QuestionOK, I have a 2004 Land Rover Discovery S model. I would like to upgrade my stereo from the factory unit. I would like the stereo to include CD and iPod as well as Satellite Radio. I also don't want to break the bank. Any ideas?
AnswerHi Ian,
Replacing the head unit in your Land Rover should be pretty straightforward. As far as I can tell, there's no radio mounting kit for your particular vehicle. The factory radio appears to be a larger-than-standard size, but it's actually a standard DIN head unit with an over-sized faceplate. Most after-market head units conform to the DIN standard, which is about 7" wide and 2" tall. There's a filler plate available to cover the gap that would normally have been covered by the factory radio's larger faceplate. Metra's model number is 89-9400; it's a cosmetic piece that might make the finished installation look better, but isn't required.
To install your new head unit, you'll need an adapter harness for the wiring, and an adapter for the antenna connection. You can use a Metra 70-1784 wire harness, but you'll need to reverse the constant and accessory (yellow and red) power connections when you're splicing the harness to the after-market radio wiring. You'll also need to use a Metra 40-VW10 antenna adapter to connect the after-market head unit to the factory antenna plug. (I usually include Metra part information because they tend to be the easiest to find, but these are very common parts used on many Volkswagen vehicles. A car audio shop might carry the same adapter in a different brand, but it will work just as well).
It's very easy to find after-market head units with CD and iPod capability, but I don't think you'll find any with on-board Satellite radio. Typically, head units are designed to be "Satellite Radio-Ready", which means that you can purchase a separate tuner that's designed for use with your head unit. For the iPod functions, the trend has been to design head units with a USB port on the front face or the rear of the head unit. You'd simply use an iPod-USB cable to connect the iPod to the head unit; usually this will allow you to control and display the iPod through the head unit controls, rather than using the iPod controls directly.
There are quite a few new head units available with iPod-ready USB ports. You might want to look at Pioneer's DEH-P5100UB. This deck actually has two USB ports: one on the front, and one on the rear. The advantage to a rear USB input is that you can connect a USB extension cable during the installation, and route it directly to your glove box or a storage compartment. This allows you to keep your iPod stored safely out of sight while you're listening, without running a cable into the front face of the head unit. The front USB is still available if you want to connect a friend's iPod or play MP3 audio from a flash drive. Pioneer offers an XM Radio tuner that will work with the DEH-P5100UB (or any other new Pioneer head unit with a "P" in the model number). The XM tuner model number is GEX-P920XM.
Hope this helps!
Brian
