Pictoral CDR 220 install into 993
03-25-2014, 10:21 PM
#33
Intermediate
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 32
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So it's shameful, really, but nothing ever comes easily for me even on the easy fixes… the blue and green clips on the back of the radio are not separating. I'm pressing the release tab. No dice. I used a safety pin to press release tab. No dice. Anyone have any special tricks?
03-26-2014, 02:07 AM
#34
Burning Brakes
They slide out, not pull apart... not sure if that will help. Try sliding them apart like how a old phone would mount to the wall jack in your house. It slides up and off the wall, doesnt pull off.
04-06-2014, 07:45 PM
#35
1st Gear
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
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Just a few observations after successfully installing CDR-220 into '96 cab today with iPod cord:
Note - I purchased my iPod cord on Ebay from Althoffk. It came with very good instructions and the radio removal keys which are critical to have. About $49. Regular iPod connection on one end, a blue plug that fits into the back of the CDR220 and two bare "free" wires ( a black ground and red power) on the other end.
- Pictorial from M. Wilson is essential. Note black "hook" coming from below radio opening in one of his pictures, that's part of the glove compartment and may snag antenna cable if radio is placed with GC door closed. Leave it open during final replacement. Make sure antenna cable is securely plugged in.
- Definitely tape the dash to prevent scratches like Mark did.
- My iPod plug had a black wire (ground) and red wire (power to recharge) which need to be attached. I simply stripped a small section of the power wire (mine was red/black stripe) and soldered the red wire to it. I did the same with the black wire to the BROWN ground wire. Then wrapped the areas with elec. tape.
The alternator buzz went away when I attached black iPod ground to the brown ground wire - if you only attach black iPod ground to radio chassis you will still hear buzz (alternator- goes up and down with engine running/RPM).
- the GREEN wire is rendered useless when the CDR-210 mounting housing is removed. I just put elec. tape over the end of it and pushed it way back and out of the way.
-MAKE SURE iPod cord is in place - i just ran it up and under dash, I did not drill any holes anywhere. iPod/touch/iphone fits in ash tray perfectly. Once you start putting the unit into place, you don't want to find out that wires have not been "run" correctly.
- getting the unit into place finally! -- KEY, bend tabs at back of radio space apart with your fingers. These are the tabs that hold the back of the radio - the CDR 220 is a little bigger than the 210. I have small hands and bent them about as far as I felt comfortable. There are 4 of them, up/down on the Rt and Lft. If you don't do this it can be VERY hard to get radio into place. Tell yourself it WILL go to place. I needed to do it about 4-5 times to get it right. Once I figured out the tabs needed adjusting it went to place ( and it's still not easy to just push in)
- Also, when seating radio, dash ***** can get in the way too.
- If you haven't gotten the modified face plate (modified controller), you WILL NEED this as seeing info on radio is basically impossible from the left, you can only see the digits, etc.. from above and the pass. side.
*** the good news - radio is much better than CDR-210! It works perfectly on AUX for iPod and i really like rotary ***** better anyway.
GOOD LUCK - def. a DIY job for a bright sunny day. about 1.5 hrs give or take
Note - I purchased my iPod cord on Ebay from Althoffk. It came with very good instructions and the radio removal keys which are critical to have. About $49. Regular iPod connection on one end, a blue plug that fits into the back of the CDR220 and two bare "free" wires ( a black ground and red power) on the other end.
- Pictorial from M. Wilson is essential. Note black "hook" coming from below radio opening in one of his pictures, that's part of the glove compartment and may snag antenna cable if radio is placed with GC door closed. Leave it open during final replacement. Make sure antenna cable is securely plugged in.
- Definitely tape the dash to prevent scratches like Mark did.
- My iPod plug had a black wire (ground) and red wire (power to recharge) which need to be attached. I simply stripped a small section of the power wire (mine was red/black stripe) and soldered the red wire to it. I did the same with the black wire to the BROWN ground wire. Then wrapped the areas with elec. tape.
