Aftermarket radio in an 88 Cabrio?

[E30 Cabrio]

I've been trying to find a way to put an aftermarket Head Unit in my 88 Cabrio.

There is a write up in the Tech Info Center, but the wiring harness shown if for 1990 and later 3 series.

Is there a wiring harness of us E30 owner with the Premium sound and pre-1990?

What would be the best way to do this without having to rewire everything?

Thanks.

Here's my car. It is an 88 5 spd Lachssilber Cabby with Black Leather and 116K on it:

[Yurick]

I had changed out the complete radio, all speakers, and removed the factory amp in the trunk a few years ago. That did indeed require everything to be rewired. I initially ordered the stereo system from Crutchfield and they included all the necessary adapters for my 1990 325iC. After installing it, I realized that the original speakers weren't good enough for the new stereo system and that was the point I decided to replace the old junkers.
If you want to hang on to the original speakers and amp, than Crutchfield.com should be able to accommodate you.

[Yurick]

By the way, your car looks great - my compliments!

[E30 Cabrio]

The wiring harness for the 90 is different for the 88, so that's where the problem is. I'll give Crutchfield a call and see if they can help me.

I would like to avoid spending a lot of $$$ and replacing the speakers right now, but I will probably have to bypass the factory amp as I understand that they don't play well with non-stock head units.


Thanks.

[E30 Cabrio]

Anyone else?

Thanks.

[E30 Cabrio]

Ttt

[Jeron]

PAC makes adapters that will allow you to reuse the factory amp. Crutchfield sells them.

[E30 Cabrio]

Originally Posted by Jeron

PAC makes adapters that will allow you to reuse the factory amp. Crutchfield sells them.

I checked into that as well and here is one of the user reviews for the PAC OEM-2 Harness/Adapter:

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?i=127OEM2&search=PAC+2&tp=3486&tab=review

Above and beyond!
Written by Mario , Germantown, MD on Monday, September 25, 2006 8:33 PM

Unfortunately this item did not work with my set up. I rated it a 5 b/c it's not it's fault my premium sound system was not compatible w/ it. I have an E30 BMW to which i was installing an Alpine CDA-7984. As I stated before it did not work but this is not a review about the product but the service.

Dean and Tom were the two techs that helped me figure things out. Once we realized this PAC adapter was not going to work for me they still helped me in getting my older receiver intalled. I was most pleased and impressed by their knowledge and the curtious service they provided.

Crutchfield is bar none my favoriate supplier of electronic goods. They go above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction and really take the fear out of shopping online.

Thank you Crutchfield and in particular, Dean and Tom. You are an asset to this company and I look forward to doing business with you again.
Was this review helpful? Yes | No

[coolbear1]

I just did my 88 cabro, It didn't have the amp in the trunk like my 93.
Since I wanted to use amps, and the speaker outputs are at the amp I rewired.
I installed a blaupunkt head because it has red lights instead of the blue that most units come with. I used Kenwood amps because I already had them. I changed out all of the speakers because they just were old and wouldn't handle the power.
If you would like I will get you some photos of the system.

[E30 Cabrio]

Thanks, but I only drive my Cab about 5K per year and don't really need a high-end system and would just like to swap out the HU for something with an AUX Input for my MP3 players and something that plays burned MP3 CD's

I have a bad back (two torn and herniated discs) so rewiring the car isn't really an option for me and it would cost a fortune to have someone else do it.

My plan is to replace the HU and bypass the Amp in the trunk.

I'm looking for a wiring harness where I can just remove the stock radio, put in a new one and plug in a wiring harness instead of cutting, stripping, soldering, etc...

Thanks for the suggestion though, and nice cabby. You're one of the few 88's I've seen with less mileage then mine. What kind of air dam is that and are those 5 lug wheels?

Not going to copy them as I already have an 87 "is" air dam that's primered and ready to be painted and mounted and I'm happy with my basketweaves although I do need to lower my car a bit.

Thanks again.

[coolbear1]

Zender, I have the ground effects to go under the doors also. Just have'nt been inspired since I won't drive it. Don't want to roll it over to that 100k number.
The wheels are 4 lug.
I bought them from the BMW dealer on a close out.

By the way, sorry about the back, I have 1 rupture and two herniated.
I had a laminectomy on the rupture, christmas two years back.

[Jeron]

Back to the stereo and PAC adapter.

The review you posted doesn't say why it didn't work. I'm having trouble understanding how it the PAC adapter might not work and ultimately what issue you have with installing a new headunit in conjunction with your factory amp.

The factory amp either takes line level or speaker level output. The PAC OEM2 outputs both lien and speaker level output and has adjustable output range. It also handles common ground systems.

So, as far as installing a new headunit, what issues do you have that you are trying to resolve?