[BarmyArmy]

I am a lucky man, just become the proud owner of a MkI V70 TDI,

unfortunately although the stereo is CD changer capable, there is no CD changer fitted.

My local Volvo dealer wants the best part of four hundred notes for an autochanger, which is criminal.

Does any know if any other brands of CD-Changer are compatible with the Volvo "head" unit, or who really makes the Volvo changer.
Esp if anyone has managed to get an MP3 capable unit to talk to a Volvo "Head" Unit.

I wouldn't mind the the "oversized" Volvo headunit means my existing Sony Unit will look very out of place.

Barmy

 

[BarmyArmy]

Hmm. Well this topic got loads of traffic............

Anyone have any experience of fitting one of these: Alpine CHA634 to a Volvo head unit

Barmy

 

[Tech]

The older Radios were made by alpine and the alpine changer will plug in.But I forget what years the cutoff was.

 

[kbtri]

I just purchased a 1998 v70 with a factory stereo with CD changer capability. do you know if the car is wired to the back for the changer.

has anyone tried a non-volvo changer like the alpine mentioned?

thanks,

 

[DaBearsFan]

I dont have an auto-changer but I have a kenwood cd player.

 

[gdict]

I am surprised that your question has gone unanswered for so long. I am guessing the population is not so large here as it is on forums like Swedespeed.

Assuming your V70 is the 98-00 variety, your head unit was made by Matsushita and uses their CD changer protocal. This means Alpine, Kenwood, Panasonic, Honda, etc. are all the same interface, athough the cables are not universal. I had a Kenwood changer in a 97 850 once that used an adapter cable. If you really want a changer, just save yourself some money and buy a used Volvo one on eBay. They're a dime a dozen these days. In fact I just pulled a bad one out of my 850 and as soon as I can get the CD's out, I am going to sell it for parts.

Better yet, go iPod, you won't regret it. There is an iPod interface that is made by USA SPEC. You can buy it from Crutchfield or IPD. It is the PA11-HON and requires a Volvo adapter cable. Crutchfield sells the two parts seperate and IPD bundles them. The price is the same from both. I have one in my 94 855T and I just put one in my girlfriend's 98 V70. We both love them. I use it in "direct" mode where I control everything from the iPod. You can still advance songs from the stereo controls, but not much else. It charges while connected and for one hour after shutoff. There is also a "playlist" mode that lets you assign 6 playlists to the 6 "disc" buttons on the head unit, but you can't use the iPod controls in this mode, which is why I prefer direct mode. The interface is not perfect, but it works very well and is the only game in town if you want the high quality sound granted by using the CD changer input on your stock stereo.

Cheers!

Greg

 

[masstapro]

Hey guys.
Just bought a 98 S70 that has no cd player

Picking up car today and will look for an auxilary port in the back of it.

Do you guys know if I can hook up the I-pod connector like you just mentioned?

If not, I can always get a S70 stereo unit that has a CD player unit just like you mentioned and use the cd changer to connect to the I-pod.

Thanks all,
~Shawn

98 S70 with 38k miles for $6k.

 

[gdict]

As long as it is a factory radio and has a button on the front for the CD changer, it will have the input on the back that will work with the USA Spec interface. I actually think ALL of the factory radios in the US were changer ready, so you should be OK.

The interface you want is the PA11-HON. (Yes, Honda) and you will need the Volvo adapter cable.

You can buy it from Crutchfield.com online, or better yet, from IPD. IPD sells it as a bundle with the adapter cable for the same total price, but you get a bonus of a free installation DVD. This is very helpful if you are not familiar with pulling the stereo out.

Cheers!

Greg