The Lincoln Aviator is a luxury SUV made by the Ford motor company. Installing a new deck or head unit is slightly more difficult than for most automobiles because the dash trim and existing stereo head unit are custom built for the Lincoln and do not follow conventional sizing. Fortunately, with the aid of a wire harness and custom trim panel the job is made much simpler. The whole process should take less than an hour to complete.
Disconnect the battery; this keeps the work environment safe.
Examine the trim panel in the Lincoln. The trim panel that surrounds the existing deck is one large piece. It is a different color than the rest of the dash trim. This dash trim can be popped off without too much difficultly. Insert a flathead screwdriver into the small gap between the radio dash panel and the rest of the dash. Pry back the radio dash panel gently. Pry it back every few inches until it is just resting on the car. Once it has been sufficiently loosened remove the panel by hand.
Unscrew the existing deck from the car. Once the dash panel is removed the screws holding in the existing radio can be revealed. Unscrew the screws.
Pull out the radio into the cabin of the car once the screws have been removed.
Disconnect all the wires from the back of the factory radio. They are clipped onto the deck, making them easy to remove.
Purchase a wire harness for the Aviator. The wire harness plugs into the car's radio wires and also clips into the back of the new deck. This avoids the messy and time-consuming job of hardwiring the new deck. Wire harnesses can be purchased at mobile stereo stores.
Plug the wire harness into the car's radio wires. Plug the other end of the wire harness into the back of the new deck. Plug the antenna cable (small round single male cable) into the antenna port in the back of the new deck.
Screw the new deck back into the car.
Install a new trim panel. If the new deck does not perfectly fit into the old Lincoln trim panel then a custom trim panel needs to be purchased. This keeps the install looking clean. A custom trim panel can be purchased from a mobile stereo store.
Reattach the trim panel. Whether a new custom trim panel is being used or the old one is being reattached, the process is the same. Simply place the trim panel back onto the dash of the car where it originally was and press it back in. The panel should pop back into place without too much effort.
Connect the battery. Turn on the car and test the new deck.
