Hey guys, i tried to do a search and didnt find what i needed, hopefully you can help. I just bought an alpine headunit and want to know where i can get a wiring harness also do i need anything else to install it? How hard is it to install an Alpine head unit on a 97 M3?

Thanks

not hard at all man....

Which Alpine model did you get (7894 i hope)

All you need is a wiring harness and an antenna adaptor. They can be purchased from SoundDomain.com





Link for the Scosche Harness (http://www.sounddomain.com/shop/item.pl?sku=SCOBW01B&vq_id=none)

Link for the Antenna Adaptor (http://www.sounddomain.com/shop/item.pl?sku=SCOVWAB&vq_id=none)

Total is around 15 bucks with shipping


In terms of the install, it's not hard at all. This is assuming your headunit has it's own internal amp.

Should take an hour

Tools you will need :
2.5mm hex key
Thin FlatHead Screwdriver
Wire Crimper
14-16 guage butt connectors (quantity : ~12 - 15 )

Steps

1) Disconnect your battery in your trunk as a safety measure

2) Lift up the two tabs on each side of your stock headunit and use the 2.5mm hex key to remove the two hex key screws holding the headunit in and then use your small flathead screwdriver to help pry the headunit out to the point where you can get a grip and then remove it

3) Remove the stock wiring harness from the stock unit that is connected to the BMW harness (kind of a pain in the ass, you have to unclip and pull hard) and unplug the antenna adaptor from the back of the stock headunit.... YOUR STOCK HEADUNIT should now be completely FREE

4) Hook up the Scosche Harness to the BMW Harness (plugging it in essentially). Then match all the colors together and connect them with butt connectors using your crimping tool. You could also use wire nuts but butt connectors are a lot more secure and don't come loose. An important tip to Note is that on newer Alpine Headunits (especially on the 7894), the REMOTE WIRE from the alpine headunit is BLUE/WHITE and matches up to the BLUE wire from the BMW harness. Everything else should be a matter of matching color for color. Check your manual to find out about the remote wire and what color it is.

5) Plug antenna adaptor in

6) Your done pluggin everything in, you will want to put your hand in the hole and feel in the back and find an area where you can stuff most of the bigger pieces of the wiring such as the harness and some of the boxes that are hooked onto the back of the headunit for other applications (ai-net etc.). Then push the headunit in until you hear it click (that is the locking tabs engaging). Then put the removable faceplate on.

These directions will vary ofcourse depending on what specific headunit you have purchased.

Thank you....i bought and Alpine CDA 7863 from a friend almost brand new for $120.

thats a sweet deal... consult the manual about the remote wire... shoudl be @ the back of the manual.

You can check for the remote wire color on top of the head unit, there should be a sticker on there with the color of each wire and what it is(on most alpines). As far as removing the stock wiring from the stock HU, there is a tab on there that you pull up on and that releases the plug from the HU then pull back on it. The mistake I made was connecting the remote wire to the power antenna wire and when I turned the radio on it was fine, but when I turned on the cd player I would have no sound. When I switched the wires it was fine. It is a very simple install, basically just plug and play.
Tony

Originally posted by RUQKENF
You can check for the remote wire color on top of the head unit, there should be a sticker on there with the color of each wire and what it is(on most alpines). As far as removing the stock wiring from the stock HU, there is a tab on there that you pull up on and that releases the plug from the HU then pull back on it. The mistake I made was connecting the remote wire to the power antenna wire and when I turned the radio on it was fine, but when I turned on the cd player I would have no sound. When I switched the wires it was fine. It is a very simple install, basically just plug and play.
Tony

ya... this is why i emphasized the remote wire issue to chi99limited.... either check the diagram as tony mentioned or consult the manual... either way if you follow the instructions, it will literally be a cake walk.... the improvement in sound by changing the headunit is remarkable... you will be very suprised....

Thanks for the help guys in gonna install the headunit, an amp, and an alpine type R 10" next week. Is there a stock amp anywhere in the car im gonna need to bypass?

not a problem man.... there is a stock amp (either HK or regular depending on if you have HK or not ofcourse) but you want need to bypass it. You will need to run a set of RCA's and a remote wire from the back of the headunit into the trunk (hardest part of the install)...... the rca's and the remote wire hook into your aftermarket amp along with the power and ground wire along with speaker wire that goes to your subs... what kind of amp are u getting?