Rep Power: 0

Hello everyone,

I had looked through a few posts and it seems you need to solder wires from the old wiring harness to a new one. Is there an option that doesn't require soldering (ive never soldered before nor do I own an iron or heat gun. I'd rather do the entire install myself but wondering if there's another option?

Thanks

Retro

 
Rep Power: 309

Soldering is best, You could try bullet type crimp terminals... but you will need a crimp tool for them, = $ reliability may be an issue. Please don't consider scotchblock connectors, I have avoided them for years now, I recently bought a pack in haste and the 1st one I tried had a failed connection ( I threw away the whole package)

Electrical connections in a vehicle need extra attention to keep them reliable, western union splice, solder and heat shrink tubing is the way to go.

 
Rep Power: 0

Okay, well if that is the case I think it may end up being cheaper if I have it installed by someone else (as long as they are soldering with shrink tubing too. Maybe when I want to do more electrical work I'll acquire those things, but for the time being I'll save money and hassle if I get it done in-store.

 
Rep Power: 309

You might want to check and see what method they are using before commiting.

Another option is to take your aftermarket harness and adaptor harness to the stereo install shop for assembly or borrow an iron and some solder from a friend.

 
Rep Power: 0

Apparently they do crimping instead of soldering. They gave me the line "it's guaranteed to work or we'll fix it". I don't care if its guaranteed if it messes up my car electronics, they sure arnt going to pay for it.

I am willing to get a soldering iron and solder, i just dont know how. It is difficult to learn? Could I use a hair dryer for shrink tubing over it?

 
Rep Power: 286

Soldering irons aren't very expensive, mine was $10; soldering itself is very simple, just get a little bit of extra wire and practice on that for until you feel comfortable.

I've never attempted to use a hair dryer for shrinking tube, but I've used a lighter before and that worked okay.

 
Rep Power: 0

Soldering creates the best connection. If you havnt soldered before i suggest practising a bit beforehand. Its not hard to solder but it is a bit hard to solder good.

 
Rep Power: 813

you could just bring the stereo harness and the pnp harness to the stereo shop and ask them to solder it. usually they wont even charge anything or slip em a $5. be sure to match the wires up properly using the stereo key and the harness key. colors do not always match to function.

 
Rep Power: 258

dude you don't need to solder just crimp the wires with a 5 dollars crimper i don't understand what the big deal is. it will last the life of the stereo if you do it correctly.