วีดีโอ

It does not, though there are models that have a built in CD player.

I'll go over the total cost in a future video, I bet it's less than you expect!

Funnily enough the parts truck for this rebuild is a Range Rover HSE with a bad engine

I've also seen the wire sheathing flaking off in headlights, both in Mercedes and Audis I've worked on. Luckily the rest of the wiring seems to hold up better! I think removing the trim for the rear struts is optional, but it made it easier to torque the bolts to spec. I didn't look for the plugs from inside the trunk, but it's likely you could get to them! I don't think it would make the install much easier, except maybe to connect and disconnect them (they were pretty tight on mine).

@@frenchineer I had some bare wires going to the air compressor that had flaked off. It is probably so much heat exposure. As far as the nuts go, I didn't torque anything...LOL. I probably should have. Yeah, that was all I was thinking with wondering if the wires were accessible from the trunk.... just to pull it up inside the trunk and unhook the fasteners. What kills me is the little plastic parts that crack, like the seat trim, vent trim and such. And, then they want a fortune for molded plastic parts that probably have about as much effort put into them as a Coke bottle. A guy could probably get rich making some plastic molds for trim parts. One other plastic part that if you have not already replaced it is the locking mechanism that locks the car in park. Those break and you have to fully break it to get home. I bought a replacement metal piece that will replace it in the gear shifter. I took it apart to get the old one out, and now I need to take it apart once again to put the new one in. I think that is a pretty common thing to replace on the s430. They sell a kit, and it is not much money.

Great!

That's strange, did your original radio work with all the speakers?

@@frenchineer on the DSP it won’t play past the center of the car towards the rear

Because of how the fiber optic decoder boxes work, the signal from the front speakers is passed as all channels to the factory amplifier. You can adjust balance L/R in the DSP, but fade front/back does not work because only the front audio outputs from the new head unit are connected to the decoder. If you set the fade to front or center audio should come out of all the speakers.

@@frenchineerokay thank you so much

Me too! I guess the rest of the suspension is really sturdy lol

This was definitely a good find! I'll say they don't sell that low on the private market, but as a salvage vehicle sold at an auction it was possible!

@@frenchineer Enjoy the limousine!

This bypasses the amp. If you want to keep the amp, you can use a D2B fiber optic decoder box (you can do the whole install behind the radio in that case, no need to work in the footwell).

Are you using a fiber optic decoder box? I had to install it close to the amplifier.

Thanks! This one is an XTRONS unit. I linked the unit I used in the description, but it may have been replaced by a newer model number since. I recommend searching for "w203 android radio".

@@frenchineer thanx ..i dd a number of tymz but wld end up confused coz there are loads of different ones. but let me search for the xtrons unit thistym

That's strange, the head unit listing covers 1998-2005 so it should work and be the same install as in my 2001

@@frenchineer that’s what I thought but when I asked tech support why that one would not work they responded with no reasons why it wouldn’t, just that we offer no head unit for your 2000 model. Very frustrating.

I responded to your other comment, but think the 2000 has the same radio setup as the 2001. You could remove your factory head unit and compare the connectors to this video.

You're right! They probably made different pan variants based on the vehicle. I think there are at least 2 bolt patterns in Range Rover applications. On the Range Rover Sport from the other series we put in a replacement metal pan with a separate filter (for easier installation).

For this truck I would guess cost, especially because the transmission filter is built in. I'd guess it's a cost decision too from VW in the Golf, but it's a much lower vehicle so it feels like a riskier choice!

Do you have a radio like this or the factory one?

Thanks! In my install, I left the fiber optic connector unplugged behind the new head unit because of how I ran the audio signal to the rear. You can try connecting the fiber optic decoder box behind the head unit to see if it works for you. If it works there, you don't need to go to the trunk at all, but if it doesn't, you can install the decoder in the trunk like I did.

@@frenchineer Thanks for replied, I'm appreciate your advice.

Thank you!

Do you mean replacing only a part of the suspension strut? I'm not sure if that's possible with the airmatic struts.

@@frenchineer yes, how the top mount is fixed to the big black cup? I think It is machined with rivets. Any info?

Unfortunately I don't know what you would need to do for that or if it's even possible, sorry!

Besides the radio, you could need to correct fiber optic box for your car, a USB cable for your phone, and what you prefer to make the wiring connections.

I did not add an antenna in this install, but I would probably use an FM antenna that mounts inside the windshield. Otherwise something like this might be another option: www.swedespeed.com/threads/using-extisting-antenna-s-with-aftermarket-radio.166380/

The system had already been flushed and changed over to green previously, so I stayed with that (same thing on the Range Rover Sport I rebuilt previously).

Yeah! It sounds even better from the exhaust side

Nice! I really enjoy driving it. I hope your sensor replacements go smoothly!

Thanks! I agree, and I think they get a reputation because they can be more expensive at a mechanic.

Yes! It was on Copart.