Satellite radio is perhaps the biggest technology advancement of radio since FM stations decades ago. With satellite radio our listening options seem almost unlimited. Anything we want to listen to can be found with the push of a button. It really makes those long road trips seem just a little shorter and more reason why you need to get a satellite radio for your car.

It doesn’t take much time and effort to do either. It’s nearly as simple as installing any new car stereo. It’s when your car comes with a satellite radio already factory installed does putting a new, aftermarket one become a little more of a challenge. People often replace their OE stereos with satellite radios which come with DVD players as a typical feature. In order to perform this kind of job yourself, you’ll need to understand how to replace a regular, old car stereo with a new and exciting in-dash satellite radio. Here’s how.

• You’re going to need a complete in-dash car stereo system that is satellite ready to begin with. Stick to get one that is comparable to the existing in-dash satellite radio if you can’t find one of the same brands. Go over the instruction manual from cover to cover. Once you’re finished with that go through the box and make sure you have all the parts. If any parts need to be pre-assembled, now is the time to do it.





• Now you’ll need to disconnect and carefully uninstall the older in-dash satellite radio. Have all of the appropriate tools on hand before you start the removal and installation. To protect your car, new stereo equipment and more importantly yourself, disconnect the negative battery cable.





• You’re now ready to remove the original equipment, factory installed satellite radio from your car’s dashboard. Make sure you have the correct tools to remove the old receiver without damaging anything since some of them are very specialized for this task. You’re going to need certain task specific tools as well when install the new stereo system but they usually come prepackaged in the box with the new receiver.





• Gently, slide out the old receiver after you’ve detached it from the car. Next, unplug the factory wiring from the receiver. You’re going to reuse those same factory wires when you are installing the new in-dash satellite radio so don’t go cutting any of the wires to make the removal of the old stereo easier. You’ll just give yourself a headache and expensive one to fix at that.





• Make your life easier and buying a wiring harness. It’ll speed up connecting the new stereo and save you some aggravation. Connect it to the new receiver’s wiring and plug into the car’s existing wiring. It makes the process much less complicated.





• If the new stereo came with a mounting sleeve, now is the time to remove it and then set it inside the dashboard opening. Secure it in there by bending the perforated tabs.





• If the opening in your dash from the older stereo is larger than your new receiver, use a custom installation kit. Once the new wiring harness is plugged in, tuck all those wires back into the car. Slide everything into place and start rocking out to your new stations.