdriver or metal tool to remove the dashboard panel. This tin crevice the plastic and you'll need an expensive replacement.
   • You can get a plastic prybar from an auto parts store.

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1. 1

   Locate the slots on either side of the stereo. Automobile stereos are held in past 2 clips, 1 on each side. Y'all can admission them past inserting thin tools into the slots on both sides of the stereo. Check aslope the stereo and look for two thin slits to find the spot you have to insert the tool.^[6]

   • If the slots sit down farther back, yous might need a flashlight to come across them.
   • Some pickup trucks and SUVs have 2 holes on each side instead of a sparse slot. In this case, you lot'll need a ii-pronged tool or wire to admission the stereo clips.^[vii]
   • Ever confirm the procedure to remove the radio in your car owner'southward manual.

2. 2

   Insert radio keys into the slots on either side of the stereo. Radio keys are modest flat tools that undo the clips belongings the stereo in. They may come up with your car, or you can go a gear up from an auto parts store. Slide a cardinal into each slot on either side of the stereo.^[eight]

   • You demand both keys in at the same time to release the stereo.
   • If you don't take radio keys, you can use any flat piece of metal that fits into the radio slots. Some choices include thin knives, files, or hangers.
   • Radio keys are sometimes called DIN tools, if yous're looking in an auto parts store.

3. 3

   Printing the keys until they click. Continue inserting the radio keys into the slots until you hear a click. This means that you've released the clips holding the radio in.^[9]

   • If you don't hear a click just the keys stop moving, then they're probably inserted enough. You should be able to pull the stereo out.
   • Keep the keys inserted while you take the radio out. If you remove them, the clips volition clamp back down.

4. 4

   Remove the screws and bolts around the stereo if it doesn't use clips. Newer cars commodities the stereo in instead of using clips. If you don't run across any spaces to insert the keys around the radio, then bank check in the corners for screws or bolts. If you lot observe these, apply a Philips head screwdriver or socket wrench to remove them to free the stereo.^[ten]

   • Go along track of the screws and bolts you remove and so you lot tin put the radio back in.

5. five

   Slide the stereo body out of the socket. Grab the stereo by its outer edge and pull information technology straight back. Proceed sliding information technology until it comes out of the radio socket. Exist careful non to drop information technology once it's free.^[11]

   • You might have to jiggle the radio a chip to piece of work it out of position.
   • Don't go on pulling once the radio comes out because information technology's withal plugged in.

6. half-dozen

   Unplug the stereo to complete the removal. There are usually at least 2 plugs in the back of the stereo. The antenna connects to the correct side. This plug pops out normally, so simply pull it out. On the left side, the electrical wires attach with a clench. Squeeze the clamp to release information technology, then pull those wires out. The stereo is at present completely costless.^[12]

   • There might exist other wires attached to the back of the stereo as well. Pull these out every bit needed to get the stereo out.

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Things You lot'll Demand

• Flathead screwdriver
• Radio keys
• Socket wrench

• Always read the owner'southward transmission for your car earlier taking out the radio. The process might exist different on different car types.

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• Never remove a stereo without the car owner's permission.

• It's much harder to remove the stereo on newer cars, and some aren't designed to come out easily. Don't try to force the stereo out if information technology's not moving.

• If at whatsoever point you don't know what to practise, then let a professional take the stereo out. You don't want to pause something and end up with a plush repair.

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