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When my radio was stolen, some part was stolen with it.

Now, through an extremely generous act by BlackBart, I have an OEM radio ready to install.

But after hooking it up (and it works, I have extra connectors and wires, but I imagine that they are from the OEM CD player, the car originally came with).

But trying to mount the radio, there are some tabs broken.

What parts am I missing, and what parts do I need to get?

They are the plastic tabs behind the bezel, behind the metal bracket tabs that bolt to the side of the radio.

Thanks,

Phil

Can you take some pictures?

Ive been working in that area a lot recently, but Im not sure I know what you mean

Yeah, I'm having trouble picturing what you're referring to as well.

The metal bracket tabs -- you mean the mounting tabs on the cage?

Are you just missing the pieces that the two hard-to-reach stereo mounting screws go into? Cuz those aren't absolutely necessary... In all my Legacies I've generally not reinstalled those screws because it's such a pain.

Nope, the other 4 screws. I have the mounting points for those other two. They seem to have taken the time to unscrew those, but not the other 4.

Vikash - Can I e-mail you the pic? I don't have the FTP on my laptop yet.

Email it to my Gmail account.

Sent. Thank you, my friend.

Hm. It looks like those bits are actually part of the console.

Are the tabs I was talking about still there? Maybe you can get it rigid enough with just those two screws.

Those tabs are part of the whole lower central trim (don't know it's official name)


But basically, everything from the right of the steering wheel and under the instrument gauge over to the first few inches of the passenger footwell

Great, so I'm fucked.

The passenger side of the console, doesn't have the plastic squares broken, but there is nothing behind either side's squares to screw into. Was there a metal backing or something?

What WAS there? I don't even remember anymore, it's been so long since I took out my head unit.

*sigh* Oh well.

I wonder if I can hook up the OEM CD player from my stock radio? I wonder if I still have it somewhere, or did I sell it to someone? I don't remember.

Look in the thread below this one to see what should be there

It's possible the break on the passenger side was clean enough that it looks like there never was a tab. I don't believe any of them had a metal backing; the screws just thread into the plastic. I could be wrong though.

The OEM CD player isn't standalone... it requires a stock stereo to do the amplification. Is that what you're trying to put in?

Maybe you could epoxy little tabs back on?

Did you get money from the insurance company? If they did an appraisal, you should take it back to them and point out that you need new console trim because the criminals vandalized yours.

Ooh, I have an idea -- make a pair of brackets; each a short bar with two holes drilled in it. The screws exposed when you remove the cupholder (one is visible in your picture) go through the upper hole. The lower hole is drilled right so the screws can cut threads in them. Maybe that would give you something to put the upper two stereo mounting screws into!

It looks like you probably still have the middle two mounting screw holes, so then you'd have a total of four, which should work.

Like this (click on it):

The passenger side, looks just like the picture. See the plastic "squares," they are intact, but nothing behind it.

That's a good idea Vikash! I'll do that!

I didn't go to the insurance company. My car insurance has a $500 deductible, and only the radio (and I guess console) would be covered. The radio was only $700, and I don't know how much a console would be. Would the premium hike be worth it? I don't know.

Home Owners insurance would cover the books and stuff, but that barely covered the deductible also. Sucks, but I'll get over it. I'm extremely greatful to Frank for hooking me up.

I have the OE CD player, and Frank gave me the OEM upper radio, from an L or something I guess.

OK, so I'm just missing the metal inserts that pop into the plastic squares.

What a horribly insecure method of mounting!

I'll make brackets like Vikash recomended.

BTW, Vikash, you've got another mail

Dang, a $500 deductible sucks when it comes to stuff like this. For the future, it might be worth asking them if they could reduce the deductible and increase the premiums or something.

Ah, okay, yes, that CD player will plug right into the radio with the 13-pin DIN connector. The other connector is for illumination, I believe.

I don't think they're metal inserts; I think they're plastic
threaded-rivet-type things. Kinda like the things holding the corner lights screws.

Actually, there does look like there might be enough plastic left to insert another one of those plastic threaded-rivet-type things. Or even if not, you could put the thing there and use epoxy to make it stay.

The back of the OEM radio I have, has 2 multi-pin connectors, the Antenna, and the round connector.

Behind the panel, I have those connectors (minus the round connector, which would go to the OEM CD), and I have another multi-pin FEMALE connector. Wires stripped out of it. I THINK it was from the harness to connect my Pioneer headunit. I think that, because it was sub control and remote, and I remember having to hard-wire somethings other stuff. Oh, and my XM hardwear (which was all OK I rekon).

I can snag a picture of that stuff too, to try to identify those connectors.

I turned on the car, and the radio works, so that's good. At least I don't have to drive in the deafening silence of theft anymore .