Hey guys,

My iPod's FM transmitter broke last week, so I've been thinking about replacing my Mach 1000's head unit with a newer after-market model. I've been looking at Pioneer's new FH-P8000BT 2 DIN H/U and was wondering if it would work with the Mach 1000 system.

I don't know anything about wiring sound systems in cars, so besides the H/U, is there anything else I need to purchase to install it? I've heard that the Mach 1000 requires special cables or something. Any advice is appreciated.

 

Yea, youll need a wiring harness to convert the Mustang wires to basically match up with the Pioneer outputs. Youll also need a bracket for the radio to sit in since your going from a double-DIN to single-DIN. Check crutchfield . com for all the stuff you need.

 

The unit in my first post is indeed a double DIN, so no problem there. Do you have any other recommendations for a good H/U with iPod compatibility? Also, if I do swap the H/U, will everything work the same?

 

I have an Alpine CDE-9852 and I love it, its Ipod and satellite ready. I can access the Ipod by searching either Artist, Album, Song, or Playlist. You only need theAlpine Ipod cable which I think is like $20 dollars. On my Alpine, I can adjust like the subwoofer seperatly then treble, and bass for the speakers if you dont have bass blockers or crossovers, then theres 3 subwoofer presets and other modes to turn off the speakers and just have the subwoofer. Alpine makes a lot of good stuff, also check out some higher end JVC products.

 

What do you think of the iDA-X100 compared to the FH-P8000BT?

 

Looks like you have some money to spend. I think its funny that since your ehh, $50 dollar Ipod transmitter broke your willing to spend $400 on a new headunit [8D]. But anyways, both are high end and offer a lot of different features, but do you need all of it like sat. radio or bluetooth capability? I would recommend something even on the lower end but its all on you, and personally I prefer Alpine products due to their reputation, quality, and standard measurements of power (watts and such).

 

The last transmitter I purchased cost $80, and it was my third one. I figured since the connections keep wearing out, I might as well spend the money and get a direct line-in.

I don't need any of the extra features, just radio and an AUX input. I do however want a head unit that will let me browse my iPod library like I normally do (playlist, genre and podcast search, etc) and most of the units I've seen that support this are on the upper end.

I'm leaning towards the Alpine now, so I'm wondering if they fit good or if I'll need to buy a trim kit?

 

Ill try to get a picture of my Alpine and how it fits. The bracket comes with a trim bezel but its ugly and then the headunit came with one and I just use that because its more rounded then square and its also grey rather than black so it matches everything else.

 

The one harness where the fog light switch goes is popped out because I have a V6 with no foglights so I just fed my Ipod cable through that rather then drilling into anything.

 

Haha, I guess that works. [&:]

How long did it take to install the bracket and head unit?