Anybody know much about car audio stuff?

I’ve got a mk2 Focus fitted with one of these:
with ‘stalk’ controls but no bluetooth. I’ve got an aftermarket 3.5mm cable that appears through a gap in the centre console that I use to play music from my MP3 player through the stereo.

My MP3 player and phone that both have bluetooth and I’d like to connect them to my stereo using BT rather than the lead. That would hopefully also let me use the stalk controls to skip/pause etc. At the moment I’d have to pick my phone up, unlock it and look down at it to see the skip button on the phone’s screen, which obviously isn’t a good thing to be doing.

I went and had a look in Halfords the other day. I managed to connect this stereo to my phone, and used it to skip through songs playing from the phone. If I fit that using this fitting kit, I think I’ll be able to use the stalk controls to skip/rewind through songs. Is that right?

I’m not fussed about calls, just about getting music via bluetooth and keeping the functionality of the stalk controls.

OEM Ford head units that could do what I want seem rare/expensive but I’ll have to find out what impact a non-stock head unit will have have on my insurance before I rule out another Ford one I suppose.

I think you need a ”Double DIN” radio – That one has BT and is described as “Steering Wheel Control Ready”

You may need an adaptor for the face place this thread seems to have the same photo (different watermark) as yours so it could be accurate

Halfords have a specific kit with cables and face plate for your car. (same as mine)

I had the same radio in my car.

What you end up needing is:

1) Double DIN radio, and a fascia adapter, you also need a bread-knife / dremmel / whatever to make some minor mods to the plastic behind the radio, and the ‘keys’ to pull it out, and maybe the metal ‘box’ the radio sits in if it doesn’t come with one.

2) adapter from your new radio to ISO (or whatever the wiring harness standard is called)

3) Adapter from that to your car (who the **** knows why they don’t just make cars/radios the same)

4) Adapter for the stalk bit (this is a little black box with wires coming out as it has to do some basic computing)

5) You might need an aerial adapter too, but I didn’t and have a ford and the older version of that Alpine radio.

To be honest, if you don’t know what your doing already, just take it to halfords and get them to do it. Unless you can get a brilliant deal on a stereo elsewhere it’s not worth the hassle of trying to figure it out. Took me half a day and I probably saved £30, not worth it.

Thanks. Yes, it’s double-din (there are adapters to take it down to a single-din, but they’d leave a big expanse of plastic on the dash).

I’ve got a friend who knows his stuff so I’ll check with him. But if it’s as much of a pain as you say TINAS then I might leave it to Halfords.

Have a look at XTRONS kit. I’ve been considering a single DIN with DAB and NAV for the big bus. They do all manner of different combinations to suit what you’d want and wont break the bank.

It’s not necessarily difficult, it’s just a few adapters but a lot of jargon and internet shopping to learn for a 1 off task, and there isn’t really a how-to guide as no one will have installed that exact radio into your exact car and bothered to write about it, so when it comes to cutting holes or tabs off things, your on your own. For example the Ford radio is supported at the sides on some plastic tabs which need cutting off, nowehere tells you this and it just has to be figured out by offering up the new radio and seeing what needs to go.

Which where hafords have an advantage, they’ve shelves of adapters, and it won’t be the first Focus they’ve done. The downside is they’ll charge a few quid more for all the adapters, probably more on the stereo and charge for fitting, just depends how much you value your free time.