Parts used
kenwood kvt 627 dvd
audio wiring connector PC2-17-4
Auto leads facia plate FP-11-03

standard head unit ready to be removed
forgot to take a pic of the next part remove the side pieces to reveal the screws that hold the stereo and ashtray

remove heater knobs and 2 screws behind the left and right heater knobs

pull of the surround for the heater controls and unplug the clock

you will see 4 screws holding the ashtray remove these, unplug the cigar lighter

4 more screws on the head unit remove and unplug all plugs and aerial

all these wires

with my head unit i had to run the cables in for the brain of the head unit. i fixed this in the passanger luggage compartment behind the seat

with the new facia part and wiring adapter follow the instructions that came with it and you should end up with somthing like this. on the wiring adapter you will NOT use all the plugs from the original stereo

i then powered up the head unit to check the screen didn’t hit the heater controls

whilst i was at it i did the window switch mod just cut the 2 wires on the window lock switch leaving a couple of inches to resolder the new wires to. join original wires together then cut the blue wire on the wiring adapter which should be the electric aerial control (check the packet to make sure) extent this to either side of the window lock switch, thats is no more aerial up when listening to cd’s or watching a dvd

replace the ashtray and take off the surround from the original stereo clip on the new facia plate, replace the side panels, thats it one head unit fitted

All Roadsters are made the same and when they arrive at their final destination, various parts are added. These include for the UK MR2, Stereo unit, Thatcham 1 alarm, Roadster badge on rear and lots of extra little bits to boot.

Had Toyota had their standard stereo available as a part, I would have bought it, but it is not on any of the part lists.

You will need to order the following parts from a Toyota dealer.

55521 -16030 : Tray / Storage slot
55423 – 17040 : Surrounding trim
86221 -52050 : Left hand spacer
86221 – 52060 : Right hand spacer
86211 – 17050 : Left hand mounting bracket
86212 – 17050 : Right hand mounting bracket

When you pick them up, be cheeky and ask the parts department for 10 or 12 self tapping screws, as you will need a few extra. NB: If you a replacing the existing stereo you will not need the last two parts (L & R Mounting brackets) as they are already attached to the installed strereo.

This is how my central console looked after taking delivery of my Roadster. Very bare and not much happening in the entertainment zones, but I must admit a nice finishing on the two upright pillars.

The two inner covers are the easiest to remove, with your index finger run your finger up the back of the inner cover until you find the recess. Pull the cover forward and it will clip off.

The larger outer covers need slightly more effort to remove. The lower, light grey, cover needs to be pulled away from the central console, to expose two screws and a single bolt. Undo the two screws bur NOT the bolt.

Pull down on the outer cover and it should come away easily.

The next job is to remove the heating / Air Con control facia.

Remove the slider handle and the three control knobs. Behind the left and right controllers are two screws, remove these. The panel should now be free to be removed. Pulling from the bottom, ease the panel away from the dash, you may find it necessary to give extra leverage at the top edge with a small screw diver inserted above the control facia and the main dash

Be careful when removing facia as there are still wires connected to the rear of the unit, to power the clock.

Fix the left and right mounting brackets to the head unit. Modern stereos have a standard set of locating dimples and screw points, so (nearly) all units should mount easily. It may take two, three or four screws per side to suitably fix the unit to the brackets.

The craftiest part of all, the Celica storage tray. Yes this part is intended for a new Celica.

There a numerous mounting points on the unit, but it needs to be slotted in-between the newly attached brackets on the head unit. The mounting hole on the top of the unit just behind the first hole is the one we need to get aligned with one of the holes on the brackets. Only 1 self tapping screw is needed per side, as the brackets have locating points which match up with some of the other holes on the tray.

Hook up the stereo and test to see if everything works. There are various places to get the wiring looms to connect the stereo to the vehicle, but I got mine from

www.basesystems.com

The hard part to find is the antenna…..

