I just picked up a base model 08 Accent today and I love it so far, it's the version without a stereo and without A/C so I am going to add a nice CD player as soon as I get the funds. I noticed the car has a factory antenna on the roof and i was thinking of just ordering a new head unit from Crutchfield and doing the install myself.

Question is do the cars without a factory stereo still have the factory wiring harness to where I can just plug right it right in (with a harness adapter) or would I have to manually wire the whole thing?

Also a dumb question really but do the cars have speakers in place or will I need speakers as well?

Thanks

Speaking utterly without knowledge or authority here, so take it for what it's worth.

You probably have the wiring, but I seriously doubt you have the speakers. The wiring is likely part of a larger bundle of wiring that you need, such as instrumentation, etc. Speakers are not necessary for any reason, nothing else depends on their presence, plus they cost $$$, so I would doubt they are present in your car. Pretty easy to check. Take a flashlight to to the speaker grills and look into them. If you see black cardboard, you have them. IF you see car internals, you don't.

Let us know though, either way!

I think it's all there for you but don't hold me to it... I would think at the least the wiring for sure would be there, it would cost Hyundai more in the long run to have two different wiring harnesses, one for with and one without radio. :grin:

Torbo would be a great person to ask, he installed a radio in a GS that didn't have one from the factory. Hopefully he sees this and can chime in!

Welcome aboard, BTW! :) :00000732:

This post has been edited by hoosieraccent: Mar 12 2008, 12:16 AM

I just picked up a base model last week. Like yours mine came without A/C and a stereo. The speakers are there. All you have to do is install a stereo of your choice.

Awesome thanks for the replies guys. Guess this can be a good DIY project for me then.

Just wanted to share this. I verified today that my car does have factory speakers in place so anyone else looking for this information can rest assured they should be there.

i got the same exact model as yours, no a/c, no radio.. the pioneer radio i got went in without a hitch and the speakers actually sound pretty d a m n good for factory! i think on hyundai's service website they have a color coded wiring diagram for the stereo wires. the harness is actually plugged into the back of the plastic "cavities" in the dash, as well as the antennae plug...

i had to buy a wire harness and solder that one and the one that came with the stereo together, and like i said, it worked out great!

best of luck and post some pics!!

I didnt even know you could get one with no radio.

Yep, the real kicker is it doesn't have A/C either! I guess I can live with that though considering I got it for $9100 On The Road.

I am adding one of these two within the next couple of weeks.

Pioneer DEH-P9800BT
(IMG:http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2006/130/h130DEHP980-f_cd_IDS.jpeg)

Alpine CDA-9887
(IMG:http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2007/500/h500CDA9887-f_mt.jpeg)

This post has been edited by DeuceRooster: Mar 13 2008, 11:51 PM

The 2008 Accent without a radio does have speakers...quite good if you like clarity & don't need huge amounts of bass. As for a radio, get digital HD radio if you have HD radio stations in your area. HD radio has been around for several years, but has been expensive. JVC & Dual have come out with v. low cost radios tho. The Dual is wonderful. The clarity is CD quality-like except for more background hiss 25 miles away from the radio station. The hiss is still lower than analog radio tho. As my classical music station says, HD radio is the most important radio development since FM stereo radio....& it is!!!!! HD radio stations, if they elect, have multiple stations underneath their basic signal too.

Get HD radio. You will regret it if you don't. You don't have to pay for satellite radio & CD sound quality. HD radio has the quality & its free.

I've mentioned HD radio here on other threads.

This post has been edited by litesong: Mar 14 2008, 01:39 AM

There's one problem with HD radio. It's a problem shared with Satellite radio and plain old radio, too: Someone else chooses what you're going to hear.

My CD player has CD sound quality and I have complete control over what music it plays. :thumbsup:

The idea of HD digital radio...to hear new songs , new performers, new types of music, new instruments, & even the quality the recording engineers but on CDs you've never heard....& not have to pay for it! Since you're used to CD sound quality with your CDs, then you should listen to all the 'new stuff' in CD quality. HD digital radio has reenergized my radio listening. I listened to all my wonderfully researched CDs for decades & my radio listening decreased. As fine as my old CDs are, with HD digital radio, I can hear the superiority of the very best modern recordings. Truly, HD radio will let you determine the best new artists & music without hype or paying for it. Then you can reserve your money to purchase only the very best music.

This post has been edited by litesong: Mar 25 2008, 08:59 AM