The alternator buzz went away when I attached black iPod ground to the brown ground wire - if you only attach black iPod ground to radio chassis you will still hear buzz (alternator- goes up and down with engine running/RPM).
- the GREEN wire is rendered useless when the CDR-210 mounting housing is removed. I just put elec. tape over the end of it and pushed it way back and out of the way.
-MAKE SURE iPod cord is in place - i just ran it up and under dash, I did not drill any holes anywhere. iPod/touch/iphone fits in ash tray perfectly. Once you start putting the unit into place, you don't want to find out that wires have not been "run" correctly.
- getting the unit into place finally! -- KEY, bend tabs at back of radio space apart with your fingers. These are the tabs that hold the back of the radio - the CDR 220 is a little bigger than the 210. I have small hands and bent them about as far as I felt comfortable. There are 4 of them, up/down on the Rt and Lft. If you don't do this it can be VERY hard to get radio into place. Tell yourself it WILL go to place. I needed to do it about 4-5 times to get it right. Once I figured out the tabs needed adjusting it went to place ( and it's still not easy to just push in)
- Also, when seating radio, dash ***** can get in the way too.
- If you haven't gotten the modified face plate (modified controller), you WILL NEED this as seeing info on radio is basically impossible from the left, you can only see the digits, etc.. from above and the pass. side.
*** the good news - radio is much better than CDR-210! It works perfectly on AUX for iPod and i really like rotary ***** better anyway.
GOOD LUCK - def. a DIY job for a bright sunny day. about 1.5 hrs give or take
04-06-2014, 08:25 PM
#36
Rennlist Member
And who says "users" don't contribute 
Nice contribution jawdds!
Hmmm, I'm loving my android phone, but to be clear, I'm not charging it and playing it at the same time with a cdr220 with one cord. Am I??
Most of my family are huge apple fans. I just couldn't buy one, the I told you so's would just be too unbearable. I'd rather run two wires.
Question two: most of the cdr's 220 I've seen on ebay look like they have pretty worn faceplates. Do becker along with their contrast service have any refinishing services or replacement plates at a reasonable cost or is it better to hold out for a nice one.
Finally, if anyone has a nice 220 they want to sell, please pm!
Nice contribution jawdds!
Hmmm, I'm loving my android phone, but to be clear, I'm not charging it and playing it at the same time with a cdr220 with one cord. Am I??
Most of my family are huge apple fans. I just couldn't buy one, the I told you so's would just be too unbearable. I'd rather run two wires.
Question two: most of the cdr's 220 I've seen on ebay look like they have pretty worn faceplates. Do becker along with their contrast service have any refinishing services or replacement plates at a reasonable cost or is it better to hold out for a nice one.
Finally, if anyone has a nice 220 they want to sell, please pm!
05-31-2014, 10:08 AM
#39
Rennlist Member
Hope it goes well. You have inspired me to consider installing mine today (sitting for 2 months). You doing the iphone adapter or mp3 cable? The jaw doc ^ says only 1.5 hours, but he's used to working in cramped places. lol
05-31-2014, 07:56 PM
#40
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
It took me about 2 hours or 2 beers to finish. I added the AUX in that just plugs into a headphone jack. The only problem I ran into was getting the wiring tucked away enough to press the radio in all the way. My antenna plug also doesn't fit in the back of the radio so it looks like I am missing some kind of adaptor. SW Stereo seems to have what I need so I will order that at some point in the future.
I am very happy with the sound quality running Pandora from my phone and thrilled I don't have to listen to my 10+ year old CD's anymore.
Before:
After:
05-31-2014, 08:50 PM
#41
Rennlist Member
I do have bad radio reception now I think it is a bad antenna booster. If you turn the right ****, it starts scanning and never stops - justs keeps rolling thru the stations. (so I have to press arrow down, then turn it manually to tune) I called SW stereo about it (where I got my 220) and he said that's mostly either no power to antenna booster or antenna booster. I did put the 210 back in briefly and did the same test and it ran thru the stations on scan also so I think I eliminated the head unit. I guess I never use that feature so didn't know it wasn't working. Plus the few stations I listened to with the 210 seem to come in ok but not so good on the 220. ANyways, so that's next on my list to investigate...