The hardest part was locating the antenna connector, it was eventually found tucked down beneath the carpeting on the drivers side. The coverings behind the central console pull back very easily and after a bit of investigation you should spot a cable running over the side and away under the carpet. There is about 15 to 20cm of cable terminated in a standard aerial connector. Fold the carpeting back round behind the console and fasten the Velcro tabs.

Now for the clever bits. As the standard head units available are a predefined size, these is going to be a gap at the edges of the stereo, since the Toyota unit is about 15mm wider on each side.

Fear not, Mr. Toyota has already though of that, the two plastic spacers are fitted to the front edge of each bracket to fill the gap. They just clip on over a small meta tab in the bracket. I had to undo two of the stereo / tray mounting screws, fix on the spacer then refit the screws.

Screw the hole assembly into the central console with four self tapping screws.

Clip over the surround trip (not shown on this image for some bizarre reason), before refitting the heating / Air Con facia, as the surround clips behind it on its top edge.

This is how, it should look when it’s all finished.

To fit the stereo from scratch took about 30 minutes.

For those who are interested, the unit is a Pioneer DEH-P6100R CD Tuner see here for more details.

I have found a US only supplier of a plastic vacuum formed adapter to hold standard DIN size stereo in the MR2 roadster, Part number TA2047 from

www.scosche.com

Unfortunately they can only ship to the US, so if you live there or have friends who can send it on, it may be an easier option, but from what I can see, you still have to do most of the hard work of removing the facia and column covers anyway.

There are benefits to running speaker wire through the door as the stock wire is anemic plus having the crossovers in the doors is not ideal. This guide will make it easy for you to do the job if you follow my procedure otherwise it will be a bit more complicated.

These are the tools that you will need.
1. Small flathead screwdriver
2. Fishing tape or a wire with a loop from a coat hanger.

Before we start you must remove the door panels and the mid woofer. You can find out how to do it here. http://www.spydermagazine.com/

Ok let’s get started.

1. Remove the Plastic runner
2. Remove the underside plastic piece by the dead pedal. It is held in with a Plastic screw that you can turn with your fingers.
3. Now we are ready to get to the good stuff. Remove the grommet/rubber sleeve that goes into the body of the car. Use the flat head screw driver and wedge it out while pulling on the grommet. Its not that hard to do and don’t worry as its easy to put back.

4. The next thing to do is place your left hand into the woofer hole and reach up until you feel where the grommet is attached to the door. You will not be able to see this because for one thing it’s inside the door and because your hand is in the way. Once you feel the grommet with the rubber sleeve you should gently pull it in while your right hand on the outside pushes in the grommet. Do not slide the grommet/ rubber sleeve over the wires, don’t worry you won’t be able to but just incase you get the urge. Feel free to use the screwdriver when pushing it in from the outside.

5. Now use the fishing tape or modified coat hanger through the inside of the door, feel the end of the rubber sheath and pass the Fishing tape/wire through being careful not to use excessive force. A little manipulation maybe needed and before you know it its on the outside of the door through the rubber sleeve.

6. Ok we are almost home. Place the speaker wire on the loop and pull it through carefully and that’s it.

7. Now it’s all down hill. Take the wire that you passed through the door and pass it into the hole in the body of the car where the other grommet goes into and at the same time place your right hand in the hole where you removed the plastic piece near the dead pedal. This is where you will receive the wire. When you catch it just pull the slack.

8. Last thing left is to reposition the grommets. Just push out the one on the inside of the door and use the screwdriver on the outside to manipulate and it should catch. Then push in the one on the body. Don’t worry its actually easier than it looks.

That’s about it. If the instructions seem confusing in any way don’t worry as it will make sense when you are actually doing it. When I did the passenger side it was a bit difficult because I did not know how to approach it and I initially had a hard time passing the wire through the rubber. When I figured out how to do the passenger side it became a walk in the park for the drivers side. This is very easy to do as long as you follow my directions otherwise it can be tricky.