Audio Systems: Question about installtion?, pioneer deh 1600, pioneer unit

Question
I have a Pioneer deh-1600 that I bought from ebay. My wife had the same one in her car. My question is when i hook up the hot wire and the ground wire and turn the car on it didn't work. I put face plate in my wife car and it works. What am I doing wrong?  

Answer
About 80% of electronics products that you might buy on eBay do not work.  Why?  The seller wanted to get rid of it for a reason.  I recommend you not purchase used electronics from eBay unless it is a trusted seller with return privileges and guarantees.

In the case of your Pioneer unit you will have to bench test it.  To do so, you must pull it out of the car, power it with a 12 volt battery or power supply or long leads from the battery in your car.  Connect a stand alone speaker and power the unit with a cd or tape.  

Once you have proven the unit is working external to the car, then check the wiring very carefully to make sure the 12v lines and grounds are all in place and the speakers are connected properly.  You did not give me the make, model and year of your car so I cannot refer you to the wiring diagram.  However, if the car is more than a few years old you can find good information at www.installdr.com where many models are listed and detailed wiring information given.

Hope this helps.
C