Eight years on and getting bored with the antique Clarion radio/cassette and lack of CD/MP3 playing and with Christmas coming up thought I might get a new cheapo CD/MP3/USB/radio as a present... (eg Aldi £40 on Thursday with 3yr warranty)

From browsing through many, many threads in this section my understanding (Fiat Coupe 20v) is:

1) REMOVING the Clarion unit involves the use of a slim metal tool (proprietary tool or blunt knife/metal ruler) to release the catches to left/right sides of the unit. You do this from the FRONT, though maybe simpler to do it from the BACK (removing the central console to get to it?)

2) Existing WIRING is standard ISO so as long as new unit is standard ISO there won't be an issue

3) As the WIRING is permanentaly powered need to be alert to issue that new unit may be a battery drain if it lights up/etc when off

4) The Clarion is in a proprietary Clarion cage, but DIN size so new DIN unit should fit into it.

If any of you experts can confirm/correct my understanding that w/be helpful

As it happens, I changed mine this morning!

I bought a set of Clarion removal key thingies, I suggest you don't bother as they did nothing but bend!

Remove the centre console as described in another thread. Pop out the old HU and unplug all the cables. Pop out the cage.
At this point, I fitted my new cage before refitting the console. This was a mistake, as I couldn't get the thing back together, so I took it back out again and fitted the cage after the console.

After that it was plain sailing!

Wow OxfordS' - fast response thanx.

It's been about 20 years since I last fitted a stereo (too many company cars and 8yrs of laziness with the Coupe since) so am very rusty on the terminology.

Is the "cage" just the metal sleeve/surround for the unit that includes some fixing to the "hole" in the console that the unit itself then slides/latches into ?

Yeah, thats the one. The thing that you end up slicing your fingers open when you are trying to get it in or out!

Took me about an hour including finding a suitable route for a phone mic and an aux in.

do you have a link for the removing the centre console thread?

Now come on JCB surely you can use the search facility
See here

i tried searching i`ll try harder next time

tah very much

i wouldn`t trust halfords to do that free fitting or not! but i take it most car audio places wouldnt take your console out would they?

Bung your local independant a tenner and they'd swap 'em over I bet!