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Installing the Parrot MKi9100 Bluetooth/Ipod/Aux/USB interface


Difficulty - Medium/Easy

Time - A couple of hours

Tools - trim tool Example here (worth getting as you'll see below!)

10mm socket and driver, 22mm hole cutting bit (I used a woodworking one) and cordless drill

Zip ties, Scissors and wire clippers

You'll also be needing one Parrot Mki9100 kit and a Parrot ISO to Toyota adapter (aka SOT adapter) (Audioleads SOT-062). Mine was from Dynamic Sounds in London for about £8.

Introduction

This post describes how I fitted the Parrot Mki9100 interface to my 07 RAV 4.3 fitted with a standard CD changer stereo. The Parrot is available currently (March '10) for around £120. It is an excellent quality bluetooth hands free. For me, the key selling points were its additional music capabilities. If you have a phone that can stream in stereo via bluetooth, then this device will relay this audio through the stereo as well as control the phone remotely. For those of you who aren't so much into Bluetooth audio as me, the unit has got an Ipod interface, USB interface and a conventional 3.5mm stereo Aux-In plug.

Note: Although I know a bit about electronics that doesn't mean that this is the only or indeed the best way of doing this install. There is plenty of scope to move things around as you see fit, provided you make sure you route around airbags and any other essential kit. The remote control for the unit is especially easy as it is entirely wireless!

Procedure

First disconnect the battery, take the stereo out and the glovebox out. To do this, follow Anchorman's exemplary coverage of the Ipod interface install.

here

I was a bit perplexed to how to get the glovebox out as both Anchorman and the Toyota instructions describe: the secret is that the damper can be pulled off the side of the 'box' directly (to your left as you look at it on a RHD drive car) with no ill effects like this: I don't know if that makes it any clearer!

P1010935.jpg

So, once you have everything apart, you need to locate the microphone. Now for my money I prefer to mount this on the A pillar to get it close to the driver: others like to mount the mic directly in front of the speedo pointing through the steering wheel. Anyway, here's the routing for this position:

P1010920.jpg

As you can see the dual microphone fits nicely with its base under the trim edging holding it in place. Once you are happy with the location you can remove the sticky on the bottom of the base to fix in place. You can then push the wiring out of the way so that it is hidden behind the rubber trim edging all the way down the edge of the door. This keeps it away from the airbags. Eventually tidying the wire away you'll arrive at the base of the trim:

P1010923.jpg

Next you need to break out your trusty trim removal tool (and IMHO it does pay to get one as I always find screwdrivers covered in tape tend to accidentally scratch when you don't expect it.) and gently prise the trim apart and prod the wire in behind the trim

P1010924.jpg

Next you can route this out of harms way over the top of the car interface connector

P1010925.jpg

Finally you need to route the cable back into the main stereo compartment. So, reach for your trim tool and hook the plug into the end of the tool like this:

P1010926.jpg

Now all you need to do is do a bit of wiggling with the trim, threading the tool in the right direction: it looks like this when you've inserted it in the dash with wire attached:

P1010927.jpg

Now you can look into the stereo compartment and spotting the end of the tool, reach in and fish the cable out. You can see the blue end of the trim tool from the stereo compartment like this: sorry forgot to turn the flash on!

P1010928.jpg

And voila, we're done, the microphone plug is on the right. Remember when you plug this into the Parrot Blue box that it has a locking position and should be twisted to lock in place.

P1010934.jpg

Next we need to do some drilling to install the multi-audio adapter lead (that's the funky one that has a big grommet on it and Ipod/USB/Aux adapters. This bit of the procedure is the same as the Ipod interface, except I was using a smaller drill bit as the Parrot grommet is 22mm. Some pictures below...

The hole..

P1010938.jpg

The drill - make a bit of a mess with the plastic..

P1010936.jpg

The grommet from below.

P1010941.jpg

The audio adapter cable in situ. You can use the scissors at this point to cut the mat to your taste.

P1010939.jpg

Next we need to locate the Parrot display unit lead. As I wanted to put this next to the steering wheel, I used the trim tool to nudge the wire into the best location.

P1010943.jpg

This is its final resting place in the trim... This seems to be a juncture that causes minimal deformation to the trim with a wire routed there.

P1010944.jpg

Now we need to plug all the SOT leads in to the existing harness and plug everything into the Parrot blue box...

P1010945.jpg

For the sake of cleanliness I trim down the Parrot Line out leads with the wire clipper as these are not needed in this install. (Leaving some wire for possible reconnection)

P1010918.jpg

The mute line is number one, as per below. All the other plugs in the loom can only fit in one place so you have to be pretty dumb not to get this bit right :thumbsup:

P1010948.jpg

Now, to secure the blue box. The previous owner had a Toyota Nokia kit fitted and I spent some time removing the wiring for this: the control box had been fixed with a sticky pad which had come undone so it was floating around. As the Parrot box is very light, I prefer to use zip ties to attach it to something. First zip tie the box itself.

P1010946.jpg

Then secure directly under the main stereo

P1010947.jpg

Finally you can reassemble everything and test. Don't forget to plug in all the leads you removed as well as those from the new SOT harness.

You will need to put the button battery in the remote control and stick down the display in your chosen location. You can also put the remote control on the steering wheel if you so wish as the necessary fitments are in the kit. I chose to stick it below the display like this:

P1010949.jpg

With the display removed and the remote removed it looks like this.

P1010953.jpg

As I did the install today, it will be a little while before I have had a chance to check out all of its qualities, but it seems to be a good unit. I'll post a review when I get the time!

cheers!


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General

  • Time Taken?
    120 mins
  • Difficulty Level? 1-5
    2

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