05-31-2014, 10:32 PM
#42
Instructor
would anyone who's done the swap or thinking of going ahead with it consider selling me their cdr 210, my car has a modern looking pioneer in it and I'm looking to go toward the stock setup, i believe the pioneer is actually a sought after discontinued gem however i rarely have the stereo on, would need to be shipped to vancouver
cheers
cheers
06-18-2014, 12:29 PM
#44
Instructor
Nice write up. I second the comments about trying to seat the CDR 220 all the way, it is a bear of a job. Last I checked Becker charged $100 for a faceplate mod, SW Stereo (no affiliation) charged $50 for the same mod. ***** are expensive to replace (Becker sells them), if you buy a used unit, check it for gummy ***** and chipped or peeling buttons, very common, especially out of cabs (see if you can find a unit out of a 996 Coupe)
I have the CDR 220 in my 96, huge improvement over the 210. However, I have not sent the faceplate back on this one yet (had another one a few years ago, mod makes a huge difference). Ipod or Iphone music is crisp clear and simple. FM reception is good, my AM reception is virtually non-existent. I am not sure if it is the power to the antenna booster or the antenna booster itself, with as bad as the Padres are playing, I don't listen to their games much anyway.....I have a Becker Grand Prix sitting in the box that I go back and forth on. I intended to install, it has a Bluetooth phone feature, but not Bluetooth music streaming. I am told that the music streaming feature is on the horizon, maybe this fall. For the money, you can't beat the CDR 220 for function and simple Porsche styling. It fits the car, no flashing disco lights, jumping dolphins, yes that is a feature on some aftermarket units, or bass equalizer indicators. Phil
I have the CDR 220 in my 96, huge improvement over the 210. However, I have not sent the faceplate back on this one yet (had another one a few years ago, mod makes a huge difference). Ipod or Iphone music is crisp clear and simple. FM reception is good, my AM reception is virtually non-existent. I am not sure if it is the power to the antenna booster or the antenna booster itself, with as bad as the Padres are playing, I don't listen to their games much anyway.....I have a Becker Grand Prix sitting in the box that I go back and forth on. I intended to install, it has a Bluetooth phone feature, but not Bluetooth music streaming. I am told that the music streaming feature is on the horizon, maybe this fall. For the money, you can't beat the CDR 220 for function and simple Porsche styling. It fits the car, no flashing disco lights, jumping dolphins, yes that is a feature on some aftermarket units, or bass equalizer indicators. Phil
06-19-2014, 03:26 AM
#45
Rennlist Member
Trying to seat the radio is a challenge but after you've done it a few times like me 
it gets easier
As noted above you really need to open bend the 4 tabs a little before sliding in the CDR220.
The other thing is not to mash the wires. If you get on the passenger floor (US) and position your head where the passengers feet should be you can actually look up with a flashlight and see the wires and tabs to make sure you aren't mashing anything. It's not very comfortable but I put a moving blanket on the frame rails lean your back on that with your feet out the door and you can see it. It looks like this. The wires on the left (when you are sitting position again looking at the radio) are the problem. Make sure you feed them to the green oval in this pic and keep them away from the red. Finally, if you are having troble getting it to seat the last 1/2" you can pull down on those tabs while pushing the radio at the same time really helped me get it as flush as the ccu.
it gets easier As noted above you really need to open bend the 4 tabs a little before sliding in the CDR220.
The other thing is not to mash the wires. If you get on the passenger floor (US) and position your head where the passengers feet should be you can actually look up with a flashlight and see the wires and tabs to make sure you aren't mashing anything. It's not very comfortable but I put a moving blanket on the frame rails lean your back on that with your feet out the door and you can see it. It looks like this. The wires on the left (when you are sitting position again looking at the radio) are the problem. Make sure you feed them to the green oval in this pic and keep them away from the red. Finally, if you are having troble getting it to seat the last 1/2" you can pull down on those tabs while pushing the radio at the same time really helped me get it as flush as the ccu.