In-Car Gear

How to install a new in-car digital player with bluetooth in a Mitsubishi Magna ES TL

This post is a following piece from my post about removing the original Clarion CD player in a Mitsubishi Magna ES TL.

It shows the steps to install a new in-car digital player with bluetooth for hands-free capability. The model I installed is the Sony DSX-A60BT. I did an article on unboxing of the unit here.

To connect the Sony unit to the Magna you can buy an APP0111 wiring harness from Aerpro5. (For Aussies, these can be purchased at JB-Hifi stores)

01-APP0111-wiring-harness-for-mitsubitshi-front
Figure 1. APP0111 wiring harness for Mitsubishi purchased at JB Hi-Fi.

 

02-APP0111-wiring-harness-for-mitsubitshi
Figure 2. Details of the connection diagram.

 

03-APP0111-wiring-harness-for-mitsubitshi-connected-to-Sony-DSX-A60BT
Figure 3. Plugging the harness to the Sony stereo unit.

 

I prepared the earth wire so it could be attached to a metal part with a screw:

04-Earth-connection
Figure 4. Earth connection with a metallic o-ring soldered to the wire.

 

Once we have the accessory the steps are straightforward.

Note 1: I disconnected the battery before installing the new unit.

Let’s start by removing the enclosure from the Sony unit and attach the original brackets to both sides.

Note 2: the screws that are used on the Clarion don’t have the same threads as the Sony, you may have to buy 8 screws to attach the brackets. The screws I had handy were too long so I had to use stacks of washers to prevent them from damaging the unit’s internals.

05-screws-to-brackets
Figure 5. Attaching the brackets to the Sony unit.

 

06-screws-to-brackets-rear
Figure 6. Use of washers to prevent screws from damaging the inside of the Sony unit.

 

Brackets attached to the side of the Sony head

07-screws-to-brackets-rear
Figure 7. Sony unit with the brackets attached on both sides.

 

Attach earth wire to a metal frame

08-earth-wire-screwed-to-metal
Figure 8. Found a spot on a metallic frame to attach the earth wire.

 

The areas in cyan on the photo shows the wiring harness adapter APP0111

09-connect-APP0111
Figure 9. Harness used to connect the Sony to the car wiring.

 

Connect the Sony unit. Don’t forget to plug in the aerial cable too

10-connect-Sony-unit
Figure 10. Sony’s wires are now connected.

 

Re-connect the battery and turn the new unit on to check it’s powered

12-turn-on
Figure 11. Sony unit powered and switched on!

 

Bluetooth pairing with iPhone took less than 60 seconds to complete successfully

13-bluetooth-pairing-ok
Figure 12. Bluetooth pairing with iPhone successful.

 

Let’s put all the covers back

14-putting-things-console-back
Figure 13. Reinstalling the cover on the console.

 

16-powered-window-controls
Figure 14. Reconnect the wires for power windows and put the cover back.

 

17-finished
Figure 15. Covers are now back in place.

 

Checking

  • Radio works, aerial automatically extends out and pulls back in as expected
18-radio-works
Figure 16. Radio on the Sony deck works well.

 

  • Bluetooth works with iPhone,
  • USB connector can charge mobile device too
19-bluetooth-usb
Figure 17. USB connector can be used to recharge iPhone battery. The USB port also transports audio signals from the device to the Sony unit.

 

A few notes

The black trim around the Sony unit could not be left in place as it’s a bit too thick and too wide which prevents the climate control cover to be put back in place. I took it off.

When the key is removed from dashboard, the unit also makes beeps to remind you to take the front panel off if you wish.

The Sony DSX-A60BT has been working fine since I installed it a month or so ago. Under the right-hand-side cover, there is a USB port that I use to recharge my iPhone while on the road.

Hands-free mode works great via both USB or Bluetooth.

Now I can play music and podcasts from my iPhone directly on the car stereo system.

Update following a question from a private comment

The installation from start to finish took me about 3 hours.

I think I could have done it under 2 hours if I had the right screws to attach the brackets to the unit. Because the screws I had available were pointy and too long, I had to sand the tips and use washers as seen on the photos below.

30-sanding-screw-tips
Figure 18. Sanding screw tips to prevent damages to the inside of the Sony unit.

 

31-sanding-screw-tips
Figure 19. Screws before and after sanding of the pointy tips.

 

If you have installed a new stereo unit in a Magna 2004 please feel free to share your experience in the comment section below.

 

Show More

Related Articles

11 Comments

  1. Thank you for posting this very clear step by step guide. An added bonus was by coincidence I had almost the same radio to install (Sony DSX-A400BT)! It all went well.

    I did have to make two trips to SuperCheap Auto as two harnesses were needed. The one you have shown is the ‘harness to match the vehicle’ (shown as step 1 on the harness blister pack). The ‘harness to match to match the deck’ was also needed (shown as step 2 on the blister pack).

    Thanks again for posting.

    1. Hi Mark,

      I’m glad the article was helpful.

      It seems in my case I only needed one extra harness for the car because the one that is connected to the Sony deck was included with the unit.

      I hope you enjoy the new music system 😉

  2. Hi Jervis,

    Thank you very much for your helpful article.
    It looks pretty much the same thing to do with my 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante ES Wagon. Also I’m looking to use a Sony Head unit aswell

    You have been a great help.

    1. Hi Jarred,

      I’m glad you find the article helpful. Best wishes with installing a new Sony head in your Magna Diamante ES Wagon. 🙂

  3. I have a TL Magna with a head unit that is playing up. One station button is loose and the Volume control works when it wants to. I am glad to come across your guide and thank you – this gives me confidence to replace my poor old Clarian unit. Nice work mate!

  4. Thankyou for this detailed information, just bought a new stereo for my magna and have been avoiding installation because it was daunting (ive never done it before) but after seeing this im confident in installing now 🙂

  5. Hi, thanks for the installation guide. I bought the harness for installation. I can’t get power tup the new head unit. Also when plugged in aerial keeps going up n down . Any help would be appreciated.

  6. Thanks I used both tutorials. Really helpful. First time doing something like this. Took about 2 and a half hours, half of that was working out the new head unit and bracket. Appreciate your help.

  7. I bought the harness for installation. I can’t get power tup the new head unit. Also when plugged in aerial keeps going up and down . Any help would be appreciated.

  8. Hi, thanks for the guide. I’ve just pulled my dash apart and had a look at what I need. There’s an almost square white 8 pin plug that appears in the photos on your guide and which I also have on my TJ stereo unit. Unsure exactly what it is, but my new head unit doesn’t have anywhere that it’ll fit. I think it may be for the speakers but not certain. Can you verify this or suggest what it might actually be.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button