Tips for Car Stereo Repair

Remove your car radio

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Photo 1: Remove the control panel

Slip the nylon prying tool between the heater control and the dash. Pop the control panel off.

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Photo 1A: Close-up of nylon prying tools

Use nylon prying tools to prevent damage to the dash panel. Experiment to find which tool works best for each trim piece.

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Photo 2: Remove the trim panel and bolts

Pry out the radio trim panel to expose the radio fasteners. Then remove the retaining bolts.

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Photo 3: Disconnect the wires

Disconnect the electrical connectors and the antenna from the back of the radio. Then lift it out.

You own a high-end vehicle with a broken CD player. You could take it to one of the “big box” stores where they offer free installation on a new player. But the thought of a 16-year-old “customizing” your dash gives you nightmares. Besides, you love the look and sound of your factory system. You would remove the factory radio yourself and send it in for repair, if only you could figure out how to do it.

Removing the radio itself is actually pretty easy. But to get to that point, you'll first have to remove some dash trim pieces. And there's usually a trick or two to getting those off without wrecking anything. We recommend investing in two things: a set of special tools for trim removal and an online set of instructions geared specifically to your car. A set of the four most commonly used trim removal tools costs less than $16 online. It's worth every penny.

For help with the radio removal procedure for your vehicle, go to carstereohelp.com. This site sells complete radio and trim removal instructions (with photos) for over 4,000 different make/ model combinations. The removal instructions cost less than $10. Some do-it-yourself repair instructions are also available (see the “DIY repairs” link on the Web site). After you pull the radio, you can send the unit directly to carstereohelp.com for repair. Repair rates run from $185 to $300, depending on the make and model. That may seem high, but new factory replacements can run almost twice that price.