A few months ago I bought a '00 golf. It has a casette deck with controls for a cd changer, but no changer. I only drive a few miles a day, so while I feel that it'd be nice to hear a cd, it's not worth $300 to put a changer in the trunk. I thought I'd just buy a new cd deck for ~$150 and call it good. A few questions for the group, then:
- In exploring compatibility issues, it seems to be important to know whether this system is monsoon or not. I've heard that a monsoon amp would be found in the rear driver's side compartment that also would hold a cd changer. I've also heard that all monsoon systems say 'monsoon' on the head unit when you turn them on. Is this true?
- If I'm correct above, (and I don't have a monsoon system) then in principle I can buy just about any aftermarket deck and plug it in in place of the factory model. However, I've been told by my local stereo shop the new deck (designed for 4 speakers) will do a poor job of driving all 8 speakers and will sound crummy. True?
- I've also been warned that I probably won't be able to read out any engine diagnostic codes if I remove the factory radio. A dealer suggested that I retain the factory model and plug it into the wiring harness if I need engine diag. done. I asked about the existence of a mythical electrical part from VW that could prevent this problem. He confirmed that he was familiar with rumors of its existence but had never seen one. Are these concerns founded? What are the chances that I lose diagnostic capability if I swap decks?
- Any other advice or suggestions? Thanks for your help.