If the radio in your car is broken or you want to upgrade it to a better quality system, you must factor in the cost of the actual radio as well as the installation--unless, of course, you choose to install your new car radio yourself. Car radios have a lot of wires, which can make them look a little intimidating, but the installation process isn't as difficult as it might seem.
Buy a radio and a wiring harness that fits your vehicle. Every car has a prebuilt place for a radio in the dash. Make sure you buy a radio that fits in that space. The salesperson at the electronics store will be able to help you get the right size radio and harness. Your vehicle owner's manual will also have the size of the radio listed.
Remove the trim around the old radio on the dash. In most cars, this will be only one piece and you will be able to pull it straight off. The trim is held in place by clips that will let go if you put some pressure on the sides of the trim.
Unscrew the old radio from the dash and pull it out of the radio niche. Two screws hold the radio in at the bottom. Once you have it out of the dash, unplug the wires from the back of the old radio. There will be one set of wires and one lone black wire.
Wire your new radio's harness. Different cars use different harnesses, and harnesses connect somewhat differently, but it's a simple process. Connect the wires to the harness color to color. Attach red to red, black to black, blue to blue and so on.
Plug in the wiring harness and the antenna. Now that the harness is wired, it should plug right in to the harness coming from the dash. The jack for the antenna will be clearly marked.
Place the radio back into the dash. Be cautious in pushing back the wires so they don't come unhooked. Screw the radio into place with the two screws at the bottom.
Replace the trim. Simply line the trim panel up in its original position and pop it back into place.
