Note - these instructions have not been reviewed/formatted yet. (in other words, 

Adam didn't write this ;-)<BR>

<BR>



The '90 models with 5-speaker systems didn't have the rear connector on the

back of the head unit for audio input, so you must purchase an FM modulated

changer to get it to work.  The thought of FM modulating a CD signal makes

most people cringe, but in my research, I found that the FM method actually

works quite well if you buy the right model.  I've heard that many Sony FM

systems are inevitably muddy sounding, and a hopeless cause overall, but I

have had no direct experience with them.  Instead, I bought an Alpine 651RF

6-disc changer for only $399.  It has very crisp, clear sound, and I

challenge anyone to prove to me that the built-in factory disc player sounds

ANY better.  It comes with a thin remote, the changer itself, one magazine

cartridge, a controller box (power supply and RF modulator), LCD display

panel, and the mounting hardware.  The only other thing you need to purchase

is an antenna adapter because the Bose unit uses a funky non-standard plug.

I found one at the local car stereo shop for $19.

<p>

Where you mount the changer is mostly a matter of taste.  It has been

reported that the Alpine changer (the physically smallest one made) will fit

perfectly under the leather passenger seat.  However, I installed mine there

and had problems with the seat scraping the box, and sometime the box would

cause the seat adjustment lever to not lock properly.  But, I have cloth

seats, and I bet that is why I had problems.  Another option is to put it on

the rear deck, between the passenger seats.  I haven't tried this, but when

I move my changer from my NA to my TT, I think that's where it's going to go.

<p>

To install the unit under the seat, you must first remove the seat.  It's

not hard.. just remove the four bolts holding the seat frame.  In fact, this

is a major bonus: thieves won't know you have a changer, and even if they

do, they won't be able to steal it w/out first pulling out the seat.  The

mounting of the unit itself is flexible.  You can bolt it directly to the

floorpan of the car if you like, but the thought of corrosion made me shy

away from that option.  The other choice is to use the four plastic plates

that come with it.  Each plate has a bolt fitted in it, facing upwards.

What you do is you make a cut in the floor carpeting and slide the plate

underneath.  Then, you poke the upward facing bolt through the carpet and

use this as a mounting point for the changer (putting a nut on top).  I

found it easiest to make the cuts right at the points where the carpet was

squashed down by the seat frame.  Then, I lifted the carpet and slid the

plastic plates under and positioned them to line up with where I wanted the

changer.  Next, I bolted the changer down and fed the DIN cable up the side

of the console wall.  With a little messing around, I managed to route the

cable inside the console wall, all the way up into the dash.  I then put the

passenger seat back in.  Be careful not to scrape the door rail paint with

the seat frame brackets when moving the seat in and out - the seat is heavy,

and it's easy to slip.

<p>

Okay, now you need to just hook up the controller box and find a nice hiding

place for it under the dash.  This is really hard to do because due to cable

lengths, the controller box must be near the head unit, and there's not much

room under the dash.  This is the most sloppy part of my installation.  I

ended up finding a spot deep up under the dash (on the driver's side), near

some vent ducting, but I couldn't get it to stay up there.  Under heavy

braking, it kept falling down onto my feet (not a safe situation!)  I gave

up and used some duct tape to hold it in and it worked great.  This is also

a good location because the fuse box is nearby, and you'll need constant and

switched power taps from there.

<p>

Next, you have to pull apart the dash and remove the head unit.  The antenna

adapter fits up easily into the rear of the head unit, and connects to a DIN

cable coming from the controller box.  

<p>

The last thing to do is to plug the LCD display into the controller box and

find a place to mount it.  If you have the 4-speaker system, and thus the

'cubby' hole under the head unit, then you're in luck.  The cubby makes for

a very stealthy mounting spot.  You simply cut out a hole in the rear of the

cubby, big enough to pass the DIN cable through, and place the LCD deep in

the back of the compartment.  With this setup, the only way to see the LCD

is from a sitting position.  From the outside of the vehicle, your changer

is 100% hidden.  If you have the 5-speaker system, your choices are somewhat

limited.  I decided to mount the LCD under the climate control pod, with

velcro attached to the cloth part of the dash.  I had to superglue the

velcro to get it to stick properly, btw.  But this location is actually

quite nice and fairly hidden from window-peeeker's views.  If you place it

properly, the panel fits in very snugly, pressed into the upper right

corner.  Then, you have to route the wire so it's snug up the the underside

of the dash and doesn't hang down (not hard).

<p>

The little remote control fits perfectly in the space beside the power

mirror switch on an NA.  In a TT, the mirror heater (if yours has one) and

suspension setting switches might get in the way.

<p>

I've found the Alpine to be a very good performer.  It's cheaper than many

of the competitors, and hasn't skipped ONCE since I installed it (unlike the

stock player).    Not only is it the smallest 6-disc player you can buy, but

it also has the fastest time for changing discs.  When mounted under the

passenger seat, changing the magazing is accomplished by leaning the

seatback forward and accessing the changer from the back (so in other words,

the changer is facing backwards).  Also, perhaps one of the reasons why I

had problems fitting the changer under the seat was that I chose to mount it

to the carpet plates, instead of directly into the floor.  Maybe if you

screw it directly down into the floor, you give it that tiny bit more

clearance that's needed.  Or, I suppose you could cut the carpet out in a

square for the changer to sit in, giving even more room.