Car stereos are installed in cars to make the driving comfortable and enjoyable. For most of the people today a car stereo is a vital element of their car. They are placed at the heart of the car audio system and are nicely shaped and fitted as to match the interiors of the car.

Now, it may sometimes happen that rather than using the factory installed car stereo year after year, people may want to try a better quality system. But lack of knowledge about the specific ways of removing an installed car stereo can prove to be a hindrance. However, in this case it should be mentioned that though removing an installed car stereo is not a tough job yet it needs caution since the process is technical.

The process of removing an installed car stereo depends mainly on the type of the stereo and the type of the car. Generally, there are two main ways to remove a car stereo, the spring mounted clips and bolt-on. In the first, the stereo is held in place by 4 small clips, so that the stereo does not slide out of the dash. The tools necessary to remove it are a pair of DIN tools that are usually U-shaped. And at the top of the U there are small poles that fix the clips to the stereo. After inserting properly, there will be a click sound and the stereo will simply slide out of the dash.

There are car stereos that are attached to the dash and then it will be a bit difficult to get it out. However, there aren't special tools for the uninstalling process. There are brackets bolted to the car. They are sometimes mounted to the stereo to bring some variation in the method. However, to access the screws or the bolts that hold the stereo in the place, a few trims have to be removed. And one has to be careful while removing them. That is the essence of the bolt-on method.

There are basically one or two trim pieces that surround the face of the stereo. And to remove it the screws that are usually hidden from normal view have to be detached. Infact, there are some hidden clips which have to be taken care of while removing the trim. In this case, removal tools can be used.

Now once the trims are removed we should remove the screws or bolts holding it in place. When they too are removed, the stereo will slide out of the dash.

Then you should disconnect the electrical connectors at the back of the stereo, by unscrewing the antenna cable at first. Actually, the antenna cable is the furthest connection near the passenger side. The next step is removing the power connection. Finally, you must remove the wiring harness connector from the back of the stereo. Now, as all the electrical connections are removed from the back of the stereo, the car stereo is removed completely. These are basic instructions about removing an installed car stereo. In the case of any complication you should give a call to the service center and get expert guidance.