Need help - CD changer for car

[ascot]

My family has agreed to chip in and get my mother a CD player for her car for Christmas. She has specifically requested this.

We are looking for a multi-disc unit that is simple for her to use. I know next-to-nothing about these players so I'm just looking for any general advice.

Mom has a 2002 Mercury Sable with digital temperature control. Two people at Best Buy have told me they cannot install an indash unit because of this. Apparently they don't have kits for the dash. :confused:


Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[-=Rudy=-]

If anyone has a "kit", Crutchfield might. They were always the ones that had the car wiring harnesses. I remember seeing a kit for a Taurus several years ago--it included a new "panel" to replace the radio/climate control panel, with an opening for a DIN-sized in-dash unit.

Not sure if this is an option, but I bought a CD changer that runs through the FM radio. Changer is under the seat, and the hard-wired control is on the dash with double-sided tape. There's also a wireless remote for whoever rides shotgun. :) The one I got plays MP3 CDs as well...average 10 albums per disc, and it's like having a 100-CD changer in the car. :D

[Gary]

Isn't that type called "FM Modulated", Rudy? Where you have to dial in a channel to get the CD?

This might be your only option, Ascot.

[ascot]

The Sony unit at Best Buy was "FM Modulated" or whatever it's called. BB will preset the FM to whatever frequency you choose and I guess the sound comes in through the radio antenna. :confused:

The guy tried pushing me towards a player - the brand name I forget having never heard it before - that is playable through the factory-installed radio/cassette.

He said this was "all-digital" and would sound much better. Theoretically, yes, because the player is not "broadcasting" the sound to the car.

I'll see if I can find a link to the player he recommended. Maybe someone has an alternative.

[-=Rudy=-]

The Sony I have lets you change the frequency right from the control pad. BB isn't doing any favors. :rolleyes:

I just had a thought, too--do you know if that radio has CD changer controls? (Check the car's owner guide.) If so, you may be able to get a changer either from a dealer, or from someone on eBay. CD changers are sometimes a dealer-installed accessory.

It's a long shot, but I know with Honda, their in-dash players are (or were) made by Alpine. With my CR-V, I had a choice of ordering a Honda-branded changer and mounting kit (mucho $$), or an Alpine CHM-S601 which plugged right into the in-dash unit. If Ford offers such a changer, that's the best and easiest way, but probably not the cheapest. I found these on eBay, which gave me the idea:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3062216807&category=50556

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3060357428&category=50556

An easy way to browse the changers, go to this category:
http://listings.ebay.com/aw/plistings/category39746/index.html
...and then enter "Ford" or "Mercury" in the search box to see what's out there.

[ascot]

Thanks, Rudy. The radio does have the controls for a multi-disc player already there. I'll have to do some more research.

I can't so the install myself because I don't know how. That's the real killer, too.

This is the unit the guy at BB recommended because it will hook up to the factory-installed deck:

SSI America (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1064000658649&skuId=6064055&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03090)

[-=Rudy=-]

Looks like the same idea, although I've never heard of the manufacturer. Could be a transport made just about anywhere--I can't tell if it looks like a Sony magazine or not. Those Ford units on eBay were about $20 cheaper, but they're the same idea.

From reading some of the Ford changer descriptions, the hookup may just be in the trunk already. IF that were the case, plugging it in and mounting it would be an easy job. I should talk though--I've been known to remove all the seats out of a car to run numerous wires. :D When I got the changer for my CR-V, the Honda dealer I bought it from sent a Honda instruction sheet for installing their own branded player. So it was clearly spelled out which panels to remove, and the only hookup for the changer was plugging a DIN plug into the back of the head unit. Anyone who knows what they're doing should be able to put it in for you with minimal work.