Hello there. I have a Fiat Grande Punto 2009. It still has the original radio (CD + Radio). It has a hidden AUX port, but you need to buy a propetary cable for that.. It is a pain, since I'd have to make a CD each time I want to update my library. I've already ordered a new radio (Pioneer DEH-1700UB) which should solve my issue. I'm sure about everything, except one thing: 'Steering Wheel Commands' Those extremely handy buttons on the steering wheel. On the radio manual it specify it is compatible with them, but I'm hardly finding any info regarding that online. Some threads I found on other forums says I'd have to buy a small 'interface box' for them (which costs around 70€...) While I was on holiday, my cousin showed me that he got a new radio installed on his car, but the guy he went to left the 'Steering Wheel Control' cable out. It was similar to this: But instead of that serialized-pin thing, it had 3 'cut' cables. Each for KEY1, KEY2, KEY3 (at least that's what it said on their label). I don't get how do you install that. Anybody with some experience in that can assist me there?
Does not apply to car audio where having to bust out a soldering iron is a regular occurrence. - - - Updated - - - Had a look online, but really does seem that info is scarce :/ Cant really add much more than you've already mentioned.
A bit off topic, those cars are awesome. My sister has the T-jet, its incredibly fun to drive, which one do you have? I am very interested in the outcome of your radio system.
^ Base model I guess? Doesn't have any fancy badge behind. Oh well, Radio should arrive tomorrow. Will check what cables comes with it.
Interesting car you have We had an old Punto ELX . Nothing against Fiat but. it was horrible. At the end we spend twice the money we bought the car for with repairing stuff like Suspension electric a new Gearbox etc.. For your cable. Trial and error. Maybe you find something in your instructions book from the car
Well, with that steering wheel adapter, most you just run in line with your stereo harnesses adapting your stock radio to the aftermarket radio. The main harness attaches your factory speaker wiring and 12/5/3.3V, and the steering wheel control adapter is that little black box, which also connects to the radio via that little cable you pointed out, which also connects to your aftermarket radio. Don't forget those U-shape DIN keys and an antenna adapter if you need one.
Radio arrived today (Not yet the mask and the antenna adapter). The cable is like this. Notice that blue/white cable with the 'Remote' label. That's supposedly the Steering Commands cable. No Jack-type cable, all is already serialized, so hopefully it's just a thing of plug&play. Will wait for the other parts to arrive (tomorrow hopefully) to mount it (For those wondering, took this model and not the Bluetooth one, because that one misses the CD Reader, which my father uses. Price was the same.)
All the parts needed arrived. Now I just need some free time to mess with that. Checked everything and gather more info on this 'Steering control' thing. The Radio has a input for that '3,5" Jack type cable'. And according to the Pioneer manual/site, I'd need an adapter if I want to keep those controls, which costs around 70€. Oh well, guess I don't need that after all.
Thats the same Pioneer radio that I have had in my Silver truck for about a year now, Can't say anything bad about it. When I bought the truck the radio didn't work, and it seems neither did any of my other 6 Chrysler radios, but as soon as I threw this one in it, all was well. Besides not being able to find the adapter plate for it and having to make one, the install was all of 10 minutes, not counting 15 minutes with a dremel tool, some sandpaper and a piece of plastic. (imported from here) (imported from here)
Update: So, tried to install the radio yesterday. All connected and etc, but the radio doesn't give signs of life. Unplugged it and put back the original one and worked fine. Came back home and Googled, checked twice the manual. Apparently I have to cross the RED and YELLOW cables (depends on the car). Did that already, just need to test it now. Will do that tomorrow.
Quite common to have to flip it. If you dont, then you should be able to manually turn the radio on while the engine is running only.
