David,

Hmm, seems I answered your question in my original post:

"I'd really like to use this head unit for several reasons (factory look,
cassette and CD capability, and the price is right)."

Price (a whole hell of a lot less than $250 Canadian), and factory looks are
something your unit can't give me. I also want to be able to do cassette as
well as have a CD changer. There is a local VW salvage yard where I can get
a used changer super cheap. Factory look is a nice bonus.

Now, does anyone have any ideas how to hook up what I do have?

Cheers,
Bruce

>From: "David Marshall" <vanagon@volkswagen.org>
>Reply-To: <vanagon@volkswagen.org>
>To: "Bruce Nadig" <motorbruce@HOTMAIL.COM>,<vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>Subject: RE: VW Radio Into Vanagon (Long)
>Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 16:50:02 -0800
>
>Why go with a VW head unit?  I have a Sony MP40 in my Westfalia - fits
>nice,
>looks good, has a remote so I can control it from the back and is priced at
>under $250 Canadian and it plays MP3s!
>
>David Marshall
>
>Fast Forward Automotive Inc.
>4356 Quesnel-Hixon Road
>Quesnel BC Canada  V2J 6Z3
>
>http://www.fastforward.ca    mailto:sales@fastforward.ca
>Phone: (250) 992 7775        FAX: (250) 992 1160
>
>- Vanagon Accessories and Engine Conversions
>- Vanagon, Transporter and Iltis Sales and Importation
>- European Lighting for most Volkswagen models
>
>
>Due to the large volume of email  we  receive,  PLEASE  include  previous
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>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
>Of Bruce Nadig
>Sent: January 25, 2004 4:35 PM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: VW Radio Into Vanagon (Long)
>
>
>Howdy From Texas,
>
>Long story, but thanks to VW the stock radio on my '87 GL is now just a
>large paperweight. That is not the problems I am trying to solve today,
>although I am still pissed at VW (they can't get me the code for my radio
>because they didn't stamp the 14 character code into the chassis). Don't
>reply with suggestions on how to get it going again. I have moved on from
>that problem.
>
>For a replacement I want to keep the VW look. A good friend of mine is the
>local VW guru and used parts vendor. He has a VW head unit that I want to
>use in my Vanagon, but so far I haven't been able to get it to work. He
>swears that all he had to do to get to work in a car was plug it in - on
>codes, no nothing.
>
>This radio has a black face, VW logo, and says "Premium Audio." No other
>model names are present. This is a AM/FM/Cassette unit with CD changer
>controls. My friend told me that these are rare units. On the body of the
>radio there are a number of stickers. Several of them say "Premium." The
>part number appears in two places and is: 357 035 186H. One sticker that
>says Premium and has the part number also says "Made In Japan." Elsewhere
>on
>the radio there is a sticker that says "Assembled by Matsushita
>Communications Deutschland GMBH, Germany." Go figure. I don't know what
>year
>or model car this unit came from.
>
>On the front of the head unit it also  has a picture of a red key and says,
>"Anti Theft." My friend swears that he was able to plug it in to a car and
>it worked. He swears that he didn't need a code for the unit to work.
>
>I checked the fuse on the radio and it is good. I checked to see that the
>radio is getting power, and it is.
>
>On the back there are three receptacles for plugs on the factory harness,
>just as the original radio had. The lowest of the three is for power, the
>middle is for the connections to the speakers. The upper receptacle is for
>the cable that runs to the CD changer.
>
>I think the solution to this problem will be getting the proper wires
>hooked
>up to the proper pins on the bottom receptacle. The stock socket for the
>bottom receptacle has wires going to only 3 of the 8 pins. There is a label
>on the top of the radio with a key to the layout of the pins. The stock
>socket supplies power to one pin. Another pin is ground. A third is hooked
>up to the dimmer circuit of the dashboard lights. All other pins are left
>empty. On the label on top there are, however, symbols assigned to 3 other
>pins. One looks like a "Y" but the vertical section is the full height of
>the character. I think this is a signal for a power antenna. One of the
>remaining pins with an associated symbol simply has a "+". The final pin
>has
>a picture of a speaker and a "+." Remember, only 3 of these pins are
>actually connected to anything on the factory harness (that is to say that
>the factory harness only has wires going to positions for 3 pins).
>
>The new radio also has 8 pins in the bottom receptacle. The power, ground,
>and dimmer pins are in the same positions. Like the old radio, the new unit
>also has the "Y" (antenna?) symbol, and the speaker with the "+."  There
>are
>two additional symbols. Rather than having the second "+" that the first
>radio had, the newer radio has an "S." Finally, there is a pin labeled
>"ALM." That is obviously for some sort of alarm function. One pin remains
>unlabeled on the newer radio.
>
>When I told my friend that the newer radio wouldn't work in my van he gave
>me one suggestion. He seemed to think that this would solve the problem
>right away. He really knows his VW stuff, especially electrical, so I
>didn't
>question him. I just followed his advice. He instructed me to connect the
>negative terminal and the terminal marked with the "S." He gave me the
>jumper wires with the correct ends to insert into the factory connectors
>and
>everything.
>
>Well, to make a long story, this afternoon, I did as he suggested. The new
>radio still doesn't do anything. I plug it in, turn it on, and....nothing.
>Nothing on the LCD screen. No mild thump from the speakers when the unit is
>turned on. Nothing. Any ideas?
>
>I'd really like to use this head unit for several reasons (factory look,
>cassette and CD capability, and the price is right).
>
>Any VW radio geniuses out there think you can help me with this problem? If
>we can get this solved you will have my eternal gratitude!
>
>Cheers,
>Bruce
>
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