Replacing a car stereo by myself

September 30, 2021 9:34 PM

On a scale of "go for it" to "run, don't walk away"... How hard is it to replace the radio in a 2015 Nissan Leaf S?

I enjoy basic electric projects. My skills are on the level of: building a PC, wiring a home network, replacing outlets and fixtures, that sort of thing. It does not include soldering or having to directly apply Ohm's law.

Based on this article it seems replacing this car's stereo is not too much more challenging than other projects I've done. (Thankfully I have the base model.) Doing it myself sounds like my kind of fun. But I don't want to underestimate the difficulty and end up with a trashed console.

Is this a terrible idea? If not, I'd appreciate any advice.

posted by rouftop to Technology (10 answers total)

It's not a terrible idea. I do recommend ordering from Crutchfield - not a plug, but they throw in the appropriate harnesses, antenna adapters, line level converters (where applicable) and will provide pdf instructions.

I've done the stereo in my spouse's car and my own car, and had so much fun doing it that it led me back into an interest in wrenching on cars. YMMV, but it's not a bad way to spend a weekend if you like electrical puzzles.
posted by transitional procedures at 10:30 PM on September 30, 2021 [3 favorites]

I replaced the stereo in an F-150. Actually was very reasonable. I did replace it with a stock radio I bought on ebay so connections were plug and play. The hard part was taking out or loosening the dash without breaking the plastic clips.

Fwiw, it turned out that the issue was a fuse. That was as hard to access and change. If you need a 2008 F-150 radio, I have an extra. So, I did it 2x. I put the original back in bc it had all my presets and a CD in the slot.

Go for it.
posted by AugustWest at 10:42 PM on September 30, 2021

I got an upgrade for my Ford from Crutchfield and it wasn't terribly hard but did require a small amount of soldering (which I'm comfortable with) which IIRC was not made clear on the website when I ordered. This was mostly annoying just because I didn't have my iron/solder with me when I'd wanted to do the upgrade initially. It was probably an hour or so of work, most of which was dealing with getting the old unit out and new unit in. The actual wiring was fast.

If you're not comfortable with soldering, you might verify with a sales person on the phone that the Leaf does not require it.

If you haven't already, you might search the Leaf subreddit and sites like mynissanleaf.com. This post seems to indicate that your model is at least a bit challenging to upgrade.
posted by Candleman at 11:26 PM on September 30, 2021 [1 favorite]

I'll recommend Crutchfield too, they are a one stop shop for all the parts you will need. If you do not want to assemble the wiring harness they will do it for a small fee. I have soldered the harness myself and it is not to hard just takes time. Hardest part, has other have said is take the dash about without breaking a part. Crutchfield even provides instruction on taking the dash apart.

Go for it and have fun.
posted by tman99 at 5:55 AM on October 1, 2021

I've done three so far in modern cars. As others have said, go with Crutchfield and order the proper harness for your car. Verify (via YouTube or google) that they sent you the right harness as my friend struggled to install a stereo in a VW only to find out Crutchfield sent her the wrong harness.

It's not terribly difficult. If your stereo has any video features you'll need to attach one wire to the parking break sensor, which on my kid's 2010 Toyota was a real struggle. You can just attach it to ground, but Crutchfield will not help you do this due to liability.

I found the most difficult part was the physical part of it, getting the brackets and the bezels all installed properly so everything lined up and the dash went back together without any gaps. In the case of the Toyota, this required grinding down some metal with a Dremel tool. I did not have to go through all this when I installed a unit in a Subaru. YMMV.
posted by bondcliff at 6:24 AM on October 1, 2021

In my experience, replacing the head unit is fun and challenging. Be advised: It will take longer than you expect.

Replacing the speakers? Wiring up a sub? Never again.
posted by sacrifix at 6:29 AM on October 1, 2021 [1 favorite]

I've had a few done and installation charges were never much over $100. I'm in the 'its not worth it' category for the difficulty of taking the dash apart (depending on your car model).
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:39 AM on October 1, 2021

I've done it a couple of times, also went with Crutchfield both times. I am not especially handy or knowledgeable about electronics, but I can follow instructions.

One thing you'll want—which I don't think will be included in Crutchfield's installation kit—is a spudger to pry the plastic fascia off the dash without marring it.
posted by adamrice at 10:00 AM on October 1, 2021 [1 favorite]

Another vote for Crutchfield. They’ll try to make it right if there’s something wrong with their systems matching of part numbers to models and trim lines, or their instructions. And they’re patient with any confusion. If they’re not sure something will fit or work they’ll say so.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:01 PM on October 1, 2021

In addition to a spudger a cordless impact driver (not a drill) would be good if you don’t have one. Or even a ratcheting driver with a swivel neck (ie a screwdriver that takes bits). And a set of whatever bits your dash requires to come apart.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:03 PM on October 1, 2021