But the radio didn't turn on anyway. Even if the engine was on. - - - Updated - - - Ok, I retried earlier. No luck (with cross RED/YELLOW cable). Went to a shop near that does this kind of stuff, they suggested to put both RED and YELLOW cable from the radio in only the RED cable. Did that, and it worked, but the radio do not turn off if I remove the key. That's because on cars like mine, with original radio, the YELLOW cable in the ISO adapter is direct to the battery, it do not pass via the key. The original radio turn off when I turn of the car simply because it is connected to the whole electrical system, which the pioneer radio won't. Only solution is to mess with the cable and get the V12 one that exits from the key. I don't want to mess things up, so I will get this done from an electricist.
you just have to find the remote trigger wire (usually blue on an aftermarket stereo harness) and wire that directly to something like the cigarette lighter (assuming it is not ALWAYS on, even with the car off). It sounds like you have constant power now, but you ALSO need to have a remote/trigger/turn on-signal wire to trigger the stereo to turn on and off. I have even tapped into the gauge cluster illumination wire, since that (on most new cars anyway) turns on every time the car is "on" or "started"...If I was with you over there in Italy, I would have this figured out for you in a matter of minutes. At least the stereo WORKS and actually turns on. I will have a closer look at your new stereo harness and the wiring diagram for your Punto and will report back with any findings. Cheers! - - - Updated - - - generally, car stereos need 12V+, GND, and a Switched 12V+. You need constant power, and a switch wire that triggers the unit to turn on. From what I gathered from some quick research, (not much online in terms of wiring diagrams for your specific car) there is the blue/white wire on the Pioneer wiring harness, needs to be connected in some way or another to the blue/white wire in the dashboard OEM harness...if there is a blue/white wire in the original stereo harness, that is the magical solution (connect that to your blue/white wire on the Pioneer stereo harness). Let me know if you have those 2 wires. On the picure above, there is the blue label on one of the wires...remote or something...that is MOST LIKELY the wire that needs to be hooked up to the blue/white wire in your dash. Also, leave the 12V+ and black GND wires connected as they are supposed to be/
It should be red switched, yellow permanent live. Assuming you go by ISO standards. Yellow is used to power the logic and retain memory. Red is used to power the amplifier circuit and also to detect the car ignition switching on and off. Occasionally they are switched. You dont really want to be connecting red to a low current source such as the gauge backlighting as it is intended for driving the amplifier normally, although alot of modern stereos instead simply source from red and yellow in parallel so its not a huge concern. A better idea would actually to be to run another battery live to the red line through a relay and have the relay switched off of the backlight or some other similar setup, a high side switched FET maybe. Yet another option even, find the fuse box, find a switched supply, get a fuse tap, for a mk1 ford focus for example the heated seats are switched and the fusebox wiring is good for about 30A or so to that socket (officially, the seats use a 15A fuse), you can stick a tap in there and run that to the stereos red lead. Dunno what you want with blue, thats an output for powered antennas. It can be disconnected.
^ In all my years of custom stereo installs, the blue/WHITE wire is mostly ALWAYS used for the switch 12V+. its strange though, that I cannot seem to find a (correct?) accurate wiring diagram for his specific car...All I am coming across are Bravos and other Fiats, NOT the Punto Grande. However, I seem to have noticed that a lot of those types of Fiats have similar/same/related stereo systems with diagrams that seem to be generally inclusive of all those different models. I for one, am a stickler for finding EXACTLY the correct diagram. And 6677 is right, there is very little info online. Grandma car maybe? haha - - - Updated - - - Small, yes, I know, but circled/slashed in red is where the connection should be split on that blue/white wire...Clearly that is the correct remote switch wire, since it is in the harness solely with the Black GND, the Yellow 12V+ Constant, red is the AMP circuit power, and the Blue/White is the remote wire. Those are the 4 wires for controlling power. The Yellow supplies constant power, as 6677 said, for memory and settings etc, the black is ground, and the blue/white is the signal turn-on wire. simply disconnect that where I circled, and from the STEREO side of that harness (the left side of the picture, that end) should be connected to a IGN Switched source, such as those mentioned above as example. No need to pay some jerk at a local stereo place as they constantly rip people off for such a simple task. You already did all the hard work, now it is a matter of getting the remote wire successfully lined up. I would even just use a butt splice at that point, snip a switched source (like lighter, fuel pump even) and put both ends of wire in one end and put the blue/white wire end in the other end, crimp it down, E-Tape it and be done.
I'm just going from just about every stereo install I've done and the official ISO documentation which requests a blue/white output to powered antennas. Only changes from ISO I've ever had are absense of mute or dimming lines and the switching of red and yellow (most GM vehicles for example) The annoying one though was a mates focus, mine I bought a harness adapter as ford didnt use a set of ISO plugs. Mates, nah, he was too cheap to buy one, instead quite happy to give me a tenner to take a soldering iron to the factory wiring and the headunit.
