Aftermarket Radio

[vr6jetta18]

What's up guys. i've got a "97 jetta GLX with the bose sound system. i want an aftermarket headunit but the guys at the dealer said it won't work because all the speakers are individually amped. can anyone tell me if this is true, and if it is, how can i get around it. thanks!

[Kaos]

They would be corect. Sory man. I had to rip out my clarion in my RX7 to switch to a more updated system. It is just a matter of replacing all tweeters and speakers.If you want more sound or MP3 options there are ways of hooking up amps subs and MP3 units to the existing systems. A good day on the web should help you find what you are looking for

[MrBubbles121]

I dont know if this will help. But i got an aftermarket headunit. its the Pioneer 7600 series. i have a 1997 Jetta GT. and it sounds beautiful. i also have the Bose system. 4 1/2'' (i think)speakers on the dash, 6 1/2 '' speakers on the front doors and the back deck and 2 tweeters on the back deck. im also gonna have my girl hook my amp up. Audiobahn amp wit 2 12'' Type R's. not sure if that helps. oh and the only thing i had to buy with the CD player was the antenna adapter and the wiring harness. try it out and see what you get.

[elotran]

Ditch the Bose system!!! I used to work for the company and their car audio sucks!!!! It is great until one of the amps blow and then it is BIG money to replace. You can get just the same sound quality from a well put together aftermarket system and you don't have to worry about replacing things.

[halfofnothing]

an aftermarket head unit will work with the bose system provided the amps/speakers are still in half-way decent shape. in most cases when you pull the factory head unit you will find three plugs connected to the back of the radio. one black, one brown and the red "plug of death". american international's harness for your car will come with the proper plug for the red one. the only thing you need to worry about is lowering the signal coming from the aftermarket because the signal is too strong and over time will smoke the bose amps. I generally use a piece made by scosche called an FAI3, which will allow you to hook up speaker level in/out with level adjustments for all four speakers. Hope this helps...

[PGLI]

for some reason first ive heard of this...i have aftermarkert audio goodies for my car and at one time i did have just a headunit and it worked fine..

[halfofnothing]

Originally Posted by Evil 2.0

for some reason first ive heard of this...i have aftermarkert audio goodies for my car and at one time i did have just a headunit and it worked fine..

some vw's had an optional "active" system which was later replaced by the monsoon system.

[pentoro]

Yes, you absolutely can use an aftermarket headunit with a Bose system, just have a shop that knows what its doing install it for you (if not doing it yourself). Research on crutchfield…they sell a harness especially for this, or a good shop will be able to get them for you. I just had this done in my 99 GLX with Bose, and added a sub and mono-amp. Put the bass flat on the head unit and crank up the sub and it sounds great. Maybe not as good as the infinity components I had amped in my old car, but 100 times better than the factory head unit or other stock cars. If you want to run other speakers, you basically have to rewire everything…F that.