WS Fiesta 2009 - audio upgrade

[Swul]

Hi all,

So I finally decided that after 14 years of owning my 2009 Zetec manual that I can tinker without feeling like I might wreck the car due to my limited skills. Keen to upgrade the audio head unit (will stay with just the head unit...... for now). Went to browse at an audio store and pretty much felt dismissed as not willing to spend enough $$ and not really 'worth their time'.

Hearing how much it'd cost just to do a basic HU+ front speaker upgrade made me more determined to go the DIY route. I finally accepted that any fascia mod available out there that accommodates a 1/2-DIN aftermarket HU would look uglier than stock, I went for a 2DIN JVC (KW-M785BW) as I purposely avoided the various Android auto upgrades by no-name brands (my priority was sound quality followed by convenience). And no I did not order it from the shop I browsed at.

Studied the Aerpro website over and over to see what additional cables needed and picked up APP8JVC5 adapter but there does not seem to be any suitable Steering wheel control module specific to my WS Fiesta (mine has the "M" button on the stalk, not the "OK" button). One suggestion from a website says "For cars with an "M" button you will need to purchase the 29-ctf-05 & 29-ctf-04 and use the black box from the 29-ctf-05 and the cables from the 29-ctf-04 as this is a more complex car setup." - essentially that would cost $275 AUD (more than I want to spend and the -05 part is also sold out). Is there an alternative that allows me to retain SWCs? My stock audio has Part No: 8A6T-18C815-BP.


For the other parts I picked up a fascia from AliExpress tonight due to sales for just over $60 AUD shipped https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005006005235274.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2vnm. Unfortunately nothing that fully matches the burgundy/red interior so will likely need to re-spray one of the panels (not entirely true - Tomzz Audio makes one with the burgundy-coloured panel but only ships within Germany). Also picked up a FDHZ01 alternative for about $6 which works perfectly.

[espnfre]

Originally Posted by Swul

Went to browse at an audio store and pretty much felt dismissed as not willing to spend enough $$ and not really 'worth their time'.

I saved around $1,300 with my DIY setup, but I can't blame the installators because installing an aftermarket head unit plus speakers on a moder car it's a headache and your body needs to be well fit and your mind calm and fit for the purpose plus you need the right tools (if you're a DIY guy no problem), plenty of accessories and lot of the time would be spent on reasearch.

I went for a 2DIN JVC (KW-M785BW) as I purposely avoided the various Android auto upgrades by no-name brands.

JVC is the cheaper version of the Kenwood but it's still a very good head unit for the price.
I bought the Kenwood one because of a few positive technical specifications related to the pre-out channel's max power and the hardware and software supported active sub-woofer interface.

Studied the Aerpro website over and over to see what additional cables needed and picked up APP8JVC5 adapter but there does not seem to be any suitable Steering wheel control module specific to my WS Fiesta

I suggest you head to Youtube and watch some videos plus surf forums for DIY cable management solutions.

Out of curiosity, what speakers di you buy?

My initial project was a head unit and 4 speakers (as per the original setup) but once I tried the sound I didn't really like it so I added an active sub-woofer and now I really love to listen the music!

[Swul]

I'm willing to do a little soldering and splicing but preferably leave the stock cables as intact as possible. I had good experience in the past just upgrading the head unit (although that was in a '95 Camry) so I'm starting with this, but definitely looking to swap out the front speakers and tweeters later on.

I suggest you head to Youtube and watch some videos plus surf forums for DIY cable management solutions.

The head unit and harness arrived and i've already hit a snag - the APP8JVC5 mentioned on Aerpro site was incorrect and doesn't fit my Fiesta. I have a cheapy harness designed for generic android HUs that I picked up from AliExpress which does have the right socket, but seems to have fewer wires so need to figure out how to modify it (before I resort to cutting into wires on the car-side).

My initial project was a head unit and 4 speakers (as per the original setup) but once I tried the sound I didn't really like it so I added an active sub-woofer and now I really love to listen the music!

Which active sub did you get? I was initially intrigued by the Alpine PWD-X5 which was an active subwoofer with an amp a DSP - would've been perfect but they no longer sold it and at least it seemed too big a job for me to tackle DIY, ripping up carpet and laying down cables and all. Then my CD player started skipping so it made more sense to swap that out first.

[Swul]

An update - managed to have have everything wired up - turns out the harness was correct - I just needed another adapter to finish the connection. Didn't bother chancing it with AliExpress parts that didn't specifically list the Fiesta as many looked the same but were for Volvos etc. so just went with one from Amazon and it worked perfectly (https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0B56Z1...roduct_details).The only wires that I haven't been able to figure out are the steering wheel controls and Illumination wires - I think they need a can bus to work anyway - unless anyone can suggest a solution. The fascia from AliExpress did not include the cage for holding the stereo. A generic 2-Din cage ended up not actually fitting very well - at the moment I've attached the side clips that came with the generic cage and clipped them onto the plastic fascia - it'll hold for now.Does anyone know how to get the paint code for the interior burgundy colour? I would like to spray the grey plastic panel - the original burgundy panel was actually molded in black and sprayed burgundy. I've taken the panel to SCA to try and colour match but they only do it for exterior paints. Are there alternatives to getting it matched at an auto paint store?

[Swul]

I've now swapped out the front speakers and tweeters, and paint matched the interior burgundy colour for the grey top panel at a local auto paint shop (ended up $87 all up for paint matching, placing into spray can and a primer spray).

Originally Posted by espnfre

Out of curiosity, what speakers di you buy?

I ended up with Pioneer TS-A1601C component speakers in the front($145). I got some sound deadening (Dynamat) onto the door sheet metal (what I can place through the speaker holes anyway), and some insulation cotton behind each of the door cards. Overall the effect to noise/vibration was minimal - long highway drives still brought in quite intrusive noise. Will be trying to deaden the spare wheel area with what I have left and also place an additional boot mat on top to hopefully reduce the noise further. I'm happy enough with the set up but am looking at the next project - potentially adding a powered underseat sub.Does anyone know if the WS Fiesta has enough space for an underseat placement of the Alpine PWE-S8?