ipod adapter installation

[subestyle18]

My sister just bought a 2009 impreza and the dealership wants 300 labor and 175 for the part, to install the factory i pod adapter. Im wondering how hard the install is, i've done a lot of audio installs but am out of town for a couple more months, and what her other options might be for nice adapter.

 

She is in the Seattle area if there are any recommend any good audio installers in the area.

 

thanks

david

[Legacy777]

Which dealer is she going to?

 

There are plenty of subaru enthusiests in the Seattle area that could probably recommend a shop or another dealer to go to.

[EVOthis]

I have done about 5 installs of the i pod interface...a couple in the 09 imprezas and couple in the foresters...when you buy the kit it should come with instructions...installation time is about 1 hour even by a novice....If youd like I can walk you through it....

[subestyle18]

I assumed it was not that tough of an install, i've done quite a few from other brands but not the subaru one. I wonder way carter wanted $300 for the install alone.

[nipper]

I assumed it was not that tough of an install, i've done quite a few from other brands but not the subaru one. I wonder way carter wanted $300 for the install alone.

 

Bacause he can, and dealers need the money.

[idosubaru]

I wonder way carter wanted $300 for the install alone.

the past two decades have seen a drastic change in the automotive market, dealers now make very little profit on new cars. it's actually well behind used cars, parts, service, and accessories.

 

even many folks that change their own oil and brakes won't want to mess with installing something like this. my dad for instance would never try to install this though he does his oil and brakes. and for good reason, cracking a dash trim on a brand new car would be really annoying, so if you don't know how to get at it....it's easy to get away with charging more.

 

they may also say "no warranty" if it's not installed by them.

[idosubaru]

Subaru radio's didn't change much through the early 90's to the 2003's at least...i've interchanged stereos plug and play.

 

so - will this ipod adapter thingy work in a large number of Subaru's? and is the ipod proprietary connector or do they also have aux-in?

 

good luck and post pic's!

[Subarupusher]

The decks in the older generation Imprezas (circa 1996) are easy to pull. I have not tried on my 2007. In fact, I had the dealer troubleshoot the Sat tuner and the repair monkey left scuffs on the molding to the right side of the deck. My experiences with dealer installations and repairs of decks have not been good over the years. I don't think they do it much and the inexperience shows.

 

You would probably have better luck ordering the part at a discount over the internet (or threatening to do that and having the dealer come down on the price) and then going over to Best Buy or Car Toys to have them install it. My guess would be the labor would come out to half the dealer quote and their techs are experienced at it.

 

If I were doing it I would,

 

Order the Part

 

See how easy it is to pull the deck yourself and install it.

 

If pulling the deck is intimidating then call on Best Buy or Car Toys to do it.

[idosubaru]

that's a good suggestion up there, finding an experienced person to install it.

[subestyle18]

Thanks for the info. I found the adapter for 140 on the internet, so we are going to go ahead and order that. Im in Montana and the car is in Seattle or i'd take a look and see how difficult it is to access the back of the deck, that was my major concern.

 

thanks david

[idosubaru]

all the subaru's i've done are pretty easy. the hardest ones i've done are the XT6 from the late 80's. all the newer stuff i've done is easiest - 2002 being the newest i've touched.

[EVOthis]

The decks in the older generation Imprezas (circa 1996) are easy to pull. I have not tried on my 2007. In fact, I had the dealer troubleshoot the Sat tuner and the repair monkey left scuffs on the molding to the right side of the deck. My experiences with dealer installations and repairs of decks have not been good over the years. I don't think they do it much and the inexperience shows.

 

You would probably have better luck ordering the part at a discount over the internet (or threatening to do that and having the dealer come down on the price) and then going over to Best Buy or Car Toys to have them install it. My guess would be the labor would come out to half the dealer quote and their techs are experienced at it.

 

If I were doing it I would,

 

Order the Part

 

See how easy it is to pull the deck yourself and install it.

 

If pulling the deck is intimidating then call on Best Buy or Car Toys to do it.

 

 

repair monkey...I take pride in my job thank you...lol.. The dealership where i work makes alot of there money from selling factory options such as satelite radio, ipod interfaces, spoilers etc etc....

[The Dude]

For Subaru to factory install an MP3 ready radio instead of a non- MP3 ready radio is pennies. In fact, it's falling down stupid for Subaru to be installing non-MP3 ready radios in 2009. They save maybe a nickle, and they fail to provide a very cheap, but highly desirable feature, that car buyers want.

[edrach]

Thanks for the info. I found the adapter for 140 on the internet, so we are going to go ahead and order that. Im in Montana and the car is in Seattle or i'd take a look and see how difficult it is to access the back of the deck, that was my major concern.

 

thanks david

You might call Jason in Parts at Mike Scarf Subaru (866-528-5282) and ask him what his internet price is.

[subestyle18]

edrach thanks for the info.

 

From my understanding all 2009 radios can accept the ipod adapter, which then displays track artist info on the radio and allows control of the ipod through the deck or steering wheel controls. The upper level radio has an mp3 input, which i am pretty sure that is just a headphone input. In my experiance the adapter works better as it uses a true line out and inputs into the deck a high voltage (4v i think) which allows for better sound quality and at a normal volume level.