Primera P11 audio

Some recently acquired info from many struggles..........

My Pioneer DEH-P4800MP MP3 head unit fitted my P11 using the original side brackets only and didn't need any facia or metal sleeve thingy, it sits a few mm behind the original radio opening in the removable dash centre console quite neatly, with the radio's removable front panel jutting forward through the hole. The main trick for removing the dash centre console (apart from taking the 2 lower screws out!) is to insert something like a wooden ruler into the gap at the top between the 2 air vents so as to lift the top of the dashboard slightly relative to the centre console, then when you pull fairly hard on the console to release the metal hidden side clips, the 2 top clips which are different and made from part of the plastic vents and the top of the dash will release much more easily.

Another thing I found was that even though the P11 hasn't got an electric motorised aerial, you have to wire it up as such according to the radio's instructions. This is because the roof aerial is an active Blaupunkt one and has a power lead going to it, with no power your radio reception especially MW/LW will be almost non-existent depending on your locality.

Thanks Steve,

I've just tried removing the old unit - I pushed two ~3mm pins into the holes and it just slid out :-) Now removing the plugs is a different matter, it may sound like a simple question but how do I get them out? I can see that they have some form of catch that locks them in, but for the life of me I can't get em out, and some of the wires look very thin and fragile.

Is the power lead for the aerial in with the main connector block? I'm hoping that the Autoleads harness that I've got will take care of that for me, but any help you can give will be appreciated. I can't find any info on the net about the plugs / wiring - maybe I'm looking in the wrong places.

I bought the new facia off ebay; item number: 190124729870.

I really wanted to buy Pioneer but the funds just wouldn't stretch at the moment - the alternator packed up a couple of weeks ago - I never knew an alternator could be so expensive :-( last one I changed was on an old Astra ~£60. I really wanted bluetooth so I ended up buying a Sony BT2500, maybe I'll ebay it in a couple of months and get something better.

The harness adapter I needed for my '97 P11 was a PC2-13-4 which I saw at a few places, here's one I bookmarked......

think Halfords sell the harness but at a higher price of course (about £15 I think).

Yes, the aerial power lead is all part of the harness but at least in my case, the most obvious instructions from Pioneer would have left it disconnected. As I say, just connect everything up as if you had a motorised electric aerial, that way the aerial amplifier will get powered when you switch the radio on.

I also needed an aerial lead adapter which I bought locally as none of the web guides said that one was needed, it most definitely was and I didn't find out until I had all the guts hanging out the dash. I don't know the proper description for the adapter, it cost about £3 from a car audio shop.

bookmarked......

I think Halfords sell the harness but at a higher price of course (about > £15 I think).

I'll let you know how it all goes, should be done some time during the week.