Car stereo installation (wire guide)

So, you want to install a car stereo? Good for you. Fixing a car stereo is fairly easy. If however, you intend to install an Amplifier and subwoofer, it gets a little tricky. But nothing too difficult. This is a basic guide on a simple car stereo installation. Hopefully, if i have some time, I will blog on some of the more complicated installations I've done.

First thing's first - will it fit? Car stereos come in two sizes mainly. Single, and double din. The single din are the older CD/FM radio players. Back when I started installing car stereos, it was a simple fit, by swapping the old with the new (wiring aside). However, as car interior designs got more complicated, most of the stereos come as part of the dashboard. Hence when you take it out, you end up having a huge space on the sides (particularly) The car manufacturer expects you to purchase a filler that can be used - this way, you end up having the missing part of your dashboard console, but also have a neat space where you can fit your single/double din player. So before you go about buying a car stereo, see what size your dashboard can support. Afterwards, see if such a filler can be purchased (either on ebay or from a local dealer)
Next up - Sounds? So are you having a 2 speakers, 4 speakers? Sub woofer? If you plan to, please ensure that the CD/DVD player you plan to buy supports them.
Typical Wiring Battery (+)  : Yellow thick wire - Constant (+) * Ground (-) : Black (Connect to body of vehicle or negative of battery) ACC (+) : Red wire Illumination : Orange (optional on some) (+) White : Front Left (+) White/Black : Front Left (-) Grey : Front Right (+) Grey/Black  : Front Right (-) Violet : Rear Right (+) Violet/Black : Rear Right (-) Green : Left Rear (+) Green/Black : Left Rear(-) Blue : Antenna / Power amplifier signal (+)  Antenna cable (see image here) Optional Light green : Parking brake signal ** Reverse camera signal wire :
* if you do not connect this correctly, you will lose your saved channels /settings once you power off the car.
** used to signal if its safe to show videos (as its illegal for videos to be displayed on the screen while the car is in motion). May be positive / negative - check manual
Tips Be careful when wiring as its quite easy to short the cables Its best to connect the power cables last of all Insulate all the other cables that are not needed Don't forget that the body of the car is negative - so any positive cable that touches the body will result in sparks
Troubleshooting No sounds - check volume, if you're using an amplifier, check if the RCA cables are connected and the amplifier has power, check the amplifier signal cable Doesn't power on - check the ACC, Battery and Ground wires, check for blown fuses, reset setup Channel memory is lost after a while. Check the yellow cable and ensure it has a constant flow of current.