Car Stereos: replacing stock stereo, rear seat entertainment system, bluetooth hands free car kit

Question
I have been to a few retailers in my area and no one can tell me what aftermarket stereo I can buy that will be compatible with the overhead video unit in my 2003 Eddie Bauer expedition.  I would like to go after market so that I can utilize the bluetooth, and iPod connectivity as opposed to having a new stock stereo installed. Are there any? Or who do I talk to to find out?

Answer
Hi Kris,

You won't find any after-market head units that are plug-and-play compatible with your rear seat entertainment system.  Any integration between the factory overhead video unit and an after-market head unit would have to be obtained through custom wiring.  Depending on the level of integration you're looking for, a skilled installer should be able to help you with this.

If you just want to keep the overhead unit working, with its own controls and headphones for audio, this is probably as simple as powering a wire or two in the factory plug.  If you want to link the audio signal from the overhead unit to play through the speaker system, this shouldn't be much more difficult, and can be done with any head unit that has rear audio input jacks.  Getting a video input from the head unit to the screen (or vice versa), or controlling the overhead unit from the in-dash controls, is likely to be much more difficult if it's possible at all.  The same is true for retaining your rear seat audio controls with an after-market deck.

Another option you might not have considered:  check out Parrot's Mki9200 Bluetooth hands-free car kit.  Here's a link:

http://www.parrot.com/usa/products/bluetooth-hands-free-car-kits/parrot-mki9200

This system is designed to work with a factory audio system; it includes its own amplifier, so it can take over and drive the factory speakers directly.  This is a very versatile unit that will give you hands-free Bluetooth phone operation, Bluetooth streaming audio, direct iPod control, USB connection for flash drives or MP3 players, a 3.5mm input jack so you can play any source with a headphone jack, and even accepts SD memory cards.  You can purchase a quick-connect harness that makes it easy to install, though it might be trickier to integrate the factory subwoofer.

Hope this helps!

Brian